Thunder King

Crimson Tiger May 15th, 2022. Early Afternoon. Freedom City Mali gave a little turn and waited patiently. The designer was sketching her body to get a better handle on things. Mali's figure was a bit unusual, she knew, so the designer wanted to design for her. Once a brief outline of her body was done, the designer motioned her over. "Now, color, what are you..." "Crimson and black, please. They're my signature colors, and they look good on me." "I should have predicted." The designer chuckled. "I've been working with you for a while. Dresses aren't my usual forte, but I've designed a few. Besides, you've got a good eye for fashion." Mali nodded. "I'm thinking backless, sleeveless." "Sleeveless?" "I put hours into these guns." Mali shrugged. "I'm a superhero. I wanna be me." "Very well." The designer began to sketch. The top of the dress was attached to a pair of straps that ran up to a choker that Mali would wear. The straps would connect to the dress on her upper torso, split to cover her chest and expose her sternum, then connect to the rest of the dress, which would then extend around her lower body. That gave her plenty of mobility and gave Mali a chance to show off her sculpted upper body. The lower part of the dress would hug her hips and then split somewhere around her right thigh, giving her lower body maneuverability as well. Malia also requested long black gloves to match the dress. She was planning on some plain, relatively simple and comfortable black flats. She enjoyed looking elegant, but she did not enjoy foot pain. "Oh, one last idea." Mali said suddenly to the designer. "I want a shawl. A faux fur shawl." "Oh?" "Yeah, I want it to cover my upper body, my shoulders and upper arms. I want to wrap it around myself and then when I'm out there in public, I can just take it off and wow them." "I can arrange that. What are you going to do for a mask?" "I've got this composite alloy...thing, that someone agreed to make for me. It'll offer basic protection. It has a little clasp I can attach to put it on easy. OH, and I'm getting these contact lenses that will color my eyes greenish gold, like a real tiger." The designer nodded. "Well, I can get this put together with plenty of time. You'll come back for a fitting, we'll make adjustments, then I'll have it ready for you before you leave for the Gala." "Thank you so much. Just let me know when I need to come in for a fitting." Mali said. She stood up and walked out of the store. June 21, 2022 Crimson Tiger arrived. She held up the burner phone she brought and used it's camera as a mirror. Her makeup was flawless, even though people would only really see her lipstick. She smirked into the camera, and put her phone away. Trap or no trap, she was going to have a hell of a night. And who knows, maybe some actual fun for once?

Mali nodded. "So I have a few ideas" She stood up. "Why don't we start with some basic punches. Just learn the basic movements, learn how to move your bodies, to maximize the power and effectiveness. It sounds like you don't really have a problem with hitting hard." Mali stepped out into the middle of the room and threw a few quick punches. "Precise movements, with practice, can deliver consistent results. We're looking to consistently hit the target. Learn how to hit specific areas more often and more precisely." She did the same punches, again, this time practically in slow motion. "Notice how the punch starts with my hips, abs and chest before it gets to my arm. Notice how I have my feet planted. A wide stance to maximize power, but...." She did a quick Ali shuffle, moving her feet back and forth. "Also having a stance I can pop right back out of if I need to move. Honestly, I think starting with learning how to throw some basic punches would do you a lot of good. After that, we can work on grapples, kicks and other tricks." She motioned for Bernadette to practice. "Start slow, so I can watch your form, how you move. You'll get to actual punching soon enough.

"I thought like a person sometimes, and like a cat other times. I always remembered being a human, but how much I remembered changed, and I can't take any other forms." Simon eyed the food rather cautiously. "...I do like food." he admitted. "One thing about the future, the food got a whole lot better."

Cat-Sith Cat-Sith blinked a few times at the sudden change to a cabin. He was surprised, but it passed quickly. His life had been such a chaotic mess of magic lately that her spell, or whatever it was, didn't shock him nearly as much as it might have someone else, but he did get surprised. "...well I was born in 1742. I got turned into a cat because I stole a little cat statue, and I got turned back into a human last year. Well, except for the fact that I can still turn into a cat, and I have some other abilities even when I'm not a cat. Would you like to know anything else?" Simon was somewhat nervous, talking to an experienced superhero.

