KnightDisciple

DC 20 Notice check: 21. Sound is his game, man. Initiative: 17.

Micah looked a bit uncomfortable at the discussion of sleepovers. He considered himself a friend of everyone here, but, well. His family wasn't high society or anything, but the only phrase that came to mind was "it wouldn't be proper". When Judy spoke up about how she considered them all friends, Micah blushed slightly, but smiled. This, at least, was familiar territory. "I mean, I can't say I know your life exactly, Judy, but I hear what you mean. This is a good school, but it's still scary. I'm glad we could be friends." He looked at the others, sincerity shining in his eyes. "You all are good people. You aren't afraid of people's powers, even if they're a little scary, and for some of us, that means a lot."

Theo let the eager journalist lead the way. He called back over his shoulder to the priest as he walked. "One or two sugars, Padre? You know how my sweet tooth is but you can never make up your mind." He followed Nicki to the kitchen door; when he got there he stopped for a second as a frown flickered across his face. He shook his head, and the smile returned as he spoke with an ever-so-slight drawl. "Gonna be honest ma'am, I mostly just know how to make bagged tea. Last few times I've been here, I just used those and a couple of sweetener packets. Not sure if you had fancier ideas, coming from a big, shiny city like Freedom."

Gabriel had a winning smile on his face; he had smoothly stepped back slightly as his teammates took control of the conversation. Their answers smoothly defused possible tensions, without making a spectacle of heroes or reporters. As Gaian Knight finished, Gabriel spoke up. "Excellent questions, and of course excellent responses from my teammates. Did anyone else have anything they wished to ask?" He was not quite to the point of trying to finish up, but Gabriel pretty clearly tried to keep things moving, at least. Gabriel once again thanked the Lord that his teammates had paid attention when he talked over some basic "handling reporters" skills a while back.

Judex almost immediately stepped up. His face held an almost manic grin as he raised his hand. "How is it the little sheep say it...oh yes! I volunteer as tribute!" He calmed down a bit. "I trust you my friend to carry me, and the roof is our best beachfront. I'm good at distracting and fighting, so let's get me over there. Now....do I need to lift my arms or something?"

Theo smiled at the reporter. She seemed like a breath of fresh air in this city. "Well, while some might argue there's a lot of bad and not a lot of good, I think you're in just the right place. Padre Miguel here is a fantastic beacon in the community, and I've come to him more than once to help sort out a problem. I'm more than willing to pitch in but I think he'll be your real ticket for the 'good stuff' angle, Miss Dee." He stood from the chair he'd been in and turned toward the kitchen and hummed a bit. "I'm thirsty. Does anyone want some tea or coffee or anything? I can get something cooking."

Gabriel A New Era: 2 IC Posts (Post counts to Raven III) Judex Bedlam Burning: The Quiet Place: 2 IC Posts Golgotha Tenemant Blues: 2 IC Posts Thunderbird Shell Games: 3 IC Posts Sky-Pirates!: 1 IC Posts Guide Point to Raven III.

Gabriel's face transitioned into a winning smile just before he walked out onto the stage, and his posture straightened itself just a touch more as he did so. His hands waved at the crowd for a moment before he stepped up to the podium. He waited a moment for the initial wave of murmurs, then gave a gentle gesture for everyone to settle down. "Alright, yes, thank you all for being here. We apologize for all the theatrics, but our discussion today is something we wanted to have with everyone at once. Makes it easier, and shows we don't play favorites." The hero clad in shining silver armor adorned with white grinned and winked at the audience. "Now, I'm sure there's been a lot of speculation, but we're here to make things a bit clearer. There are two major announcements we'd like to give you today. The first, is that our friend Comrade Frost will be stepping into the official role of leader of the Freedom League Auxiliary. The Auxiliary is a time-tested program the League has used to connect with heroes whose schedules don't allow them regular membership, but who still contribute greatly to our mission and who wish to stay connected with the wider net of people and resources the Freedom League has access to. We have every confidence in his leadership, and those heroes who count themselves among the members of the Auxiliary have unanimously expressed excitement for the days ahead. The second announcement is that several of us, myself included, are officially being enrolled as full members of the Freedom League. Some of our number, such as Velocity, are long-time League members, but a lot of discussion and decisions have gone into this. Other members of the League are re-evaluating their own time commitments, but that is a discussion for another day. We want to assure you that this process has been smooth, and that our goal is, as always, to serve and protect the fine people of Freedom City, and the world beyond." He gave everyone in the audience a few moments to process things before he continued. "Before we hear from any of my fellow League members who might wish to discuss some of the particulars of these changes, we have time for a few questions. Would I be correct that there are a few at this time?" He waited for the initial surge of hands and voices before he looked over the crowd and pointed to a journalist on the front row. "Yes, ma'am?"

