ic Ren Faire: Training Grounds (IC)

[Poncho]

(Golden Star)

 

"Man I wish we could participate." Michael said with a complaint as they made their way to the stands. "I get why, but like, I know how to control myself. I wouldn't go too far with it." It was a remnant of his eternally competitive sports player that he had to give up once he got Superpowers; Michael might have liked being a Superhero, he might have liked Claremont, he might had had grand ideas for who he was going to be, but he had also really liked being great at sports. So whenever he saw something like this, he was prone to getting a little sour.

 

When the Black Knight made an impressive swing and defeated another challenger, raising his sword high for the approval of the crowd, Michael blanched a little.

 

"I wonder if he has powers. Probably not, I guess. Still, he does seem pretty good at the acting and the fighting both. Maybe there's something to learn from watching him play to the crowd." he said, trying to come up with a positive spin on the situation. 

 

"You don't have to be a squire, Parker! You can be Sir Percival, the most noble and well mannered of all the Knights!" 

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

"That Black Knight is cool, right?" said Baz. "I mean, you have to admire his huge weapon...!"

 

The air hung still, and Baltazar's antannae glowed. 

 

"I mean, yes... its a very large sword. That's what I meant!" he added. 

 

He cast his insectoid around for other contestants. "But why don't we have any kung-fu knights? I mean, didn't they have kung-fu in medieval europe?"
 

Baltazar did not have much of an education, but he did know his old kung fu films. 

 

"Anyway I am sure we could beat them all, even without powers! I mean, all you have to do is wiggle a sword around a bit... hi-yaaa! hi-yaaaa!" he proclaimed, miming some swordwork that simultaenously appeared to be both flashy and ineffective. 

[Thevshi]

GM

 

The Claremont students had just settled in to watching the sparing exhibition, Parker felt a slight feeling off in the distance that reminded him of Lawerence using his powers. But even as he turned toward the direction of the town square, he was barely able to pick up something else, a human sized figure streaking through the air, coming down in the middle of the sparing expedition.

 

The other teens saw something drop down from the sky, landing between the Black Knight and his opponent. Then the two armored men were sent flying through the air, crashing to the ground over a dozen feet away. Standing where they had been sparing was a short young woman with long blonde hair tied in a braid. She was dressed in bell-bottom jeans and a white tunic, a white lily in her braided hair.

 

Looking around at the other armored and armed men that were part of the exhibition, she called out. "Tools of the oppressive patriarchy! You want to fight, come fight me!"
 

[Poncho]

(Golden Star)

 

"...Is this part of the show?" Michael asked, a little confused. "It's not a bad twist, but a bit out there. I didn't figure they did this sort of stuff." he mumbled to the others. "Maybe Sam and Daphne were right to dress up like those old SciFi serial characters."

 

He watched for a moment, looking at the Black Knight carefully. If it seemed like this wasn't intended, or if the people who should know what was happening didn't know what was going on, he was making himself ready to step in if he needed to, looking momentarily at Bazz and Parker as he shifted in his seat.

 

He didn't want to go off before there was any apparent danger, but he didn't want to be left behind or leave people out to dry if this wasn't planned. So he decided to go with what he felt might get to the center of the problem.

 

He stood up and cheered, clapping his hands like this was part of the show and he was into it.

 

"WOOO!"

[RocketLord]

Spaceman

 

Parker shrugs at Michael's suggestion. Sure, he could be a knight, but it's nice to not stand out and just be part of the crowd, right?

 

"Europe didn't have those kinds of monks, Baz," Parker responds. He is used to Baz bringing out crazy ideas like that, but still... He decides not to comment on the other bit, since Baz obviously backpedaled.

 

He looks up the moment before the woman arrives. Something about her is off. The way she appeared, it was like the space around her was bent, changed. Kind of like Lawrence.

 

"Definitely not part of the show," he says to Michael, while standing up next to him. The woman haven't hurt anyone seriously yet, but she seems aggressive. Should he step in? See what happens?

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

"Oppressive Patriarchy?" said Baz, scratching his head. "You should go take a look at the drug Cartels in Mexico if you want to find an oppressive patriarchy, lady!"

 

He paused, a moment of inspiration hitting his chaotic brain. He leaned over to his friends and raised his hand to give a conspiratorial whisper. 

 

"Wait... does she think this is real? like, Kings and Queens and all that jazz? I don't know my history, except for kung fu obviously, but wasn't it all like an oppressive patriarchy back then?"

 

As far as Baz was concerned, the USA was neither oppressive or patriarchal, at least by his standards. The drug cartels of Mexico had raised the bar pretty high when it came to oppression - and patriarchy for that matter. 