Adam chuckled. "Not sure if I want any wine myself, but, ehhh, maybe I'll try it. I'm not even sure if I can get drunk, actually." He put his arm around Lulu and relaxed. This was going to be a fun trip. "I might snack a bit on the charcuterie board, but I'll be nice about it and not devour it all myself, which I could." He gave Lulu a gentle squeeze and took a deep breath. "Wherever you feel comfortable, Davyd." he said.

Mali smiled. "Nice to meet you. I'm Crimson Tiger." She stood up and gave the young woman a quick smile. "No you've barely kept me waiting at all. I asked to meet here because I figured we could get down to business." "So, let me see." She began to pace slightly. "I'd like to get a sense of what you can do. Not just what your powers are, but what you've figured out about them. How you can use them, exploit them. I'm sure you've experimented with them, but maybe we can figure out some new tricks. You can tell me what you think you need to work on, and, maybe, I can help you."

Teachings from a Tiger: Crimson Tiger and Multi-Girl thread.

Claremont Academy Workout Room It was strange being back at Claremont after all these years. When she got asked if she wanted to mentor a student, she jumped at the chance. She was sitting in one of the work out areas, waiting patiently. She had sent a note along to Multi-Girl to ask her to come here instead of meeting elsewhere. She assumed the young woman would benefit from her particular areas of expertise; kicking down doors, kicking bad guy ass, and sneaking around when it was the smarter thing to do. She was vaguely aware that the young woman could make duplicates of herself. That was a neat trick, Mali reflected. She'd been in the heroism business for about ten years, and having a second Crimson Tiger around would certainly make that easier. She hadn't been there for long, and just needed to wait a few minutes.

Cat-Sith Simon didn't get the reference behind the booth, but that was okay. His mentor was an attractive woman, so that was a plus. "Salutations." He said, smiling. She looked about like what was described to him. Remarkably, she was shorter than he was. He was glad for that, everyone seemed to be taller than him in the future. "I am called Cat-Sith." he said, not sure how to greet her. He extended his hand. He realized that might not be appropriate, but he didn't know what was appropriate all the time. He hoped she would forgive him. "I can turn into a cat." he said, blurting it out for no reason in particular. He winced briefly, assuming she already knew that. Of course if she didn't know that, that was fine, too, best to establish an understanding.

Cat-Sith Magic sure is strange, Simon thought. This woman is strange, the beetles are strange, everything about this night has been strange. After he picked the lock, he decided to sit back and let the actual magic users do something, but now that this odd woman summoned these strange bugs, he might actually be able to help.

Mentors Crimson Tiger: former Claremonter, martial artist. Willing to mentor just about anyone Voltage: super genius computer expert, willing to mentor just about anyone. Student Cat-Sith; cat shape-shifter, sneaky. Could use any kind of help and would be happy to be mentored by anyone.

Cat-Sith Once inside, Simon stuck to the darkest parts of the shadows. He knew his eyes would shine in the dark, so he made sure to stay out of sight. He realized that Nevermore's machine couldn't follow him inside, and knew that was a problem. Charlie seemed like the kind of guy who liked to have a good handle on things, and losing track of Simon would bug him. Ah, well. Simon trusted his abilities. He would prioritize finding weapons, if he could. He assumed they would look like something that didn't belong. He knew he could handle himself quite well if caught, but he would first try to find weapons, and maybe see where their enemies were.

Adam considered the menu for a moment. "The adventurous one in me wants to try the skirlie, but I'll probably just settle for the macaroni and cheese." He gave Lulu a grateful smile. He truly did feel lucky to have such a wonderful girlfriend. She definitely made the dress look good. "The sheer history is just breathtaking, you know? I know my family name comes from England, but my genetics?" He looked down and gave a halfhearted shrug. "I'm not even sure how human I am, physically. Ah well." He took a deep breath and looked around at his friends.

