KnightDisciple

Taking the Black: Raven III and Madame Raven

Many students were meeting their mentors in classrooms, the auditorium or nearby, the library, or various somewhat-private spots out on the ground, etc, no one had "laid claim" to the Doom Room. Not publicly, anyways; yet, days before the scheduled Mentor Day, the Room had nonetheless been booked for several hours. No names were in the system, just a letter: R. Everyone who cared could intuit what it meant. When young Calliope Summers walked into the room, it was the bare metal and grids of power lines and projector nodes of the actual Doom Room. Gleaming and shining in the too-bright lights. Standing directly in the middle, with his back to her, stood the current Raven. His armored cowl was off of his head and held under one arm, and he was seemingly staring at nothing in particular as she approached. When Callie was about halfway between the door and the Raven, he spoke. Only then would she notice that the observation room's windows were completely darkened and polarized, and Alek had been watching her in the reflection from those windows. "Glad you could make it." He turned around, his cape naturally flowing in a way that other heroes found maddening to replicate, and that Callie knew was thanks to the materials and weight of the multi-purpose "accessory". "So. Today, it's just the two of us. Your father, your older self, Charlie, everyone else, they're busy with other things. Even the alternate of your father; I think he's in the Rookery poking that suit of his." Alek's tone is neutral. He's not one for mind games, but he will occasionally test the younger heroes who work with him. He had already made it clear to Callie, more than once, that he did things the way he did for a reason, and they were always his own reasons. "I feel like, by and large, I have a good sense of your abilities, your skills, and your style of fighting. We get practice on that every week, if not every day. I'm certainly willing to talk about that, if you'd like. But my interest today is more fundamental. Callie..." Only now did he take his cowl and place it on his head. His hands came off of the sides, and even as the tiny armor plates clicked and moved into place, his voice was automatically altered and masked. "Why do we do what we do?"

Gabriel leaned against the wall nearby, eyes closed and head slightly bowed. Someone who knew him might at first think he was praying. But the hint of a raised eyebrow beneath his shining helmet and the mask beneath said otherwise. "Lot of excited kids out there." He lifted his head and opened his eyes. An almost sad smile graced his face. "When, exactly, did they become 'kids', instead of 'teenagers'. I feel like it was just a few months ago that I wasn't that much older than my new students, and now, well." Velocity knew Gabriel still held down his job at the university, somehow. Likely a combination of lower demand for theater classes than many subjects, and how natural the subject still came to him.

