Fox
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All that waiting and planning and fretting, the minutes that felt like hours and the hours that felt like days, and now that she was behind the podium Mara felt like time was blurring by. can't just stand here - come on - that's a lot of people - cameras! - calm down She swallowed the breakfast that was trying to un-eat itself and cleared her throat. "Don't know what you were told, or what you were expecting. Not sure I should care. All you'll get is me, anyway. Will spare you some questions: name is Mara Hallomen, am probably as young as you were told, joke in my company's name is intentional on at least three levels, and do - I do not talk like I do because of any injury or mental problems." She pulled a small, tight, and rather humorless smile. "Some of you are probably reaching for old case files or court records. Will save you the trouble: my father is a criminal. Not proven. But true. Have no evidence - you don't, I don't, don't ask - but going to come out eventually, so saying it here: I am not my father. I do not sell weapons. I will not sell weapons. But you bring us anything else, we will make it better, stronger, cheaper. That's what we do. That's what Hallomen's Advanced Experts does." She paused, frowning. that's it? "....I think that's it. Not answering questions here, may answer in private if you can get an appointment. Receptionist inside will be organizing tours - good for pictures." And then she stepped away from the podium to let people draw their own conclusions.
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"What? No - wait. Put that dow--put it down," came the rather distracted-sounding voice on the other end of the phone, though it didn't sound like it was being directed at Carrie. "Not over the--yes. Fine. Over there. Good, just don't break it. Can't build good help...." Mara, standing in what would one day soon be her new business building, belatedly remembered that she had a phone to her ear and blinked. "Sorry. Busy. Don't have to say your name, know the voice - perfect memory. What did you need?"
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Notice Check (1d20 + 5=7) Welp. Gather Information Check (1d20 + 2=16)
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"Well. That was....interesting," Gaian Knight observed, though only once the Sub-Terrans were out of earshot. He shook his head. "But at least we had a chance to end things civilly, and everyone's getting out in one piece. Speaking of which," he added, brightening a bit and willing the platform he'd carved out of the rock to pull up out of the floor it used to be part of. "Please keep your limbs inside the platform at all times. Current floor: shoes, children's toys, Sub-Terrans. Next floor: lingerie, hats, damaged buildings. Going up." And up they went, the platform acting true to the joke; the earth overhead parted out of the way even as the earth beneath them closed up again, the earth-mover taking them back toward the surface as fast as he thought he could reasonably manage.
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"Yeah, well." Gaian Knight's hands and eyes were glowing again, a roughly circular area encompassing himself, Miss Americana, Doctor Rao, and Sharl quietly getting separated from the surrounding stone by an etched line and a series of waist-high angular pillars (that seemed to be forming to discourage anybody else from remaining in the circle). "I'm not aware of any outstanding warrants on you," he continued, "though maybe that's just me. Besides, I don't think you really meant any harm, and hopefully you won't be doing it again."
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"It's not like the giant riding beetle isn't cool," Gaian Knight said, looking and feeling awfully awkward about this whole thing. This wasn't quite as sinister as I was expecting. "But having it burst out of the ground and carry you off is probably not as romantic as you were going for. I mean, the dating world's rough, y'know, but maybe try something with less property damage and injury potential, next time?" Not that he looked forward to the possibility of a 'next time', of course, but even underground-dwelling, beetle-riding semi-crazy people deserved to get a date now and again. .....right?
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Wraith came awfully close to asking what in the world 'knew the ropes before he climbed the course' meant, but she ultimately thought better of it (and made am mental note to ask Kimber later). Instead she passively watched as Bastion was taken away by what were hopefully well-trained medical professionals. Or healing-empowered metahumans. It was always hard to tell. "I find this somewhat discouraging," Wraith admitted, half addressing Summers and her teammates and half just musing out loud. "No, that is not the word. Frustrating, perhaps? I find it somewhat frustrating that so many people gifted with the ability to reshape themselves cannot control themselves, and became dangerous. Is that truly so common?"
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"Mmmh." Mara's feigned resting on the couch was getting less and less feigned by the second, though the kiss on the nose broke her deadpan completely. "Don't have to give you credit," she tiredly insisted, wrapping her arm around Ellie's waist and adjusting a little so that they could both get as comfortable as possible. "Do anyway. Will anyway. But always the most comfortable thing in the room. Warm. And mine." That was her last conscious thought for quite a while.
