Raveled

Yes, but I'll want an accompanying IC post.

Jessica frowned slightly. "Well then, why do you want to study business? If you don't feel any great interest in it -- and you do for archeology -- why would you go into the family business?" It was a sincere question from the young woman, if a little probing. She had a hefty stake in her family's business, but she had mostly ignored its day-to-day operations. Her mother wanted her to get involved with the running of the company, but Jessica had such a bad relationship with her mother that her personal feelings always overshadowed other considerations. But maybe if she could look at the situation from the outside it would afford her a clearer view of things.

that gets my vote.

"You forgot laptop computers," she teased. "And I'll have to just funnel more attention into a supercomputer that you can carry. All your coursework and books in one handy package! You'll never have a reason to miss a term paper again." She fell silent for a moment, then asked him, "So are you really going to get into your family's business? I don't see how you can be a CEO and an archeologist at the same time, Corbin."

A hunt was something Tona understood, but being visible on one wasn't her preferred tactic. Leaving someone out to bait almost always ended up with the bait dead or injured. That mental comparison didn't make her feel anymore at ease about the whole enterprise, but the other girls seemed excited about it, so maybe being bait was a normal thing in this world? She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Sam slipping away from the group. Finally, Tona took a deep breath strode forward, into the store. "Okay. Then let's hunt clothes."

Tona raised an eyebrow and allowed herself a smirk. "Then we should be getting taught by your hermanita," she said. "Fights are about strategy, as much as they are about hitting people. Knowing how to get into and out of a fight without throwing a punch can be useful, too." She wasn't sure if they would get into tactics and how to extricate oneself from a fight without hurting anyone, but Tona was used to tactics and technique in a single lesson. The idea that Erik was going to teach them how to fight and not when to fight seemed a little off to the girl.

Starlight nodded slowly. "I think the best idea right now," she said, "would be to return to the Marlow's dwelling. King of Suits and Penitent will doubtless return there once they have finished their stint of the investigation. We cannot know where they are just at this moment, what tangent their investigation is taking, so rather than search the city for them we should simply return to the apartment and wait for them to return."

Starlight flew along the corridor at speed. Her plan was simple; the hostages they had already convinced Menage to release would alert the police. Starlight herself couldn't tell them much more, without revealing who she was, so that was out. She needed to get a better overview of the situation, and that meant seeing inside the studio. Which in turn meant getting to the control room. While she was there, maybe she could also play some tricks to make it harder on the criminals. Turn off the lights, or blare out sound at top volume, something like that. A tiny part of her worried what was happening to Agnes. She had taken a great risk to get Starlight out of the room, there was no telling what kind of revenge the Menages would seek.

Ironclad frowned beneath her helmet. "You are the one saying we've invaded your home, and we're the arrogant ones?" But the warrior's description of the invaders caused a chill to creep down her spine. "Wait. A crooked cross? Do you mean like this?" She held out one armored hand and a holoprojector built into the elbow of the suit played a news reel image against the pavement: Nazi soldiers on parade, saluting a large banner with a swastika prominently displayed, and an eagle with spreading wings perched on top.

That doesn't tie into them all being monsters, though.

Could be interesting. Freedom City tends to love its heroes, though, so it might take some careful managing to make a smear campaign believable.

Well they don't really know each other, do they? They could be investigating some things separately that all bring them to the same location. Then cue big fight, something important blows up, and they're framed for it (maybe because of their monstrous nature?). So now they have to Clear Their Name(s) and figure out what's really going on.

"Mmm, two young things? How delicious!" The woman in the dress began to slowly walk around the pair of young heroes, her smile growing wider. "I'm always so hungry, you know, but this will be a tas--" "Tethysss!" The cry came from deeper in the room and soon a new figure ran into view. This one was barely human-looking: roughly the same construction, but covered in fine green scales. His eye were yellow and slitted, and he wore heavy yellow and red robes with a tall headdress. The whole outfit appeared to be highly ceremonial. "Tethysss, the warriorsss have alerted me to intrudersss! Tethysss, where are you?" He scrambled to a halt and stared at the heroes, then raised one hand at them. A lambent green light glowed on one finger, apparently coming from a gold ring he wore. "Ah, more interlopersss ssseeking to ssstop our work? What isss your purpossse here, drythingsss?"

I'd like to have some moment where Starlight's Grueness is revealed, if she's going to be on the team. Just FYI for any planning.

Tona started to feel a bit panicky. All of this was going against all of her training and inclination. She had always been taught to blend in; dark greens and greys and blues, natural colors that matched her surroundings. The idea of attracting attention to herself was alien and unreal, totally outside her world. Still, the idea of attracting boys wasn't a bad one. She'd only a rough and ready idea of how that all worked, but she was eager to experiment more. She swallowed and stepped closer to the model, her nose almost on the glass. "My... complexion? I've a tan, so that means I should go for dark colors?" She blinked. "But if I want people to see me, why would I want to wear make-up? That would hide my face, break up my outline."

Because there isn't a Giant Snake build anymore, you'll be facing a PL 9 Atlantean vampire and a PL 9, well, let's call it a secret.

El Heraldo missed his grab and got to watch the Ernest speed his way out of sight. Which didn't involve going very far; he had followed the fish-man into a large room filled with tanks of water. Apparently it was some kind of holding area for the animals not on display. He saw schools of fish flitting about, squids and octopi, a whole tank full of molluscs, sharks floating in pink-tinged water... Wait, what? It was a smaller tank, set back away from the others, and it was filled with a half-dozen shark carcasses, shredded open and trailing guts and bits of skin. While he was looking inside her heard a dull thud behind him; spinning around he was confronted with the sight of a shapely woman in a dress of iridescent fish scales. Her hair was long and platinum blonde, and her eyes were blue-green; she might have been quite alluring, if not for the fact that the scaly texture of her dress stretched over her arms, legs, and neck. "Well. What is this?" Her too-pale skin was stained red around her mouth, and she ran her hand over her lips, gathering up the... is that blood? Whatever it was, she sucked it off her fingers with evident delight. "I finish one meal, and another appears! What a nice town." She smiled, showing too-sharp teeth. "Come here, little boy. Come close, and let's have a little dance, yes?"

