Ari

What are they doing?! thought Wave-Eye as he edged closer to them, crouching slightly as he crept nearer to the table, looking with no little pity at the horribly mangled corpse of the Omegadrone. When he got close enough that he could have taken a step and touched the closest one with his hand, he rose to his feet and gurgled "Hello, humans. Would any of you be willing to explain to me what you are doing, and why these artifacts are here?" grinning at them he added "As well, you wouldn't happen to know about any prisoners you might have, would you? Or why this ship has a device aboard that uses Terminus energy?"

Sitting with as much care as he could, Subito looked up at the ceiling, than back at Cerys as he rolled over what he wanted to know. Settling for the question most likely to be answered he leaned forward on the table and began "Why are you here? Is this a stakeout or somethin'? A meeting with an informant? I'm real sorry if this is disrupting something important t'you" he added awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head with one hand as he leaned carefully back in the chair "but...you know. All the time when I see you at school you're always really quiet and subdued, not exactly the kind of person I'd think would be into dance clubs and stuff" glancing at the glass of beer still in his hand he quickly deposited it onto the table for safekeeping. That done he cleared his throat and continued, wishing the place didn't smell so weird "Also, is this something I can help with? Are you fighting some of that Evil you mentioned back when we first met?" a sudden look of unease came over his face and he asked nervously "...Are vampires involved?"

GM The small band of Redcaps were still marching on through the forest, apparently unaware of the exchange happening behind them. The elm tree sighed, the wind rustling through its broad leaves and thick branches. "They are...the fingers of the forest. They..drag you down, pull you through the dirt and rot. If you can...climb up, you emerge as I am now..." one of its knotholes opened up for a brief instant, revealing a very human-looking eye, though with a golden iris. It continued speaking htough more softly with every word, and with less strength in every breath "Once I was..a mighty king and lord...of this...land. But I foolishly tried...to battle...the Redcaps. They destroyed my forces...dipped themselves in the blood...sent us all...into the grasp...of the roots." It shuddered and bent closer as its last whispers echoed into their ears "Do not lie down...on the grass...and moss to rest. Never be...still among the treessss, do not sleep...here...do not...trust...the Red...caps..." With a shudder the elm rose back to its formal height, and no more words it spoke. The clopping of hooves and thump of feet had continued unabated, Parsinkle and his courtiers apparently unaware of the entire scene.

The gentle country he and Rene found themselves in had put a spring in Marceau's step, not least because it reminded him of his quiet childhood in the river valley of Aude. Whistling to himself, he walked along beside the old painter, certain that the two of them could take on any challenge! Thus absorbed, he was doubly surprised to hear the tree speak to Rene, and at the advice of his friend. "I..will take care to do so" he assured Rene with a baffled look. Turning in confusion at the speaking plant he ventured a whispered "Also, who are you?" He flicked his blue eyes at the party ahead in case the prince or his courtiers had heard them.

Mr. Tree has no opposition to telling you what it knows!

GM The obvious question "What lies beyond?" was answered in this case by "More of the same". As the two humans stepped into the glittering forest with a momentary sense of distorting senses, they found themselves surrounded by broad stretches of deciduous woods, broken up by the occasional glade and ruinous clearing like they found themselves in. A stream of what both knew at first glance was a stream of perfectly pure water ran in bubbling rivulets past them on the left, wandering into the gradually thickening woods that bordered their little circle of soft green grass. The sun that shone above them was bright and unblocked by any clouds, but a strange chill came from its light. Parsinkle was there, smiling away, as were the attendants. Parsinkle called over jauntily "Ah, good of you to join us! Quite reassuring and heartwarming to know you would both brave the unknown for your fellow man. I believe they are held captive a short distance from here. Look for smoke!" with a whistle and at a wave of his hand the party began to make their way through the waving trees. The prince chose a roughly western path, and with a jingle of bells trotted along, the stream always close on their left hand, and only rarely out of sight. The country they were in was temperate, and apparently in the summer solstice. The ground was springy and covered mostly with moss and grass over the tumble of tree roots, though many short bare patches where animals had over the years worn the ground bare could be observed. Besides the tramp of the spritely horse, the plod of the attendants' heavy feet, and the chatter and song of birds, hardly a single sound could be heard. Abruptly breaking the silence, a tree leaned over as Rene passed by, creaking softly "Beware of the roots"

