Ari

GM In the distance, far to the west, a massive creature stood. Its horned and serpentine head reared above the tree canopy, amidst a forest of smaller heads and slighter necks. Even across the miles between it and Heraldo the boy could see its eyes glow green as it tore the top off a tree and devoured it in tremendous jaws. As it ate, it let loose a thundering bellow that reached the young paragon's ears like a crashing wave, the other dinosaurs around it stopping, and then beginning to move. Their tread could be felt faintly by Tsunami as a dull, insistent drum beat. They distant horde was plodding slowly northwards, to the reeking swamps and a pinnacle of sickly-looking rock that glowed brassy in the Sun.

"S'alright Giang, my feelings aren't all that hurt" Subito said with a casual grin "I'll go fly up and see what's goin' on, no problem", though he glanced irritably at Kazra for how she'd referred to him as 'dark boy'. Placing a hand over his heart, he asked and was granted, transforming in an explosion of light and emerging clad in his resplendent costume. "I'll be back in a second!" he called down as he rocketed up into the air, peering around at the misty morning forest that stretched unbroken into the distance. "Hope we don't have to put up with that kid for long" he grumbled to himself, shading his eyes from the glaring Sun with a gloved hand.

<"Well then"> the King of Suits tossed out a razor-edged card from his sleeve and turned to face the magnificent portrait of of the Comtesse. For a moment he almost didn't do it, it looked so majestic, the art was so beautiful, the lady it portrayed so faithfully was so fascinating...and then he remembered what had just happened, and he glanced over at the terrified face of Beatrice, set his jaw, and faced the painting and threw, his hand whipping back then slicing forward in a smooth motion as he hurled the weapon. <"Your painter's soul won't let you destroy art,"> the young vigilante said glumly as the card whistled through the air <"my adventurer's soul does. René my friend, if you can, forgive me."> With a *shunk* the card sliced through the painting and embedded itself in the wall behind it. 'Now the test'

With a quick nod the King of Suits tied the jaws of the guards shut, sitting them both upright against the walls beside the door where cursory inspection wouldn't reveal them. "I will go around. It would be much harder for me to avoid notice like you do" he told Crusader with a broad smile and subtle indication of his leaner physique. Slipping out of the barracks the two made their way quickly to where the staircase was. As the guard had said, they passed a green mural of coral life in the nearby waters. The steps were crisp and utilitarian gray steel with molded plastic, with the pale walls holding small black lenses behind round transparent domes. A small rectangular grate nearby the stairs exhaled harsh warm air. Marceau neatly opened it and slipped inside. "Good luck" he whispered to Clark, vanishing down the shaft with faint rustles of cloth and metal.

He's jus being a douche, but alright.

GM Warp's savage attack rocketed through the air, a hideous blast of raw entropy that annihilated all in its path! Nephilim realized just in time what was headed at him, and suddenly he was a pillar of immobility hanging in the air, tore off a glove and reaching out his left hand, he caught the lance of entropy! There was an explosion of black-red light that bathed the Branson Plaza and burned after-images into the eyes of the two teens, the light concealing the form of something that Glow and Warp sensed beyond their senses, the presence of something as bloated as Warp knew the Coil was hungry, something huge, pitiless, and satisfied. Whatever it was, it was there and gone it moments, as the consuming power had been itself devoured when it hit the young god, leaving the towering man spotless, unhurt, and clam. Looking briefly at his smoking hand, Nephilim's gray eyes glittered. He suddenly turned to Warp, saying quietly "I am surprised you failed. Your mutant powers are truly considerable. But is that all you can do? My power is divine, I am a god of life and death, and such is my might I can even raise the dead. This?" he held up his hand at her as he donned his glove "is magnificent, but needs a certain something to complete it. Lightning won't strike twice, but please! Try again."

GM "My eyes?" Tasselfoot asked, sounding both pleased by and suspicious of the compliment. Tying the abacus to her belt of silk cord, she stepped up to René, closer and closer until she was mere centimeters away and the smell of dust about her was unavoidable, and peered into the wizard's wrinkled face. This close everything about her that so much as whispered 'not human' was impossible to avoid. The expression would have been one of curiosity on anyone else, but a dissonance between the eyes that bored, mouth twisted up, eyebrow raised and cheeks tautened made sure that it failed to portray any whole emotion. It was like if three carvers had been asked to make a single face. At last she stepped back, seemed to smile, and went on. "My eyes are in the tower, watching as the piles grow. My task is dreary, but not difficult, and unlike many in the castles I never suffer the Master's anger. My mothers and fathers long before me did such works as I. We gather the dust to make gold and jewels, turning what your race sees as waste into beauty. But..." she gestured to the brooms, dusters and passing servants "...I hear everything. The gold spun from the dust on the castle walls was made into fine ornaments at the last feast, but not all who deserved to were invited. The silver from the towers made a fine filigree that everyone who saw it praised, but the true artist was not recognized. The Lords go glittering, and their train with them, but what stars shine brightest gain the greater honour. I hear all of this, and from the parapet it is not hard to see. There are crushed servants even in the towers, mage" the serving woman said with a ghostly smile. Glancing at one of the piles that had grown imperceptibly during her talk, she flicked a few beads across the wires. "All this is well known. Yet still it goes on as it has since the castles first bloomed and the forests sang, René de Saens"("and guest" she added kindly to Marceau) "what justice would there be in seeking to overcome an order, a tradition, that we have cleaved to before your race were visited by the so-called "gods" with the gift of law? But the laws...yes, perhaps they might be more like the reed than the oak." Tasselfoot smiled "Let me tell you one law we have: on the fifth day of the 20th month(which is this day) one audience may be granted to any in the castle, and one wish granted. Who would you use that wish for? Yourself? The oppressed?"

