GranspearZX

Happy birthday, KD!

One outside, Crusader get himself settles into his new disguise. He didn't have a problem with Marceau seeing what he looked like; he had a feeling that, in this rare instance, it would be alright. That and he didn't want Marceau accidentally attacking him once they met up again. "Good luck..." Clark put aside his nervousness, adjusting the helmet and the gun the guard had. He still had his shield, but it was on his back in a way that wasn't immediately obvious. He took a deep breath before replacing the grate through which the King of Suits had gone. Then, he headed east at a somewhat brisk pace, ready for anything...

45 minutes earlier... Clark wasn't usually the type to go snooping, but when it came to his brother, he never gave it a second thought. He did, after all, have a key to his brother's house, given to him by his sister-in-law. Tonight, though, he headed straight for the rehabilitation center in Hanover. What he found wasn't necessarily good for his mood. He found his brother had, indeed, been getting treated there. While there was no official timetable for his release, his admission had not only been voluntary, but he'd been making some progress. A brief search of his room at the center found an old betting slip with a date on it--yesterday's, followed by a dollar amount and an address. It didn't take long for him to figure out what was going on, and he was almost blind with anger as he sped across the city back to the address--a construction site at the edge of the Fens, on the opposite side of the highway. Ben had to have known what was coming. Was he trying to martyr himself? That... that IDIOT. I swear, if he dies, I'll... But that was before he spotted the diminutive detective from the hospital. He nearly ate dirt from being startled by him and the speed at which he'd gained on him; in moments he'd hopped off his bike. He couldn't let on that he already knew the guy. He had to wonder what leads lead him here. Either way, he wasn't going to let anyone get in his way. Thus, he had to pretend as if he'd never seen him before in his life. He wasn't, however, willing to try and strongarm him off the case of Ben's assault. Not yet. "I dunno who the hell you are, pal, but if you're one of Mazziari's goons..."

GM Mess's run easily outpaced the motorcycle. As he approached, he could tell that the man on the bike was far smaller than the Riveter, so it definitely wasn't him. Instead, the man was wearing a red and white costume, and nearly skidded out of control when he spotted Freddy's approach. He skidded to a halt just past the entrance to the gate and quickly hopped off the bike, pulling his helmet off. "I dunno who the hell you are, pal, but if you're one of Mazziari's goons..."

1d20+6=22 So the gargoyle fails and gains a bruise. New round begins: 19 :: Gargoyles [bruised x1] [staggered, Stunned] 15 :: Arcturus [2 HP; Unharmed] 12 :: Warp [1 HP, Unharmed] 12 :: Errant [1 HP, Unharmed] 9 :: Glow [2 HP, Unharmed] 6 :: Heraldo [5 HP, Unharmed] and being stunned, the gargoyle can't do anything... so Arc stomps on it. 1d20+9=11 And he misses. D'oh.

GM "..." Trigger just shook his head; Smokey's gloved hand met his forehead as he did the same. "Nah, man. I'm talking upscale, suit-and-tie stuff. And you're not getting in without some sort of edge. The test they give at the door is always different but I'm pretty sure there's something involving metahuman stuff... Last time I got in, I had to light a candle from across a room. Failed it though; ended up blowing up the whole table it was on. Not my finest moment..." "And they really are few and far between," Trigger commented, ignoring the look of mock offense Smokey gave him. "If you insist on throwing yourself headlong into a bad situation, I'd better come with. No offense, but... you're gonna need a hand talking yourself into this club. Or out. Probably both."

"No, that's really what it is. Something about the magic involved that triggers peoples' instinct around predators. Not so much a problem if people are around me and the Beast Rune long enough, which is why most people at school don't have an issue with it. It is what it is. Whether you happen to find the explanation 'interesting' or not." Marcus's right hand slipped into his pocket for a second. When he realized that what he was looking for was missing, he checked all his pockets. "...well, crap. Forgot my key. Ah well. At least you were the one to say 'rich snob' and not me. Maybe you really can read minds." He started to walk away--he wasn't sure why he hadn't simply done that before. Part of him wanted to punch Darren right in his smug little jaw, even now, but he could think of better ways to channel that instead of keeping it buried. At least in that respect, Darren's 'insight' had been helpful, however unintentional it might have been.

