Ari

By now Roi Suvou was utterly confused and more than a little nervous. Who was this woman, how did she know him? Why did she seem so eager for his...affections? 'I'm not the pretty one!' The young man put on a good show of being full of high spirits, chatty and almost bouncing with excitement at the company of Molly. Especially once he learned her name. In reality the distant but kindly warmth of Agnes made the interloping(if helpful) woman all the more disagreeable. Roi inwardly vowed to get back to the Angel as soon as possible. To that Angel of Love and Death. Stepping out of the lift with his tightly-coiled arm tucked closely around his guide, the dark Frenchman surveyed the office with quiet unease. This was a man who loved his glittering and fading past, it seemed. Catching sight of the man who owned the Wild Jokers, Roi shuddered internally but broadened his smile. Bowing slightly he took a pace forward and responded "Monsieur Jack, my name is Roi. I do apologize for such a sudden arrival, but I was invited backstage by" he took a second to kiss Molly's hand "your star attraction, a Ms. Alla. It seems only you can, ah," he paused to recollect the right word "er...consequence? No, it is the word that means you make something, er, proper?" he shrugged and suddenly felt the growing sensation of heat around the collars that often comes from those small but lethal mistakes. Gathering steam he went on eagerly "At any rate, she wished to discuss a possible employment I might have by her, and as I am just arrived I leap at the chance." smiling warmly he added "Molly here kindly offered to bring me to you when I was stopped by a..patron, and Mr. Croak." he glanced down at the floor like it was a dark mirror "Again, I am sorry to interrupt upon you with such a small matter" 'To you small, but to me and that Angel the greatest of all things: revenge!'

GM "Your kind finds it hard to wish aright, it is true" Tasselfoot said with a grave shake of her head "But would you not say that is the fault of the wisher and not the wish? You may do as you see fit." It was evident that the old painter's choice had cheered her however, and she turned to the costumed adventurer with an ingratiating smile. "Why, I spin it! Spiders are ever carrying the dust away to my spinning room and winding it around the wheel, and at the close of day I choose what this" she tilted her head at one pile in the corner that glittered redly, like the very walls "will become. Some precious stones, some gold, some silver, some copper or brass or platinum or anything else I find pleasing!" Glancing around the bustle at her feet and the stocky creatures hustling across the floor with their sacks or pans she added "I have no helper, true art lies in the singular genius of the artist. You understand this well I hope." she smiled with something like warmth at René. A sudden recollection appeared in her eyes "And...my servants rarely are idle at feasts, indeed they are second only to the cook's minions in number." Tasselfoot grinned with a thin crescent of white. Her teeth were the same as the Redcaps', narrow and pointed.

GM The princess looked blank for a second, staring over at where Heraldo had indicated and frowning as she tried to remember. At last the lean girl stepped out from behind Giang just long enough to say "Uhm...I haven't been up there myself" she admitted nervously "B-but some of the hunters who go there from longneck meat, they say there're lots of rivers and such just north of here!" an edge of hope crept into her voice "And they told me all about what lives there and suchlike, I can show you the way!" Shouldering her bow she added dubiously "Never heard of any temples up there. The Romans build lots though, might just be new!" Beginning to set off at a brisk pace she looked up at the sky and scowled "I don't think we'll get near the city for at least an hour, maybe a little longer." The sun had nearly set when the small group passed through the village at the gates of Nova Celio, the Romans looking out in surprise at the train led by the sleepy yet energetic Jungle princess. who marched them right up to the harsh white walls of the very new-looking city. As they walked up the angular road up to the iron-banded gate, a harsh voice called down, shouting in Latin <"Halt, outlanders! By order of the first citizen you will announce yourselves. Who are you and what is your business at this hour?"> On the small tower above the gate a short and swarthy man carrying a bow stood, glaring down at the students. Stepping forward Kazra began in a much more halting version of the language <"We are of the Jungle, we hunt the...uh, the..."> she stopped and looked nervously at the others <"...mighty one?">

Edited. So DC28 TOU save for the Snare: 22. failed by 6 so Injured, but not destroyed. Post away.

....Why would I notice something blatantly obvious any idiot could see? That is anathema to my very being Scuffles. And he failed by 6, so Bound.

Sorry to leave Agnes hanging Tiff, but I'll go with what SC's going for.