Patrioteen Power Level: 8 (150/150PP) Unspent Power Points: 0 Trade-Offs: +/-0 (Compact Shield), +4 Toughness/-4 Defense (Heavy Shield), +4 Defense/-4 Toughness (Gun Barrel Shield) In Brief: A young man finds himself an unplanned hero after bonding with a device the US Government reverse-engineered from alien technology. An uneasy inheritor to a legacy he’s still struggling to understand. Catchphrase: “Let’s get fired up!” Theme: Alternate Identity: Sharaf el-Jalil (Secret) Birthplace: Freedom City, New Jersey, United States of America Residence: Claremont Academy, Freedom City Base of Operations: Claremont Academy, Freedom City Occupation: Student, Patriotic Hero Affiliations: Claremont Academy, Patriot Initiative Family: Ramzi el-Jalil (Father); Munisa el-Jalil (Mother), Dovron el-Jalil (Younger Brother), Zamira el-Jalil (Younger Sister) Description: Age: 16 (DoB: July 4, 2005) Gender: Male (Cis); He/Him/His Ethnicity: Arabic (Socotran) Height: 5’10” Weight: 155 lbs Eyes: Brown Hair: Black Sharaf is a teenager who is visibly still growing into his frame. Thanks to the enhancements from the nanites provided by his bonded gear, he is more muscular and solidly built than most young men his age, but his overall build favors speed and flexibility over raw power. His skin is the same dusky tan of his parents and ancestors, while his eyes have a bit of earth tone to them. His hair is typically messy, mostly a consequence of how his costume manifests around him, combined with rapid movement through the air; he has bemoaned how difficult it would be to “work” with a head of hair to match his father, who some have opined could do shampoo commercials (he’s a writer for one of the local news stations). What he does have, he often styles into a modest pompadour, though if he has to “suit up” it sometimes ends up “ruined” if he’s particularly active. He has tried growing a mustache and/or beard a few times, and it’s never quite to his satisfaction; for now he stays clean-shaven in his day to day. When not in his “uniform”, Sharaf tends to wear jeans or casual slacks, favoring more traditional cuts over cargo-style or carpenter-style pants. For shirts, he often goes with various colors and cuts of short-sleeved button-ups, over a plain white t-shirt, with the first couple of buttons undone to make it clear just how good his physical condition is. He prefers sneakers to dress shoes. He never wears a hat, and only wears a hood if it’s very wet or very cold; he cites his hair as being a key reason why. As Patrioteen, his outfit is rather more noticeable and elaborate. The base color is a rathe bright blue, almost the same shade as the American flag. His legs, down the middle of his mid and lower torso, across his upper torso and shoulders, and down the outside of his arms is solid blue. The outer portions of his lower torso and the insides of his arms are white. His blue mask leaves his hair open to the air (for good and for ill), as well as leaving his chin, mouth, and nose uncovered, allowing him to present a friendly face. The baseline suit looks like a thick cloth of some sort, fitting much like spandex but not giving the impression of being as thin. The center of the chest has a white outline of a single star, with two parallel lines extending from the lower four points of the star and wrapping all around his upper torso and shoulders to the back. The lenses over his eyes are typically silvery in color, but they can lighten to almost full transparency, making it easier to reassure people. His boots, which extend most of the way up his calves, are thicker and more technological-looking, and are primarily red with a thick white stripe going across the front at a steep angle. The soles have vents in them to allow his fire to be channeled out, as well as a vent on each side of the calf and at the back. The material has the appearance of layered and segmented metal (allowing maximum range of motion) rather than sturdy cloth. His right hand bears a red gauntlet that echoes the stylings of his boots; thicker, metallic plates that overlap and segment to prevent impeding movement. The palm has a round aperture that Sharaf uses to focus his fire-control abilities through to produce bursts of focused flame. The rest of the gauntlet has hair-thin vents that can allow Sharaf to cloak his entire hand in flame, with the back has a slot where an exhaust nozzle can extend to allow one of his more...noticeable...forms of offense. His left hand itself has a simple blue glove that matches the rest of his suit, with the forearm bearing rings of silvery-white material. These rings are actually the compacted form of his shield. The shield itself has multiple forms. The “default” is a fairly compact circle, a bit larger in diameter than Sharaf’s own forearm. The center of the shield bears a stylized eagle with a star, with the top “line” of the wing extending to meet the border of the shield. The logo and border are bright while, while the rest of the shield is a bright metallic blue. The shield can shift into a large, elongated oval shape, providing sufficient cover for Sharaf to hide his entire body behind it; the overall decorative pattern stays the same but is enlarged a bit in the middle as the shield itself grows. In either form the shield is shockingly light. Finally, it can flow and shift into an elaborate gun-barrel design over his right arm, forming a red-white-and-blue-striped device that greatly focuses the power of his blasts. History: Ramzi and Munisa came to America, to Freedom City, as political refugees from Socotra. Long-time low-level critics of Typhoon’s regime, they’d long skirted the edge of acceptability, and one article in a paper that was a bit too strongly-worded had them fleeing for a safer place. They went to Freedom due to the higher level of diversity compared to many cities, which included a small but vibrant community of Socotran expatriates. Sharaf was born a couple of years after Ramzi and Munisa moved to Freedom. His brother Dovron came a couple of years later, while the youngest, Zamira, was born just a few years ago, making her the precocious baby of the family. Sharaf himself grew up with the sense of responsibility that comes from being “the oldest”, but with much less structure than he might have had in their ancestral lands. The largest grief Ramzi and Munisa had after fleeing Socotra was their children squabbling, or juggling schedules to make sure everyone did everything on time. Sharaf was the oldest child, but somehow managed to buck the “trend” of the eldest child being serious and responsible that seemed to be an unspoken assumption the world over. Instead, he proved himself energetic, excitable, and at time a bit unpredictable. Dovron proved himself the more dour brother, though both young men have more than a bit of mischief in them. When he was 14, Sharaf’s family was contacted