Subito shrugged and downed his sandwich and tea carelessly "I was just gonna fly back to Claremont n' get my suit. It's midnight-black and looks great on me. I'll wear it for ya sometime!" he said to Cerys with a happy smile "Wish my costume could do that" he added with an admiring look at the fine blue dress, and the admirable girl wearing it. Following Blakely with a calm whistle, he was led to the dressing room for a man with distinctly Russian tastes, and excitedly picked a rich red set of velvet evening dress with a trim matching hat and complementary tie. Getting it to fit his shorter and slighter build was a struggle, but in just a few minutes he was scarcely recognizable! Emerging from the room resplendent in Boltski's favorite formal wear, twirling a cane and nearly bouncing down the hall, Subito ran up to Cerys and nearly hugged her in excitement. "Blodeu! This thing is amaaazing! How do I look, like a prince guy? Thanks for lettin' me have it sir" the muscular Puerto Rican added to Lucien. Making elegantly for the door he offered his arm to his schoolmate "If I may show you to Bessie, Princess," he turned to Lucien "Ready to go Mr. Lockwood. To the diamond!"

GM The guard needed little encouragement. "Th-they're downstairs, two hallways over going due east, past the green coral wall mural crap, then down two flights of steps. The elevators don't stop on that floor, and the shaft's walls are tough enough to withstand any shield" the man's brief flicker of insolence quickly melted as he met Crusader's gaze. Crushed against the wall he went on nervously "Uh, there aren't all that many guards usually, b-but the attack by your friends got everyone on high alert, there'll be like twenty guys down there! And...and.." his voice grew much lower, and he looked for a few seconds even more scared of something else than Crusader's threatening presence. "And one of Dr. Green's pet projects. Mental powers like you wouldn't believe, keeps a dampener on him at all times so he doesn't mind-control everybody in the place." he shivered "Good luck with that, heroes. Uh," his eyes searched his belt "Take our radios, it'll give you a chance to avoid the other guards, the-the frequency helps block out some of his mental stuff too I think..." The babbling guard's comrade stretched out on the floor "Tom's gonna be a little incoherent for a bit so I'll tell you something he forgot: the way downstairs is heavily monitored, scanners going into the ultraviolet spectrum. You'll either need to get to the control room and shut them off, or just go 'round it I guess." he shrugged, looking profoundly unconcerned.

GM Kazra's reaction was a little different. Looking furious as Subito translated the Serpent People's plan, she got to her feet and began racing through the trees after the gold-headed imposter. Turning back she called to the Claremonters "I'll take care of that lizard! You lot deal with the sorcerer and his gang! Then we'll get to that bloody city an-" she was interrupted as a dull rumble echoed through the air, sending tremors through the ground! Pausing on one foot in mid-stride, Kazra threw herself to the ground, tilting her head to listen to it. After a few seconds, she slowly got back up and started creeping back. Abruptly dashing back and crushing against Giang's back she whispered "Something enormous is out there. Even the four-legged snakes the Atoms call 'brontosaurs' don't sound like that!" Gulping she added quietly "I-I'll stay with you fellows" and ducked out of sight. Poking her heard around Giang she scowled at Subito "You! Dark boy! You can fly, right? Go fly up past the trees and see if whatever that thing is is nearby!" With a deeper frown she added "And if you can, please do not put your clown suit on. The colours are pretty, but there are too many of them, you'll be too easily seen!"