Obviously there was something about René that the Fey found much more interesting than his comparatively mundane companion, and so Marceau remained more or less silent throughout the first few minutes of the meeting. His cowl was pulled back from his head, and he glanced at each of the two as they spoke, deeply fascinated by the conversation. Of course his fascination was mingled with frustration. Obviously this person wanted to get something out of the two humans, and was laying out a scheme that was bound to work out in her favor simply because of how little her guests knew about this 'Avalon'. That alone made him dislike her. The law she cited and the details offered meant that taking her up on it was obvious, but what else was there to the law? What was the point of having such a stricture if it meant that any Fey could just march into the Prince's hall, demand everything and be given it? What stood between them and getting what they wanted? This and several more questions besides plagued the lean Frenchman, whose face gradually frowned deeper and turned a sharp blue-eyed glance at his magician friend when the cunning René announced he would simply cast the Prince Parsinkle from his throne, and make him live like a servant. 'God knows I would be heartened if that worked' he thought anxiously 'But these creatures love to trap and trick'. Aloud he said in a calm voice "We will remember that, lady Tasselfoot" he inclined his head slightly to her "But since you have already heard about these rebels, we shall say no more of them except that you could do worse than remember your own slights at the feast tonight." "How do you turn dust into gold or jewels? Who helps you?" he asked with real curiosity.

Typhoon, not Typhon, but that gives me ideas that will have to wait for someone intelligent to take them up. Anyway, good point about those possible aims, and the general reason for not attacking those shrimps seems to be mainly because the guy's got a lot on his plate already, has largely retired from active supervillainy and is busy managing his small nation state and his army of kids. Could be a Dakanan usurper. Or an Atlantean agitator. Or even a Mr. Morden-esque manipulator bringing both sides into war for some dastardly end. Or maybe Theseus was really evil all along. Or the people who sank both Lemuria and Atlantis coming together to try and make amends by expanding the surviving kingdom's power, with drastically misguided means and terrible ends. I'm not the one GMing this or even most of these(thank Heaven) besides the first three if nobody else wants to do it, so feel free to take anything in any direction you wish. What awesome things do you want to see happen?

Having scrambled for a few minutes through the narrow metal tunnels, Marceau was by now almost used to it, moving with slow and measured movements and listening carefully for the least noise. Turning a corner and very suddenly beholding the quiet scanning robots completely obliterated the plan forming in his head to distract the guards. Staring in momentary disbelief at the sight, he grumbled and weighed the options: attacking them was right out, that would raise alarms. Disabling them would doubtless also cause a ruckus, though lesser than if he just shocked them with the electric prods. That left going around them. 'They seem to at least be somewhat independent, probably connected to the security monitors somehow. So therefore I could...move one around? Let us see' Sliding carefully forward, long arms and legs working with the utmost care in the cramped and faintly steaming space, the King of Suits moved gently around the eerie lenses on the wall and floor, maneuvering until he was just a few vital feet from the squat mechanical beast. Supporting himself on one knee, he gently reached up his arms behind and around the scanner, gingerly tugged it off the wall and retreated a few agonizing feet to place it with the utmost care on the ground where he had been several seconds before. That done, he slipped onward, choosing the right-hand tunnel after a brief moment of thought. He was rewarded by a gradually strengthening smell of warm dust, and a steady current of air on his face. A glimmer of light ahead promised the computer room, and the next step of their infiltration mission.

Alright, going to try taking one of the little cleaning and security robots off the wall and placing it so it stares at the ceiling, allowing the King of Suits to get past. Using Skill Mastery to get a result 25 on his Stealth roll, attempt by the little robot to Notice him: 13. Failed. Escape Artist roll: 19. That does it. DC18 Dex roll to dislodge and move the robot successfully: 13. Failed, reroll(2HP in the next combat): 21. Done.

So far pretty interesting Shofet! Reminds me a little of Adamas, seeing as Kataphrakte is also high-born rather than the more usual middle or lower-class underdog students. We could definitely use a few of those as PCs to provide some contrast. As for the History, I have a few questions: is this an actual Antichthonia, another Earth like Anti-Earth or Earth-Ape, or what? I'm guessing it's a place somewhat like the Lost World, which brings me to another question: why not have her be from the Lost World, just in a region that had escaped notice(say by virtue of the Kalaney's magic hiding them from the Atoms)? Not saying you have to obviously, I'm just curious for the reason! Personality & Motivation I have a couple slight issues: one is the body image thing, which while definitely a real thing and makes sense to have, seems to me like it's pretty fertile ground for stereotypical girl troubles. You know, where the seemingly confident and secure young woman actually has a deep undercurrent of insecurity and inner anxiety around others. That could work and is a thing that happens all the time, but still. Secondly, how do you plan to use the 'unused to democracy' aspect? Looking forward to seeing her in play!

