Raveled

Robin rubbed at her chin, considering the matter. Silence stretched in the basement store until she spoke again, almost two minutes later. "No," she admitted. "Not without calling up the demon and interrogating it directly. But before we try that, would could see if you're actually cursed or if this is simple paranoia." Robin swept past a curtain that Gabriel hadn't noticed until just that moment, disappearing for a few minutes. When she came back out, she was bearing a stoppered flask filled with water, a bough of leaves worked into a circle, a wooden bowl, and a sheathed knife. She placed the items on the glass counter and beckoned Gabriel closer. "I don't suppose you've ever had your aura read? Oh, and do you have blood-born diseases?"

Robin's expression grew grave as she listened to the man's trouble. "People used to believe that succubi and incubi visited people in their dreams," she said. "Whether or not that's true, not all demons are created equal. And there's a few that even have a grasp of sorcery and could use magic to force their way into your dreamscape. Or, as you said, the demon could be watching you, specifically, especially if it got a sample of your hair or blood. Or other... bodily fluids." Her eyes sparkled with amusement for a moment, and she suppressed a grin. "If you're not just being paranoid, there are steps to take. You could confront the demon directly, and either destroy it or make a deal with it. You could try and pass the curse on to someone or something else. You could live your entire life inside a heavily warded compound. Or there are some charms that might be able to deflect a demon's attention." The sorceress's eyes went distant as she shuffled through a mental list. "Ah. I believe something like a corpse charm would be best. It's intended to keep malevolent spirits from harming whoever the spirit is interested in. It uses some fairly specific ingredients, but I should be able to make one that works against a demon."

Robin raised her eye at the question. There wasn't any simple way to answer a question like that, and she started unpacking the boxes to give herself a minute to think. Nothing in the boxes seemed normal; there were crystals of all sizes and descriptions, and sands and powders in all colors of the rainbow. There was even a large horn of some white bone, bearing a note written in Cyrllic. She eyed Gabriel, storing the horn in an inner pocket of her coat. "You didn't see that," she told him. "Anyway. I can cast spells, if that's what you mean. I don't know what you mean by 'how much,' though. My magic isn't of a very flashy type, full of colored sparks and noises. However, I can cast on the fly; I can work up exorcisms and summon spirits; and I can enchant items to permanently hold a working or charm. There aren't very many in the world over that can do all that." She turned to face him, fixing her gaze on his eyes. "Why don't you tell me what you want, and I'll see if I can do it?"

"Hello down there!" Robin Cross, all 5' 2" of her, carefully picked her way down the narrow concrete stairs leading to the front door of her shop. Piled in her arms were several cardboard boxes bearing the logo of a major package delivery service. She flashed a smile at the hero, taking in his white garb in one quick glance. Not bad looking, in a thin, clean-shaven way. Robin gave him a broad smile and dumped the boxes into his arms. While she fumbled for the keys, he couldn't help but notice that a coffee cup and fast food bag was on the top of the pile. The sorceress unlocked her store with an elaborate, wrought-iron key. There was a whisper of exhaled power as she pushed the door open, as well as a tinkling of tiny silver bells. She turned and took the boxes back from Gabriel, grunting slightly at the weight, and backed into the store itself. The boxes went on a glass counter facing the door, and Robin walked behind it, pulling down the food and coffee. She gave him another smile as she shrugged out of her long, red trenchcoat. "Well? You're letting all the warm air out, come inside!"

The real problem, of course, is that they cast the wrong guy.

Robin felt goosebumps on her skin as the python crawled up her leg, cross her back and torso under her coat, and emerged beside her ear. Feeling the animal's muscles flex and move across her body was not unlike a massage, and the jolt of fear that her hindbrain sent when it realized she was being circle by a predator lent a further thrill to the action. All in all, it wasn't unpleasant to have the reptile draped over her like this; she should've explored Wesley's shapechanging prowess before. Still, he weighed most of two hundred pounds even in this form, and having that load just over her shoulders could be tiring. The sorceress put out her left arm palm up, inviting him to slither out there and distribute himself more evenly over her frame. Robin examined Wesley's snake-body as he slid past her face, tilting her arm to watch the play of sunlight across the brown-black scales. "You're rather pretty in this form," she told him, as the watery platform slowly accelerated towards the shore. "Maybe, when you're out fighting criminals, you should go by Damballah. Unless you think the loa would mind."