Subito looked glum. "Yeah, the Amddiffynnwr seem kinda like soldiers. Makes what you said when we first met a little creepy. 'Taught since you were little to fight Evil', I mean." He suddenly realized that several couples were leaving the dining room and making their arm-in-arm way to the austerely sumptuous ballroom. A sudden wave of anxiety washed over him as he remembered 'Oh yeah, the dancing thing' Smiling tenderly he said "My family ain't really normal. Not a lot of folks with sisters like Galanta, moms like Broma or dads like Pavor. We're 'normal' I guess in that we love each other 'spite that. They'll love you Cerys," he said looking earnestly at her, then cracked a broad grin "If they can love me, you won't have any problems! An' we should do some reading together, sometime. You're always reading those super-old epic poems that I can barely get a hundred pages into 'cause everyone's names are so crazy, and if I give ya anything newer than The lord of the Rings you go all "Oh, that's not really my taste Subito"" he rolled his eyes. Glancing askance at the other nearby chatting patrons he said awkwardly "Uh...if you, y'know, really do wanna start reading stuff like romance books n'stuff I might, uh, have some you can borrow." he suddenly held Blodeuwedd's hand tightly as whispered, eyes pleading "Please don't tell anybody! Seriously nobody knows. And I bet Ellis might not mind if we bring some love story movies to her place" he added with a renewed smile. Getting up after finishing his food he jerked his head over at the ballroom, where the chamber orchestra was just starting "Wanna dance?" he asked casually, doing his best to keep his heart from pounding in excitement at the idea of being..like that with Cerys.

Splitting parties is rarely a good idea for threads. It might end up with one side racing along while the other plods. One possible way would be: the teens show early on they're a potential asset(showing up in the middle of a small battle and trouncing both sides?), so both sides treat them well and try to gain their trust(have conflicting prophecies or visions?), granting them free reign to travel as they try to get them on their side. As for the 'Mighty Whitey' aspect, could just be sort of like how Supes and Jimmy Olsen were Nightwing and Flamebird on Kandor. An alternate secret ID of some kind.

Like I said, feel free to reroll. EDIT: DC27 Fortitude save: 30 so no Toughness lost. Fiating he makes the TOU save automatically. (+1 HP for Warp) Round 7 Glow: Bruise(x1), 3HP Nephilim: Unharmed-GM Warp: Unharmed, 2HP Glow is up.

Subito saw Amanda briefly pause while cleaning one of the cocoa dispensers and look vaguely uneasy at him for a moment, quickly shaking her head and going industriously back to her work. It was all he could do to hurriedly look away, gratefully sipping at his hot chocolate. "Yeah, good idea! Would be good t' stretch our legs" he said, leading the way out of Becky's after Kat had payed for the books. Trudging along though the crisp, thin snow, he glanced around at the lengthening shadows as the sun began dipping below the horizon, whistling in surprise "Whoa, I forgot how late it was gettin'!" he shrugged and smiled at his lean schoolmate "Meh, better get going then! There's a bus stop not too far up the road, if you wanna ride in style." he offered cheerily, gesturing at a small blue/gold shelter just up the hill by a stand of trees. He walked on in silence for a few blocks, taking quick sips of the steaming liquid as the pair marched on the long walk. Outwardly, he was as calm as could be expected given he couldn't really feel the chill winter. Internally he was seething with the very real question of: what was there to say? Just not talking was anathema to the chatty boy, but every subject he could think of was littered with the twin facts that he really hadn't gotten to know Kat very well(a realization that was like a kick from her in the sparring room), and most of them either revolved around school or the recent tumult of a few days ago. 'Dame? I dunno what to do Those words come up worryingly often I know, I'm sorry. Oh! You're "sorry" about that? Well, that changes-! Please. Everything I can think of sounds wrong ...Encouragement, and then ask her what she would like to talk about, your need for chatter runs dangerously close to monopolizing. We should have begun work on that long ago Yeah. Missed opportunities all up in this. Thank you' At length he said quietly "Hey Katapult, somethin' I want you to know." he looked over at her "I dunno what you've been, but what and who you are now? It is awesome. I'm glad to have a friend like you. I know we don't spend much time together, but I'm always glad when we do." he smiled warmly "So, anything you'd like to discuss?" He rubbed at the back of his head and looked a little embarrassed "Uh, I know I talk a lot, sorry."

It is funny, because Tsunami controls water!

GM "I'm well within my rights there, girl. I'm a god of life and death for several thousand people" The man said coolly "And a deity can choose their companions as they wish. You're probably low on things to be sarcastic about, so I forgive you, as will my elder sister Susan." for the first time he smiled with something approaching a positive human expression "She's the god of earth and star, spread through everything, the strongest of the Holy Mother's children. The likes of you are not fit to lick her feet." he sneered. Nephilim chuckled as the green energy smashed impressively but harmlessly against him, scarcely budged from his perch in the air by the attack. "Not bad at all! I almost felt that one, kid!" he told Glow cheerfully, tensing slightly as she made her agile moves to get between him and the police, but quickly seeing the trap being laid there and refocusing on both of the young heroines. The police didn't need to be told twice. "Retreat! Get out of the plaza!" the captain barked, quickly locking his useless shotgun and tossing it into the car, following it inside. The other officers promptly grabbed the fallen woman and got her into a cruiser, the SWAT team waiting, all of them clearly scared stiff, until the last car was in motion before jumping back into the vans and disappearing around the normally busy corner of the street, which was now almost empty besides the police presence. "Aw, no hostages to take there" the young villain grumbled, crossing his arms and looking momentarily disappointed, only to suddenly dart at Glow with a roar that made the ground shake, the whispers turning to a fearsome shriek...that Glow's powerful mind batted aside with ease. Halted in his attempted intimidation pose, Nephilim looked for a moment almost silly.