by the US government. In a surprising move, Sharaf had been selected for a special program that intended to help train up the next generation of heroes in this country. Sharaf actually had a mostly-latent meta-gene that the government had picked up with new, specialized scanners. These scanners were primarily looking for individuals compatible with newly-developed technology that the US had reverse-engineered from a variety of alien artifacts over the years; the constant invasions, defeated that they may have been, left large amounts of valuable salvage behind. While he was one of the youngest candidates, Sharaf was also marked as being one of the highest levels of compatibility with this technology. But they would not force him to be a superhero-in-training. Would he take this step? Sharaf agreed, and his parents consented, though it took a couple of days of rather intense conversation between all of them, and more than one talk about how the entire program would work. So for almost two years, Sharaf has been working to train his body and mind, and bond with the Firebrand (as the advanced device has been named). The doctors, engineers, and scientists of the group working to equip the heroes of tomorrow. Now he finds himself at Claremont Academy, to learn not only how to be a hero in a broader context, but to meet other aspiring heroes, and cement his place in the next generation of defenders of truth, justice, and more. Personality & Motivation: Sharaf’s childhood was marked by a deep-set understanding that he was thoroughly blessed to be born in the country he lived in. Compared to where his parents came from, the USA was indeed a huge improvement. That sense of wonder and, to a degree, pride in his birth-nation naturally flowed into Sharaf. It was tempered by the bouts of low-level racism they encountered, but not destroyed. Sharaf himself is a young man trying to fully discover who he is in the world. He has had immense responsibility thrust upon him by happenstance, and has done what he can to live up to that. At times, Sharaf may end up projecting more confidence than he feels, due to the idea that the Patriot, or in his case the Patrioteen, needs to always be confident. Sharaf tends to project a sense of energy when he’s in a room. Not necessarily nervous energy; more of a vitality and passion. He is most excited when talking about cooking, bird-watching, basketball, and the “mission” he feels he is entrusted with. Sharaf sees himself as not only an example of a teenager doing good in the world (meaning he has an innate sense of needing to Be Responsible), but also as a Muslim American stepping into one of the most prominent hero roles he possibly can. Thus, he works hard to make sure he is friendly, confident, and ready to help. In his heart, Sharaf is often concerned he’s not “measuring up”, even if his parents, and others, claim he is doing just fine, especially for someone of his age and “stage” of life. So while he presents a confident face, he is also always trying to be conscious of Powers & Skills: Description & Tactics: Sharaf’s primary abilities come from the device bonded with him. After it bonded, it was discovered he possessed a latent meta-gene, but it was not “unlocked” until he bonded with “the suit”. Part of the bonding process also infused him with a batch of nanites that boosted his physical abilities, although these effects by themselves are largely secondary. At his “base”, Sharaf’s body is enhanced, with his general stamina and vigor along with his natural agility and flexibility being pushed higher, though his strength is certainly already higher than most. It looks as if long-term the changes will max out at around high human average, and “settle in” so they cannot be disabled or disrupted. As well, he is naturally immune to heat, and immune to any fires or flame-based effects. When wearing his suit, he is, effectively, a super-soldier in training. The basic suit itself provides robust protection against injury, as well as guarding his eyes against irritants, be they accidental, environmental, or intentional. The suit’s own nano-lacing taps into Sharaf’s resistance to flames, giving him partial immunity to ice and cold powers and attacks. Further, it channels his innate fire abilities to allow him to ignore any and all "regular" environmental cold, and uses that same energy to provide shielding against potential ambient radiation. His goggles have combat protocols that it projects onto his goggles and helps guide his body through motions and assist in aiming jumps and shots, easing his burden in combat as he is still working to internalize his skills and abilities. As well, they provide constant positional data, help calculate distances as needed, and help his eyes see into the infrared spectrum even in complete darkness. Beyond the baseline suit, Sharaf has more built-up boots, a heavy gauntlet on his right hand, and a shield on his left arm. These each provide options in a fight. The boots allow Sharaf to run at speeds roughly equal to a moving automobile, by way of small jet-booster mechanisms that, when combined with his nanite infusion and reinforcements of the suit, give him much higher run speeds. Alternatively, they can propel him into great leaps into the air, easily reaching the rooftops of many buildings; while he can sustain these leaps, he tends to prefer to only operate in comparatively short hops. These functions can be somewhat combined into a powerful attack where Sharaf propels himself at an enemy with a flaming kick. The gauntlet on his right hand helps him in close-quarters combat, serving as a potent striking surface for Sharaf’s still-developing martial arts repertoire, as well as sheathing his hand in his flames if desired. It can also enhance and focus his nascent fire powers by way of a mechanism on the palm, resulting in small fire-bolts that allow him to strike foes at a distance. Sharaf is also able to combine the functions of his boots and his gauntlet to launch himself in a daredevil sliding attack that leaves a trail of flame behind himself and culminates in a fiery physical blow against a chosen foe, and any along his path. The shield on his left arm helps him defend himself, but can be set to either offensive or defensive mode, as well as a “booster” form. In offensive mode, it is a more compact surface that allows him to chain together blows along with his gauntlet and boots, or even be propelled by bursts of fire from his gauntlet for dizzying chained-together attacks. In defensive mode, its surface area extends so that he can fully place his upright body behind it, making it unusable as an offensive weapon, but providing a stalwart bastion against many attacks that might otherwise risk injuring him. In its final “booster” form, the shield folds around and merges with his right hand gauntlet, forming a powerful arm-mounted