Gizmo
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ic A to Z (Everything Changes, Except When it Doesn't)
Gizmo replied to TheAbsurdist's topic in Bayview
"Sit," Winifred demanded again, more sharply this time, indicating with her index finger for the other girl to remain where she was. "It's not a competition, Corinne. I apologize for implying otherwise." Sighing, she rubbed her temples for a moment while trying to come up with a different angle of attack. "I've been told I'm not a particularly soft touch. Reassurance is not my strong suit." She steepled her fingers in her lap and mulled over her words for a moment before trying again. "Perhaps approach it this way. You have a condition and consequently people are going to treat you differently than you might like. I shall assume the boy with whom you were cross was not seriously injured or else you wouldn't be out and about now but given the danger presented you'll have to accept that they are not entirely wrong to do so. It becomes, then, a question of management." She spread her hands and raised an eyebrow. "I can't claim any special knowledge of the field but surely you would not be the first dancer to succeed despite a chronic malady? I say with some experience than a sufficiently motivated young lady can adapt to very nearly any new circumstance." -
"Honestly, with all the exotic energies and 'magical' fireballs and radio waves being thrown about this city it seems a wonder there aren't more unexpected reactions in the environment," Winifred opined as she hurried after Riley. She'd been assured that the wireless technology used daily in the modern day was perfectly safe but there'd been considerably fewer people with extra limbs in her day. Tucking away the samples she'd collected the alchemist stepped carefully, not trusting the sand beneath her shoes. "I hesitate to ask but are they human tracks?" This was clearly her friend's area of expertise; she wouldn't have made anything of the indentations had he not pointed them out. "That would lend credence to the idea that another visiting student was responsible."
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Clearly unimpressed by the flashy show of martial arts prowess Lou bobbed down slightly and to one side to avoid two of the batons entirely while taking the third attack on a raised forearm with nothing but a soft grunt. He continued the weave to come up abruptly in front of the 'guard' who'd been attempting to distract him. One arm shot out like a cannonball, grabbing the man's head with a palm large enough to cover most of his face and drive it backward into the doorframe. The impact left a dent in the cheap moulding as the showboat fell atop the shoes of one of his unconscious allies. With a disdainful little shake of his head Lou turned back to the remaining fighters, their numbers now cut in half. "I'm good," he told Sofia. "Appreciate the offer."
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Lou Startle Guard: 1d20+15 29 Attack Guard; Power Attack 5, Master Plan +3: 1d20+8 14 Let me know if that's enough to catch the guard flat-footed. If so it's a DC 26 Toughness Save again.
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ic A to Z (Everything Changes, Except When it Doesn't)
Gizmo replied to TheAbsurdist's topic in Bayview
"I'll assume this 'Juilliard' is a prestigious institution?" Winifred half-asked, trying to keep up with the tumble of words coming in halting bunches from the distressed girl. With a long, quiet sigh she set her paperback aside, resigned that she wasn't likely to get back to the creased romance novel any time soon. "If it's any consolation, Corinne, acquiring my 'powers' involved a rather catastrophic error in judgement on my part followed by an equally hasty attempt at a solution." There was something in her crisp annunciation that suggested she was being somehow euphemistic; she wasn't about to discuss what the original aim of that desperate 'solution' had been. "I then spent the following century and a half as a statue with what could charitably be described as a 'disturbing' aesthetic and was transported at some point during that time across the Atlantic to an entirely different country. Consequently my own parents, along with everyone I had previously known, are long since dead and I have been forced to rely upon the charity of strangers in an unfamiliar place and time." Her voice grew increasingly tight as she continued, turning away from Corinne to turn an unfocused stare off into the distance. "So. It would, I think, be fair to say that I understand something of exile and leaving things behind. I have found though, however improbably, that talking about all of it does indeed help. It doesn't resolve any of it, per se but it does help." -
Lou Intimidate Check vs DC 20: 1d20+15 33 Toughness Save vs DC 21: 1d20+8 27
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ic A to Z (Everything Changes, Except When it Doesn't)
Gizmo replied to TheAbsurdist's topic in Bayview