Buffeted by the brief war of dark and light, Subito stood stock still for a moment as he slowly got his bearings, wincing as Lorenzo began yelling in the hard tunnel, the sound waves slamming into his ears. One good thing came of it however. While moving his arms to cover the afflicted ears, he accidentally jostled the Banner still holstered in its ring. Wait a sec he thought, drawing the staff from its mooring I have the power to use this to bring hope to myself and others, maybe I can.. Yes, quickly! You must destroy this pall before it saps more of you and the Spirit of Justice's strength! Nodding weakly(a gesture utterly pointless in the inky darkness), El Heraldo raised the Banner on high, calling to Young Britannia "Take heart! This darkness is but a passing shade! He has no true power of himself, merely a borrowed might that shall be easily overmatched by our own patrons!" the flag suddenly glowed, a thousand voices cried out in triumph, and their feet thundered across an unseen plain, charging to victory! His voice swelling with emotion Subito declared "Alone we might lose, but together we shall prevail!" The dark feeling of dread and despair lifted as he spoke from their shoulders and hearts, burned away in the the fire of Hope.

NPC Limelight Galanta Sondo Fists of Justice! Freedom City, Lincoln, June 20th, 7.45 PM Alexander had known for the last two blocks that he was being followed. He had felt the cold, scornful eyes watching him, heard the rasp of sneakers on concrete, seen out of the corners of his brown eyes glimpses of their movements. His tormentors, his nemeses, his devils: Horatio 'Hacker' and his vicious gang of like-minded brutes, careless abusers of a natural strength slightly greater than their fellow man. Well, as far as 'high-school junior' counted as 'man''. They had started out small, Alex remembered as he quickened his pace, trying to get a little room to maneuver as the feeling of being slowly cornered grew. They had begun a few months ago, just intimidating other students into handing over change or food, only the threat of violence being used to get their way. There had already been several of them, and their ganging-up tactics meant most opposition was quickly cowed by the implausibility of beating the all at once. He could hear them getting closer, the indeterminate sounds of whispered human speech catching in his ears partially hidden behind thick black hair. His breathing quickened as his pace lengthened, as his steps accelerated. He remembered when the worst that he had to fear from them was a smack. But now...now they carried clubs, there were rumors of threats against families, and they were suspected in at least one attempted murder. Suddenly, he heard as clear as day behind him the words, spoken so causally they gave a demonic tinge to the syllables "What are we gonna break on him?" He threw his school backpack aside and bent all his sixteen years-worth of muscle into running as fast as he could, feet pounding the concrete as he dashed by shops in the dusk. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Galanta Sondo walked briskly down the street. Her jacket hung loosely from her shoulders, battered sneakers crunching the pavement beneath her feet, tan shorts and grey t-shirt slightly stained from the day's exertions, and a pair of fingerless gloves stuffed in a shorts' pocket. A good day! she thought cheerfully, I taught that jerk on the soccer team a lesson, stopped a robbery at the grocery store, and even managed to catch those purse-snatchers down around the burger place by the school! she suddenly leaped six feet into the air, performing a brutal kick into the stomach of an imaginary foe before landing in a neat roll, jumping back to her feet with a a nod of satisfaction. Her dark eyes combed the scenery of low apartment buildings and scattered stores, when she noticed a small cluster of young men in a semi-circle before a lightly-graffitied brick wall next to an old video store across the worn street from her. She instantly changed course, striding purposefully towards them, gloves sliding neatly onto her hands as she got closer. Nearing the huddle on the grimy driveway, she saw one of them, a tall, strongly-built youth with a harsh face dominated by a short scar on one cheek draw back their left foot and sent it lashing out, which provoked a cry from an unseen figure on the ground, and a derisive laugh from the tormentors. "Kick 'im again Hacker!" yelled one of the others, getting a sharp grin from the one designated 'Hacker', who drew back his entire leg for a punishing kick... *WHAMWHACKTHUD* He was interrupted by a punch the gut, followed up by stomp on his back as he doubled over, and a kick that sent him rolling across the driveway, gasping in pain and surprise, staring blearily at the figure who had attacked him. The other gang members were already hurriedly retreating from her, staring at the tall, surprisingly muscular Hispanic teen with her thick, curly black hair pulled back into a single short braid, a broad and homely face and muscular neck marked with several scars, and a very pleasant smile. "Hey there!" she said to them, arms folded in front of her chest "What're you guys doing? Not beating up helpless dudes, I hope!" she looked with real concern at the bloodied and bruised figure huddled on the cracked pavement, moaning softly in pain as he looked fearfully out at her with no little awe. "This guy asked you to kick him, did he?" she asked challengingly, looking them each in the eye with one of hers, at which each of the gangster-accoutered teens looked away, at the ground, or somewhere over her shoulder, putting on the best faces they could. "N-no, b-but he was, uh..he was asking for it!" declared one of the taller members with a blue bandanna wrapped around his long curly hair, getting a furious look from the others. That look was a mistake. In an instant Galanta had shot into their midst, grabbed the speaker by one of his arms, tucked her left leg behind his right, flipped him brusquely to the ground and ducked. The makeshift club she had seen the closest gang member drawing whistled viciously over her head, which she drove with tremendous force into the sternum of her attacker, sending him crashing to the ground, wheezing for breath. In a moment the other gang members realized that if they didn't press their superior numbers, they would lose. As one, they brandished their weapons and charged, a chorus of wild yells splitting the dusk air! Merrily answering the yell with one of her own, she dove into the fray, sweeping the legs out from under the first two, strafing around to the backs of their three comrades to heartily slam their heads together, gave a vicious backhand to a cleverer gang member with a cloth mask who had hung back to try and take her from behind, and spun on her heel to confront the two she had dropped at the start. They had clambered to their feet ready to avenge their speedy removal, but quailed even faster at the cold gleam in the eyes of their enemy, reinforced by the fallen comrades surrounding her and the smears of blood on her hands. Dropping their weapons they turned to flee, only for a colossal impact to their backs to send them crashing back to their previous resting place. Dusting off her hands Galanta walked calmly up to Hacker, who was painfully pulling himself back to his feet. Idly knocking the lean knife he was clutching from his hand, she said to him "Now then, let this be a lesson to you", punctuated the 'this' with a punch to the face that cast him sprawling back down, and hastened over to the still figure of Alexander, who had been staring at the proceedings in amazement, his hurts all but forgotten. With a whisper of "Just a sec" the girl jogged into the shop she had been fighting next to, her appearance meriting hardly a glance fromt he busily browsing patrons or the middle-aged and distinguished-looking clerk at the cash register. It hadn't taken Galanta long to figure out the need to let people know about what she did, and so with no restraint at all she called over to the man at the register "Hey, Percy! I just stopped a gang of douchebags in the driveway, could you take care of that?" she asked with a winning grin, which got a round of good-natured chuckles from the patrons and a roll of the eyes from 'Percy', who answered with exaggerated weariness "Yes, M'Lady Sondo." "You're a pal Percy, good night!" laughed Galanta as she dashed back to the roughed-up kid. Dropping to her knees beside him she asked softly "What's your name? You gonna be okay? I can help you get home" Galanta offered kindly, supporting him as he got slowly to his knees, and then his feet. Shaking his head slowly, Alexander managed to gasp out "Al-Alex. No, ah-I'll be 'kay", and he began to walk slowly to the sidewalk to resume his trek home. A call from behind stopped him, and turning he saw his backpack held in front of his face "Don't forget about this! I found it by that coffee shop" a thumb over the shoulder towards the visible rear of the upscale place few people in Lincoln actually went to, the . Slinging the pack over her own shoulder Galanta continued "You look pretty beat, I'll carry this for ya 'til we get to your place." Alex stared blankly at her, his long and thick hair filled with grit and partially obscuring his face, and nodded once. Trudging up the low hill, the self-proclaimed champion of the downtrodden glanced proudly back at her handiwork. She had even rescued an innocent in distress! Gotta tell Subito about this, he'll be sooo jealous! she thought gleefully. She laughed aloud, for no specific reason. The End

