Gizmo
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Freedom City PBP: A How-To Guide
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"Suppose that makes sense," LaMarr mused, arms folded. "Sounds like you had plenty of things to hate and fear without needing to make up reasons amongst yourselves. He briefly thought back to '93 and the way unlikely allies had come together in the city's darkest hour but pushed the memory away. It was easy for him to get lost in those thoughts and his focus needed to be on the young man in front of him. "There's always something to fight." He mulled over his words before continuing. "I wasn't out when I was your age, not for years after. Didn't want to admit it to myself, took a long time making peace with things and longer to say it out loud." The towering man when silent for a long moment, not looking at Riley. "...I've got regrets on that count. Didn't think of myself as a role model back then but I've come to realize everything anybody does is an example. Big or small, changing the world one way or another." He looked down then, meeting the teenager's eyes. "So this world could use you, son. Lord knows that's true. Could use more folks happy with their lives, too, though. Gotta do what's right for you." Mouth curving upward at the corner he added, "Course, I get the feeling you're not too good at sitting down or keeping quiet."
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"Real enough!" Kimber answered Jessie philosophically as she turned to wave to Dimitri. "And you'll like everybody and they'll like you! You already know us and Eve and Indira! Daphne just moved in and she's..." The poltergeist considered for a moment, tapping a cheekbone before deciding, "...kinda like if Indira and I had a baby but maybe don't think about that too hard. Uncle pretends to be sort of a creep but I guarantee he'll only be paying attention to one person tonight so don't worry about that." She watched their hostess greet the Russian and bounced energetically on the balls of her feet, looking up at Tarva with a grin. "You should get Leilani to show you how to surf," she continued to Jessie. "I bet you'd be good at it, you're all..." She made a sweeping gesture that took in the reticent woman from head to toe as if that sufficiently explained her reasoning. "And I think we're all meeting her nephew over there for the first time so that's fun! Plus he's all oiled and muscly to look at if you're into that sort of thing!" She honestly wasn't sure if Jessie was or not; her relationship with Aquaria seemed best described as platonically codependent which the Canadian could appreciate. Distracted by the scents coming from the grill, Avro yowled in protest as the tide caught up with him, leaving him a bristling ball of wet fur and dripping quills. Complaining vocally he padded toward the fire, shaking himself dry as he went before turning his attention to the unfamiliar people present. Curiosity showing on his simian face the manticore sniffed at Kimo's sandal before butting his head into Daphne's ankle, experimenting to see who was most likely to lavish him with affection.
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Winifred blinked, not having expected the note of uncertainty from the efficient fighter. She still had difficulty predicting modern reactions to any given treatment or medical practice, whether it be a theory debunked while she was petrified or a miraculous advancement regarded as a bare minimum while other habits were attributed benefits or dangers based on word of mouth and 'common sense' rather than scientific evidence. In that way, she supposed, people had not changed very much. "A sensible concern," she assured the uneasy woman with a curt nod. "Admittedly the lest robust among them are likely to have rather unpleasant headaches tomorrow morning but in this case my speed is more a factor of relative simplicity. A sedative to calm them and another component to temporarily aid the flow of qi and flush the system of toxins. Nothing terribly flashy." She tilted her head slightly as she regarded Singularity, "Ah, I don't mean to pry but..."
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Erik started to suggest Talya keep the coat for the time being but noticing that the cold was already having a perceptible affect on his exposed torso he relented and swung the heavy garment over his shoulders. "Thanks, cielo. Would have hated to leave this behind." He moved to stand beside her at the railing, not too subtly checking her for any signs of injury or strain while attempting not to pay too much attention to the boat beneath their feet. He looked amused at the dressing down she gave the other immortals, though he did sigh and mutter, "I really need to hang out with people who don't think aging is weird. We're pretty sure Phant-Vamp back there won't want to try following up home, yeah? And you need to talk to that captain guy, back with the magic robots and stuff, man!" Remembering why they'd been looking for Ace in the first place he exchanged a look with Talya. "Uh. Later, though."
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Where Dimitri's decades of experience had him reacting with efficient practicality Erik acted on piano wire taught instinct. His lighter was out of his coat and in his off-hand before he had time to form the thought, flame leaping into his outstretched hand with the sound of greedily devoured oxygen and a low growl from his own throat. It wasn't until he had the sword at the ready and his back protectively to Talya with Min flanking on the other side of their partner that he took in their surroundings. They been deposited in the middle of what had once been a grand hall but now was made of crumbling stonework and the remains of furniture worn by weather. Much of the roof of the castle had collapsed some time ago, leaving great piles of rubble that blocked most of the entrances to the room and exposing a grey sky threatening rain overhead. The most intact of the tattered tapestries on the walls bore a crest prominently featuring an abstracted sword set against the antlers of a stag. Suppressing the urge to swear profusely, Erik instead tersely barked, "Everyone in one piece?" His mind raced even as he forced his breathing to remain steady. A House of Staves mercenary had interfered with his powers and those of most of the Interceptors present for Eden's birth but if that had been a punch delivered by a trained professional the wrenching of the portal away from Sanctuary had felt like the energy equivalent of a side collision with a speeding truck.
