KnightDisciple

Another thing: Right now you seem to be using only 122 of 150 power points. You need to use all your 150 power points from the start. On the plus side, that should make it easier to follow Raveled's tips! As far as the "adrenaline crash" goes, if you don't want to mess with building it, I would suggest making it a Complication, because Hero Points are always awesome! Maybe have something in the fluff about how his energy blades have a "stun" setting, which is just fluff for saying "My Strike does Non-Lethal damage". Also, as far as "undisclosed" history stuff, remember that even if the character doesn't know it, you should. If you want to designate something as "this isn't known by the character but I'm putting it here to avoid awkward OOC surprises or whatnot", you could use Spoiler tags.

Step one, pleas de-shrink the font because ouch, hard to read! After that, the hazing review can commence!

Gabriel stood there calmly as the not-cherubs tried to assault him. Their arrows sizzled past his head as he turned and walked calmly a few feet to one side, planting himself in front of the door. "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" He gave a slight smile and waved his free hand toward the snarling shadow-wielders. Invisible waves rolled through the air and lanced into their very bones. "I serve He who bears the keys of Death and Hades! I fear not your pitiful master, and your more pitiful attacks! I have faced worse! I serve the Light of the World! Your dark powers will not avail you! Go back to the shadows of your master's house! Go back, or suffer mighty defeat!" And despair tugged at their hearts.

Haha, right then, let's see... Move Action: Put himself in front of the door into the building. Free Action: Switch Sonic Control to Emotion Control 12(Extras: Area [General, Shapeable, 12 5ft cubes]). Standard Action: Use said EC power. Shape the area to hit all 5 of the attackers and no one else. Specific emotion: Despair! DC 22 Will Saves for everyone!

Init roll: 15. Way to be disgustingly average, Carson.

There was a shining spear in her way. "No." Gabriel's single word carried much weight, and his gaze was as sharp as the silvered steel of his weapon. "You will not touch them. We did not ask you here. You will go home now, and then send a representative to meet with the Freedom League and the proper governmental bodies to request prisoner transfer. If you feel you need to try their crimes, go through the legal channels. If you instead simply wish to pay death for death..." He stopped for a moment, tilting his helmeted and hooded head slightly to one side. "I will admit, I am not a science major. But your explanation seems sketchy. Especially since there have been many other individuals who "embody" even more death, and you have not come for them. I can make sure to request Daedalus is at your meeting with the League, though. I'm sure he'd be able to understand all that inter-dimensional stuff. Anyways, the world hasn't exploded yet, I'd wager we can let this sit another day or two while we discuss the matter like civilized people." He gave them a friendly smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Also, perhaps you could turn the lights back on? I don't want to run down my batteries on this; just gave it fresh ones."

"I wasn't exactly trying to hide myself." Gabriel's tone was friendly, jesting even. His expression was a bit more open... But while his spear's light dimmed perhaps a little, it still shone on. And he didn't seem inclined to move just yet. "I certainly appreciate a desire to avoid injury, though I must admit skepticism when you almost killed a man with that techbane field of yours. I feel compelled to ask, though. What exactly is this work you need to be about, that might take you a half-hour or so? Were you going to install a couple security systems, perhaps?" Gabriel chuckled and shook his head, holding up a hand. "Wait, before you answer that, I'm being a bit rude, I apologize. My name is Gabriel. My friend here is Harrier. May I ask who I'm speaking with, and where you come from?"

Gabriel's face became one of determination. "Stay here and recover your strength, Agent. Besides, this way we know there's someone we trust guarding our backs and keeping the...memorial safe." He gave the grey-haired agent a genuine smile at that, before turning to Harrier, his face once more set as if stone. "I refuse to be afraid of shadows. My friend, I would be honored if you would watch my back as we advance. I'm going to try and draw some attention and lift some spirits. Might be best to not look directly at the spear." He closed his eyes and began floating forward down the hall. At first, it was a slow walk's pace. As he moved, he muttered prayers under his breath...until suddenly the light from the spear was reaching much further than normal. Gabriel's eyes snapped open, his speed increased to a very quick run, and he was moving toward where the gunshots were heard. Then, suddenly, his voice was everywhere in the building once again. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever."

"Well that's bad." Ever the master of understatement, that Gabriel. He glanced around with a frown, moving quickly to the door even as his spear appeared in his hand. A moment later, as his fingers touched the door handle, light erupted from his spear. He opened the door into the also-dark hallway. He then turned and strode back, bending down to the stricken Agent. "Just hang on, Agent Dumfries. This sounds horribly stupid but try to stay as calm as possible. Steve, I'll be back for you in a moment." He was still working on how he'd get the much-heavier man out of the room. But the Agent was easier; Gabriel wrapped one arm around the man's chest, under his arms, and heaved up enough his torso was off the ground at least. Then, as he reached the hall, he spoke up loudly, though it wasn't quite a yell. "Agent down! Need assistance, medical if possible!" After a moment, it was clear he'd have slapped himself in the face if he hadn't had his hands full. He spoke again, in a normal tone, but his voice reached any and every corner of the building that wasn't sound-proofed. "I need anyone with medical training down in the laundry room immediately. I have a man experiencing some sort of heart trouble and I lack training."

