Gizmo
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"To be fair, brought it here. Almost like looking after it," Trevor reasoned even as he found another component that was going to need to be replaced entirely and pursed his lips slightly in mild annoyance. Needing a brief break from all of that, he looked down the length of his own body to meet Erin's eyes, ruby red irises reflecting what little light there was under the car. "Know I've dragged my feet on remodeling, restorations. Sorry." With everything going on in their lives it had never seemed like an immediate priority, especially since there was only so much room in the manor that they used with any regularity but Erin had an equally valid point in that it was a shame to let large swaths of their home deteriorate. "Torque driver?" he requested, holding out one hand.
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"Yeah, I do know, just hard not to play the 'if only' game," Erik admitted, shoving his hands into the pockets of his coat as he looked around. They'd been lucky, really; no one had been hurt so badly that a few weeks in a cast wouldn't have them literally back on their feet. The cracked and ruined pavement of the pathway were a reminder of how much worse it could have been but even that was no great hardship. The city was quite good about affecting even those repairs too minor to warrant Dr. Metropolis' direct intervention. He'd read somewhere that there was a higher than normal concentration of architects and civil engineers in Freedom specifically for that reason: lots of opportunities to pitch improvements when something needed rebuilding anyway. "I used to be a lot worse about it, believe it or not, before I met Min. Old habits die hard, I guess. Not as old as some people's old habits, sure..." He allowed himself a teasing grin, his momentary dark mood broken and some measure of levity restored. "So, fundraiser? That's a good idea."
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"Hypothetically, you mean?" Erik added with exaggerated sweetness, raising his eyebrows a bit to get Talya's attention before she got too deep into her pondering. It wasn't as though he wasn't familiar with her less-than-legal past dealings but he also wasn't expecting to actually relapse any time soon. In an abstract way he actually found the idea that the Englishwoman really was skilled enough to pull off that sort of crime without ever endangering herself or anyone else sort of comforting. His expression darkened a little as the walked through the debris of an overturned stand, the worst of the mess hastily kicked to one side while splinters and spilled liquids still covered most of the pathway. "...this is why I do it, you know," he spoke up again, almost talking to himself and the melodic hint of laughter gone from his voice. "The police would have run those idiotas down eventually but how many more people would have gotten hurt or hurt worse if we hadn't stepped in, yeah? Look at all this, I bet most of these guys don't have insurance or whatever for this sort of thing. Dammit." Talya could feel the muscles in his back ratchet tighter as he started to get himself worked up. "Should have been patrolling or at least paying better attention, stopped them before they got anywhere crowded."
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"Makes sense," Trevor's voice echoed from under the ostentatiously orange four-seater, a slight grunt underlying his voice as he twisted about to get the leverage he needed. The Maserati's owner hadn't been taking particularly good care of the car, at least not by the dark haired mechanic's standards, but at least she'd been actually driving it, which placed her ahead of his backlog of appointments for showroom pieces. A distressing number of the idly wealthy simply wanted modifications done to their already ludicrously expensive luxury vehicles simply for the sake of having larger numbers to rattle off to impressed party guests and Trevor had not problem making them wait in favour of someone who could at least articulate why they wanted their handling tightened up ever so slightly. It was still a challenge to resist the urge to go above and beyond using custom components and technologies that would have been difficult to explain outside of military equipment but he managed. "Good excuse to fix up a couple more rooms, too, hnh?"
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Erik looked considerably more pleased with his overall situation as Talya wrapped herself around him, placing one of his arms on her hip while the other heft the bag holding what little they'd managed to purchase at the farmer's market before being interrupted. "Before, during, something like that," he agreed easily, lopsided grin returning. Extricating himself from half of the embrace while keeping the shapely heat source close to his side the athletically built West Ender led the way carefully around the outer edge of the market, taking care not to be spotted until they were well away from the scene of the fight and could slip back into the crowd unnoticed. By then the bank robbers had been carted off and most of the focus was on administering first aid to those who'd been injured but not badly enough to need to be taken to the hospital and on the smattering of news crews taking statements and shooting B-roll footage. "Think we might have to give up on the butter thing for today," Erik commented quietly, tilting his head toward Talya's ear.
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Jill had taken a step in Liz's direction instinctively as the threat had appeared but Bombshell had dealt with the turncoat technician before she'd even been able to decide on a course of action. Mouth twisting sourly, the medic made her way closer to Dragonfly, partly for reassurance and partly to stand guard. "Great. Mind control. My favourite." The astute among them were able to deduce that mind control, in fact, was not her favourite at all from the way her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides and her eyes darted about the space Willow's barrier had enclosed. She did still spare a glance in Talya's direction and when it became clear that nobody else was going to actually say it called out, "Hey. Good job stopping him before it could escalate. Fast moves." It came out in more of a grumble than she'd intended but it was clear that was from her overall mood and not directed at the blonde.