General stuff, not likely to be exactly high-art but I think they'd be serviceable. 1.Giant cyborg apes spill out from a portal into [District], causing chaos. Are Sidestep and whoever else joins in bad enough dudes to defeat them and find out what caused this event? 2.A new supervillain rolls into town, and their debut act of villainy just so happens to be in an area Sidestep (and some others?) are in too... 3.A canon villain does their thing within interference distance from Sidestep(and others?). Can their initial plot be foiled, AND the villain caught?(Be sure to ask for permission to use them first is you choose this one) 4.An angelic spirit(OR IS IT?!?) confronts Amy, questioning her goodness of heart, and setting her a series of trials to prove her worth. But is there something behind the motives of the spirit, if it even is one at all? 5.A demonic spirit(OR IS yeah you get the idea) tries to dissuade Amy from her chosen practice, demonstrating the efficacy of turning to the path of Evil to get what she wants. Is it really that simple, though? 6.Another realm-walker shows up, criticizing Sidestep's abilities, and challenging her to a contest to prove she can use them effectively. 7.A restless and disillusioned young hero has been gradually sliding away from the business of enforcing the law and fighting supervillains and the various threats that occasionally assault Freedom, can Sidestep(maybe with assistance) turn him back to the path of Justice by example or argument? 8.A random spate of buildings being spontaneously bursting into flame has the city on edge, can Sidestep(and others?) find out what's causing this randomness and stop it? 9.An ancient monster comes from out of the deep, demanding something valuable to the city, which it claims is its rightful property. Is it lying? And why does it want it now, of all times? 10.Sidestep becomes trapped in another dimension almost(but not quite) like Earth-Prime when she(and some others?) destroy a mad scientist's device that transports people between realities. How will she/they fare?