Ironclad cocked her head to one side, listening to the police officer. "Really? You usually find him closer to Blackstone?" She took a few steps towards the devastated area, going over the visuals more carefully now. "That would suggest a team-up between the one we grabbed and someone else." The superheroine abruptly began floating, drifting a foot or so above the ground, examining the area carefully. If Wrecking Ball was ferried in via truck or car, there should be some clues left. "Officer, could I have the assistance of a few uniforms? This could be the precursor to something big."

Going over the area, taking 10 to do so. By the rules in the book (pg 53) it should take 1 hour to Search an area 100 ft in radius. If the cops want to help, they can use Aid Another to boost Clad's ability. If her mental Quickness comes into play, the elapsed time is 36 minutes instead of an hour. Search check of 15 to find clues.

Ironclad Hopefully, this will be Clad's last edit before December. :arrow: Spending the last 2 points in her armor to buy Infravision and get Radius for all Visual senses. [b]Device 14[/b] (Hard to lose;[i] Feats:[/i] Accurate 2; 70/70 PP) (Battlesuit [Technology]) [58PP] [device][i]All effects have the Technology descriptor.[/i] [b]Enhanced Feats 7[/b] (Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Defensive Attack, Improvised Tools, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Quick Change) [7PP] [b]Features 3[/b] (Computer, Hologram Projector, Library) [3PP] [b]Flight 5[/b] (250MPH / 2,500ft per Move Action; [i]Feats:[/i] Subtle) (Magnetic) [11PP] [b]Immunity 11[/b] (Critical Hits, Life Support) (Armor) [11PP] [b]Protection 9 [/b](Armor) [9PP] [b]Super-Senses 3[/b] (Direction Sense, Distance Sense, Time Sense) (Satellite Link) [3PP] [b]Super-Senses 5[/b] (Normal Vision, Infravision; [i]Extras:[/i] Darkvision 2 [Counters Obscure, "Darkness" Descriptor], Radius) [5PP] [b]Weapons Array 9.5[/b] (19PP Array, [i]Feats:[/i] Alternate Power 2) [21PP] [list][u]BE:[/u] [b]Blast 9[/b] ([i]Feats:[/i] Improved Ranged Disarm) (Wrist Bracer Particle Beams) [19PP] [u]AP:[/u] [b]Drain Toughness 9[/b] ([i]Extra:[/i] Linked [Strike]; [i]Feats:[/i] Improved Critical) [10PP] +[b] Strike 9[/b] ([i]Extra:[/i] Linked [Drain]) [9PP] (Disruptor Field, Magnetic/Nuclear Force) [19PP] [u]AP:[/u] [b]Super-Strength 9[/b] (Lifting Strength 55, Light Load: 8 tons, Medium Load: 16 tons, Heavy Load: 24 tons, Max Load: 48 tons, Push/Drag: 125 tons; [i]Feat:[/i] Countering Punch) (Servos) [19PP][/list][/device] DONE BY SHAENTHEBRAIN

Ini for Robin 1d20+1=14 Oh, crap.

Part of an AP. Reducing cost. Also, the Autofire is basically her swinging just that fast, and is linked to her boosted Dex.

Ini for Ironclad 1d20+3=16 Woot woot. I could get used to rolls like this.