cannon device. With this, he can greatly focus the power of his flame-blasts, though it is not as much of a rapid-fire blitzkrieg of attacks as he can accomplish with the compact offensive form of his shield. It is theorized that the Firebrand suit provides the ability to almost infinitely adapt and grow, especially with both its own nanotech-based adaptive form, as well as his own steadily-growing power. In a fight, Sharaf tends to start off at range and only move into hand-to-hand distance after getting an idea of the opponent. Unless moving in recklessly can distinctly help his teammates, in which case he may charge in and rely on his bright costume and rather attention-getting motif to carry the day. In a hand-to-hand fight, Patrioteen’s skills are still fairly basic; he can absolutely reliably hit an opponent, but most of the advanced skills he’s picked up center on grabbing hold of an opponent and not letting go. He also has some initial training with following targets in many environments, though his overall skill is still developing. His general approach shows more than a few influences from the current Patriot, and he seems to thus be falling into a style somewhere between superhero, soldier, and law enforcement. Complications: Flamboyant: Patrioteen's powers, costume, and personality are bright and bold and noticeable. Weighty Legacy: The name "Patriot", both in the hero world and in regular use, has a lot of weight behind it. Many people are going to make a lot of assumptions about what Patrioteen stands for, and who he is, before he can do or say anything one way or the other. Individual Systems: While the Firebrand suit is, overall, a unified piece of technology, the suits, gauntlet, and shield are not strongly connected in general operation. It is possible that damage to one of them could temporarily disable it, or leave it stuck in a particular configuration, making things more difficult for Sharaf. Just The Sidekick: While Sharaf is working to be his own hero, both his code-name and several (brief) public appearances have made the connection between himself and the Patriot clear. This may lead to a lack of respect, or him being a target as a way to gain advantage over the Patriot. Sense of Responsibility: Sharaf feels the importance of both his heroic mantle, and his obvious status as an Arab-American superhero. On top of that, he has a natural tendency to want to help out his teammates and fellow man, which can lead to over commitment (on or off the battlefield). Being both a "fun guy" and "the responsible guy" is a bit of a tight rope to walk. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abilities: 2 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 2 + 4 = 20PP Strength: 18 (+4) / 12 (+1) Dexterity: 18 (+4) / 14 (+2) Constitution: 18 (+4) / 14 (+2) Intelligence: 14 (+2) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16PP Initiative: +8 (+4 Dex, +8 Improved Initiative) Attack: +4 Base, +8 Enhanced Base Defense: +4 (+4 Base), +8 (w. Shield Array set to Compact Shield), +12 (w. Shield Array set to Gun Barrel Shield), +2 Flat-Footed Grapple: +12 (+4 Str/Dex, +8 Enh. Base Attack), +8 (+4 Str/Dex, +4 Base Attack) Knockback: -2 (No Suit, Shield Array set to Gun Barrel Shield), -4 (Shield Array set to Compact Shield), -10 (Shield Array set to Heavy Shield) Saving Throws: 2 + 4 + 4 = 10PP Toughness: +4 (+4 Con), +8 (w. Shield Array set to Compact Shield), +12/Impervious Tou 8 (w. Shield Array set to Heavy Shield) Fortitude: +6 (+4 Con, +2) Reflex: +8 (+4 Dex, +4) Will: +6 (+2 Wis, +4) Skills: 52R = 13PP Acrobatics 8 (+12) Bluff 5 (+7) Climb 4 (+8) Craft [Cooking] 4 (+6) Diplomacy 6 (+8) Languages 1 (Native: Arabic; Learned: English) Notice 8 (+9) Search 6 (+8) Survival 6 (+7) Swim 4 (+8) Feats: 8PP Benefit 1 (Patriot Initiative) Grapple Finesse Improved Grapple Improved Initiative Luck 2 Precise Shot Track Powers: 58 + 14 + 11 = 83PP Device 14 (Firebrand Suit; 70DP Container; Flaws: Hard-To-Lose; Feats: Restricted 2 [Only Sharaf can use]) [58PP] (Technological, Nanites) Basic Suit Systems 3.2 (16DP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [16DP] Communication 5 (Radio; 5 miles; Feats: Subtle) [6DP] (Communicator) Enhanced Feat 1 (Quick Change) [1DP] [(Nano-Assembly Suit) Immunity 10 (Cold ; Flaws: Limited [Half Effect]) [5DP] (Thermo-Regulator) Immunity 4 (Environmental Cold, Radiation) [4DP] (Thermal Protective System, Anti-Radiation Coating, Deployable Rebreather Mask) Goggles 2.4 (12DP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [12DP] Enhanced Trait 8 (Base Attack +4) [8DP] (Combat Protocols HUD) Immunity 1 (Eye Irritants) [1DP] (Protective Lenses) Super-Senses 3 (Direction Sense, Distance Sense, Infravision) [3DP] (Vision Enhancement Protocols HUD) Firepower Array 8.5 (17DP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 2) [19DP] BP: Blast 8 (Fire Bolts; Feats: Precise) {17/17} (Fire) AP: Damage 4 (Gauntlet Punch; Feats: Improved Critical 2, Knockback 7, Mighty, Takedown Attack 2, Varible Descriptor 1 [Fire or Bludgeoning Damage]) {17/17} (Fire, Bludgeoning Damage Type) AP: Damage 4 (Flaming Kick; Extras: Area [Targeted Trail] 8; Feats: Improved Critical 2, Mighty, Progression [Area Size] 2) (40-200 ft. line) {17/17} (Fire) Boots Array 2 (4DP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 1) [5DP] (Booster Boots) BP: Speed 4 (100 mph, 1000 ft./rnd) {4/4} AP: Flight 2 (25 mph, 250 ft./rnd.) {4/4} Shield Array 8 (16DP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 2) [18DP] (Variable Shield) BP: {8 + 4 + 4 = 16/16} (Compact Shield) Autofire Firepower 8 Adds (Extras: Autofire 1) to Firepower Array [8DP] Enhanced Feat 4 (Dodge Focus 4; Total Defense +8) [4DP] Protection 4 (Total Toughness +8) [4DP] AP: {8 + 8 = 16/16} (Heavy Shield) Protection 8 (Total Toughness +12) [8DP] Impervious Toughness 8 [8DP] AP: {8 + 8 = 16/16} (Gun Barrel Shield) Enhanced Feat 8 (Dodge Focus 8; Total Defense +12) [8DP] Penetrating Firepower Adds (Extras: Penetrating) to Firepower Array [8DP] Super Soldier Boost Package 2.8 (14PP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [14PP] (Nanites) Enhanced Constitution 4 [4PP] Enhanced Dexterity 4 [4PP] Enhanced Strength 6 [6PP] Fire Controller Powers 2.2 (6PP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [11PP] (Metahuman) Immunity 1 (Environmental Heat) [1PP] Immunity 10 (Fire) [10PP] Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC19 TOU Damage [Physical] Fire Bolt Ranged DC23 TOU Damage [Fire] Gauntlet Punch Touch DC23 TOU Damage [Physical or Fire] Flaming Kick Trail Area DC23 TOU Damage [Fire] Totals: Abilities (20) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (10) + Skills (13) + Feats (8) + Powers (83) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 Power Points MAJOR STORY SPOILERS IN THE SPOILER BELOW. MUCH OF PATRIOTEEN'S EARLY STORYLINES WILL BE SPOILED IF YOU READ IT.