Simon is going to use leaping to get up to the second floor, 28 for Skill Mastery on Stealth to sneak in. 15 on Notice to see if anyone is near where he is, and to listen for people. He has Low-Light Vision to help him see, and scent as well.

Adam chuckled. "I would love a snack, and I would really appreciate if you grabbed something for me. I, um, don't feel comfortable walking around the train much, as I'm sure you can imagine. While I don't mind getting close to some people." He gave a sidelong glance to Lulu. "I don't feel as comfortable doing so around other people. I can pay you back as soon as you get back with it, but, erm." He shrugged. He stretched out a bit on the bed and sighed. "This is going to be an interesting trip."

Basement: Cat-Sith (with Blackstaff and Ouroboros) Cat-Sith had been disoriented for a moment and saw that he was now in the basement. Great, away from the pretty girls and the fun gathering of colorful people, and stuck in the cellar of an old building. Luckily, though, he heard Ouroboros mention that the door was locked, so he could at least be useful there. He had no magic other than his shapeshifting, but living on the streets of Freedom had lead him develop certain...skills. Cat-Sith reached into his pocket and pulled out a small lockpicking kit. He walked over to the door. "This building is pretty old, and the lock is pretty old, too." He fiddled around for a moment, and heard a satisfying click. "Lucky me." He opened the door slowly.

Cat-Sith Simon blinked. "I heard there was magic on All Hallow's Eve being done. I couldn't think of a more interesting place to be than right here. I don't have any magic to do myself, other than turning into a cat. Where else would I be, but the most interesting place to be?" He didn't get up from his luxurious chair, for fear that someone might steal his spot.

Cat-Sith The small cat in the chair stretched out like a cat for a moment before shifting and growing in mass as he moved. Moments later. Simon, in his simple costume, was sitting in the chair instead of the cat. He leaned back. He looked almost comically small in the large upholstered chair, and smugly content with his luxurious choice of seat. He was enjoying the show of colorful, interesting people.

Cat-Sith is going to try to look around the exterior of the building and see if there are any open windows he can spy into, and if there's anyone in them. If there are any people on any of the other floors, he'll figure it out. I assume Charlie's drone will follow him so he can also observe. Since Simon can't talk in cat form. 28 Stealth (Skill Mastery) 13 For notice. I don't really want to blow an HP this early into the thread

Adam took a deep breath. He was excited, and somewhat nervous. He had never been this far from home. He grinned at his wonderful girlfriend, who had managed everything admirably. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a short sleeved shirt. If anyone noticed the scarring on his arms, they said nothing. "Thank you, sweetheart, for making the arrangements." He gave her an appreciative hug. "It's times like this that I wish I was a bit...shorter." He was grateful for having his own cabin, considering his height. The bed looked comfortable enough. He had brought his Switch, his tablet, his laptop and enough clothes. Of course he could carry all of his gear effortlessly, so it didn't matter, much.

tagging, JUST in case

Simon was not a mage. He did not have magic powers, but, he was a creature of magic. He managed to sneak in, in cat form, behind one of the people. He climbed up on to a chair, still in his cat form, and curled up a bit. His yellow eyes were the only thing that belied his intelligence, as he was clearly watching the conversation. Anyone who could sense magic, however, would know him for what he was. He did not understand magic, but wondered, perhaps, if he should try to learn it.

Simon had been quietly observing his new teammates. He'd been told that these were his team of future heroes, and had been asked to help out. He was in cat form, sticking to the shadows. He made sure not to lose his teammates, keeping an eye on them as he snuck around. A little black cat with a white spot on his chest wove in and out of the area. He never lost track of them, and he suspected that some of them would at least have an idea where he was. He knew better than to assume he could take any sort of leadership position, rather, he felt like he would be best suited as a sort of forward scout. After all, Freedom still had a great number of stray cats. What was one more?

Tagging

Initiative for Talos; 12 Huh, not fast,