'Oh no' This was far worse than he had thought would happen. Now he had the attention of Hatchet, and he definitely didn't want that. But how to get out from his gaze, how could he just waltz off and escape this kind of situation, how... "No problem, monsieur" he said as levelly as he could manage, turning in the grip of Harry to face the hitman. Or at least look slightly above his eyes. "I was merely wishing to accompany the Angel Alla, she invited me backstage where she thought I might find a job." 'that is true, for certain values of "job"' Roi smiled "Mr. Croak tells me I would only be able to do this with permission from the owner, Handsome Jack. So therefore," he swung around and looked as carefree and innocent as he could "how may I see Handsome Jack, and get this passport?"

Best of luck Thunder. I hope you can fix it.

"I've got no idea what she wants that thing for" Subito replied flatly to Lord Steam, powerful arms crossed against his chest as he sat bolt-upright in his seat. He wasn't too sure what someone like Vapeur got out of a stunt like this, and knew he didn't know enough about how she thought to make guesses. Glancing over at Blodeuwedd he said "Any clues Blodeu? Uh," he looked apologetically at the girl, adding hesitantly "you don't mind if I call ya that, do you? I mean..." The confident teen was rarely nervous, but being so familiar around Cerys was starting to seem almost disrespectful after seeing her in action. Taking a quick bite of his cucumber sandwich he chewed it quietly, sipping appreciatively at the Earl Grey. "Anyway, why's it matter what she wants it for right now? We've gotta stop her first. Why not just do that, an' then work out what goes on in that crazy sénora's brain?"

DC10 CHA roll: 5. Nayope!

She's written up in Freedom's Most Wanted, as it happens.

Tagging! As per Chat, using Knowledge(Current Events) to make the check: 15 Success!

"Kickass! Glad she had such a great time! I never got to meet her, but from what I've heard she was awesome." Subito laughed awkwardly and stuffed his hat back into the back pocket, though he still slipped an arm around Cerys's waist "Ha! Uh, well, I wouldn't call us 'mates', I mean, not that way-" he glanced over at the agent shyly "I mean, unless you'd like to..." suddenly he remembered what they were talking about and turned quickly back to Thaelia, all smiles and brimming with energy. "Oh! You wanna to the tour thing anyhow? Sure! I've been tour guide a couple times before, for both these awesome ladies in fact!" he added with a quick nod to Tona "Still haven't found that guy who flaked out on ya Blodeu" he added with an almost hilariously serious look "but I will not rest until he's caught. Alright!" he swung back around to the Atlantean "So, how about we go the classic route: library, cafeteria, gym, then whatever you wanna see?" the muscular boy suggested eagerly, bouncing on his heels, eyes blazing with delight as he mind raced with the images of what life in Atlantis sounded like to him 'Magic all over the place! It must be amazing! Perhaps, but it would become familiar and dull with time, like many things Awww, don't be like that Dama! C'mon' One thing in particular caught his attention, and he looked quite curious "Wait...you guys have got barbarians? Like, Deep Ones and stuff, right? I've never heard about anythin' like that. The Fomori barbaric folks Cerys?" "Hey Tona, you wanna come show the newbie 'round?" he asked with a warm, winning smile.

Patting Kat on the back approvingly "Katcha, we are the same!", Subito all but ran down the wood stairs and echoed his schoolmate's request with a similar money offering. He kept up a cheerful stream of chit-chat with the woman named Amanda behind the counter, earnestly hoping that her sick dog would soon be well, a sentiment the woman shared passionately. Putting the hot cocoa with extra marshmallows, cinnamon and cream inside anothe cardboard cup for insulation, she passed them over to the students with a warm smile "Thank you for visiting Becky's" she winked at the imposing woman behind the desk opposite "Please visit us again soon. And good luck with the studying" she added to Kat. Taking his cup eagerly and taking an experimental sip that burned his mouth with a yelp, Subito told Kat "Gah! Okay, urgh, b'careful I guess. You wanna go back the quick way or the slow way?" he asked innocently, which got a well-suppressed smirk from Amanda, who industriously went back to making sure her thrumming machines were in order.

Awesome thread SC! I can't comment on the Chains(Tiff's prerogative there!), but I'd love to have those guys try for another totally different artifact of the Serpent Empire in the future. Perhaps with the same Spirit Duo dealing with their shenanigans!