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Even with fair warning Kimber's arm tightened around Tarva's waste as the bonfire was lit, the phantom trying not to make it too obvious that she was keeping at least a few meters of sand between her and the flames at any given time. She let go long enough to give Baxter a good scratch behind the ears when he bounded over to say hello. Avro looked like he was considering coming over to demand that attention that was rightfully his but as Kimo's wave began to take shape the manticore became far more enamoured racing up and down the shore just ahead of the tide, scorpion tail bouncing about over his head. Standing back up as the dog found someone else he wanted to sniff, Kimber glanced back over at the bonfire before giving Tarva a slightly sheepish look, fiddling with her pendant. "It's fine! I'm fine. Look, Jessie's by herself, why don't we go say hello?" That the socially awkward woman with the dyed hair was the furthest away from the fire was probably not lost on the Terminus expatriate.
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Without stopping to explain his plan Midnight released mist from every pore at once, inky black tendrils seeping from the cuffs of his wetsuit in the moment before the cloud enveloped them and thrust Iyar into darkness. The mist was heavier than the gas being pumped into the trap, dense enough to displace some of it upward and buy him the seconds he required. A leap took him up to the vent in the ceiling, muscles straining as he wedged himself in the corner of the vault to maintain the height. A two-handed crack with a reinforced escrima stick dented the fasteners on the grate enough to pry it off and toss a pair of aerosol pellets down the inch-wide tubing that presumably led back to the gas' tank. A third, pingpong ball sized capsule followed, catching in the mouth of the tube while he dropped down to the floor before exploding with a muffled pop. Its sticky contents disgorged themselves over the twisted grate, the quick-dry adhesive forming a hardened barrier almost instantly. Iyar felt a hand on her shoulder as Midnight placed himself between her and the vent while pressing something cylindrical into her hand. Before she could determine that it was a collapsible rebreather a hiss sounded from above, growing louder. The chemicals he'd added to the gas mixed and pressure built up against the sealed tubing before the vault abruptly shook with a mighty explosion! The cloud of mist began to dissipate through the way forward deeper into the prison, the mechanisms that had held the door shut scorched and ruined where the walls had been torn open from within. The bulkhead sat crookedly in its misshapen frame, the resulting gap more than large enough for a person to step through. Still crouching, Midnight calmly glanced over his shoulder to see how the cutting blade behind them was coming before looking to the fallen guard and asking simply, "Alive?"
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Leaning heavily on her cane, Winifred looked like she'd gone a few days without sleeping between the beginning of the simulation and that moment. Her expression was carefully schooled as she rejoined the group, only letting out a shaking breath when Robin squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "I am," she replied to Raina's question, the emphasis making the extra layer of meaning clear. "I was not expecting the images of your parents to be used in that way. The shock-- tt." She made a short sound between thin lips pressed tightly together. "I will try to steel myself against that level of offence going forward."
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Wincing noticeably from the maelstrom of malevolent power whirling about their less than gracious hostess, Jack took a cautious step back as Dimitri announced that the portal was open. "What are-- Oh. I'm the 'children' part. Hilarious." Despite the flat tone it was clearly going against his every natural impulse not to charge into battle before their opponents could get any more organized. One look back over his shoulder at Talya, however, and his jaw set resolutely, the swashbuckling joker washed away by the father and partner. The violet flames dissipated from his hand, leaving fingers spasming slightly from phantom pains as the dark magics tried to retain their grip. "C'mon, cielo. I've seen the good version when she gets going, this isn't a fight we want." Putting an arm protectively around Talya's shoulders he moved them toward the gateway, teeth grinding as he heard Dimitri and Ace stalling for time behind them.