Physical ability scores have to be high in order to blend with the Boost and help her meet caps; don't worry about Toughness, Equipment is inbound. Intelligence is 'near genius.' Wis wasn't mentioned, so I kept that low, and the character is shy, which to mean means not much Charisma. Everything hits caps, blah-blah. V 0.2, nothing to change here. It all stays the same. Gonna leave those for the moment. W/ the Boost they're all actually pretty good, except for Will. They hit suggested levels, at least. Focused on medical knowledge and Acrobatics, here. Also gave her good Notice, Search, and Sense Motive, so not much should slip by her. Gave her French, too, because she's Canadian... What? Not all Canadians know French? Silly boy, this is comic books! V 0.2, not much to say. Knocked down Medicine and Know/Life Sciences, buried them into Notice and Sense Motive. Feats are juicy. Acrobatic Bluff synergies w/ her high Acrobatics score and her high Dex in general to make her more effective in combat. Eidetic Memory ties in with her 'near-genius' level intellect. V 0.2, removed Equipment because of POWERS!! Powers are the real meat of things. This set-up gives her two distinct Healing effects; one that can be used on the fly to patch folks up during combat, and the other which can be used to heal all of a person's injuries if she has the time; a Stun effect that can put the target to sleep; and with the Boost + Strike, she should still be able to contribute to combat. Feel free to stunt Morph and Nauseate as needed. V 0.2, some changes here. AP Healing is now an Area/Burst effective w/ Selective, so with luck Rem could heal the whole team at once. Added a "flight belt" Device with some Force Field and Super-Senses. Still mondo PP left.

LS and I have talked about this briefly, and I've given it some more thought since then. Ironcald + Kid Cthulhu = Steelhide, a man obsessed with harnessing both technological and magical energies. His name comes from an enchanted steel suit he wears over his entire body. Ironclad + Kid Cthulhu = Blur, a genius inventor who created a suit that can slow down her 'personal' time, giving her super-speed. Her name comes from the fact that when she moves that fast, she's invisible.

The ghoul hit, but didn't do any real damage. A livin' person would be bleeding right now, but then DH doesn't have that issue. He might be leaking embalming fluid, though. ;)

Hm. I'll have a Mystic Knight in a month or so. Should fit into his trope nicely. Do you want it to be actual, related siblings?

And we wish it wasn't, Archy.

The ghoul danced back and away from Dead Head's swinging shovel. It let out another teakettle scream and suddenly bounded forward, black claws flashing as it swung them in wide arcs, looking to disembowel the hero. The revenant was faster than a dead man had any right to be, though, and the beast's claws barely managed to scrape his emaciated side. On a living man, those scratched would have bled freely into the cold night air, maybe weakening him fatally. If Dead Head took any notice of them, he didn't give a sign.

"I think that's my line." Ironclad floated down from above, eying the other heroes. The big buy in blue armor looked familiar, and she'd heard of dead men haunting Lantern Hill; maybe this was it? She kept her hands by her side and showed that they were empty. "Name's Ironclad," she said. "Dragonfly'll vouch for me. We've worked together before, and we've shared sensors before, too." The fingers of her right hand twitched slightly as she clicked through menus, requesting a more data-intensive link with her friend and fellow heroine. The suit's sensor package wasn't most, mostly just all-around sight and nightvision, but it could help. Only Dragonfly knew for sure.

Courtney Parker colored at Blake's question, taking a quick step back. "How dare you," she hissed, "and at a time like this!" She drew herself up and looked down her nose at the boy. "In any case, Dawes Tech prides itself on a close working relationship with the US government. Ties have to be maintained, faces -- highly-placed faces -- have to be seen at the right parties and fundraisers, talking to the right people. If I didn't do this, the company would be a show of itself in just two years. Why, before I flew here I was talking to --" She stopped herself with a visible effort, and turned to head enough to see her husband at the nurses' station. Gregory Parker ended his argument there with a flourish, turning away flushed. He stomped out the exit doors, digging for his cell phone, his movements abrupt and angry. Courtney's gaze flicked back to Blake and she pulled a money clip from an inside pocket for her suit coat. She peeled off a fiver and help it out to the young man. She smiled then, and suddenly her face was open and sunny. "There were some vending machines on the way in," she said. "Could you get me a coffee or a soda or something?"