'...Pardoné? Is this how things are supposed to happen?' Roi was now totally off-balance, but this at least would get him out from under Croak and the Hatchet. Smiling as best as the young tailor could.given the tense situation, he got to his feet and put a companionable arm around his second savior's waist. "Madame, if you would be so kind as to put a good word in Handsome Jack's ear, I could hardly do less than give you something in return." he shuddered internally at where this was going, but saw few other ways out. Hugging close to her side he added softly "Shall we go? And I'm sorry, but I believe you have me at a considerable disadvantage. My name is Roi, Roi Suvou, may I know you?" 'What happened to Agnes?' "Do you know Agnes Alla, by the way?" he asked idly.

Player Name: Arichamus Character Name: Hetep ("Peace") Power Level: 14 Trade-Offs:, -3 Defense / +3 Toughness Unspent PP: 0 In Brief: Alternate-earth former Master Mage come to Earth-Prime to try and make a new life for himself, hampered by his poor understanding of how this world works. Quote: "Humanity is mired in a thousand hatreds, and so breeds ten thousand evils! I, the bringer of Hetep, will free them!" Alternate Identities: Massawa/The Contrarian Identity: Secret Birthplace: Egypt, Earth J-21 Occupation: Sorcerer Affiliations: Magical entities, superheroes. Family: Bes-Anti (father), Sacmis (mother) No siblings. Age: 127 Apparent Age: 38 Gender: Male Ethnicity: Ancient Nubian/Ethiopian Height: 6' 8" Weight: 245 Lbs. Eyes: Brown. Hair: Black with green tinting. Description: Massawa is surprisingly well-proportioned and handsome, with long curly hair usually pulled back in a ponytail that goes down to his waist, archaic spectacles held onto his head with a thick metal band, and an open, pleasant face tinged with a note of impatience. His normal wear is a long green robe with complex gold patterns of cranes decorating it. He wears it loosely and with considerable discomfort, looking less like he wears than suffers their presence. His right arm is a crude-looking replacement made of ornamented bronze, covered with Egyptian hieroglyphics. Power Descriptions: Massawa magical powers by now are mostly those of a Hermetic, one who has achieved a measure of power by long study and the unveiling of the inner divinity, allowing him plentiful ways to attack others or defend himself. They are flashy and powerful, but but hardly subtle or flexible. The power granted to him by his service and worship of the gods of Heliopolis, however, give him far more ability, each one represented by an ethereal symbol or tool of the god whose power he uses, their crowned head appearing above him when he uses his shimmering blue shield of solid force. The only exception is Geb, whose gift is an immense earthy head and mouth that rises up from the ground. History: Born on a world ruled over by two archaic and tradition-steeped empires, one ruled by the Incas, the other by the Pharaohs, and both wielding powerful magic, Massawa's gifts were hidden for nine years after his birth until the threat of violence against a friend unleashed them. He was taken from his family as the apprentice of that Earth's Master Mage, Bogdan Mihnea. The man tried to direct his talents and mind to productive ends, teaching Massawa how to understand and use his gifts by cruel training and bitter isolation. The loneliness drove him to his prayers, until at the age of fifteen when they were answered and the gods of Heliopolis appeared before him and taught him their secrets, revealing as well that his teacher wished to conquer the world and become its Dark Lord. Training in secret for the next few years, and armed with the knowledge that Bogdan feared fire, Massawa ambushed the wizard right after he started the last phase of his plan to send the world spiraling into chaos, striking when the man left his castle and was vulnerable, using his right arm as a teleporting fire bomb to send his mentor hurtling in mortal pain and terror into space. Setting out to take his master's place as Master Mage, Massawa industriously set out to unravel Bogdan's plots and gathered many others, from divine champions to brilliant inventors, to keep peace on that Earth. The Majestic Twelve as they came to be called were profoundly successful at destroying the Romanian mage's monstrous plan, but attempts to reach their second and higher goal met with utter failure. While the massive empires were grateful to have such a band going around the world and helping solve people's problems, the Incas of the Americas and Pharaohs of Africa and Eurasia looked with a lot less favor on Massawa taking the place of Mihnea. Not to mention his attempts to truly change the world. The abrasive, halting and awkward young Nubian, with his utter lack of contacts and few friends outside the Twelve or his family,was far less trusted than his distant but respected predecessor who had made sure he knew the names of every junior clerk. No matter what efforts he or his comrades made