Welp, as it happens I have this Hope-giving Emotion Control power sitting right here. Using it on YB, after a Move Action if necessary. Attempt to Counter the Despair: 11. Hm, going to reroll that. Using a HP(2 Hero Points left) Reroll attempt: 10, +10=20.

Frowning on account of the throbbing lights, the powerfully-built Claremonter glanced at his color-shifting glass, wrinkling his nose at the smell of beer wafting up from it. "Yeah, I'll pass" he said gruffly, wishing it were red wine instead. That at least he had a taste for. Thinking over her question, weighing the glass in his hand, and looking around at the dancing bodies quickly obscuring the room, his frown deepened a little before clearing. Meeting her gaze he answered frankly "Yeah, I would. This thing seems weird, 'specially for someone like you C-Ellis." he pretended to take a sip of the beer, inwardly relieved he hadn't stumbled over her cover name as much as he might have. Raising his head from it he added "But you're pro'lly pretty good at evading people trying to follow you?"

"...What? Whe-?" he began before the embrace and the kiss, his earlier blush returning in force. Utterly dumbfounded he almost began trying to get out of her arms before she continued staring at her he tried to say something vaguely questioning before she released him, only to stagger after her as she seized him by the hand and dragged him into the club, turning an imploring eye towards the bouncer. Once inside, amid the slowly growing press of people dancing to the insistent beat of the music, he managed to ask "What?!" Subito, I must instruct you in more dexterous speech, you will gain enormously by it commented the Blue Dame to his mind, her deep voice greatly amused by the situation.

"I need to learn how to read some modern languages" Wve-Eye muttered dourly to himself. His life had previously never required him to know how to read anything more complex than pictograms, Thankfully, he was well-versed in the horrid power the strange three-part symbol on the wall signified: the great human invention of harnessing the energy inside the atom. He had little idea what an atom was, but it seemed to serve the humans well enough when it wasn't dealing hideous wounds or striking them with illnesses. The sounds of gunfire had abruptly ceased. This was almost more worrying than the constant barrages disrupting the tremors of the soldiers as they moved about. Thrusting the doors open with a laissez-faire attitude to what was inside, he cast a glance around his new surroundings, wondering idly how he would recognize an engine using raw entropy. "Perhaps someone here could be persuaded to tell me" he speculated aloud, scanning his environs for any guns trained in his direction.

A familiar feeling began to weave its way around the heart and mind of El Heraldo, as he stared briefly at Lorenzo. A feeling of meaninglessness, that no matter what he would never be strong enough, that every attempt he and Young Britannia made would be fruitless, that all was already lost. The big difference was that this time there was no accompanying horrors. Also he was very angry at how even slightly their quarry had escaped his mighty grasp. Thus, with a furious roar in which both voices were heard again "For the Island! For Puerto Rico!", and a fist filled with despairing power, he hurled himself at the emissary of Lemuria, and traitor to humanity. Slamming his left foot onto the hard ground with a spray of dirt, he gauged the distance between his hand and the man's sternum with a weary care, and swinging himself into the blow sent his fist ploughing into the man's wiry ribcage, a sudden surge of power filling him with a vigor he had never before felt, and which put a weight behind his arm like he had hit the man with an anvil!

TiffanyKorta, you okay with me editing it so that Subito just walks right up to Cerys? Subtlety isn't really something that he thinks to use much in daily life, after all.