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"I am not certain 'momentarily' means what you think it means," Wraith wryly observed as Koshiro finally made his appearance. "It is fine, however, Papercut. I do not sleep at night in any case - it is very good for learning patience." The alien turned her three eyes up to regard the old building for a moment before leaping at it, landing flat with clawed limbs (none of them were really legs or arms anymore) outstretched. She skittered sideways along the wall toward a boarded-up window - probably the victim of the weather or some local punks - and just disappeared into it, her body sliding through the cracks like the boards weren't even there. It only took a few more moments for the sound of an old lock being manipulated to be heard on the other side of the door. Wraith opened the door, blinking. "It is not very clean in here."
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Mara made an awfully pleased and suspiciously evil sound, but a moment later her careful assault stopped with as much warning as it had begun. She tried - and failed rather miserably - to hide a smile as she snuggled back up to her girlfriend and an awfully pleased and suspiciously innocent sigh. "Very comfortable couch," she observed, as straight-faced as she could. Well, straight-voiced, anyway, and her lack of a straight face was making that a challenge. "Could almost fall asleep on it."
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"Mmh. Weird to get things just because it's a certain day." Mara squirmed a little at Ellie's breath - in a good way - and fondly nestled her head against the medic's. "But good. Will make plans, find quiet places, arrange transportation. Do a little over time now so that it's easier then." She was quiet for a time, making vague plans in the back of her head but not really paying attention to them. Tired though she might be, comfortable as she might be as an improvised blanket, her girlfriend's neck and earlobe were just a little too close and tempting to pass up.
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"Not that sweet," Mara faux-grumped; as Ellie's hands went high her own hands went low, though not so low they were impeded (much) by Ellie's pants. darn pants "Mostly selfish," she added, rather honestly. "Probably need a vacation anyway, and want you all to myself. No school, family, teammates. Just you." The young woman frowned as she ran that back through her head. "Not that those things are wrong. Don't begrudge you those things. But for a birthday? Stealing you for myself. If you want to be stolen."
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Gaian Knight had rather enjoyed showing off and playing the part of a lady-escorting knight; though he would never admit it, some part of him also rather enjoyed watching some of the Sub-Terrans scatter and panic. That last bit made him feel a little guilty, too, but guilt was better saved for peoples that hadn't used beetles to steal women from research labs, so he tried to ignore it in the name of a fun moment. The call for a doctor certainly killed the levity, though, and his eyebrows betrayed his frown as Miss Americana moved to aid Rao. "....okay, I'll ask the obvious question," the hero piped up with a tone of deference to the self-appointed ruler of this place...though his voice was also tempered with a resolve that implied, the villain's territory or not, he really wasn't planning on going anywhere until things were resolved. "Why'd one of your beetles steal the nice woman from the surface world, Terra-King?"
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"He seemed to be in a great deal of pain - and very unstable," Wraith added. She'd also been awfully distracted by the trees, though for different reasons - it wasn't unnatural, exactly, but even after being on Earth for a while she couldn't shake the feeling that having wild growth this close to the edge of a school was sheer bad planning, like they were begging for a vine to snatch somebody or a beast to sneak right up in the bushes, unseen. "We were required to force him unconscious, which seemed to help, somewhat. The bullet did not seem to be the cause, however - at least, not the direct one. As far as we know, it was a normal bullet."
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Mara made a face. "Not...sure," she admitted, her fingertips taking sudden interest in the small of Ellie's back now that her brain had caught up. holidays - many holidays all at once - curious - intentional? "About what I want, I mean. Not used to getting gifts. Odd concept. Mmh...." guitar? - picky - expensive, too - should probably keep expense down - what do I want? The engineer got that unfocused look that usually meant she was bending most of her brain to thinking on something and losing track of time and her surroundings...not that it seemed to impede her wandering hand any. It only took her a moment or three to snap back, though, and she bit her lip. "You. Us. I think I want - us. For a day, or more, sometime - birthday, maybe. Life's...too busy, lately; would...be nice to have time without distractions, or worries. Go somewhere. Enjoy ourselves. Don't know how well that would work, but seems worth trying."