Micah knew Liz had a different perspective on law than him. He knew his perspective was, frankly, probably atypical for a lot of kids his age, or even people a decade older. But he was also coming from a position of a family that was truly invested in their community as law enforcement; not every member of the tribal police was, or had been. But Lawrence Roebuck had been. "Liz. I can't tell you how to live your life, I truly cannot. But I will say, if you're determined to illicitly acquire a vehicle for the purposes of traveling fast at night in less-than-legal races, please do not ever do so with a motorcycle. Please." He turned and looked at her, and several emotions were rolling around in his eyes, even as one hand grabbed a handy oh-shoot bar in the truck as they went over more bumps. "If you wreck a car, you'll get hurt, especially if you wear the dang seatbelt. My dad showed me pictures of cubes of metal he said people came out of with small limps." Micah paused, and licked suddenly-dry lips for a moment, a clear nervous gesture. "I never got to see the pictures of what happened with motorcycle wrecks. Never told me with words what it was like. But I know I'd hear him say a couple times, quiet enough he thought I didn't hear, that it was another 'donorcycle wreck'. So please. If you're gonna nab something for a bit..." A slight grin crept on his face. "Look for the most ridiculous souped-up pickup that rolls coal or whatnot. I'm sure there's a sedan hidden in their garage they can use too."