As a matter of considerable coincidence, one of them could! Walking leisurely back to the bus stop, white shirt a little dusty from the construction site, Subito Sondo happened to be passing by the club with his hands in his jeans pockets and a broad smile on his face. The work had been quite exhilarating, the woman in charge had payed well, and nobody had taken a look at him and doubted he was old enough to work beside them for an instant. He was especially pleased at the last part. So, with a fresh influx of funds, a new work contact, new friends(he cherished his adult friends quite deeply), and a general sense of accomplishment, he glanced with mild interest at the various bodies and clothes belonging to them making their queued way into the bar... ...and saw Cerys in a sleek black dress walking up to the door and the impressive bouncer blocking it like she owned the place. He nodded slightly, and turned back to the sidewalk. I didn't think Cerys was the dancing type of girl, though come to think of it I don't really know too much abou-WAIT, WHAT?! Cerys? Here?? Like..that?! he stopped dead, staring into the middle distance in shock as the revelation abruptly realized its full import. Turning back at her he made certain he had recognized her Yeah, that's her hair, her shoulders, she always seems to carry herself just like that. No doubt about it he thought, still amazed. Suddenly conscious he was openly staring at her he blushed furiously, glanced around in embarrassment and without thinking beyond Maybe I can help? How, exactly? he walked right up to Cerys. On most occasions he would have been awkward about it, but in this case he just said to his schoolmate after waving to the bouncer "Hey. What's goin' on?"

I'll fluff that Wave-Eye has seen enough of nuclear power(from underwater testing of bombs to submarines) to know it means terror and lots of energy.

Tagged for Victory!

Attacking melee, Accurate Attack(+-2): 27! Critical! That'd be a DC29 TOU save! (26 normally from the Strike, 24 for Accurate +-2, +5 from the critical)

Heraldo's mind was currently awash with baffled questions. Who was Mr. Cloak working for? Did he have any ties to El Sierpe? How much would situations like this change if Glow gained the power to read minds? All questions with knotted answers, the kind he hated most. I wish I could...do something t'-gah! he started almost violently at the sight of Glow's telekinetic display. Glancing sharply at her he struggled briefly with conflicting emotions: on the one hand it was kinda freaky, and would probably impress even tough customers like Cloak. On the other, it might well be an uncontrolled flare-up of her powers, and very dangerous for the building and those within it. But how to discover if it was intended or accidental? Maybe...nah. "Glow, would you release the phone for a second? Mr. Cloak just might want to make a call soon"

DC20 Will save: 12. Seriously? Okay, looks like he won't be doing much this turn.

OOC for this thread. Catalyst and the King of Suits try their hand at stopping some thieves of a chemical laboratory's supplies.

GM June 23rd, Saturday, 2012, 8.45 PM Suzerain Chemical Lab, The North End The thefts had been going on for a week or so by this point, small batches of compounds here, a few vials there. In the most extreme case so far, an entire oil drum that was being examined to determine if it contained dangerous impurities had been carted off. They all, for whatever reason, were returned with no sign of tampering whatever. Apparently the oil was perfectly fine, though, according to the words chalked on its sides. They had started shortly after the strange disappearances and reappearances of the labs' chemists, some of whom vanished for two days without a trace, just long enough for their families to start to panic, and just before a serious effort to find them could be mounted. The people in charge of the laboratory had started to request police escorts for their personnel directly after the second mysterious vanishing, only for the escorts to turn up at the lab without their charge, and no memory of what had happened to their charge, to the dismay of just about everyone involved. That and the various difficulties in trying to keep the thieves out were seemingly insurmountable. To that end, the issue was kept mostly a tight secret, to prevent any wise guys from using the issue to extort money for phoney captives. Word, of course, traveled, especially to places with a similar raison d'etre like the Freedom branch of Franklin and Wesler Co.. "Hey, you heard about the stuff happening at Suzerain? You did? Aw, it's just crazy. I heard from the brother of one of the security guards they can't even get a solid witness, everyone who claims they saw the kidnappers, even if they give phone photos, dates and locations they all show something totally different, and some will be completely contradictory, even about things at the same time and place! Yeah, even the security stuff inside the lab can't catch a glimpse of the thieves, even when they're right in front of the cameras!" Even a few street people, who knew what they had seen, had a good handle on the situation at the beleaguered lab. They mostly kept their mouths shut, though some people could get them to open up. "Ah, thanks mister! You know, I've heard a few...things happening down by the chemical lab. Seen some things too, listen good..."

Right. Duh. Sorry for forgetting to do that: 31. Looks like he's out.

Nodding as he listened to Veronica, the King of Suits quietly marked down what she said in his small notebook, stopping abruptly at her closing words. In a sudden shift of tone he said "Hold on one moment. You say some minor members of your husband's organization had been going missing before his own demise? That might well be very important" he brushed off some grass that had gotten onto his clothes with a deft hand "Ma'am, if I may: who were the unfortunates who were lost before your husband was attacked? If you don't know, would you permit me to investigate them?" It might be nothing, they might have been killed by some embittered fellow driven to desperation, or someone like the Silencer. But..maybe they were in fact connected.