Gabriel's expression was one of slight confusion as he took in the pictographs. It was hard to pin a motive to them... And then Steve told them all what it actually meant. And the confusion became gentle sorrow. He sighed and tucked the pad and pencil under one arm. "Guess there's no point to writing this down...I hate to ask, but you're sure this is all just a memorial, nothing more? If so, I think I'd like us to speak to one or two of them at a time, and work from there." Suddenly all the fire in his eyes, the determination to figure out what fouls goings-on were happening, was replaced with a bit of weariness.

Gabriel shook hands all around, trying not to give Steve too much of a worried glance. He could easily tell how stressed his large friend was. Then again, he was a bit tense himself. This wasn't the sort of thing one dealt with on a casual basis. Everyone in Freedom City knew the dangers of the Terminus. He considered the Agent's suggestions for a moment before speaking. "If it's acceptable with everyone, I'd like us to look at the shrine first. I want to get as much raw data as possible. Steve, you'll need to translate for me; Agent, could I get a notebook and pencil or pen? I'd like to take some notes and sketch out the diagram, but in English. Which should hopefully not carry the same...weight. And having it on-hand will make it easier to run the questioning. I'm pretty good at sussing people out, but it helps to have every tool at our disposal."

Thankfully, the side street he'd arrived on had one of the service entrances. A plainclothes police officer let him inside with no one on the main street the wiser; it was quick enough that even his rather noticeable profile didn't overly stand out. Then he was inside and headed for the front lobby; while he figured he probably could take a look himself, he knew Steve Murdock would be here. It was polite to meet the other expert being called in... And perhaps best to make sure he was there with Steve during the whole matter. It was unlikely to be a calming day for either of them. So he waited in the lobby until Steve walked in, at which point he gave the other man a wan smile and offered his hand for a shake. "Wish we were getting together under better circumstances. How much do you know about the situation? I only got the bare-bones briefing."

Corbin's expression was suddenly sad. For long moments, he said nothing as he turned and flipped the finished pancakes off the griddle, poured more batter on, and re-filled the waffle maker. He turned and gave Mark a half-hearted smile. "If you touch the last bits of my Cookie Dough ice cream you lose waffle privileges. Sorry, didn't think people would want ice cream with waffles, but if someone gets the urge I do have some chicken fingers. You can go get some ice cream if you want any here in a bit." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath...and suddenly, something about him seemed older. "I am not a robot, a Grue, a clone, a quantum duplicate, a demon, an angel, a fae, a shapeshifter, or otherwise anyone but Corbin Alphonse Hughes, the very same one you went to Claremont with. But...there is something to talk about. I...I don't want to repeat it a lot, though. I'd like to wait until everyone's here, if that's okay with you, to explain it all. Makes it easier."

"Olive oil's great for cooking meat and stuff, but not really a good compliment to waffles. Mint though, might try that mixed into the batter next time." Then he gave Mark a look of confusion and a bit of "are you kind of crazy?". His brows scrunched, one eyebrow raised, and he spoke a bit more slowly. "Uh. Mark? I was never on a team with Faith. We didn't even share a class. I think I saw her on campus...once? Maybe twice? We never spoke or anything. Are you sure you don't have things mixed around or something?" He figured discretion about Even being "on a team" was required when he didn't know how "in the know" Nina was, exactly.

Corbin has literally no way to beat that Bluff check. Now, this is my rusty bear trap of a brain, but I'm pretty sure Corbin was never on a team with anyone named Faith. Or...even in class with anyone with that name.

Fenris: 4 IC Posts. >So What Fork Do You Use?: 2 IC Posts >The Man Who Fell To Earth: 1 IC Post >Shadows of History: 1 IC Post Cobalt Templar: 6 IC Posts, plus 2 from Gabe makes 8. >Hell Comes To Missouri: 2 IC Posts >Reunions And Waffles: 4 IC Posts Gabriel: 2 IC Posts, roll to CT. >Overthrow of the Sea: 1 IC Post >Here There Be Dragons: 1 IC Post

Gabriel gave Velocity a tired smile as he accepted the bar. He ripped off the wrapper and consumed it in just a few bites. Once finished, he tucked the wrapper in a pocket to dispose of later. "Thanks, Velocity. I'll need to destroy a big spread later, but that'll take care of me for the moment. Whew. Well, win for the team, right? I was kind of worried when the eye opened, but looks like we'll be fine for a while. So, uh, should we all head back to the ships for now?" That was mainly directed at the scientists, questioning if they desired to return to a lab building on the island, or simply get back to the waiting ships just off-shore.