Reflex Save: 25. Fortitude Save: 25.

Thoughtspeed considered the situation for several moments, then grit his teeth. He hated flying opponents, so much. "Here goes nothing!" With that he became a blur, running in circles around the parking lot. A few moments later, the green-black blur that marked his presence swung wide, then launched into the air. He bled enough speed that his form became distinct once more, and a single long, thin blade reached out to tag Talos in the side. Sadly, while the blade itself struck true, it seem to simply scrape off of the flying robot's armored plates, and Thoughtspeed had to hit the ground running as he frantically thought through how to adjust his plan...

Micah blushed at Judy's comment about making fun, but nodded. He gave a more comfortable smile and a nod at her encouragement to their shape-shifting friend. "What she said." He then busied himself with the menu for a couple of minutes until the server came by. A small part of him felt like they were intruding on Lulu and Adam's space, but they had not verbally objected, so he didn't push. He hummed thoughtfully when it was his turn to order, then spoke up. He made sure almost no trace of his accent was present while ordering, hoping to avoid any confusion. "I'll take the charcuterie platter, and then for the main course I'll do the mac and cheese. I'll just have peppermint tea and a Strathmore still for now." When the server was gone, he gave Lulu a shrug. "Not gonna judge you about it, Lulu. Not my thing but go ahead. I have personal reasons for avoiding, that's all. The platter's free game for anyone who wants a few bites, I just want to have a bite or two of all the things if y'all wouldn't mind."

"On the flip side, you're talking street racing in the same city as multiple masked vigilante types. Raven, Midnight, Foreshadow, all the Archer people. I'm pretty sure all of them have fancy high-speed vehicles." Micah was smirking a bit as he said it, but that was probably when Davyid and Elizabeth might recall that Micah's late father had been law enforcement. So he was probably less inclined to casually talk about law-breaking. "Not a lot of super types in Philly, and the ones in Miami are too busy. Freedom's got so many super-types they're crawling out our ears. But, hey. It's probably there. Just, you know, if you see a weird shiny black car or bike, it's probably not just another racer, yeah?"