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Jack of all Blades Stealth Check with Skill Mastery: 25
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Jill O'Cure Initiative: 1d20+8 20
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Looking profoundly pained, Erik muttered, "Rub salt in the wound, why don't you. If we didn't have costume pieces lying all over the place..." Letting that bit of wishful thinking trail off he took a brief moment to enjoy Talya's fingers tracing the lines of his chest before rocking his hips slightly and gently easing her down to the ground. Even so he leaned forward to mouth another kiss on the opposite side of her jaw before finally stepping away and scooping up his shirt from the pile of discarded clothes in the grass. With the literal heat of battle having faded and his jeans and jacket slightly damp from the ground he actually was edging toward uncomfortably cold, shivering as he stuffed his bandanna back into an inner pocket. "Probably wouldn't take much to convince me to get wrapped up just now."
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Winifred looked rather ashen as she followed the young woman introduced as Changeling, staying a half-step ahead of Robin and Hannah to minimize the chances of either girl noticing the expression on her face. That she was less concerned with how she might score of the assessment than she was about having her 'powers' tested in the first place presumably went without saying. The elevators were still a novelty but she could at least wrap her head around the idea of the mechanics involved if not the specifics; Robin's talk of 'holograms' - whatever those were - solid or otherwise was completely opaque to her. "Illusions? Mirrors and trapdoors, then? Or closer to the way Raina renders herself invisible?" She wasn't as genuinely interested as she would have usually been but any distraction was welcome.
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Winifred gave the new student a polite nod as she indicated her preferred form of address. "I'm sure we can accommodate you there, then, Phae. The student body are quite fond of assigning diminutives, that should simply expedite the matter." The dry observation might have held more heat had the time-displaced alchemist even once objected to her roommate's familiar shortening of her name. "And my entire point, Robin, is that 'blowing us all up' is only one option. Incendiaries, acids, transmu-- Oh, very well, consider the discussion on hiatus, then." With a huff she made a broad gesture to indicate that they should follow after the Headmistress to find out where in the dormitory Phaedra was being assigned.
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"Ho, now" Set protested, nose scrunching up as her cheeks coloured a darker shade of bronze. "I must object to your vocabulary choices as well, oh thieving treasure, on entirely opposite grounds." The godling cleared her throat and made a show of fanning herself in response to Talya's husky murmur that was exaggerated but not entirely feigned. "Nor could I bear to pin the blame on your shoulders, old man, for in doing so I would be forced to admit to following your advice. Mortification most dire!" she added emphatically as she recovered, returning to her bottle of water and rather pointedly avoiding questions regarding the seriousness of her intentions toward the dhampir or her long term plans. Set didn't really think either of the century-or-so old immortals would be so easily fooling into talking about themselves instead of her but it seemed worth the attempt.
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"Nnnh, Talya, you are a baaaaad influence," Erik bemoaned, dropping the hand on her cheek to support her other leg more comfortably and burying his face in the honey blonde locks cascading over her shoulder. He knew there was a very good reason that this wasn't the best time to focus the whole of his attention on the zipper of her catsuit but he had a tough time remembering specifically what that was until the recognizable sound of a rolling stretcher being hastily unfolded cut through the background noise of statements being taken and clean-up being organized with the West End's typical stubborn grit. "Alright, alright, home first," he insisted regretfully, the sounds coming out his mouth sighs as much as words. "This would be a really fun but really stupid way to blow my secret identity." Still lifting her off of the ground, he leaned back enough to give her a sly grin. "Plus we could borrow some training equipment and you could show me how that escape trick works."
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Echo lost track of the Metaceptor for a moment as she launched herself into battle, seeing only the blast of arcing lightning that surged from one Grue to another, leaving an acrid smell of singed robes in its wake. It took another moment to realize that she wasn't looking at a blast but the Metaceptor himself, fists crackling with electricity as he zoomed through the ranks of their opponents at super speed. Only a step or two behind him Jack of all Blades was a whirling dervish of flame in the uneven light of the cavern, slashing low at one of the gun totting aliens then coming up high to incapacitate another. Between the three of them they tore through the gathering like a tidal wave, reducing the Grue numbers by more than half within a few heartbeats. "Immigration is a complex issue, kid!" the fencer called, keeping the thread of the bantering conversation without missing a beat despite his constant motion. "I'd like to hear the specifics of his platform!"
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Erik make a sound that was halfway between an approving hum as Talya's knee cinches tighter against him and a laugh at the idea that the hulking bank robber might have managed to hit him. "Haah, that guy? That guy couldn't hit a coma patient who was trying to let him win." Intellectually he'd known that the former thief hadn't been injured in any significant way - he was confident he would have been able to recognize it in her movements even if he'd somehow missed it during the fight itself - but there was still a rush of relief to have it confirmed. Tilting his head he brushed a kiss against the edge of her jawline on his way down her slender neck to the collar of her catsuit. "...I guess we really ought to be putting on more clothes, huh?" They were still close enough to the scene of the fight to be able to hear more emergency personnel arriving to see to the market goers hurt by Smash's rampage. "Put a pin in this until we get home?" Despite the very good suggestion he didn't make any move to stop pinning her against the utility shed or fitting his bare torso against her leather sheathed curves as closely as possible.