Theo gave an easy smile to the woman, then shrugged as the Padre invited them in. He set the bag of snacks down on a nearby end table. "You need to get on the old ladies in your flock, Padre. I heard rumors you were under the weather but I think they just wanted to wag their tongues. An interview, you say? What about? If it's okay to join you I'd be more than happy to do so!" He gave his fellow shepherd, and this apparent journalist, a nervous smile, even as he adjusted his glasses.

Gabriel blinked, opened his mouth, closed it without saying anything, opened it again, and then sighed with a smile. "I'll do it. I'm good at keeping people distracted from the rest of you and focused on me, anyways. At least this time there are no super-zombies around!" Stesha's reaction to that is probably less of a "haha great story man", considering just who it was that kept Gabriel from being, well, dead that night. The hero dressed in shining heavenly silver and white continued. "I don't intend to feed the rumormongers, but I'll try to avoid out-and-out confrontation. Questions about leadership can be deflected for now, anyways; this is just a decision about talking. I think they all know I'm really good at talking." With a self-deprecating smile, Gabriel started moving toward the door, and the press conference beyond.

"Oh, I'll take one please." After he took the fruit and began to peel it, something Danica had said a moment ago made him stop and think. 1996 wasn't horribly long ago...except... "Danica....your powers are all tortoise-themed, right?" He wasn't a biology genius, but this was not exactly a huge leap of logic.

Gabriel had been sitting in one corner, eyes closed and head bowed, gently running his battered rosary through his fingers. He'd been asking for safety, but for humility as well. It was not exactly common that someone be asked to be one of the leading members of the Freedom League. Gabriel welcomed the invitation, but in his heart he found himself concerned it might go to his head. The thought of such summoned up the specter of his time in Heaven, wielding the power of the White Horseman. His eyes opened as Leilani spoke, and he assured himself the whinnying of a horse was just in his imagination. "Thank you, Leilani." He walked over to the table with light refreshments and got a drink of water. "What does the mood seem like out there?"

Judex stroked his impressive beard thoughtfully. "I am not so fantastical as you are my friend, sad to say. A more regular shepherd am I. For the most part, the blessed angel Uriel granted me a body that's at the top of what Man can achieve. That said..." He gave a sly smile. "I've found I can ensure circumstances work against those with foul intentions at opportune moments. Perhaps more importantly, I can bring forth fear into the hearts of the weak-minded. One person I can do without too much trouble; a group, I can also affect, but I must spend all my concentration doing so."

Two in a row is bad, thought I did this before I left on vacay...anywho. June 2019 Thread Counts Judex Golgotha Tenemant Blues: 2 IC Posts Thunderbird Shell Game: 2 IC Posts Sky-Pirates: 1 IC Posts Guide Point to Raven III.

Theo Ward knew Padre Miguel pretty well. They weren't quiet to the point of "weekly coffee and theology" but there had been rumbles about them and a couple of other pastors and priests organizing such a thing. So when Theo heard the Padre wasn't himself, he got moving as soon as he could to go visit. So it was that while others might be trying to stealth their way in, Pastor Ward was just strolling in, wearing a tshirt and skinny jeans, umbrella tucked under one arm ("just in case!"), and a grocery bag with a couple of "get well soon buddy" snacks in it. When he reached the door to the parish residence, he frowned at a passing feeling, then shook his head and knocked.

Micah had come into the room, at the back of the small group. He placed himself close to the door and far from the others. He managed not to flinch when Watchdog came in, but the way she carried herself made it a near thing. As the initial hubbub died down, he spoke up as his eyes wandered the room. "Just....how large is this place, Danica? Is it house-sized, or are we getting into TARDIS level interior space?"