"There does seem to be something of a cultural expectation toward those with arguably more 'useful' extra-human abilities, yes," Winifred agreed calmly, tactfully ignoring both the brief outburst and the part about Corinne being warned away from her. There was nothing terribly novel about having a poor reputation. "The arts program here is woefully under-prioritized, wouldn't you say? Don't misunderstand, I'm a girl who tends to favour practical application but alchemy requires a certain holistic approach. The renaissance masters would have a thing or two to say, I've no doubt." She continued to speak breezily while keeping an eye on the blonde, waiting for her to take her hands away from her face when she was ready. "Dance seems a capital idea for keeping oneself centred and in control. I've taken up a musical instrument, myself." -
Winifred looked embarrassed to have her side of the dormitory room be seen in such a state of disarray but Raina's efficient regimen didn't leave her much time to dwell on it. Having someone else clean her face was an odd sensation; it made her a little too self-conscious to be relaxing but there was an element of ritual that quieted some of her anxiety. "You're quite good at this," she observed in the moments when she could move her mouth without risking disrupting her friend's work. "I'm not sure I'd know where to start going about it from the opposite angle." The suggestion to let Ms. Albright apply the samples herself was a good one. Winifred hadn't had many close friends before arriving at the Academy, certainly none she would have practiced applying makeup on. "I at least feel properly prepared to explain the benefits of the product." Indeed, tucked into the pre-owned toolbox behind the various jars and brushes was a stack of stiff paper with hand drawn graphs and diagrams, all notated with flowing calligraphy. Winifred had seen plenty of slideshow presentations in their classes but hadn't quite gotten around to embracing the software typically used to create them. "How, ah, 'dramatic' were you thinking?" The quirk of her raised eyebrow seemed less tentative than curious, edging into cautious anticipation.
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ic A to Z (Everything Changes, Except When it Doesn't)
Gizmo replied to TheAbsurdist's topic in Bayview
Winifred's expression went through a rapid series of changes as Corinne spoke, starting with a mixture of alarm and indignation at the girl's suggestive first attempt then changing to wary distaste at the outburst of profanity. Realization dawned as the blonde clarified that she too had an uncontrolled metamorphosis of some kind. When she admitted that she was afraid of herself Winifred's mouth curled down in a concerned frown while her brow lowered. Eventually she cleared her throat loudly to forestall the stumbling self-recriminations. "Sit," she demanded with the sort of firmness that failed to have any affect whatsoever on Matthew's hounds, pointing to the base of the tree beside her. "It would hardly do for you to bring on another attack over fears of asking for simple assistance, hm?" She didn't think she could honestly pull off the warm empathy and overflowing concern with which Cathy would have responded and so aimed for something closer to Raina's reassuring confidence. "Why don't you tell me a little more about it, dear." -
"Not a reaction I've seen before," Winifred admitted. Given her area of expertise that was saying something and it was only with some reluctance that she heeded Riley's call for caution and took a half-step away from the sparking rock. Knowing that they weren't the first people to use the quarry as a testing ground she agreed that the archer's reasoning was sound but that led to another question. "Why would there be new minerals embedded in an abandoned quarry? Do you think someone with transmutational abilities might have been about?" It was a fanciful possibility but not so outlandish after some of what she'd seen at the Academy. She couldn't imagine the motivation for the change otherwise.
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The armed guards surrounding Soifa became aware of Lou's fist before they saw the man himself, the meaty appendage crashing into the face of the man who's spoken. One moment the guard had had his full attention on the hacker and in the next the space where his head had been was occupied by a trail of red and the echo of tearing cartilage. By the time his colleagues recognized the dark form that had appeared in their midst as a man Lou had already knocked the barrel of the next guard's gun out of the way and brought his knee up into its owner's stomach with a crunch. An elbow to the back of the neck as his target doubled over left two unconscious forms on the floor while the enforcer calmly stood between the remaining men and Sofia. "Shoulda brought more guys," he suggested, lazily flexing the fingers in his hands to pop the knuckles.
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All in one is fine! Lou Standard Action: Attack Guard; Power Attack 3, Master Plan +3: 1d20+10 30 Critical hit! That's a DC 29 Toughness Save.
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Lou Move Action: Sneak up. Standard Action: Attack Guard; Power Attack 5, Master Plan +3: 1d20+8 21 That should be a DC 26 Toughness Save.