to bring real peace to the world, it dissolved under the hundreds of years of mutual distrust and suspicion for any interlopers of the world order. His mighty magic became like a sledgehammer in the hands of a jeweler, cumbersome, frustrating and wholly unfit for the task. After almost two decades, at the age of 36, Massawa decided he'd had enough. Ships were disappearing throughout the ocean, and naturally both of the empires furiously blamed the other for it no matter how much the comparatively young Master Mage tried to convince them that it was the work of forgotten Atlantis. He even brought ambassadors from the Sea-King himself who demanded that the surface nations enter into trade and diplomatic relations with the mighty undersea power, only to be roundly dismissed as an invention of either side. After that, the Thothian wizard lost all temper and patience with the world, condemning both sides, taking his family aboard the extradimensional castle the Master Mage's of his world used, and setting sail across the Cosmic Coil. He left a curt message for the rest of the Twelve, urging them to seek shelter for their family and friends in Atlantis, and bidding them the best of luck. He then left, searching for a world where he really could make a difference, a world where its troubles weren't buried millenniums deep, and he could bring peace, something he vowed to bring to people, no matter what he had to do, and declaring it his name henceforth. His fervent adherence to that mission gradually drove his very family from him, and no matter how earnest his protests of sanity and virtue were, they trickled away to the countless other Earths along the Coil. In the all too crushingly familiar loneliness that followed, Hetep's dream of peace hardened into obsession, and tempered his resolve into iron. Personality & Motivation: Massawa is a deeply bitter man. He has had the misfortune to see the evil side of nearly everything humans have made for the continuation of civilization, and thus places little hope in any institution devised by mortals. His mystical gifts, meanwhile, have brought him little but evil, pain and disappointment, and he is eager, should he meet someone who thinks magic wonderful and a powerful tool, to disabuse them of the first notion and remind them of the peril of the second. that said, he is still very much the would-be Master Mage he once was, and while his morals are deeply wounded he will still protect the innocent against threats besides himself. In less dire situations, he has very refined behavior and conveys himself with impeccable manners and bearing, albeit short-tempered and precise with his words, making absolutely clear his likes and dislikes. Hetep feels Eldrich isn't taking the active part in the world he assumes the Master Mage should(ignoring that Adrian has huge responsibilities already), and that the rest of Earth-Prime's magical world is downright anemic. He thinks its heroes are obsessed with trivialities and personal empowerment, hooked by the allure of magic as an exclusive secret, though he has considerable respect for divine champions like Siren or spirit embodiments like Britannia. Malador he fears and hates as a would-be Dark Lord and usurper, but mystic villains in general get mostly contempt. The wizard sees people like Medea, the Hellqueen or Maitre Carrefour as disgraces to the public view of magic and vile criminals who need to be punished as far as the law stretches. By far the thing that makes him most likely to attack someone is the chance to avert war or other large-scale bloodshed, politicians rallying against a foreign enemy being by far in the most danger with their public supporters(or those tolerant of them) a close second. Powers & Tactics: Hetep rarely fights, preferring the debate method of swaying people to his views. If pressed into combat however he fights with considerable restraint, attempting to separate foes from each other and deal with them individually, diligently experimenting with various attacks and strategies to discover weaknesses. By and large he attempts first to overwhelm the mind of his adversary, only falling back to physical violence if that fails or if they aren't capable of being affected that way, and keeps as far from his foe as he can. When fighting people with powers that can do considerable collateral damage or whenever he happens to battle another mage in a duel arcane, he calls up the enormous Mouth of Geb to be their battleground in order to contain the fight. Complications: Hatred: Warmongers Suffice to say that if he learns you actively support or have caused a war anywhere for any reason at all he'll do his level best to kill you, see how well YOU like it. Obsession: Ending conflict. After seeing his world spiral out of control before his eyes, Massawa will do just about anything to end conflicts of any kind, including ones he himself begins. Phobia: Aging The castle he dwells in slows down the decay of his body, and its power lingers for a long time