Mentors Willing to play: -Cobalt Templar: Claremont Alum, currently...not actually sure! Other than that he does a lot of work alongside (but not sure if officially on the roster of?) the Liberty League. -Raven III: The current holder of the mantle. Direct mentor of Nevermore II. Also a Claremont alum. -Gabriel: Freedom League member, sound-shaper, super-diplomat, theatre teacher. Would like to play: Pretty well open to any of them, or if there's a strong desire for another of my characters. Students Patrioteen: Willing to play but not a big "need" per se.

Sharaf gave Rosalind a friendly wink at her guess. "Baseball is meh, it's basketball that I love. I didn't say I'd perfected the rice; the egg's still the tough part." He frowned a bit at the comment Tori made about his "work outfit"; his brow furrowed as he visible worked over his next words. "Yeah, but, like, we're choosing to take on those costumes. It's a conscious decision, not an external imposition of heroic identity. And frankly, while this country's by no means perfect, it's leagues better than what my parents managed to escape from. So yeah, maybe I'm okay wearing the outfit I do. Is that a bad thing?"

Okay took a sec to look at Jumping rules. You're right about them not giving the ability to jump a lot. So I'll spend an HP to stunt Leaping. Acrobatics Check just in case: 22. We'll use the above attack roll I made to keep things simple.

Truck: Craft Mechanical: 22. Car : Craft Electric: 16.

As they breached back into the "regular" world, his world, Thunderbird cast his eyes about for several moments. It was like barely anything had changed. Then he saw Lulu standing below. He blinked beneath his goggles and angled for the ship's deck. He handed to Pan's front left, one foot propped up on the bottom of the railing around the quarterdeck. He hadn't meant to, but he struck a bit of a dashing figure as a sailing man, even with his wings still manifest, albeit folded up on his back. "Pan, uh, bro? Did we do some kind of wacky time thing? Because it sure looks like that's pretty much how we left things when we went to Neverworld, despite spending literally weeks there."

Micah and Judy had been "official" for a fair bit of time by now, but he still blushed to his roots when she pecked him on the lips. He was an awkward young man, when all was said and done. "Howdy yourself, ma'am. I reckon we were gonna stumble into each other sooner rather than later." He gave her a wink; he seemed to be able to at least settle down that surge of nerves he still felt at PDA with Judy much more quickly than early on. "Mom says hi, of course. Janet wants lots of pictures." Then Eira started racing to the dining car. Micah reacted without thinking, and pulled Judy to one side of the hall to help her get out of the way. This ended up with her practically tucked up under one of his arms as they stood pressed against the wall, and perhaps more than a bit against each other, until finally Micah relaxed. "Ah. Sorry about that, Judy. Hate to get in her way, though. Feel like she's been in a better mood lately."

Micah took one last look at his tablet and nodded before tucking it in the pouch that hung at his side. He moved over to where the batteries were and worked to help Davyd with getting the fully-charged ones moved over and ready to swap. "Yeah, best to be on the safe side, Veronica. Performance looks good for the terrain ahead but you'll probably use a bit more juice on uneven ground. Hopefully the seat cushions hold up. If you want, there's some extra-thick pads for your harnesses, too." Because bouncing up into the 5-point harness would not be super-fun.

Busy weekend, brain fog. I'll need to look at the rules but considering Thoughtspeed's, well, speed, shouldn't I be able to hit 30 feet with an actual running jump and an Acrobatics check? If I need to stunt something I can do that, though.

Alek had stepped on the one loose brick on the whole rooftop, but Charlie had been spotted by the strange leader of the group anyway. Something was off with the man. He turned to Nevermore as his apprentice started to move out. "Keep her moving. I'll try to throw them off the trail." As he spoke, he reached down to his utility harness and withdrew an aerodynamic disk. A flick of his wrist sent it amidst the gang even as Nevermore moved on ahead. Almost before it skidded to a halt in the middle of their group, it was screeching out an awful din. The sound was annoying up on the rooftops but right next to the thing, it was likely nearly deafening. A bunch of randomized, computerized screeching and atonal sound-pulses ought to leave them reeling. Raven turned, flexed his legs, and moved to the next rooftop, quickly pushing himself into a near-sprint to catch up with Nevermore enough to properly guard the younger hero's flank.

