KnightDisciple

Corbin gave a very formal bow to Estelle before they commenced. He then assumed about the safest, chastest dance position he could in a slow dance. "You'd be surprised the sorts of things I could walk away from in one piece." He managed to say this with an utterly straight face, and without ever looking at his ring. "And she is a good friend, though I don't know her that well yet. I think some of it comes from her own sense of propriety as anything." Corbin was clearly not a dance champion either, but he never stepped on toes. Finally, after a few minutes, the song wound down, and the couple stopped dancing. Corbin stepped back and gave another formal bow. His eyes glanced over and saw his slightly flushed-faced parents walking over. An exchange of nods signaled that they'd spotted each other. Corbin's attention turned to Estelle as he dug something out of an inner pocket on his coat. It turned out to be two business cards, one for each of his parents. "I'm sure you're plenty successful on your own, but if you ever feel like it, I'm sure my parents could help you look into getting on board with one of their companies. Or even give you a recommendation for somewhere else. I figure you're good people, and I'll make sure they know that. Never hurts to have friends around, right? Have a good evening, Miss Estelle." A genuine smile lit his face as he turned to join up with his parents. He gave a parting nod and wave to Etain, then climbed into the driver's seat as their car was pulled up to the front door. And with that, the Hughes family left the premises.

Gabriel's PL 11, and he'd be up for basically anything. I'm kind of at a loss for what to do at the moment for him, though I'm not going to start any threads tonight. :P

You know, Carson does have some good perform checks. Maybe he's there helping with the music?

Would Stesha prefer her guests show up in civilian or hero guise? As well, will she and Derrick be getting married in their civilian identities?

Corbin blinked, and barely avoided slapping his palm against his face. 'You royal idiot, you made her think you thought she sympathized with Nazis! You're a horrible person! Horrible!' He reached down with one hand and squeezed Quo-Dis's hand that was on his thigh. " I should apologize. I implied something I didn't mean to, or maybe you inferred an implication, or something. I don't believe you at all sympathize with such figures. Quite the contrary, in fact. I think we're just facing one of those cultural differences here. I think you'll pick up what I meant soon enough." Then she asked how should could make things up to him. He stared at those big blue eyes, batting at his, and was entranced. Slowly, he spoke once more. Surely, his eloquence would stun this otherworldly beauty in front of him! "Uh..."

Corbin chuckled at Jessica's joke. "Well. Again, I'd have to hire a teleporter or something to get us around that quickly. Maybe one day I'll be able to fly that fast, but not yet." Corbin blushed deeply as Quo-Dis placed her hand on his thigh. ...He didn't move the hand just yet, though. "Well, it's not like Blake can't put the wings away. And besides, we all know I clearly have the best look. I can change it on the fly! Besides, Blake and I already had a contest for cooler powerset. We decided it was a draw." His tone carried no malice, and his grin bore out the the friendly nature of his light teasing. Then Quo-Dis spoke about genetic impurities. His face froze in...well, it wasn't horror or shock, not by this point. It was more his brain working furiously to devise an answer. Finally, he started speaking, his voice staying just low enough it shouldn't reach beyond their table. His tone wasn't angry or indignant, just patient. "Things like genetic impurities don't matter to most people, Quo-Dis. I mean, just about any parent won't care if their kid will need glasses for poor vision, or a hearing aid, or will go bald at 25, or things like that. Even the more severe cases, things like Down's syndrome, don't prevent people from loving the children they have. We don't throw people out for those things; it's just part of the human condition. We certainly don't deny people the right to mate. We believe in freedom, which includes freedom to mate. That's not to say that scientists aren't looking for ways to treat and reverse those things; just the opposite. But the goal isn't to dictate who can and can't have children; it's to secure a better, healthier future for any and all children. We've...had a bad history, as a species, with people who talk about excluding those with "genetic impurities". We learned our lesson, for the most part. After all, the need for glasses doesn't define a person's entire being, just like other flaws don't make someone less of a person."

Gabriel sat back with a thoughtful look on his face, glancing at the menu before staring at a spot on the wall. "Caution, and lots of it. Caution about when and where I change. Caution about how I explain unusual absences, though my people skills help there." He stopped as the waitress dropped off the glass of water he'd ordered as they were being seated. He took a small sip, then continued to speak. "Beyond that, I'm careful about who I speak to about things. Hero work is revealed only to fellow heroes, almost none of whom know the real name I carry. I think two, maybe three heroes know who I am under this mask. And I trust them with my life. Not that I don't trust others, but..." He gives a slight sigh of frustration as he's at an unusual loss for words for almost a minute. "Loose lips sink ships. I have very strong reasons for concealing my identity, hence why I'm so careful about it. Part of me would prefer that no one here know my identity, but as it stands, it's few enough that I feel secure." He smiles a bit. "Now, if you mean how I keep it separate in my head, that's some fairly simple mental gymnastics. Let's just say I have experience with such things. I don't have trouble maintaining friendships in either guise." He smirked as he sipped again. "Was that the answer you were looking for?"