outside, but he is terrified all the same of the effect the remorseless march of time has on him. Something that would speed up his aging or keep him from his castle's power would be a powerful bargaining chip in dealing with him. Abilities: 12 + 8 + 6 + 14 + 8 + 6 = 54PP Strength: 22 (+6) Dexterity: 18 (+4) Constitution: 16 (+3) Intelligence: 24 (+7) Wisdom: 18 (+4) Charisma: 16 (+3) Combat: 22 + 8 = 30PP Initiative: +12 Attack: +11 Melee, +12 Ranged, +14 Arrows of Neith Grapple: +18 Defense: +10 (+4 Base, +6 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Knockback: -15/-8/-1 Saving Throws: 10 + 10 + 14 = 34PP Toughness: +17 (+3 Con, +14 [Force Field], Impervious 0/14, Reflective 14 [Crown of Unat]) Fortitude: +13 (+3 Con, +10) Reflex: +14 (+4 Dex, +10) Will: +18 (+4 Wis, +14, Impervious 0/14) Skills: 92R = 23PP Concentration 11 (+15) Diplomacy 4 (+7, +15 with Attractive) Intimidate 12 (+15) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 17 (+24) Skill Mastery Knowledge (Civics) 8 (+15) Skill Mastery Knowledge (Cosmology) 13 (+20) Skill Mastery Knowledge (History) 11 (+18) Sense Motive 16 (+20)Skill Mastery Feats: 21PP Accurate Attack All-Out Attack Attack Focus (Ranged) 1 Attractive 2 Dodge Focus 6 Equipment 5 [25EP] Fearsome Presence Improved Initiative 2 Ritualist Skill Mastery [Knowledge (Arcane Lore), Knowledge (Civics), Knowledge (Cosmology), Sense Motive] Equipment 5PP = 25EP Headquarters: Extra-Dimensional Castle Size: Awesome [6EP] Toughness: +25 TOU [4EP] Features: Concealed 2Holding Cells 2 Isolated Library Life Support Living Space 4 Power 4 (Flight 10 (10,000 MPH); Super-Movement 3 (Dimensional Movement 3[Any Dimension to Any]), Super-Senses 4 (Postcognition [Past Tapestries]), Teleport 10) Powers: 4 + 28 + 48 + 11 + 14 + 37 = 142PP All descriptors as 'magic' and 'divine'. Comprehend 2 (Spoken Languages 2; Understand All, Speak All [one at a time]) [4PP] Force Field 14 (Extras: Impervious) [28PP] (Shield of Crowned Heads) Gift of the Nile 21 (42PP Array, Feats: Alternate power 6) [48PP] Base Power: Nullify Magic 14 (All Active Magic Effects at Once; Extras: Effortless) [42PP] Forbiddance of Thoth AP: Blast 13 (Arrows, Piercing, Magic; 10 130ft. increments, 1300ft. range; Extras: Autofire 1, Penetrating 11; Flaws: Distracting; Feats: Accurate, Affects Insubstantial 2, Incurable) [42PP] Shafts of Neith AP: Create Object 15 (Extras: Duration [Continuous], Impervious; Flaws: Action [Full-Round], One Shape; Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Precise, Progression 6 [size, 7500ft. Square Cubes], Stationary) [40PP] Mouth of Geb AP: Emotion Control 14 (Extras: Area [selective, Burst, 475ft.], Linked [Mind Control]; Flaws: Range [Ranged], Limited [Calm]; Feats: Progression 2 [Range]) [16PP] + Mind Control 13 (Extras: Effortless, Linked [Emotion Control; Flaws: Distracting) [26PP] [16+26=42PP] Mandate of Ma'at AP: Healing 13 (Extras: Affects Objects, Total; Flaws: Distracting; Feats: Persistent, Regrowth) [41PP] Remaking of Khnum AP: Immunity 20 (Mental Effects, Interaction Skills, Grappling; Extras: Linked [Damage]) [20PP] + Damage 10 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will]; Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2) [22PP] [20+22=42PP Guise of Bata AP: Speed 9 (5,000MPH, 50,000ft. per round.; Extras: Linked [impervious, Super-Movement, Trip]; Feats: Wall Run) [10PP] + Reflective Toughness 14 (Melee Attacks [+1]; Extras: Linked [speed, Super-Movement, Trip]) [14PP] + Super-Movement 3 (Dimensional Movement 2 [Mystic Dimensions], Water-Walking; Extras: Linked [speed, Impervious, Trip]) [6PP] + Trip 12 (Extras: Linked [impervious, Speed, Super-Movement]) [12PP] = [10+14+6+12= 42PP] Crown of Unut Immunity 11 (Aging, Emotion Effects, Swords) [11PP] Impervious Will 14 [14PP] Magic 15 (30PP Array, Power Feats: Alternate Power 7) [37PP] Base Power: Blast 14 (Feats: Variable Descriptor 2 [Magical Descriptors]) [30PP] AP: Animate Object 10 [30PP] AP: Dazzle 10 (Visual Senses and Auditory) [30PP] AP: Flight 10 (Extras: Affects Others) [30PP] AP: Nullify Technology 10 (All Traits at Once; Extras: Effortless) [30PP] AP: Obscure 15 (150-ft.; Visual Senses) [30PP] AP: Snare 10 (Extras: Area [Targeted, Shapeable 50-ft. blocks]) [30PP] AP: Telekinesis 10 (Extras: Damaging) [30PP] [table] DC Block: ATTACKRANGESAVEEFFECT UnarmedTouchDC21 Toughness (Staged)Damage (Physical) ArrowsRangedDC28 Toughness (Staged)Damage (Physical) BlastRangedDC29 Toughness (Staged)Damage (Physical) DamageTouchDC25 Will (Staged)Damage (Physical) DazzleRangedDC20 Reflex/FortitudeDazzled Emotion ControlPerceptionDC24 WillEmotion Changed Nullify MagicRangedDC20+14 Power/WillEffect Nullified Nullify TechRangedDC20+10 Power/WillEffect Nullified SnareRangedDC20 ReflexSnared TelekinesisPerceptionDC25 Toughness (Staged)Damage (Physical)/Moved TripTouchDC12+6 vs. STR/DEX (whichever lower)Tripped[/table] Abilities (54) + Combat (30) + Saving Throws (34) + Skills (23) + Feats (21) + Powers (142) -Drawbacks (0) = 304/304 Power Points