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ic A to Z (Everything Changes, Except When it Doesn't)
Gizmo replied to TheAbsurdist's topic in Bayview
Winifred looked up from her paperback with an air of annoyance then blinked, watching the runner straighten up. The girl was even taller than Raina which seemed both unlikely and bit unfair. She recognized her vaguely as a recent addition to the Academy's student body but she didn't honestly pay that much attention. The workout clothing brought to mind something Robin had said about an encounter in the gymnasium but whether that had been about a 'Corinne' or some similar name escaped her. "About...?" she asked neutrally, head tilted slightly to one side. Usually when a random classmate initiated a conversation with her they didn't bother to ask for permission, which she supposed was a point in Corinne's favour. -
The alchemist paused in smoothing a largely imagined crease out of her shirt to meet Raina's eyes in the reflection of the mirror before turning around to face her. "If you have time, that would be brilliant," she agreed a bit hurriedly, ignoring that she'd found her friend wasting time with computer games. She'd always been a little reluctant to ask for assistance to begin with, a feeling only compounded by a sense of being an inconvenience and burden to those around her at the Academy but it would have been foolish to deny that Raina was the more practiced hand in this case. Spending a little more time around her morale-boosting confidence wouldn't hurt, either. "I left my kit in my room. It's, ah, a tad heavy. I didn't want to forget anything."
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Winifred hadn't realized her shoulder had been pulled tight together until Raina placed the scarf around her neck and they fell back into her usual straight-backed posture with a palpable sense of relief. The blonde's self-assured attitude had a way of making social interactions seem like solvable equations rather than nebulous quagmires. She tried to watch the way the scarf was tied closely enough to memorize the technique but it was done in a blink and she filed it away as a skill for another day. She followed instructions and undid the buttons without hesitation, taking longer to decide where in her hair to position the comb. She hadn't really acquired any jewelry or accessories as she'd rebuilt her wardrobe for the modern day; there was always something more pressing and functional and things like rings or bracelets were a lousy idea given her condition. Clearing a bit of frost off of the mirror so that she could briefly fiddle with her collar she offered Raina a small smile in the reflection. "You're a lifesaver. It's possible I'm a little nervous about this."
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ic A to Z (Everything Changes, Except When it Doesn't)
Gizmo replied to TheAbsurdist's topic in Bayview
A city girl at heart, Winifred Wei hadn't really made a habit of sitting at the bases of trees before arriving at the Academy but about half of the friends she'd made at the school were prone to perching in branches and nearly the entire other half would lean nonchalantly against anything sufficiently perpendicular to the ground. Besides, sitting with her book at the tables closer to the main building meant pretending not to notice when other students shifted seats to avoid sitting too close to her or worse dealing with someone feeling compelled to start up a conversation with her. No, sitting neatly cross-legged under the shade of the old oak with a novel in hand was certainly the best option for letting some of the day's stresses ebb from the knot in her shoulder. Peace and quiet. -
"I'll be leaving for the meeting shortly," Winifred confirmed, craning her neck to observe what Merlin was working on with passing interest before smoothing out an imagined line in her pants. She's settled on her slate grey slacks and a cream coloured dress shirt done up to the top button. After not-so-subtly checking to make sure there wasn't anyone else in the computer lab she raised her arms as though presenting herself for inspection. "Is this right? Don't dissemble, it's terribly important I make a good impression. Is it too casual? Should I borrow a tie? Not enough colour? Too stiff? It's too masculine, isn't it. I'm speaking to a businesswoman, it's too masculine. I could find a scarf." It didn't sound like she was going to stop even to take a breath unless she was interrupted.
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Winifred lowered the blouse in her left hand and raised the buttoned dress shirt on its hanger with her right, frowning at her own reflection in the full length mirror on the back of her dormitory room's door. "If I'm meeting her at her apartment rather than her office I shouldn't be too stuffy, yes?" she reasoned, raising the blouse again to look at the pair of tops side by side. "But the apartment is still inside the company's building and it's still a business meeting. I can't look childish so erring on the side of professionalism might be wiser." Despite her limited wardrobe she'd already been debating her outfit for a good half an hour before asking for Raina's assistance. She'd been preparing for her meeting with Ms. Albright of AEON for the past week and while it would have been one thing if she were simply delivering scientific findings proposing a line of alchemical cosmetics necessitated a certain level of panache she wasn't confident she could meet. If any of her friends knew how to dress for success it was the self-assured pyromancer.