Corbin nodded as Mark described what he'd been doing recently. "That's great to hear, Mark. I know you were looking forward to the UNISON position, so I'm glad to hear it's something you're really growing into and making your own. The field trips are just a plus. And you're right, not everyone can, though enough do that things stay ship-shape, all told." Corbin's smile lit up his eyes as Mark gave him a rare serious look. "That's what friendship's about, right? And, honestly, right now it's pretty much you, Eve, Trevor, and Erin. And Quo-Dis, of course. No offense meant to you, Nina, just don't know you quite that well just yet. But with Blake just...well, he just kind of drifted off. Between his studies and going off to some monasteries and such to get a better handle on himself, we lost touch. And the younger kids from my senior year, well...combination of personality conflicts and missed opportunities. I'm sure I'll run into them again one day, but not anytime soon, I suppose. And my recent travels were kind of...hectic." The way he says that gives a sense of "understatement of the day". Corbin gives Nina a raised eyebrow. "It's not as big as some places, ma'am." From many folks, the "ma'am" would have been sarcastic. Corbin was so blatantly sincere and polite there was no way to mistake it for anything other than a term of respect. Midwesterners, what are you going to do? "We don't have full-time staff, no. There's a cleaning service that comes through three times a week to help out, but my mother expects us men to not be pigs in a sty and try to at least do some basic cleaning-up and whatnot. As for cooking, fact is, my folks stay busy enough they often just go out for dinner with each other as often as they're home. When they are home mom likes to cook if dad's not grilling or whatnot. Today, I felt like actually doing something personally for this little get-together, and breakfast is one of those meals even I can't really mess up." As he spoke the eggs were finished and dumped into a bowl, still steaming, while a couple of finished pancake were flipped onto a plate, a couple more were poured out, and the waffles pried from their maker. "Actually Nina, the syrup and PB are in the one to your right, if you'd be so kind as to set them out. I'll dig the butter and such out of the fridge here in a couple minutes."

"Probably means trouble upstairs. Let's knock these ones for a loop and join the rest." He said it with casual confidence as he took a couple of steps forward, raising a single arm as the energy weapon on his forearm hummed to life, a man-made bolt of lightning spitting out and flashing across the distance in nearly the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, all it did was singe the door's frame. Fenris slowly lowered his arm, muttering curses under his breath about calibrations, wrenches, and just giving up and using a big hammer or something.

Right then. Fenris has no time for foolisheness. Free Action: Switch to Particle Projection Cannons Standard Action: Fire at Lightbringer 2. 14. That is bad and you should feel bad, Fenris. Move Action: Take a couple steps forward.

Mark had always been a lucky young man. Unnaturally lucky, even. That's why when Corbin started a bit at Mark's greeting, it was just a quick twitch, and not, say, a blast that would knock out a grown man. Not that Corbin was the sort to be so twitchy, surely! He made a couple quick flips and stirs before setting his utensils down and turning around with a smile. He shook Mark's hand as his friend clapped him on the back with the other. Corbin's totally-not-an-anvil hand clapped Mark on the shoulder, with surprisingly little force. If nothing else, Corbin had the measure of his own strength and how to control it. "Good to see you too, Mark! It's been too long for sure. I'm still cooking, wasn't sure how many would show up, so I figure leftovers are better than not enough." He turned to Nina, one eyebrow quirking at her last name. He graced her with a gentlemanly smile, and as she shook his hand he turned and lifted it, bending down just a bit in a slight bow, barely touching the back of her hand with a kiss, in a rather old-fashioned gesture of respect for those of royal or noble blood. He released the hand and straightened as he spoke. "A pleasure, milady. Though sadly we didn't have much in the way of inter-school sports. And I was smaller until the last bit of my senior year; I think I've finally stopped growing, though. Which is good, pants are a pain to find." He gave a grin and turned back to continue preparing the food as he talked. "But really, it's not like I'm going to play ball in college. I could, I'm sure, but pulling two majors will kind of take a lot of my time up. Business and History don't have that much overlap. Plus I plan to have a few overseas work study programs mixed in. Bit of Archeology and all that."

Roll for Corbin to connect the dots on Nina's last name: Knowledge: History 24.

Mark and Nina would find the entryway also empty, though now they could hear the faint strains of music drifting down the hall. And...singing? If they ventured a bit further, they'd pass by the stairs to the second story before coming to the empty living room, with a couple of large, very comfortable-looking couches. Nothing in the house was of the "we're wealthy and spend money because we can" fashion, but on the flip side nothing was 20-year-old flea market material. The Hughes family clearly went for comfort and function moreso than the appearance of being "big spenders"; the bits of art scattered about enhanced the "earthy" sense of home, and gave just a touch of semi-Western flavor to the decor. Past the living room was the casual dining area, with large windows looking out on the back yard at one side, and at the other was the kitchen. Where Corbin Hughes, a man built like an NFL player, was currently singing (halfway-decently) to an 80's power ballad. He clearly didn't notice the happy couple there, and was concentrating on stirring some cooking eggs with one hand, and using a bright blue spatula to flip pancakes with the other, all while a large waffle iron sizzled away next to the griddle. He was even wearing a navy blue apron!

Indeed! Many happy returns, and a Very Happy Birthday!

Between some unexpected mold issues in my area of the house causing unpleasant air quality down here, the immobility of my PC, and (during work) the presence of some people from HQ (namely an HR lady and my shift supervisor), my presence will likely be erratic for the next week or so.