"Yeah, I'm hoping it's the chocolate thing, man, because birds are awesome." Sharaf seemed fully genuine in his excitement, sounding a decade younger for a moment. He eyeballed Tori for a few moments. "Gonna guess it's the bit about the cops? You seem too nice, among other things, to just get picked up by cops." He shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway, um, let's see....I love baseball, I've never been outside the USA, and I'm currently working on my fried rice technique."

Shoot. Forgot that. Best he could do is a running jump. I'll have to think on it again in the morning.

Raven III The Shadow of the Doomforge: 1 IC Post Unkindness in the Shadow of Doom: 1 IC Post We Ain't Going Down Like This: 1 IC Post Posts to Thunderbird Thoughtspeed (Guest Star/Retired) Once More to the Boards: 1 IC Post Posts to Thunderbird Thunderbird Return to Neverworld: Never/Forever: 4 IC Posts Guide Point to Thunderbird.

Okay, so. Move Action to use my Variable Power. Going with Dazzle (Auditory) 5, with the Area (Burst) extra. It's already Ranged. Noise grenade! DC 15 Reflex and then Fort vs the Auditory Dazzle. Extra Effort for a move action to catch up with Nevermore.

Alright, let's see. Based on how tough this guy seems to be, Will is going to shift his Array: -Alternate Power: Strike 5 (Extras: Penetrating 6, Power Feats: Improved Critical 2 [18-20], Mighty [+2 Damage]) [14PP] ("Duelist Blade"; Piercing) Move Action: Get up to Talos! Standard Action: Melee Attack: 21. If that hits, it's a DC 22 Toughness Save, but he has 6 ranks of Penetrating, making it effective DC 28/+13 for the purposes of overcoming Impenetrable. But it might well miss so this might be moot.

Micah was floating a couple of feet off of the ground as he fiddled with the top bunk in the cabin he shared with Davyd. "Thank you again for letting me take this one, man. Been having more trouble sleeping through the night lately, but I should be able to leave pretty quiet so you can get your Z's." He glanced around the cabin for a moment, then picked up his duffel bag and stuffed it into one of the closet spaces. "Probably best I didn't bring the guitar though. Bit crowded as-is." He landed, and patted his friend on the shoulder with a smile. "Be back in a minute. Need a bite." He stepped to the door, then turned around, blushing with embarrassment. "Do you want something? I'm sorry, that was super-rude to step out without offering."

A hand gently patted James on the shoulder. Looking over, it was Sharaf, one of the other new students at Claremont. He flashed James a grin and a wink. Sharaf's pompadour was practically gleaming today; his face looked as if he'd decided last-minute to shave instead of keeping whatever he'd managed to grow out in the last week. He'd opted for dark blue jeans, white sneakers that all but gleamed, and a dark red button-up over a white t-shirt that was quite visible thanks to the buttons he'd "forgotten" to fasten. "No worries James. The first one was, and there were rumors that the second one was. She was kind of a last-minute change, I think?" He glanced toward Patriot and gave her a smile that he thought was "confident", but that to Ashley read as "incredibly nervous". He turned to the others as he took a couple of steps past James and waved at the rest of the group. "Anyways, putting aside the weird flex going in there, my man, wouldn't Barbie actually be, like, stupid-good as a Secret Agent? Lady has like five million jobs. Ken's the boy toy, right? Just sits around being lazy and looking good?" He suddenly clapped his hands in front of himself; a slight pulse of warmth seemed to burst for a split-second, but it could have been an odd turn of breeze for all that those near him could tell. "Right! Awkward attempts to assert group dominance aside, this seems like a fun trip. Cool not-quite-artifacts, then a museum about buildings. Buildings are cool! Right. Oh, uh." He blinked and blushed slightly. "Sorry. Yes. I'm Sharaf. Sharaf el-Jalil. I'm, uh..." He stopped, and glanced at Patriot, in a gesture that seemed like he was about to ask permission...before he barreled ahead, smile back in full force. He held a hand up in a stage-whisper gesture. "But if we end up in our 'uniforms', you can call me Patrioteen."