Robin Cross wasn't at the zoo to admire the animals. It wasn't that she couldn't recognize the beauty and grace and majesty of these wild beasts; indeed, it was because she acknowledged such traits that she had come out to the zoo on her day off. To collect the various animals' droppings. It wasn't a pleasant task, but neither was it the messiest thing she had ever done in search of spell reagents. She just gave silent thanks that the droppings were fairly dry by the time she came to collect them. A sample from each animal went into a separate plastic baggie, which she dutifully tagged. The whole lot fit into a largish plastic container with an airtight lid. The sorceress made her good-byes to the animal attendants who let her take the feces, and she started making her way out of the park. Her path crossed with the wolf-man, though, and she watched as he walked into the primate. A minute later, she heard a short, sharp, lout noise and three men -- well, a wolf, a gorilla, and a man -- walked out. Robin tucked her dish under a bush and strode forward, aiming to intercept the group. She shouted a single, harsh syllable that seemed to hand on the air for a moment. At the same time she made a rolling gesture with her right hand, graceful and boneless, and she was suddenly holding her staff. The sorceress gathered in her power, ready to meet there three head-on.

It wouldn't be fair to say that Ironclad was patrolling the docks; she'd finished with her patrols better than an hour ago. Since then she had been field-testing some of the suit's more finicky systems, including a experimental ramjet propulsion system. It had worked, in the sense that it had accelerated the heroine to over Mach 5 and made crossing the Atlantic a breeze. However, the fact that it had detonated several miles out to sea and she had had to make her way inland using her standard flight systems, turned her off on the idea. Ironclad banked in towards the harbor, a dark spot against the sky, idly scanning the waterfront. There was usually some unlawful assembly taking place there, and she felt in the mood to break up it with gusto. However, she didn't see a group of criminals -- instead she spotted Dragonfly (assuming there weren't two short, blonde heroes who wore gauntlets and visors in the city) surrounded by disreputable types. She flew in closer and pinged her friend's communication system, one armored hand twitching as she typed a quick text message. Hey, Mara. Coming in from tests. You need a hand, there?

Jessica blinked at Dr. Volk's sudden offer. It came out of the blue, but professional courtesy required her to consider the offer. After a moment, she shook her head. "I have to focus on my schoolwork for now," she said, "and I have a job waiting for me at Dawes Tech after that. But if you want to contract through Dawes Tech, I'm sure they'll let you specify that I have to work on the project -- after I graduate, that is." Jessica focused on the topic at hand, and for a wonder she didn't have anything to contribute. She'd never given much thought to medical prostheses, ore even human-machine hybridization. However, if she could put some kind of skeleton into the armor, it might be able to replace a human limb. Of course there was the issue of power-to-weight and interfacing with a human nervous system. It proved to be a difficult problem; Jessica started working on the math in her head.

Robin eyed Etain for a long moment, but she didn't sense any deception from the other woman. It was a risk, but in the middle of her wards she felt safe enough. The sorceress retrieved Houdini's cards and put them on the counter. She watched Etain's hands carefully, alert to any sleight of hand. "I hope this isn't just a card trick," she said. "It's going to take more than some stage magic to wow a sorceress like myself."

Ironclad touched a finger to where her hairline would be if her helmet wasn't a featureless mask. She saluted the police and emergency workers, making sure to stand up a little straighter in their presence. "It's all in a day's work, officer." She looked down at Wrecking Ball. "So this one's a repeat offender, is he? Did he get out when the Grue invaded? I would what special precautions are in place for him?" The gears started turning in the young woman's head; presented with a straightforward problem, she couldn't help herself. "You'd have to separate him from that iron ball at a minimum, but how to counter that strength? Maybe increase the effect of gravity on him? Could it be done to an entire level of Blackstone?" Ironclad blinked and came back to herself, remembering who she was talking to. That's right, Jessica, she though to herself, take a big helping of your own foot. "I'm sorry," she said to the police officer. "I didn't mean to be a, ah, armchair warden."