Gabriel Triumphant Meetings: 2 IC Posts The Things We Do For Charity: 9 IC Posts Baby Baby: 7 IC Posts Dog Fight: 1 IC Post White Saturday: 9 IC Posts Carson Finbar and the Deathly Fellow: 6 IC Posts Sound Off: 13 IC Posts I Need a Mage's Opinion: 12 IC Posts December 2010: Anti-Gang Message Viginette Total: 59 IC Posts Cobalt Templar All Your Bank Are Belong to Us: 1 IC post It Takes All Types: 4 IC Posts The Odd Couples: 11 IC Posts Champagne Shenanigans: 3 IC Posts Too Many Questions, Too Few Answers: 10 IC Posts Total: 29 IC Posts October 2010 Revisited: Do You Fear Death? Viginette Note to refs: To prevent confusion when December awards go out, I should probably say that Gabriel's PP usage fraction next to his PL should be 172/172, and his unspent pp should be 0. This is before December awards are applied.

Gabriel smiles as Victory speaks of a burger joint. "You know, before I moved here, I don't think I'd ever had a burger. Now, they're on my list of favorite foods. I don't think I'll have time today, but maybe next week we can do that." He turns and regards Dark Star. "It's getting close to the holidays. You really ought to slow it down at least a little bit. After all, your fiance might appreciate it. Not saying you should stop, not at all. Just...take a little time to enjoy things, I guess. Just a thought. As for the technology exchange, I suppose I can understand, at least to a point. It's not like we don't have people here on Earth coming up with plenty of helpful inventions." He brought one arm up to check the time, then shook his head. "I have a couple things I need to take care of. Gentlemen, it's been an honor and a pleasure. I'll see you both around." After Victory and Dark Star had said their goodbyes, Gabriel zoomed off, headed south towards his typical patrol area.

Cobalt Templar frowned more deeply. "It's almost like someone translated this for them, then sold it to them. Or something. Hm. Journal..." He gave a huff of annoyance as he flipped the pages, paying more attention to the older stuff. "Why couldn't it have been in Latin? Isn't that the go-to magic language? I could have read Latin fine, but nnnoooo, they had to be all hardcore and go with...Germanic, I think." He glanced back at the cultists. "I'd say we should note to the police this is a potentially dangerous magical artifact. I'm sure they have procedures for this sort of thing. And you're welcome." Suddenly, curiosity washed over his face as he turned to level his gaze at Push. "Wait. Who is in Freedom City, and exactly what do you mean by "leads"?"

Almost a full minute of silence. Slowly, a soft smile spread across Gabriel's face as memories ran through his mind's eye. "Yes. Both in and out of costume, in ways large and small...yes."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes at Terror. He concentrated, and lifted both hands, palms flat and facing the huge berzerker. "I don't think so." Suddenly, waves of sound lashed out of his hands. But instead of assulting Terror's powerful body, they struck out at his mind. The clashing sounds that pounded his eardrums and brain bounced back and forth in his mind, slowly but surely seeking to confuse him so much he couldn't even move. 'I hope this does something...' Gabriel's face was a mask of concentration as he maintained the auditory assault.

Currently at 3 Hero Points. Full Round Action to use Ranged Paralyze against Terror. Ranged Attack Roll: 8+10=18 That hits, so... DC 21 Will Save from Terror.

Corbin had finished his food, eating with a startling efficiency even as he kept the comparative noise level down. He'd now settled for looking at Quo-Dis with a slight smile on his face, and curiosity in his eyes. "Really? How did they cook it? Did they use any spices or anything?" He taps the fingers of his right hand on the table in a slow rhythm. His left slowly reached for hers; assuming she didn't bat it away, he traced a slow, aimless pattern on the back of her hand with his thumb. "Here's an idea for our next date, Quo-Dis: We can both fly, so why not fly out to Kansas City? Although...hm. Neither of us can go supersonic...Maybe we could get use of a jet, or someone at the school could make a portal for us? Really, we have to have the stuff on-site to really appreciate it." He glanced to Blake and gave him a thumbs-up as he spoke to him. "Blake, buddy, I'll bring you two back whatever you want. I'll pick the place, you look at the menu, and before we leave, I'll get takeout for whatever it is."

Corbin thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I'd be up for it. Do we have to go through any channels to get that approved? I'd hate to get in trouble so early in the semester."

Corbin's face was plastered with an infectious grin. He gave his new friend a thumb's up. "Yeah man! Once I cleared up why I was there, she agreed! I'm thinking a couple weeks before we do the double date thing, just so Quo-Dis and I can kind of find our stride, you know? Also: WOOHOO! I'M AWESOME!" Fireworks-like patterns lit up the sky behind the grinning young man. Currently, he was about as subtle as a brick through a window, but what could you do?