"That wasn't what I meant to ask." Marcus shrugged. He really wasn't sure what to make of Darren, but he had to consider what he said. He'd always been so concerned with people finding out what his parents had done and subsequently judging him for it. Maybe he really had cut himself off from being something more than he currently was. He was a little annoyed at himself for not having seen it sooner, but this was likely why his instructors were making him get out a little more and interact with his classmates. "I don't remember saying I was interested in where your bar for interesting was, either. But... for the record? Nah, nobody told me that. I think even some of the instructors were a little intimidated by the whole bear transformation thing. Apparently it triggers a fight-or-flight response in most normal people."

"Twenty? That's it?" Crusader's expression went unchanged as the guard sang like a canary. The interrogation, such as it was, was going far better than Clark anticipated, but he wasn't ready to pat anyone on the back just yet. Snatching the radio off the guard's belt, Crusader finally dropped the him. It didn't take him long to process everything, either; immediately his mind had turned to something that would turn some of the negatives of the situation to their advantage. "Oh, I'm sure we'll get around just fine," he commented, looking over at the other guard. "Looks like we might need to blend in a little." He wasn't sure how he'd come up with the idea of disguising himself as a guard. On its face, Clark would probably never have considered taking a guard's clothes right off him. Desperate times, however, called for desperate measures, and on the periphery of his memory, he could see his grandfather doing something similar behind enemy lines in World War II... The apple really didn't fall far from the tree, it seemed. In minutes, Clark was changed, save the red cowl still covering his face. He intended to remove that as well, but certainly not in front of the guards. He looked to Marceau, then back at the guards. "...we should probably gag these two. Don't want any unnecessary surprises..."

"You're that sure you've got me pegged, huh?" Marcus thought about it for several moments. Was he really that boring? The more he considered it, the more sense Darren made--his underlying point, at least. He was still kind of a jerk, but it wasn't as if he was saying anything outright insulting. He'd come close when he almost implied that Marcus was lazy though; that really tended to rub him the wrong way. "You could have a point. Maybe. Maybe I am 'boring'. There's certain things about my powers that make the predictable a lot easier to deal with. What can I say? I'm kind of a control freak that way." It definitely seemed 'lazy', but if playing things safe meant he wouldn't have the same sort of mishap his father had... he would deal. He'd never been the type to be driven by notoriety. "So you know Elias too, huh?" Marcus had to wonder if Darren knew what he knew about Elias. They had very similar issues, which was probably why he ad Elias got along as well as they did. He certainly wasn't going to mention anything he wouldn't say in Elias's presence though; that was his story to tell, and Marcus didn't ask for detail for a reason.

"Yeah, well, people don't run screaming when they see your 'true self'. I swear, one day I'll Google myself and it'll look like something out of one of those terrible sci-fi channel movies..." Marcus didn't even want to think about what Googling himself might mean. He'd never tried it before. Then again, he hardly ever used his computer; he was always in a book... or a dark alley hunting the latest boogeyman. Zombies, vampires, ghosts... and then there was the cult that wanted his blood. Literally. With that much going on, he enjoyed quiet moments whenever he could get them. "I don't necessarily HIDE my magic, I just... I'd rather use the less risky aspects of it more often than just going all feral on everything. Boring, maybe, but hardly lazy. Most people don't really know who I am, bear or no bear, and that's fine by me. Makes it a lot easier to do what I've been doing."

GM "Don't you think you're exaggera-OOF!" Smokey's quip was cut off by an elbow from Trigger. "If you're really gonna try to get into The Seventh Chakra... you're probably not gonna get in like that." Trigger looked Supercape up and down for a moment, then shook his head. "Besides, you stopped her from using the dimensional what's-it-called here, right? Seems like the day's pretty well-saved to me..." "That and busting down the door of a legit business doesn't really seem like capework. Sounds more like something we'd--OW!" Smokey grumbled, rubbing at his side where Trigger jabbed him again.

Crusader's threats were empty ones; he never really intended to harm either one of the guards. He figured they had enough of a headache from being skullbashed by his shield. He could certainly play bad cop when he had to, and only once had he nearly crossed that line... He knew enough never to allow himself to go down that dark a path again. Still, he seized up on the man's collar, fully intending to play his role to the hilt. "I'd start talkin', son. I'm runnin' out of patience."

