KnightDisciple

Micah smiled at Pan's declaration about real vs realistic. "My grandfather said more than once, that something can contain truth, even if it isn't true." Micah gave Pan a thoughtful look at mention of something being up with the sisters, but he shrugged. "Well, I'd wager she shares similar concerns about Leroy's character that I do. Ashley strikes me as someone who cares more about character and action than stacks of dollars." He ran a hand over his face at the question. "The easiest thing is the bottling and hoping it goes away. I'm not certain a one-stop-shop scheme to make me and Judy end up together is a good idea, either, though. I mean, really there's a couple different things at play, right? The fact that Leroy's not a good match for Judy, and separately the fact that I like her. I'd love a chance to go on a date with her, but even aside from that, I'm concerned about Leroy. But Judy's loyal; she's not just going to dump him. Honestly, Leroy would have to pull an even more blatant stunt than apparently not talking to her for several months. I'm not sure how we could...what, incite him to shenanigans?" He looked very unsure and a bit uncomfortable. "I'd love to do something but I can't think of anything that doesn't leave me feeling...well, honestly, a bit sleezy. Do you have any ideas, Pan?"

Trying to give other folks a chance to react to Leroy's casual attempt to create a mini-black-hole before Micah speaks up again. In the meantime, who would be able to pick up the following, and in what way would it manifest for them? This is pure fluff. 1.) Trace amounts of ozone in the air/an increase in trace amounts of ozone in the air. 2.) Ionization in the air upticking a small amount. No one's hair is standing on end (yet) but if you have a sense that could pick this up it's there. 3.) Extremely weak x-ray production (lightning actually produces x-rays!). 4.) Visual acuity strong enough to notice lightning bolts a third as wide as a human hair and a quarter as long sparking up along Micah, spread out at a density of 1-2 every few square inches of his body.

"Yeah, that's fair enough, Pan. I get that our worlds operate on different...rules? Laws of physics?" Micah shrugged and sat down. "But you're also right that things get muddled too much. I'm...I like things to be clear. My dad, my mom, that's generally how they raised me. My dad did law enforcement. That's supposed to be pretty clear right and wrong." He looked at least a bit thoughtful at the mention of Ashley. "Yeah Ashley looked mad. And I don't think it's just 'you're too young'. If that's all it was, with where they're from, that kind of world, I don't think it would be as big of a deal. But no, that was the face of a very unhappy sister. I think she was mad at Judy and mad at Leroy. She can't make Judy say 'no' but I'd almost bet money she has the same concerns I do." Micah couldn't help himself and barked a short laugh at Pan's aghast question regarding movies. "Sorry man, just...um. So, you know a lot of movies aren't real events that happened, at least not on this world, yeah? Part of that is that a lot of movies compress stuff that would take weeks, months, or years, and have a lot of...I guess stops and starts? Cram all of that in 2-3 hours and a few major emotional scenes. So to answer your question, yes and no. Things are rarely as simple as in the movies. Sometimes that sort of thing doesn't happen at all. Sometimes it does."

When Micah saw Nick's confusion at the term "Heelies", he smiled a bit. "Hang on, let me look them up....here!" He pulled up the official web page, showing some pictures and videos. "See, the regular ones are just free-rolling wheels. That could help, but even a slight motor assistance would make a huge difference. Shoot, depending on how this goes maybe it could be adapted for people with limited motor skills/ability?" Before he could say anything more, a voice rose up above the low-level din in the room. Micah's eyes widened and his head whipped around so fast it almost made a thunder-crack. "Wait, you want to do what?" His face paled as he realized he'd all but yelled that out.

"Can we maybe not immediately go to pistol-whipping a priest? Like, you're asserting he's been replaced. What if he's possessed? Or, much more likely, they shoved some kind of worm in his brain?" Theo ran a hand through his hair and looked back toward the living room, taking a step closer to the two women and lowering his voice further. He was clearly no threat, so the step wasn't something to elicit a counter-move. "I'm as upset about this idea as anyone. The father is a friend of mine. Unlike you, Big City Girl, or you Miss I Like Guns, I actually know and care about this man." There was some anger in his voice; some directed at Wadjet, but some at the situation. "Look, let's try this. I go in there and see if I can trip up this mimic or alien brain bug or whatever. If he flips out and comes after me, you two bust in and distract him. I have a...friend...who can come help, he's, ah, nearby. I can dash out and get him, and he can come in and help you two. Would that work?"

Judex Bedlam Burning: The Quiet Place: 2 IC Posts Golgotha Tenement Blues: 1 IC Post Thunderbird It's Mov(in)g Day: 3 IC Posts Tech Compliance: 4 IC Posts Guide Point to Raven III.