"Oh." Subito gently rubbed his forehead at that, looking for a moment almost stricken. Taking a deep breath he looked back over at Kat "Why-y'know, that won't do any good, forget it." He trudged on for a few steps, deep in thought 'This is what you were talking about? Yes Great. I appreciate your openness and ability to tell me stuff before awkward &#^@ happens' Aloud he said with a slightly grim smile "Where do you wanna go with that, Katch? I'm already somebody's boyfriend, and while you're awesome, and I do like to be with ya, I like Cerys a lot." Passing a hand over his face he wondered briefly whay the chances of this ending well were 'Let's go with not good' "Kat, I'm sorry, but right now I don't think we can go anywhere with those kinda feelings." he shrugged, and smiled warmly again "Plenty of other stuff t'do though!"

"I'm not tryin'n to fight-" Subito grumbled with a deep frown, suddenly looking very sheepish as he realized. With an awkward glance he relaxed his powerful arms and let himself be guided by the much smoother Blodeuwedd, carefully mirroring her steps and actions across the ballroom floor. "...Oh. That's what you meant. Sorry Cerys, and yeah, dancing stuff would be a good thing to do. I bet the gym would be a nice place, and I for one can't wait to see you do break dancing" he grinned and kissed her swiftly on the cheek, neatly avoiding another incoming couple. He swayed and flowed along to the stately and grand music, smiling happily as the subject returned to something near to his heart. "I really like Estella Marquin's stuff. Janet Springer's pretty good too, and I bet you'd love her stories set in Wales, but Mz. Marquin's is my favorite. Her Joanna series? So good! It's about this lady named Joanna Withle from England in the Wild West, having to deal with all kinds of problems with this small town, an' winning the heart of this really kind but kinda shy Mexican guacho, and struggling with the prejudice of 1800's America. And every time it looks like she's done, that this is the end, she always finds a way to pull through and win the day!" he smiled fondly at Cerys "I like happy stories. They ain't like reality all the time, sure, but neither are the ones where everything goes wrong." Deftly twirling around the lithe agent, he resumed the dance with open, shining eyes and faintly humming. "So my lady, what's your pleasure?" he asked with a grin.

GM Thankfully, the silent one in the corner seemed to quickly lose interest in Clark, going back to staring remorselessly into thin air after a sharp look at the man as he passed by. The control room was just at the back, and strongly resembled a switchboard with monitors set in the walls scrolling through readouts that presumably recorded how Dr. Green's computer network was doing. The best place to install Voltage's gizmo looked to be a small keyboard and console mounted below a currently blank monitor with a small and insistently red sign beside it reading 'SysAdmin Access Only: Dr. Green Private Terminal'. The only hitch in getting to it were the four guards blocking the way in. "Sorry Chad" one of them said blandly "But orders are orders. You're not with the tech crew, you don't go in there. Speaking of which" he leaned against the wall and looked over 'Chad' curiously "You gain a few pounds over the weekend?" Meanwhile, in the ventilation shaft the King of Suits was encountering his own problems. Namely a small gang of very small robots marching up and down the shaft and scrubbing it industriously, sweeping the place with robotic eyes with the occasional monotonous <<"All clear">>. That and a fork was visible up ahead, with both tunnels leading downwards.