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Jack of all Blades / Jill O'Cure (7) Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting (3) Freedom's Finest #8: Vital Signs (3) The Nothing From Coming For You (1) Midnight II (2) A Legacy of Crime (2) Ghost Girl (1) Horrowshow (1) Set / Sekhmet (3) Death Cab for Cutie (1) Set in His Ways (2) Reagent / The Alkahest (21) Quarrel in the Quarry (1) Skipping Leg Day (5) Deep into that Darkness Peering (2) Fragile (13) Lou Lubrano (2) Knock on the Door Job (2) GM / NPC (1*2 = 2) Here Comes The General (1) Rollover and Ref Point can go to Reagent, thanks!
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Ellie pulled a face as she listened to the nightmare scenarios imagined by two extremely creative people who probably couldn't be called 'optimistic' even under the most generous interpretation of the term. "They probably just fell through a portal," she opined, half serious and half attempting to break tension palpable enough it made it difficult to breathe. Looking to the team of researchers she added, "It happens more than you'd think. If they could do it on purpose we'd already be-slash-have-been screwed, right? Unless we already-slash-will-have stopped them, in which case we really need to know did-slash-is-going-to go down." She shot Dragonfly an apologetic look. Normally she's have been on Team Leave Well Enough Alone but Miss Americana made a good point about needing to know more about exactly what had happened. "I feel like I won't like either answer but is the tomb, uh, 'occupied'?" she asked Steve, grimacing.
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Winifred watched the door close before looking back down to the light of the phone's display, a little harsh in the darkened room. She rested her cheek in the palm of her other hand and stayed that way for a time, not navigating through the devices menus but simply feeling the shape of its protective case in her fingers. Eventually she moved back to her bed and sat down, only to be greeted by Fang's expectant expression, eyes almost as luminous as the backlit display. "I'm not sending him the photograph," the alchemist objected, swinging her legs onto the bed. Fang's grin broadened as she tilted her head to one side. "I'm not sending it to anyone. You're incorrigible. Good night, Fang." Setting the phone aside on her nightstand she pulled the sheets up to her shoulders and drifted off to mercifully dreamless sleep.
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"I don't have the urge frequently, I probably shouldn't fight it," Winifred reasoned as she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around the blonde, phone still held in one hand. It was a little stiff and carried a not of hesitation but she gave a single squeeze that attempted to convey her gratitude before she retreated back a pace. She opened her mouth to reflexively assure Raina that she was indeed fine before closing it slowly with a pensive look. "I hope so. I don't truly know," she admitted a little reluctantly "Sometimes I can feel it setting in slowly and take steps but other days it falls upon me, as an attacker might." Exhaling slowly she let a small smile set itself upon her face. "Today though all of you reminded me that I have many good and thoughtful friends, even if I'm not sure I deserve the consideration and that feeling is no small bulwark. I shall be 'okay', I think."
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Objectively Winifred had confirmed that the ride on the back of Raina's flying broom was perfectly smooth when there wasn't any need for aerial acrobatics but there was a notable difference between knowing that and forcing herself to stop adjusting her balance every few minutes for fear of slipping off. That made it difficult for her to continue her chemical analysis as they moved on, at one point very nearly dropping the dagger and a small vial of oxidizing wash on whatever hopeless bystander might have been below them. Even so by the time they reached the warehouse she could confidently say that the blade had been hand-forged from metals mined exclusively in East Asia. It wasn't quite the revelation she'd been hoping for after the crime scene investigators had been so accommodating and she was grumbling to herself as she dismounted. "Do we know what we're expecting to find this time?" she asked the others before they approached the patrol car.
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"Point taken. I may have spent a good piece of today listening to someone explain that humans are terrible silly creatures." That earned a doggy, tongue-lolling grin from Fang before the hound settled back down on the bed with an exaggerated yawn. Winifred held tightly onto the phone with both hands and though it was lighter than the rugged enclosure would have suggested it had a comforting physical presence. Making an extra trip to the fighting school where she practiced to ask a favour only confirmed the time and effort expended. Some of the extra colour had remained in her cheeks and her breath hitched as she inhaled. "We do indeed. I should warn you, there is a worryingly high chance that I may attempt to hug you in a moment."