Judex crossed his arms over his chest, a smirk on his face. "I've come all this way already, my fine feathered friend. It would be a shame for me to cut my evening constitutional short. Besides." His grin is a savage thing. "All I'm hearing is that there's someone out there who needs some instruction and wisdom introduced into their life. That's right up my alley!"

I'd like Judex in on this. I think the first one fits his MO more, but ultimately I'm flexible.

Micah actually winced a bit at Monica telling him to "act instead of just speaking". He spoke, his voice barely more than a mumble. "Just tryin' to be polite. Don't want to barge in on a lady." When Lulu and Monica both entered the opening, Micah gave things a few moments before he followed behind. He found himself crouched rather close to Lulu, though moving himself to one side at least. He coughed and tried not to peer into the room beyond. "Ah, no, not quite, Danica. Just, we were wonderin' what was goin' on. Ashley was worried about her sister. Um. Are you gals...that is to say...will y'all be a while? I can, uh, come back later. Yeah. Maybe that would be less awkward." Micah made to start shuffling back out of the strange space he found himself in.

For a moment after hearing the pirate's curse regarding his mother, Thunderbird went still. Very still. So did the air all around them. Then a stiff breeze picked up. The pirate might notice the hairs on his arms and head standing up as the breeze carried the scent of ozone on it. Above his head, the sky swirled with pitch-black micro-clouds. Sparks flew back and forth between the clouds, glowing green. Thunderbird floated up from the ground, his body covered in hazy green energy, wings upon his back gaining definition and apparent density as they glowed brighter. His eyes were solid points of light, and his face twisted into a snarl. "Don't you dare talk about my mother!" One hand reached to the sky, and a solid bar of lightning as thick as a man's arm raced down to his palm, where it formed something almost like a spear. He twirled it, tossed it to his other hand, and hurled it toward the pirate. The twin thunder-cracks as it seared the space from cloud to hero and hero to pirate were, if not deafening, then certainly not fun. It was likely even less enjoyable when the near-solid bolt of electricity struck the cutlass-wielding miscreant center-mass.

Thunderbird is a teenager with emotions that can get worked up. This pirate said something about his mother. Free Action: All-Out Attack for 5, Power Attack for 5. Net Result: Defense is +9, Attack is +8, Save DC is 32. Standard Action: Ranged Attack: 27. Free Action: Spend an HP to get Improved Crit for the lightning attack so that it becomes a Critical Hit Save DC is now 37.

Family is in town, tomorrow is both a holiday-holiday and my wife's birthday, and after that I'm out of town and spending time with friends for a few days. Might get 1-2 posts in somewhere before next week but don't be the farm on it.

Judex smirked as the scene below them erupted into chaos. "The Lord provides and opportunity knocks. Shall we answer the door of our fate?" Without waiting for an answer, he scrambled to the fire escape. His movements were almost shockingly smooth; while not quite "cat-like", he certainly had a grace that his frame would belie! It took him only moments to reach the ground, and at that point everything else about his manner came into play. The rough look, the slightly shabby clothing, the odd hair and long beard, they all came together with his suddenly-changed demeanor to help him slip through the milling addicts without much issue. He smiled and nodded and acted like a man high on something other than just "life". He may as well have walked through fog for all the resistance he got. It wasn't long before he found himself inside, and moseyed on over to one side of the...scene...that was going on, trying to make himself visible to Strix without being immediately obvious about it in this circle of potential violence.

I have no Bluff right now, but Stealth it is: 26.

Judex's body betrayed no reaction to this information; he continued to sit there, perched and watching the hideout in front of them. It took over a minute before he spoke, long enough that the good Doctor might wonder if he heard her. "The Lord is always watching, but sometimes wolves and lions prowl at the gates." Wait what does that mea- "We cannot alter the land about us, but we can be wary for the thieves that come to kill and destroy, eve as we seek to aid our fellow hound of justice." He looked to her with a smirk on his face. "Have we any option but springing the trap and trusting the Lord and the skills we bear?"