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"Heck, why not." Gaian Knight grinned a little despite both himself and the situation, adjusting his goggles a bit with one hand. One glowing hand, a quiet, earthy golden glow to match the little bits and loose pebbles that lifted off the ground into lazy orbit as the earth began to move. When the ground down below flattened out a bit, it didn't lurch, but sighed; when it and the ceiling moved together to form a stairway it moved with a sense of purpose, like a pair of grand and stately castle doors being thrown open in times of old. And grand and stately the stairs were: broad and deep, well-supported and flanked by heavy, sculpted balusters of dark obsidian - no less stately than the stairs themselves, and smooth enough that one could probably have slid down them without fear if they weren't occasionally broken up by pillars that grew straight out of the ground to support the (now somewhat opened-up and less substantial) ceiling Gaian Knight and Miss Americana had been occupying not a moment before. The only thing it lacked, really, was a proper carpet; that being somewhat outside of his domain, the geomancer rather belatedly settled for taking some of the darker stone from their surroundings and letting it 'unfurl' into a thinner, carpet-like covering down the center of the stairs that preceded the pair of heroes as they made their way down. "Hello," he greeted, rather friendly, his eyes still visibly glowing through his goggles even after the glow around his hands had settled down. "It's a rather nice day for spelunking, isn't it?"
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"My what?" Mara blinked, the unexpected question (and Ellie's fingers) making it hard to focus on her self-reproach. She was pretty sure that was intentional, and she found that she didn't much mind. It still took her a moment to remember the birthday thing, though. There was no regret or bad memories there, at least, just the kind of blank recognition of being reminded of something she never really thought about. "....birthday? ....mmh! Right. Don't...know? Had forgotten it was coming. December, I think?"
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For just the briefest of moments Mara's face darkened - not at Ellie, but more like somebody who was remembering a recent shame, or fear, or something that made them angry with themselves. She'd run into that a lot lately, though, and it didn't take her more than a second to catch it and push the thought away. "Sweet, maybe. Not going to repeat it." She gently tapped Ellie's forehead with her own, looking wry. "Next orbital weapon will be non-lethal only. Will try to make it more visually impressive, though. Send a message."
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"Shouldn't compare it to me," Mara admonished, shaking her head a little. "Different. Probably not technically mind control. And not caused by someone I trusted." voluntarily trusted - close enough "Besides. Didn't really fight mine off, exactly. Built up...scar tissue. Sort of. Not really the same." She sighed a little, letting go of Ellie's hand to wriggle around to facing the young medic so that she could look her in the eyes. "Don't think mine was less horrible, just...think I got used to it. But shouldn't think you're silly or stupid for being...don't know. Afraid, or concerned. Would be concerned if you weren't. Mind control's...a bad feeling. Worse from someone you should trust. Am here for you, and would help you if it came back."
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"Have thought about that." Mara frowned a little; she was never really sure what she should think on the subject, for all that she had some experience there. "Think it's less about the mind control. More about who does controlling. Expect it from insane, sociopathic villains. Not...mmh." probably should have phrased that better "Not people we should trust. Not the same. Hurts more." She squeezed her girlfriend's hand. "Think you're entitled to being bothered."
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"Not...that mad," Mara defended, grumping good-naturedly. "Would be a bloodless revenge. Devastating but no blood lost. It's why it would take planning." A little more seriously, she intertwined her fingers with Ellie's, adding, "Know what it's like to bottle too much up. Works, usually, but...wears on you. Want to give you the option to not, if you wanted. Not really a 'should' - not going to tell you how to live your life. Not qualified. But...you know. Alternatives to ulcers."
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Mara was pretty sure that there was something one probably should say in this situation; some sort of accepted social norm or societal grace that broke the ice or opened easy discussion or...or something. She wasn't very good at any of those things. But she had to try anyway. "Do you...want to talk?" she asked, tentatively, squeezing Ellie. "Don't have to if you don't want to. Know recent events have been hard on both of us, but...worse on you. Here if you need me, always, for listening, or talking, or revenge plans."
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Mara wriggled, just a bit, trying to get as comfortable on the new couch as possible without immediately falling asleep. "S'nice," she agreed. "Haven't had much time to...relax." She frowned, looking out the window as if she could somehow see their collective troubles among the buildings of the city. "Too many disasters, changes. Neither of us very good at...laid-back lifestyles, already. Better soon, maybe. More time for relaxing, snuggling. Hopefully apartment will help."