Theo's eyes widened a bit at the accusation of the Father not being himself in a literal sense. They then narrowed as the other person menaced things with a gun. "Whoa whoa whoa hold on. Do you have...proof? I'm not saying it's completely unbelievable, but that's a pretty big claim to make, right? How did they even do that? Do you have some kind of test we can do? I don't want to let you just go in there guns blazing." He eyed Wadjet with some suspicion and plenty of concern. She seemed a bit too eager. Inside his heart and soul, his power, his other self, stirred angrily. If these words were true, there was a debt to pay.

Micah shrugged. "No worries, Nick. So, this is an idea Claude and I kind of stumbled into, as a way to help my friend Danica get around quicker. Elevator pitch is "motorized heelies". Small, easy to control, doesn't interrupt her daily life. It doesn't need to win an Olympic sprint, just help her get around a bit quicker inside buildings or whatnot. She has a Segway for outdoor stuff."

Micah ran a hand through his hair, looking almost distressed for a moment. "What can we 'do', Pan? My attraction doesn't give me a right to Judy to return it. I get what you mean, about me being happy. I appreciate it. But...man, this is high school. My folks were high school sweethearts, but other folks aren't, you know? It doesn't always work out. It doesn't actually matter whether I'm attracted to Judy. She's in a relationship with Leroy." His face looked like he'd swallowed a past-due lemon. "She's...I mean, she's basically engaged to that airheaded, stuck-up, show-off. I can hate him every day of the week and it won't change that fact." Micah's dampeners were lit up at this point; they were in no way strained, but it was clear his emotional state was disturbed enough to put them to work. "Part of me would love to see them broken up, yeah. I don't think he's good for her. He's either going to use her and lose her, or drag her off to a place she doesn't want to go, get her to do things she doesn't want to do, with a smile on their faces, because he just...he's the sort of person who seems like he just drags people in his orbit. He sets my teeth on edge but I can't even tell if that's fair, Pan. I barely know the guy. I'm not on a team with him, and the classes we share have loads of other people. We're in different social circles, me and him. Which is fine, you know? Not every single person is friends with every single person. We're not all wired the way you are, buddy. But every time I see him be...him...it's just..." He blew air out of his mouth in a frustrated sigh. "It's a lot. The guy's just a lot. And I wager Judy fell for him because of that. He's flashy and fancy and all that jazz. And of course he totally converted to Christianity despite the fact nothing about him changed and he only ever shows up to anything even vaguely church-related if Judy's there. No, he's definitely a good Christian boy who Judy definitely isn't missionary-dating in a relationship that seems doomed! And regardless of all of that, I don't have a right to tell Judy who to love! My attraction to her and dislike for him doesn't give me a right to dictate things. Judy has to right to make her own decisions. Even if they're mistakes." Micah stopped, closed his eyes, and seemed to begin some breathing exercises. Pan ought to be able to get a word in now!

Micah had already stowed his guitar and unpacked as much as he was going to for the night. He had finished putting on all but the headpiece of his power dampeners when Pan asked his question. For a moment, he stiffened. Then he closed his eyes for a moment and slipped the last of his gear on. He flicked it on as he opened his eyes. "Just a sec." He went to their door, ensuring it was closed and locked, before he turned back to his roommate, his expression serious. "Before I get into this...promise me you tell no one, Pan. Not without talking to me. I don't care who it is. If Lulu brain-talks, I want you to do your best to not even think it. Please." After Pan agreed, Micah sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Okay, so the short version? I like Judy. I...no, okay, let me be clearer, because I know you come from a pretty different world and this isn't something I want ambiguous, if we're 'getting to business'. I am romantically attracted to Judy Smith. And on top of that, I can barely stand Prince Leroy." He sat down in his own office chair, his face...not angry, but definitely not calm. "Was that what you wanted to hear, Pan?"

Micah narrowed his eyes in thought, but then nodded. "Yeah. Yeah! That is actually really close to what I'm thinking. Powered Heelys. I'm sure we could figure out something to provide the power..." He turned to the other member of the table as Nick and Claude wandered off. "So, uh, Mia. Is your laptop working better now? I saw you kind of fiddling with it while Claude and I brainstormed. Did you have any thoughts on the powered shoes?" Micah heard Leroy's commotion and turned. He grimaced in disgust as the boy mashed a disgusting sandwich and that strange crystal together. "What in the..."

Micah nodded as Ben explained the whole "weird blood" thing. His eyes widened comically at the other teenager's offer to cut himself. "NO! I mean. Um" He looked embarrassed. "No. I believe you. You don't have to hurt yourself to prove it, Ben. I believe you." "I mean, with all the stories we hear on the news, I figure most of the labs around town have secret, freaky stuff. Us hero-types end up either getting powers from it, fighting it, or both, eventually." Micah huffed, but with a smile on his face. "If you think he's coming around again, I need to practice more. Need to see how he likes getting sun like noon in Arizona while I shove a few dozen bolts of lightning where the sun doesn't shine."