"Tona likes it because she's had a very sheltered life, where she rarely got to see other places" Subito explained gravely to Thaelia "She's only been to a few other worlds, and a handful of places outside the city. Whereas I've had a very full schoolin' and been in this universe my whole life, and a mighty two countries besides this one!" Grinning cheerily he added "But yeah, it's pretty neat! And don't worry about the library, I bet you'll be fine!" Much more interesting to him however was the Atlantean girl's description of renegades, traitors and barbaric warlords battling against the undersea kingdom. The hand not resting against Cerys tightened into a fist, and the muscular boy said softly "Wow. I had no idea that kind of stuff was happenin' under the surface. We should totally get down there sometime, help King Theseus with fighting those guys!" he added excitedly, hazel eyes shining at the idea. '...Or you could let the Atlanteans deal with such rebels on their own, and not assume that because they have a problem they want people like you getting involved Oh. Crap. Didn't think of that Of course not, why would I assume otherwise?' He looked suddenly awkward "Uh, I mean...if you guys would be okay with it." Glancing over at the quad exit he added "Eh, gym's next best thing to the Doom Room, I guess? How 'bout we head there, then the library?"

"...Crap. I-I'm sorry Blodeu, I..." There was a moment of unease as Subito realized his misstep, and inwardly slammed his head into a wall, preparing for Blodeuwedd to be just that much shorter with him for the rest of the night. When she turned back and calmly told him he was hard to be mad at he almost laughed with relief. "I'm sorry Cerys, I shouldn't have said that. Thanks for your not-saying stuff m'lady, I'll make sure you get the pick of my collection!" he winked cheerily at the girl as he led her to the ballroom, fighting off a wave of stage-fright as he saw the crowd of up-scale, refined and much older men and women give them the once-over. Smiling as best he could, the muscular boy threw aside his fears, and marched straight into the glittering hall! Getting them a space near the orchestra, he smiled up at his date and gave her a quick hug as he whispered almost seductively in her ear "Then we need t'talk about 'em, don't we? What's your favorite? Mine's The Final Empire" Stepping back he frowned in concentration as he took up the 'waltz' position he had seen a lot of times in movies: left hand clasped with her right, right hand resting on her back, eyes shining with excitement as the music began. "Hope you're better at dancing than me Blodeu, 'cause I'm not good!" he said happily.

"Awww, I'd put up with that for you, Kat, if you want to get back quick" Her schoolmate smiled at her without even a trace of irony, and his voice didn't have a drop of sarcasm. Shrugging at her view of buses he let out a steaming plume of breath "You'n Darren have more in common than I thought, we need to all go out sometime, do somethin' together. We aren't gonna be here forever after all" he commented aloud, a note of wistfulness obvious in his words. It would all have to end sometime, and- Subito almost missed a step, and looked over at the lean mutant in surprise 'Wait what? Where did that come from? Keep calm, Herald. Chances are she is just making conversation. And pay more attention to people around you during school. That is all' composing himself he blushed a little and replied shyly "Th-thanks Kat. I..it means a lot to hear people say that." he sighed ruefully at looked ahead "I don't often feel like I'm a good boyfriend for her. S'pecially when we talk about folks like Tona" he sighed and scuffed his shoes through the weak patches of snow across. Turning back to her as they drew nearer to the bus stop he said awkwardly "Um, why's Cerys lucky? I mean, sorry, that sounds super-clueless. Have you asked anyone out by the way?"

GM The cameras were set up precisely, their placement meaning nothing and nobody could slip past, around, below or above their unblinking mechanical gaze. Crusader in his stolen clothes didn't raise any alarms, not a single light flickered or a noise come to his ears other than the dull rumble of the outside battle and the rush of booted feet. As he came downstairs he was greeted by the sight of at least two dozen soldiers hanging around a room whose center was largely given over to imposing black and gray slabs of computing power, thrumming away with grim purpose and making the room even hotter than outside had been. A little apart from the small knots of alert, edgy men and women with guns stood a broad-shouldered and unshaven man with African features in a corner, staring out with a slightly blank stare. He looked sharply over at Clark as he entered and frowned, but then went back to staring at the middle distance. An officious-looking woman with slightly more ballistic armor than the others quickly approached Crusader. "Where's your friend?" she asked irritably "You guys forget what a 'Code Eight' means or what? Whatever, get to your station, those guys might have friends sneaking in. Not likely, given the subtlety of your average super, but hey! Anything's possible" she rolled her eyes and then stepped slowly back over to the wall. All of her comrades were evidently nervous hearing the fight going on and not knowing for sure what was happening.