"It does when I do it," he commented. a demonstrative violet display of electrical energy passing between his fingers. "And what's so wrong with being normal anyway? If there even is such a thing as normal." He couldn't help but feel a little resentful, as if trying to live life as usual was some sort of taboo. And so flippantly, at that... Still, being offended or irritated was a colossal waste of energy, and he had plenty of other things to think about. "...are you usually this show-offy with your powers?"

GM "Are we seriously doing this?" Smokey looked at Trigger, who gave his usual, non-committal shrug. Smokey sighed a puff of smoke into the air between them and shook his head. "Alright. Knives was always a little bit of a loose cannon, even before he started running with us. He wasn't exactly a big guy, so he always had something to prove, y'know? It got worse when some of us started bein' able to... well..." Smokey demonstrated his point by letting his entire arm up to his elbow catch fire, returning it to normal instantly. "Knives got even more crazy just in the name of trying to keep up... the Old Man didn't like it, so he kicked Knives out. Which is a lot more than most people who don't cut it get... "About a month ago, he comes to me claiming he's hooked up with some new gang. Says he's got an angle on some new power he gets for joining up, money, et cetera... Wasn't really interested, but a week ago he says all he needs is someone to keep an eye out while his deal goes down here. I guess if this Taraxus thing is his deal, though... might already be too late for him." "If you really wanna confront Azel though, she owns this upscale bar over in Ashton called The Seventh Chakra. They're pretty restrictive on who they let in, though, so good luck with that."

Wow. ...Mess might actually catch up before the bike makes the gate then.

Marcus really was trying to keep his composure. Darren was a particularly trying individual, and Marcus understood why. He really seemed to believe he had the whole world figured out. That kind of overconfidence was just unpleasant to deal with in general. "If I needed help, I've got people i can ask," Marcus replied flatly. It was actually true; between other Parkhurst magic users, Professor Quinn, and instructors at Claremont, he could at least get a general idea of what to do next. "The first time I used my powers? I broke a guy's collarbone from tossing him across a room. And the last time I lost control of it, I almost dropped a car on someone. I'm not being patronizing, but, real talk, you don't know me." "...and the least you could do is pick one metaphor. 'It takes a village to build Rome in a day'? Really?"

Marcus's right eye twitched. Learning magic was hard enough to do on his own, but trying to explain it? Part of him wanted to pawn Darren off on Etain. She was infinitely more patient about this sort of thing, but then again, he didn't want to inflict someone like Darren on anyone. And he seemed hellbent on getting an answer. "...dumb magic gizmo?" He sighed and shook his head. "If we're talking about being better at running your mouth, then sure. Gold star. What I'm trying to do is use light as a weapon... sort of. It's complicated. My magic channels power between here and elemental planes, with me as a sort of filter between 'em. So yeah, I tend to ease back on the world-breaking armageddon-level natural disasters." The spell itself wasn't; the searing light spell actually required him to learn another first--hence the practice. And with all the vampires and ghosts and things that went bump in the night that he'd been encountering all over the city, he figured it was time to rely on his magical talent and not just the big angry bear all the time. It was clear that Darren didn't respect magic at all. Maybe he genuinely didn't know. Maybe he didn't care. Either way, Marcus could feel his control and patience being slowly chipped away. "There's no shortcuts. I don't need anyone's help. Least of all y-..." Marcus cut himself off, realizing his annoyance was starting to reach the point where he was going to say and/or do something regrettable. His eyes had even gone from brown to red without him realizing it. "...never mind. I've got this. I don't even know why you'd want to know. It takes study and focus and... you don't really seem all that interested in either."

"Believe me, it's a little bit different if you're using magic to break boundaries." Marcus had experience in the area. He'd seen the kind of megalomania that magic could give people, and that was just in a Doom Room simulation. His magic was limited to drawing on natural forces, not only for the sake of things around him, but for his own well-being--because he could use the same magic in his bear form. The consequences of that alone were enough for Marcus to actively limit the way he used his magical birthright. Especially given where his elemental magic was coming from. He's worse than Kat. Marcus smirked despite himself; the Beast Rune had a point. "He and I use similar magic but... it's really not the same. No harm in asking questions though... I guess." At least Kat wasn't trying to outsmart or undermine him. If there were ever an accurate test of his patience, this would certainly be it.