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While Kimo worked on the waves the shadows cast by Leilani's palisade began to deepen and writhe unnaturally. As though in answer to the muscular islander's question the darkness disgorged two women along with a levitating cooler. The shorter of the pair waved high over her head, all smiles. "Leilani! Hi! I know we're a little early but I thought we could help set up!" Sporting an angular pattern with a riot of colours, the top of Kimber's two-piece swimsuit tied together in front while the bottoms laced together on either side, forming little bows. She wore large, round sunglasses that complimented the tight sides of her hairstyle despite the setting sun; where the last few errant rays caught her the gregarious arrival turned briefly translucent and tinged with blue. A pendant hung low around her neck, just barely dipping into her cleavage. Out of looser clothing she was fitter than their hostess might have guessed from their first meeting, looking like someone who enjoyed hiking and the outdoors, though it was hard not to seem slim next to her more muscular companion. Wherever they'd come from she was already barefoot but left a conspicuous lack of footprints in the sand behind her. Leilani hadn't yet met the woman around whom Kimber had her other arm wrapped but there were only so may six foot tall, raven haired shadow witches it could reasonably be, going by reputation. The inky maw they'd stepped from settled and returned to its original state, Kimber explaining, "The others are on their way, I just hate waiting, haha! This must be your nephew, hi!" Freckles in either light brown or beryl depending on how the light caught them wrinkled over her nose as her grin managed to get either broader.
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Kimber opened her mouth to say something but closed it with a small frown. "...hm. My personal experience may not be the most universally applicable, eh?" She puffed out one cheek and glanced to the side. "Although 'making a pass' at someone when you're part of the group responsible for their housing and stuff is... pretty bogus, yeah. Maybe make sure that lifeguard job pans out and stuff?" Her attitude turned more chipper again as she suggested, "As for what to say, well jams, Uncle. That 'heart to match' stuff wasn't half bad. Don't overthink it!"
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"Not unless you have what some would characterize as an uncomfortable level of knowledge regarding sedatives but thank you for the offer," Winifred told the taciturn woman, looking up from her work long enough to give her a polite nod. After a beat it occurred to her to follow it with a small smile; 'Singularity' radiated a sort of serious-minded concern that somehow made her think of the polar opposite of Sanderson. "As for helping, that is the plan. I could use your help carrying all of this." She sealed the last batch of her antidote, having produced enough to at least make a serious start at treating the effected outside. "You, sir," she told the pharmacist, "should either begin or cease availing yourself of your own treatments. Thank you for the use of this equipment."
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"You're a vet," Ellie reminded the thermovore flatly, wearing an unimpressed look that had been practiced and honed over the years to a razor edge. Dimitri had been around the school and apartments above more frequently of late, to keep Talya entertained if nothing else. He and Ellie had been able to bond somewhat over their shared experiences in medicine and to the concern of those around them had proved to have fairly compatible senses of humour. "Please just get the bag," Erik sighed, dragging both hands down his face. He walked over to flank Talya near Stesha's portal, firing himself to stand still and giving the green haired woman a grateful nod.Everything was going to be fine, he reminded himself. He'd just feel a lot better once everything was over. Only partially succeeding in suppressing an eye roll the med student reminded him, "Breathe, hermano. I'll get the bag. Be right back."
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"Didn't want to impose on Miss A. You, we don't mind imposing on, Sprouts," Erik called, lopsided grin pasted on his face. Everyone present recognized that he was slipping into his Jack of all Blade's voice but the last hour of nonstop pacing probably would have given his anxiousness away regardless. Archetech had been a strong option, admittedly, but even with the change in management years ago he had trouble feeling comfortable putting his family under that particular roof. Besides, unlike Eden and Mia's births Min was going to be in fighting trim this time around and the idea of having a forest around her was a comfort even if it was almost certainly overkill. There was almost certainly nothing to worry about, he reminded himself. There had been a few uninvited guests when Mia was born, yes, but for the most part his father's side of the family had apparently learned their lesson the first time they'd attacked directly. He hadn't been thrilled to explain the situation to Ace and ask a favour but at least the adventurer's contacts had been able to confirm that the official position from the House of Swords' higher-ups was that the Espadas clan was off-limits for the time being, probably until the kids were old enough that one of them might be more receptive to an offer. That was most certainly an issue for another day. He barely even had room to panic over the notion of twins. "Te amo también." Ellie tucked the phone into her back pocket and walked over to where Min was preparing. "Mama and the girls are settled in at Mara's old warehouse, off the grid and off the books. Chris and Buffy are keeping a lookout along with more drones than we should probably be comfortable with anyone owning. Safe as houses." Talya had outdone herself covering her tacks over the past nine months but gathering a small army at the school and shoving everyone through a portal still might have raised a few eyebrows. She almost pitied anyone stupid enough to try something while they were on Sanctuary. Almost.