PREACHED BY THEV Now, for Judex. Goal is to raise him to PL9 caps, let's see what we can do...We'll try to get him up 1PL's worth of caps first. 19PP to use. 2PP to raise his base Dexterity to 12 (+1), (Reflex Save, Acrobatics, Escape Artist, and Stealth raised by 1) 2PP to raise his Base Attack by 1 (to +6, +11 Melee; Grapple bonus raised to 15) 2PP to raise his Base Defense by 1 (to +6, +11 Dodge Focus) 1PP to raise Will Save base to +3 bonus, for a total +7 save 2PP to raise Enhanced Constitution to 8 (Toughness Save and Fort Save each raised by 1) 2PP to raise Enhanced Strength to 10 (Damage DC raised by 1, Grapple bonus raised to 16, Climb raised by 1) 2PP to raise the rank of his Fear of the Lord Array to 8, for a DC 18 will save (and the rank of the array raises to 4). Total expenditure of 13 of 19PP. I'm going to leave this update at that, then. That's a solid PL8 for his Caps. His Attack, Damage, Defense, and Toughness, along with all 3 Exotics, all go up by 1. His Array/Power goes up by 1 as well.

Now, for Judex. Goal is to raise him to PL9 caps, let's see what we can do...We'll try to get him up 1PL's worth of caps first. 19PP to use. 2PP to raise his base Dexterity to 12 (+1), (Reflex Save, Acrobatics, Escape Artist, and Stealth raised by 1) 2PP to raise his Base Attack by 1 (to +6, +11 Melee; Grapple bonus raised to 15) 2PP to raise his Base Defense by 1 (to +6, +11 Dodge Focus) 1PP to raise Will Save base to +3 bonus, for a total +7 save 2PP to raise Enhanced Constitution to 8 (Toughness Save and Fort Save each raised by 1) 2PP to raise Enhanced Strength to 10 (Damage DC raised by 1, Grapple bonus raised to 16, Climb raised by 1) 2PP to raise the rank of his Fear of the Lord Array to 8, for a DC 18 will save (and the rank of the array raises to 4). Total expenditure of 13 of 19PP. I'm going to leave this update at that, then. That's a solid PL8. His Attack, Damage, Defense, and Toughness, along with all 3 Exotics, all go up by 1. His Array/Power goes up by 1 as well.

WINDSWEPT BY THEV Let's see, Thunderbird needs some updates, but not enough to sit down and rewrite his sheet... Age: 17 (August 2002) (This is just increasing age by 1 year) Need to italicize Sky Is Falling Through: Complication. Wisdom: 12 (+1) (2 PP) Will: +8 (+1 Wis, +7) Spending 6 PP on Skills to: Boost Craft Mechanical by 2 to 10 ranks (+11 total) Boost Craft Electrical by 6 to 10 ranks (+11 total) Boost Knowledge Physical Sciences by 4 to 8 ranks (+9 total) Add Knowledge Technology 8 ranks (+9 total) Add Computers 4 ranks (+5 total) 1 PP for another rank of Improved Initiative (2 ranks total for another +4 to Init for a total Initiative Bonus of +12 Total expenditure of 9PP, leaving 4PP unspent (for now).

Let's see, Thunderbird needs some updates, but not enough to sit down and rewrite his sheet... Age: 17 (August 2002) Wisdom: 12 (+1) (2 PP) Will: +8 (+1 Wis, +7) Spending 6 PP on Skills to: Boost Craft Mechanical by 2 to 10 ranks (+11 total) Boost Craft Electrical by 6 to 10 ranks (+11 total) Boost Knowledge Physical Sciences by 4 to 8 ranks (+9 total) Add Knowledge Technology 8 ranks (+9 total) Add Computers 4 ranks (+5 total) 1 PP for another rank of Improved Initiative (2 ranks total for another +4 to Init for a total Initiative Bonus of +12 Total expenditure of 9PP, leaving 4PP unspent (for now).

I'd like him to give me a DC 17 Will Save vs Emotion Control: Fear. And a 24 to Intimidate on top of that.

Judex's grip tightened, and he put his mouth even closer to the man's ears. "The police may be mangy curs, but a pack of curs will still take down a lone, injured wolf. Tell me, how likely would you be to walk, with all your trappings gone, your crimes strapped to your chest? Hm? Even these dogs couldn't ignore that." He began to twist the man's body. Painful, but not injuring, not yet. "Hm. Risky risky risky. Judgement dodged, perhaps? Perhaps the wolfhounds take care of the wolf?" His eyes drifted to Strix, and then toward the gangers again, the message clear. Strix himself might feel...something...in the air, even as the strange man's voice...shifted. "Kill you? Oh nonono, no, that's not our way my friend. Our fine feathered friend, he might drink a few drops. Our curious friend making their way down might have some deep, deep questions for you. Me, little old me me me? Why, I'd just be making sure the wolf can't ever, ever, even think about being in charge of people who try to harm children." Even as something came over the man, he felt one of Judex's hands at his throat. And the man heard....music, and the voices of children. "I do not take kindly to you sinners going after the little children, nonono. It makes me so angry, you see. So! Will you be a good little wolf, who knows when he's been beaten? When triumph has turned to loss? Or will you struggle against the trap you've found yourself in.