"Pfft, I'm not even technically your boyfriend yet Cerys, I can do what I want!" Subito declared with a mock-haughty toss of his hair. With a fond smile he added "And besides, we still haven't read all the story of Peredur, we need to do that sometime, maybe after supper?" he suggested with a casual smile and innocent look. Mr. Landis's decision brought a lot of relief to him. Both because their chaperone appreciated his own story, and understood the dangers of playing favorites like that. "So we all won? Awesome! Now we can make each other chairs!" he sat up sharply, arms supported on his knees and eyes shining in the firelight "Now, who wants to take first crack at some campfire songs?" he asked with a flash of brilliantly clean teeth. 'That worked out way better'n I thought it would Well yes, no stakes and the superiors are easy to see Tota-! Wait, what? Use your imagination'

Happy birthday to you, Knight! May the Midwest sleep soundly at nights, knowing their Batman is ever-ready! Many happy returns to this day! :toot:

All but jumping out of the steam-powered horseless carriage, Subito politely offered Blodeuwedd his hand as she disembarked, beaming with excitement at both what they were going to do and the feeling of being at a formal event dressed to the nines. Following close to Lucien, he kept up a constant stream of eager talk, waving cheerfully to people if they happened to glance over "This is great! We're gonna blend in perfectly, our quarry will not suspect a single darn thing! I bet we'll meet lots of great folks here! Hey Cerys, you recognize anybody here? Ooh!" he spied the model of Freedom City "Now I betcha that's not somethin' you do over a weekend. Wonder who made it?" he asked aloud as he bent closer to examine the thing, suddenly spinning back to Blodeuwedd and adding "You look awesome, by the way, like, stunning. Hey, any ideas? 'Bout how that dastardly woman's gonna try and make her move? What do you think Mr. Lockwood?" he asked eagerly, hazel eyes shining behind the domino mask he had somehow found in the closet.

You and your questions and your wanting to know things so this situation isn't an opaque mess. It sickens me. I take it that none of the cage-occupants can understand human speech? Don't want to just assume that's true, after all, because what if Aconinyx was sneaky enough to slip a "ringer" in amongst the ex-animals? Thus far no, they cannot. Whatever GM-ish response this bit calls for, if any, will presumably show up in the IC thread. Yeah, it will come up. Take 20-ized Notice check here, or perhaps the relevant skill would be Knowledge (Technology)? Whichever, a GM-ish response would be helpful here. OOC-placeholder: Jubatus finds a bog-standard for supervillains signal hijacking device installed amidst a cluster of advertising signs. Its battery is dead, and it appears to have been a one-use gadget. Awaiting GM-ish word on what Jube managed to find out here. It's surprisingly similar in design to the sorts of things Dr. Simian has used to turn people into apes, but modified for power and speed over the 'coherency' of the beam and the ability to control what is turned into what. A rushed but competent job. Hmm… is Vorpal actually still around? Apart from that point of uncertainty, this prolly doesn't need a GM-ish response. I don't know. Vorpal was on a couple of times, a couple weeks ago or so, but didn't talk much and logged off soon afterwards. Probably should have just let this lie, started something new. Again, I'd expect the GM-ish response here to show up in the IC thread. Right, sorry, that will happen.

Heraldo stared frozen at the sight, mouth drying and eyes widening as he watched the reptile army making its slow way. "Oh crap" he whispered to himself, suddenly darting out of the sky and slamming into the ground next to the others, hurriedly dusting himself off as he said rapidly "There's a huge army of dinos out there!" he pointed a powerful arm due west, slinging the Bandera over his shoulder "They're headin' for Serpent People territory, I bet they've found some way to make a huge army, or something! We have to stop them!" He paled "That thing Kazra heard..it's the biggest, meanest-lookin' dinosaur I've ever seen, like, bigger than those brontosaur things. I dunno what it is, but it had these glowing eyes so it can't be too normal, mebbe the Serpent guys figured out a way to make new animals?" shrugging his board shoulders he glanced desperately around at the suddenly perilous and evil jungle "We've gotta warn those people in the city, they're in huge danger!"