Cindy paled slightly as she recognized Etain. Her course quickly shifted, making a solid 180 and moving back the way she came. Corbin looked somewhat relieved, but also distracted. He gave Etain a lopsided smile. "Thanks for that; I didn't want to deal with her. Again. Listen, I really do appreciate it, and if we've got time and the right songs, I'll try to catch you for a dance, if you're up for it. But right now, I need to keep a promise I made." Determination settled onto his face as he slipped through the crowd with somewhat surprising grace, still seeking out Estelle's unmistakable profile in the sea of humanity.

I will be out of town, with no internet, starting tomorrow night, and continuing until Sunday afternoon/evening.

Gabriel just nodded, having given up on getting Powerhouse to drop the "Mr" before his name. Besides, this was a time to be serious. "Keep yourself alert." With that warning, and sonic energy already gathered around his hand, Gabriel floated into the air and slowly moved down the hallway, essentially expecting an ambush, and trying to be as prepared as possible for one.

Corbin didn't seem shocked by Quo-Dis's eating habits; clearly, this was not his first time. Witnessing such things, that is. No, his mind was elsewhere for a time as he ate. Corbin blinked at Quo-Dis's question, shaken from his thoughts and carefully swallowing the bite in his mouth. "Um. Well, Italian's pretty good. I like a good steak, a good, real burger, occasional Chinese..." Suddenly, he gave a nostalgic grin. "Barbeque. I miss real, honest to goodness, slow cooked, genuine Midwest barbeque. They just don't have the touch out here like they did back home. St. Louis had some good places, but if you really wanted the good stuff, you went to Kansas City. That place is overflowing with quality barbeque. The best kind, where they use both a rub and a sauce. Cooked low and slow for a good long time...mmm! The best stuff practically melts in your mouth; at the the very least, ribs should come off the bone with almost no effort." Corbin took a few more bites of his food, still clearly enjoying it, but also still clearly having a sudden craving for his precious barbeque.

Gabriel didn't seek to lock arms or hold hands, but neither did he flinch away from their hands brushing. At Robin's question, he shrugged. "Not exactly. A while back, I was watching the news, when Freedom City was mentioned. Then, my rosary started glowing, and I got the distinct impression I ought to come here. Fast-forward a bit of preparation, some settling in, some patrolling, and, well, here I am." He gave a sheepish grin at his explanation, though on the inside he practically cursed himself. 'Bloody fool. Now she'll either get scared away because she thinks you're crazy in general, or a crazy religious nutbag. Or both. Oy.'

Gabriel smiled a bit more broadly. He took the charm and stuffed it in a pocket, hesitating with the book...before leaving it on the counter. "I suppose now is as good of a time as any. I'll leave the book here, and pick it up after I walk you back." He raised a hand to forestall any protests. "Consider it a condition of my agreement. My mother would skin my rear with a dull switch if she heard I hadn't. Which she would. I think mothers have an inside line with the Almighty, just to know when kids misbehave." He gave Ms. Cross a lopsided grin as he walked out the door, before stopping just outside of it and grandly gesturing for the lady in red to lead the way. "By all means, ladies first."

Cobalt Templar had wrapped up his phone call just a few moments ago, but it was still soon enough that he heard the statement about Ironclad's location. He gave an understanding nod. "We did fine here, so make sure she knows it's not a big deal. Glad to hear she's safe. The cops should be here in just a minute or two." Seeing Push examining the book on the podium, CT gives a thoughtful frown and floats over, casting his gaze upon its pages, trying to see if he can recognize the language it's printed in. "Hm. How-to instruction book?" The question seemed more rhetorical than anything.

Midnight suddenly hears Gabriel's voice in his ear. >"Thank you. I was about to ask about doing just that. Do you think you and I could work on making sure all the other potential broadcasting equipment is shut down?"< Gabriel's posture has relaxed considerably now that the immediate danger has passed. "You made the right decision. Thank you." He tries to smile, but it mostly fails. He directs his ventriloquism to Fleur de Joie's ears next. >"We need to get Fusion out of here; maybe she could help you with those hostages you rescued? Perhaps the two of you could work on getting everyone in the building to safety?"< He then starts looking around the room, clearly trying to determine if there's any obvious equipment Otaku may have been using that's not deactivated yet.

Gabriel thought for several long moments. 'Why am I doing this? Besides the fact that going on a date in-costume is just awkward, do I really want to get involved with this woman? I barely know anything about her? On the flip side, she's clearly not your average girl. And even if it ultimately won't work out, I should give her the chance. It'd be the polite thing to do.' Finally, he slowly grinned. "Fine. When would you like to go to this Italian-sushui place?"