It hits! Ernest's opposed grapple check. (1d20+15=32) But no love on the grapple.

Already got 'em. Kind of dead ATM, but already got 'em.

As if in answer, Heather's computer screen flickered and a face appeared on the screen. It was rounded like a bullet, and after a moment it became obvious that it was a mask. Nevertheless, words reverberated throughout the building. "Beware, all those who still dwell in this building! Today, you witness the birth of genius, the birth of a mastermind that will overthrow the city's established order and herald an age of true justice. Today, is the birth, of Hive Tyrant! And with his army of mecha-ants, he -- I mean I! -- shall conquer. First Dawes Tech, then Freedom City, and after that, the world!" The image faded, but the Tyrant's cackling laughter remained. Heather stared in shock at her computer screen. "But... who in blazes would be mad enough to do something like this?" Jessica didn't bother wasting breath pondering. She was already heading back to the elevator at speed.

Jessica nodded, more slowly than before. "Well, I think superheroes give a good example. Like I said, not everyone can do everything, but everyone can do something. Excuse me." She stopped before the biggest office door yet, one with a polished brass plate that read Heather Dawes-Parker, and below that Chief Executive Officer. The young woman pushed open the door and walked through; immediately a young man in a well-tailored suit tried to stop her, but she brushed right past him. "I'm going in to see my mother," she called out of her shoulder, her tone suddenly icy. Heather Dawes-Parker was in her early forties, but expertly applied cosmetics and subtle plastic surgery made her look ten years younger. In every other respect she was a more mature version of her daughter; tall and more curved, but with the same mass of blonde hair, the same intense blue eyes, and the same sharp mind behind them. Her eyes narrowed when her daughter planted her feet before the wide, mahogany desk in the office. "Jessica," she breathed. "I didn't expect to hear from you any time this year." Jessica folded her arms and stared right back at her mother. "It's not that I want to come," she said, her tone saccharine-sweet. "It's that you're messing with a customer. Not a big customer, perhaps, but one with a stake in this company. After all, I own --" Heather raised a hand and cut her daughter off. "Yes, yes. I know exactly how many shares you own, Jessica. Maybe you'd like to explain what you mean by me messing with a customer, though. I've stayed out of your... activities." "My saving the day, Mother?" Jessica shot back. "I need my suit to do that, and if you embargo my tech I can't --" "Embargo?" Heather snorted and flipped through some papers on her desk. "You're getting awfully accusatory there, Jessica. I haven't touched your precious 'tech,' I'll have you know. If you want to get your brains rattled punching mad gorillas instead of running this company like your grandfather would've wanted --" "Don't you dare --" Jessica stopped herself from taking a step forward and physically assaulting her mother. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "You put a stop order on the delivery of one of my thruster units. If that's not an embargo, well, I'd hate to read to you from the dictionary, but if there's so much Wall Street Journal and between your ears that you need a dictionary for big people words..." Heather stood up and glared at her daughter. "Don't you dare patronize me, girl. I'll have you know I haven't done a damn thing to your precious units." Jessica sniffed and jutted out her jaw pugnaciously. "If you don't want me to be patronizing, at least hide what you're doing." She reached into a back pocket and pulled out a folded work order. She flipped it onto the desk. "Check that one out." Heather snatched the paper and glared at Jessica again, before unfolding it and reading it. She turned to a computer monitor that seemed to sprout seamlessly from the wooden desk top. It took her a moment to navigate to the proper menu, but once there she entered the relevant data. And squinted at the screen. "That can't be right. I never gave an order for that." "Then why does it have your name on it," Jessica taunted, folding her arms across her chest. "Really, Mom, at least try to hide your tampering. It's kind of childish to think that you could be so brazen and no one would notice." "Don't be willfully stupid, Jessica," Heather said, standing and coming around from behind the desk. "Anyone can put my name on an order. Someone's using your tech for something, but it's not me. In fact, why don't we both go down and --" Heather never got a chance to fully articulate her plan. Just then the lights flickered and the entire building swayed; imperceptibly on the lower levels, perhaps, but the Parker women were tossed off their feet. "What in Hell's name was that!?" Heather demanded, scrambling to her feet.

Glowstar rolled his shoulders and stepped forward, hands glowing suddenly. "I've got this guy," he said. He grabbed at empty air and a ruddy light formed around the newcomer on the street. It looked a bit like when he'd grabbed the syringe out of the air at the asylum, and just like then the man rose into the air and rushed over to the gathered heroes. Glowstar held him in the air over the edge of the roof, grinning. "I knew all that fishing would come in handy," he said. "I think I just caught a hundred-and-twenty pound scumbag!"

Glowstar's ranged attack check, vs target's flat-footed Def. (1d20+12=30) Glowstar's grapple check, vs opposed. (1d20+24=42) I'm gonna guess that's enough to immobilize him.

Ernest's Sense Motive, vs DC 26. (1d20+10=23) Flat-footed Def is +3, so that will actually hit. Ernest's Toughness save, vs DC 24. (1d20+8=13) Yikes. He is down for the count.

Ironclad's Diplomacy check. (1d20+2=16) Well at least she'd not pissed off anymore than she usually is.