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Kimber tilted her head quizzically in Leilani's direction, her broad brimmed sunhat exaggerating the gesture. "Is what normal?" the phantom asked, peering over the tops of her large, round sunglasses to try and spot what had caught the Hawaiian woman's attention. She was careful on the placement of the white but very much opaque umbrella suspended over her head; any direct sunlight would have turned her scoop necked top and high-waisted, canary yellow shorts an ethereal, translucent blue along with the rest of her. "Oh! There next, definitely!" She pointed to a shop across the street from them, bobbing slightly in excitement before remembering to make sure her feet appeared to be touching the sidewalk. "You have to pick out something from this one, okay? You can always return it if you don't wear it, it's fine!" She looked over to Eve for confirmation, not actually having any idea what sort of policy the upscale boutiques upheld.
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Kimber pursed her lips. "I want to make a joke about not being caught dead in those shoes but I won't," she promised, flipping around in the air against and drawing on the power contained in her pendent to become just solid enough to lean against the counter. "You're not actually a pervert, Dimitri," she said seriously, one of only a handful of time she'd even called him by his first name. For a moment her voice sounded a touch deeper or perhaps merely older. "As fetishes go 'impeccably toned surfer women with thousand watt smiles' is awfully tame." She waggled her eyebrow once more for effect. The crush in question when the conversation had been the other way around had been less appropriate by a fair margin at the time, by her measure but then it was hardly a competition. "What? I'm dead, not dead. But if you're not going to say anything you need a new plan because she's not stupid and you're not very subtle."
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Placing the heels of her palms against her mouth the poltergeist made a wet sound of dismissal. "Heartless shadows, Uncle. I was a teenager for twenty years and I even I think that's a teensy bit melodramatic." She floated along behind him as he rummaged through the cabinets, still horizontal at about eye level for the old veterinarian. "Half of the people living here can't drink," she reminded him with a sigh, "and most of the rest are health nuts." After a pause a bottle slipped out of the most out of the way corner and levitated its way over to them along with a clean glass. Kimber rolled her eyes while simultaneously rolling onto her back. "Oh, fine. So maybe I tucked something away just in case. Y'know, you could just... not 'cross her'. We both know you're perfectly capable of being nice when you're not doing the moose and squirrel routine."
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Ghost Girl Notice Check: 1d20+11 29
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Bits of crumbled brick rained down toward Robin from the rooftop where she knew Winifred was crouched. It was difficult to see from the ground but she imagined that she could make out white knuckled fingers gripping the edge of the building as the weighty silence extended for another beat. Finally a visibly shaking figure hauled herself to her feet to look down, one hand leaning heavily on her cane while the other forearm lay across the brick half-wall, marring the white sleeve of her coat. A flop sweat gave the alchemist's forehead and pallid sheen and her dark hair had come undone to hang in disarray about her face. "W-well," Reagent called back to her roommate, the words an obvious effort, "I'd l-look a right zou-nnh-zounderkite to disappoint then, eh? I'll just... take the st-stairs down, shall I? Watch yourself."
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Reagent Will Save: 1d20+8 24
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Dimitri turned around to find Kimber with her fingers laced under her chin, smirked and waggling her eyebrows up and down. The contortions of her brow only became more cartoonish as she pointedly looked off in the direction Leilani and Bluebird had gone then back to the Russian. She leaned forward while maintaining the expression, her feet lifting into the air behind her until she looked as if she were lying down on a bed and propping her chin up with her elbows. "Eh?" she noted, smirk splitting into a wide grin. "Ehhhhh?"
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Moving with silent efficiency atop the shipping containers, Midnight's silhouette melted into the dark of the night. He adhered a pair of small cameras to the corners of two of the metal rectangles, getting a good view of the proceedings. Depending on how things shook out footage of their bespectacled ideologue's speech could come in handy later and perhaps more importantly he wanted to go over Woodsman's performance with the teen afterwards. It was the work of moments and before long he was crouched next to the survivalist's chosen spot, letting Erin take point but waiting to hear how the younger man wanted to proceed without offering suggestions or hints.
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Let me know what you'd like in the way of rolls, Morrison. Just trying to get things rolling again! Also a little confused, Phoenix; is Queening saying that she can make larger force fields or that she can't?
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"Attacking an ambulance? Goggles is going to think I'm stealing his shtick," Jack mused aloud to no-one in particular as he arced through the air between buildings from the end of his grappling line. He triggered the release of the claw and somersaulted freely over the street while sparks from a power line transformer crackled violently before rushing toward him. The vibrant blade of electricity formed in his palm just as he landed in a three point crouch atop the speeding vehicle, jabbing his sword into the roof and anchoring himself against the wind whipping against his masked face. Scrambling with slightly less grace than he might have liked he maneuvered himself closer to one side and leaned over the side to look into the driver's side window.
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