Marcus snorted; he really didn't like having his picture taken either. The Beast Rune briefly introduced the idea of Marcus snatching the phone out of Darren's hand and crushing it in his palm, but he'd get into all sorts of trouble for that... it really wasn't worth it. Perhaps more annoying was the prospect of having to explain his magic to someone who was clearly skeptical of its entire premise. He wasn't even sure if these were serious questions. "My abilities are a little more involved than that. Upsetting natural balance is never a good thing, so I avoid it when I can." There was also the fact that keeping the Beast Rune from turning him into a rampaging monster took up a considerable portion of Marcus's magical talent. The second he went overboard, his concentration would slip and the Beast Rune would likely go unchecked for hours. "What's it to you anyway?"

Marcus was concentrating. The Flame Rune across the back of his right hand glowed rightly as he concentrated on the heat of the sun. A white nimbus of light surrounded his index and forefinger as he muttered a phrase in Latin, drawing his hand back... "...!" Darren's untimely interruption made the spell instantly fizzle, the magic dissipating with a loud pop. He took a deep breath, biting back the urge to say the first thing that came to mind. Internally, the Beast Rune said it for him. ...it's him. We should end him. Marcus had never met Darren directly. There was something about the guy that just made his nonexistent fur bristle when he spoke. It was completely irrational, but Marcus had learned some time ago not to dismiss his emotions so flippantly. Instead, he turned to face Darren, unable to help but look annoyed. It wasn't really a hostile look; all things considered, he looked at everyone like that lately. "I can't do this indoors. Doesn't work without natural light anyway. Not even fake natural light... Darren, right?"

GM The largest construction site before the overpass leading back into the Fens was once supposed to be some sort of bus station. It had since been turned into a ragged auto repair shop, and not one of a particularly high reputation. It was a suspected cover for car thieves, though police surveillance had turned up nothing of the sort. From a fairly long distance, Hound and Mess could see a motorcycle speeding into the fenced-in lot--definitely going faster than what one would consider to be 'safe'.

GM "He's.... well, he's an acquaintance," Trigger said with a shrug. "He did want this though..." "Wait. What the hell happened down there?" Trigger explained the entire situation that Smokey had missed between their encounter in the basement levels of the apartment complex to the sprawling tunnel beneath. His eyes widened a little as Trigger described Taraxus. "...man, I knew he had metahuman envy, but that's just crazy. But, what, you want us to go on a manhunt for Knives now? Or Taraxus? Or whatever he's callin' himself now... Seems like the devil in the blue dress whisked him away somewhere. You could always go shake her down at her place if you're really that gung ho about it..." He chuckled, obviously joking... but it seemed that he had a pretty good idea where Azel might actually be.

March 15, 2013 Most people would have been planning something fun for an oncoming weekend, especially if they were turning 18 in a week. Marcus irons, however, was decidedly not most people. He hated his birthday. It wasn't something he openly discussed, and he'd never celebrated it at Claremont. It was a reminder of everything he'd lost... One of many reasons he was still so angry. Of course, it was that natural propensity for rage that drew out the Beast Rune's power back then as well. And thus, here he was, standing in the quad, trying out a new spell instead of hanging out with his friends. It was a surprisingly clear day, and Marcus had finally figured out the mechanics for actually utilizing the Flame Rune for more than just setting his hands on fire and punching things. Normally, he'd have performed this sort of thing at Parkhurst... but he'd already decided that he simply didn't feel like it, and he was at least reasonably certain that nothing would burn.

GM The STAR officer had the good grace to look confused, despite being obviously injured. Empty gun still in hand, his left arm had burn marks from the fireballs. "Who... who are you kids?" Despite the questioning, he seemed grateful to see someone that was real and not trying to incapacitate him, The gargoyles seemed genuinely surprised by the sudden turning of the tides--or rather, the one that was still moving freely did, Arcturus still towering over the one he'd swatted out of the air.