Micah shrugged at Mia's compliment. "I mean, sure. Part of it is just my cuss stubbornness not wanting to leave things undone or half-finished." At the mention of a fan, he leaned over just a bit. "What about the wires? Like, the ones between the fan and the rest of the computer? If it's just the fan, and everything else works consistent, you've isolated the problem to wherever things 'branch' off. Or something controlling the fan?" Micah took out a notebook and pen and started scratching down notes and a couple of rough sketches. "Hm. So, a Segway's all about having it doing the moving for you. Like, you just lean. It's doing 99.9% of the work, right? And I think what I was trying to do with the first round of this thing was the same thing. But...what if it was more like a 50/50 split? or maybe 80/20? Something that just kind of gives more oomph? Like the friction-less boots, but less about removing resistance and more about adding impulse?"

Micah may have been a mild kid, but he was generally unflappable. But Davyd turning into that was a bit more than even he could just shrug off. "Okay, yeah, I probably didn't really give you enough credit. Though in my defense, this isn't wildly outside of "shapeshifting"?" Micah frowned a bit. "Okay, but you just said that's your power. Which is awesome, by the way. I'm just more saying that It's easy to write that but hard to put into practice. I...I guess I can't properly put my thoughts together on this, not yet? I'm just a teenager, man. Like, I hear what you're saying, but for people in general I don't necessarily agree. You're kind of an exception." Micah's expression was not upset, just frustrated at his difficulties fully forming and articulating his thoughts. And also contemplation and introspection, something that looked natural for him. Micah tapped his chin in thought at the question. "I think you mentioned the succubus thing. Seemed like a dang fool idea from folks who've read all the wrong books." He smiled at the mention of the Krampus. "He was a big sucker, but we took him down!"

The skinny preacher boy looked annoyed now. "I'm not calling for help so clearly I at least somewhat believe you. But standing around, growling and posturing, doesn't help. I know something's up but for all I know he could be legitimately sick. What do you both know? Why are, are...supers...involved in this?" This was Bedlam. You didn't say "hero" unless you were pretty darn sure.

FYI Shofet, I think right now we've got Mia, Claude, and Micah at one table, and then Judy, Ashley, and (temporarily) Nick at a different table, possibly with 1-2 more. Meanwhile, I think Leroy, Heroditus, Benny, and OctoDude are at a third table, with the latter showing us his general awesomeness form the ceiling?

Gabriel A New Era: 1 IC Post Post to Raven III Judex Golgotha Tenemant Blues: 1 IC Post Thunderbird It's Mov(in)g Day!: 8 IC Posts Tech Compliance: 1 IC Post Guide Point to Raven III.

Micah gave nick a quick smile and returned the fistbump. His rendition of the greeting might lack the sheer enthusiasm of his peers, but considering the comparisons that was only natural. He blinked at the offer to join Nick and Claude, then scratched his chin in thought for just a moment. Then he nodded, speaking quietly but with clear lip movements toward Nick. "Sure." Micah stood and walked over to where Claude was sitting and Nick had gestured. He missed perhaps a half-step at Nick going over to Judy and Ashley, but made no comment to anyone about it. Micah smiled as he sat down. "That's kind of a good question. I guess....short term? Last year I made some primitive...let's call them "Segway Skates" for my friend Danica. Her powers give her some advantages, but the downside is she moves pretty slow on her own. She can still think at everyone else's speed, though, so it's kind of a bummer. She uses a Segway to get around outside and stuff, but that's not always enough or a good fit. I tried to make her these skate-things that she could use to get around inside buildings or in other places that her regular Segway didn't work. I only sort of succeeded. I'd like to try making something better for her. Shoot, depending on how successful we are, maybe it could be, I dunno, a new assistance device?" He let that sink in for a moment before continuing. "Longer-term this year, I'd like to do something with an automobile or motorcycle design. I prefer the bike a bit but either one works. Something more than just putting together a kit, maybe?"

Theo blinked and tilted his head, almost canine in his curiosity. Then his eyes narrowed as he looked between the two women who spoke as one. "Who are you? And what, exactly, do you mean, what happened to him?" He stood straighter, his slight frame somehow acting like it filled more space than it actually did. He frowned deeply and reached up to lift his glasses away from his face. He used the opening to rub the bridge of his nose. "Why are you here, now, like this? If you're planning to hurt him, I'm warning you how bad of an idea that is."