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Metaceptor Full Action: Lightning Punches vs Grue Arcane: 1d20+8 22 Grue Arcane Toughness Save vs DC 27: 4#1d20+7 16 25 13 17 Jack of all Blades Standard Action: Energy Sword vs Grue Arcane; Power Attack 5: 1d20+15 28 Grue Arcane Toughness Save vs DC 29: 3#1d20+7 22 27 25 The remaining half-dozen Grue will act next!
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Slipping off his own bandanna mask along with his wig Erik replied by pushing Talya up against the back of the utility shed and kissing her with a near-frantic urgency. One hand cupping her cheek while the other slid under her left thigh and pulled it up toward his waist, the swordsman broke away only far enough to press their foreheads together. "You're alright?" he asked breathlessly, searching as much of her expression as he could see from so close. Out of the rush of combat he had time to second guess himself and worry in a way training and instinct glossed over in the moment. "I didn't think she'd be able to hold you for long but I was just about ready to put her through the paper shredder..."
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"Coming from one who considers 'pack in more explosives' to be the pinnacle of reasoned innovation," Winifred groused at Riley's ribbing, her desire to debate the finer points of applied chemistry outweighing the theological concerns raised by this Heyzel's appearance. She definitely had some fairly pointed questions but there didn't seem to be any polite way to ask them right in front of the angel. And speaking of politeness... "Forgive my rudeness," she asked, bending her knees briefly in a gesture that suggested a curtsy in the way her long white coat spread outward around her ankles. "Winifred Wei, quite glad to make your acquaintence, Miss Phaedra. 'Crazy Town' does seem apropos, admittedly."
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Jack kept his crackling blade in hand a few moments after Bombshell had put away her baton, waiting until the police were within in shouting distance. A young officer reached for a pair of mundane cuffs at his belt before his more experienced partner smacked him unceremoniously on the back of the head and hefted a heavy duty plastic case from which she produced a field power dampener. Dragging the unconscious Smash away seemed to be presenting more of a logistical issue. "Only if I don't beat you to it, mi cielo," the fencer answered with a returned grin, slipping his now empty hand around the blonde's waist. "Time to slip away before anyone asks us to fill out paperwork? Find somewhere private and see who can make the other swoon first?" "Youd tood awr tha wurdst," Grab grumbled as she was cuffed and led away.
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Grab recoiled as Bombshell slipped away, both over-sized hands flying to her injured nose. She twisted about blindly, hoping to get out of immediate striking distance, before lowering her hands and taking in the scene in front of her: Smash knocked out on the ground and both the heroine she'd wrongly assumed was her hostage and a worryingly non-smiling Jack of all Blades facing her down. With her elongated height when she swiveled her head to either side she could see the police who had been chasing them having finally had time to leave their cans and come charging toward her, weapons drawn. Slumping in a gesture exaggerated by her putty-like form she sullenly muttered, "Fud youd guys. Fun, ah gid up. Ugh." Keeping one hand on her nose she raised the other into the air, resuming normal human proportions and glaring her displeasure.
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"We're all quite familiar with your fixation on pene-- Good Lord." The rejoinder died in Winifred's throat as she stared at the literal angel speaking with the Headmistress. Eyes blinking rapidly the young Victorian looked between her classmates and the new arrivals, trying to assess what she was looking at. Certainly she's seen other students with additional limbs or other growths since coming to the Academy and wings didn't seem outside the realm of the possible but the serene-faced man's aesthetic certainly proposed a less scientific explanation. Keeping her voice low while Robin introduced herself she murmured to Riley, "It seems as though visitations by physical representations of the Heavenly Host might have perhaps been worth mentioning in the orientation class."
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"Oh. Yeah, right." Erik set down his burrito and rubbed the back of his head with one hand as he tried to figure out the best way to explain. "I guess this is probably good to know for you too, Steve. So, Min has that whole nature goddess thing going on and it's sort of a two-way street, right?" He gestures back and forth with both index fingers, crisscrossing them in a way that was probably more illustrative than the point really required. "The different seasons affect her mood a little. I mean, I think that happens to everyone a bit, really, but more so. During the winter she sometimes needs some space or gets a little more aggressive." He shrugged, shooting his wife an apologetic look; it wasn't the most flattering description but it was what she'd wanted him to clarify. "Honestly, she thinks she gets a lot worse than she really does."
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Rather than questioning that particularly colourful turn of phrase Winifred chose to believe that being a 'badass' was a compliment, unintuitive though it was. "I've been told repeatedly that I am not a prisoner but a guest," she answered drying, resting her chin in her palm and turning her eyes upward, "with numerous enough caveats to bring the truth of that sentiment into question. Still, I think so long as someone sufficiently capable accompanies me there should be few enough objections. Nor would any objections persuade me to renege on an offer of assistance, so! The matter seems settled to my reasoning." She sniffed haughtily, belying some of her actual concerns. She certainly didn't think she could afford to upset her benefactors at the Academy too severely but she also wasn't going to be kept like a test subject.
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Grab Toughness Save vs DC 19: 1d20+9 17 23 - Jack of all Blades - Uninjured, 5HP 11 - Bombshell - Uninjured, Bound, 0HP 8 - Smash - Unconscious > 6 - Grab - Bruised x2
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Grab Opposed Grapple Check: 1d20+15 24