 

"And more importantly, when do we blast her?"

[Thevshi]

GM

 

There were mixed reactions among the other bystanders to the various events out on the training grounds. Some were clapping, thinking it was part of the show. However, others appeared concerned, or at least uncertain what was going on.

 

Meanwhile, the armored men that she had tossed aside, were helped to their feet by others. None of the participants in the staged melee seemed sure what to do and none moved forward to engage the young woman.

 

This seemed to annoy the young woman, who looked around at the crowd. "You should not be celebrating these symbols of an oppressive past, free your minds from the prison of time!"

 

She then flew over to an empty section of stadium seats and lifted them up into the air and then throwing them over towards the archery targets in the nearby archery range. This led to scrams and panic among the bystanders, many of whom started quickly moving away from the area…
 

[RocketLord]

Spaceman

 

"I don't know," Parker responds to Baz's question about whether the woman thinks this is all real. He isn't really paying full attention to his friend right now, more concerned about the woman. Baz's question is right, though. Do they intervene, or let it play out? She haven't really done anything dangerous yet, aside from the way she showed up, and the way her arrival sort of reminded Parker of Lawrence, when he does his time thing...

 

And then she starts getting violent. 

 

"Let's try to settle things peacefully before we start blasting, alright?" 

 

Parker doesn't blame Baz, things are probably going to get out of hand, like they always do, but he has to try, at least, even if she seems like she isn't going to listen.

 

Rising from his seat, he focuses, his powers pulling in his costume around him. White, black and gold, he takes a step forward, and then he is floating in the stadium between the woman and the archery range, arms crossed over his chest, while his black cape rushes forward from the sudden movement.

 

"Please stop, you're putting people in danger. Please explain what you want, and I will try to help, but you have to stop throwing things around before someone gets hurt."

[Poncho]

(Golden Star)

 

Michael still wasn't sure if this was part of the show or not. But he was pretty sure he had a way to let this pass if it was. He fumbled around momentarily and put his fake knight's helmet on, covering his face and head to go along with his body hidden under his chainmail, and took a mighty leap out into the arena, raising his hands and his fake foam sword as he exults the crowd, trying to make them cheer for him.

 

"Haha! I am the great Sir Gawain! While you may have defeated the others at this contest, oh maiden fair, do not be deceived! For the Knight of the Sun is here to challenge you for the honor of our great King and Country, with my great Galatine, I shall defeat you and restore honor and safety to those who watch these events! I have no desire to engage with rule breakers or rule shakers, and lest you forget; I can not be beaten during the daylight hours!"

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

The Cockroach Kid muttered under his breath. "Razzafrazzin wait before blastin'...."

 

He hopped from foot to foot, undecided what to do. At least, he thought, he could dispense with the faux-armour. In but a jiffy, he threw away his foam sword and chucked away his helmet. 

 

"Behold!" he shouted. "I am Sir Gamma of Buzz, and, fairish Lady who is not fair, I am here to defend the wicked and smite the goodly! So stay the hand or thee will face the amazing power of Cock... er, wait, that sounds like an oppressive patriarchy, doesn't it? I mean the amazing power of Roach!"

 

He screamed his monologue with one hand on his chest, one to the air, in a classic dramatic pose. 

 

Then he dropped into a cool defensive posture. I mean, she might throw an explosive cow at him or something. 

 

[Thevshi]

GM

 

The young woman watched as Spaceman flew into the air and called out to her to stop what she was doing before glancing over toward Gamma Buzz as he got out of his faire costume and called out a challenge as well.

 

"Some supporters of the oppressive patriarchal system I see!" She answered in return before focusing her attention back on Spaceman. "Just the types I liked to duke it out with!"

 

She then flew up into the air and delivered a powerful punch to Spacemen.
 

[RocketLord]

Spaceman

 

The others act up, tries to make it all seem like part of the show. Parker is kind of happy about that, but on the other hand, this seems like the situation where it would be best to get everyone out of here. Still, he trusts Baz and Michael, they know what they're doing.

 

Unlike this woman.

She is not listening. Just attacking. There's too many people like that, why won't anyone ever try to talk things out instead of fighting?

 

Her hit hits him in the guts, but Parker barely flinches, even with the sheer force behind the blow. He can take it. For now, at least. Reaching out, he grabs hold of her arm. 

 

"For the record, I tried to talk things out with you."

 

Spaceman pulls at her, trying to headbutt her while he has her held, then grabs hold with his other hand as well, one arm under each of her arms from behind as he turns her around, so she's facing his friends. "Buzz! Star! She's open!"

[Poncho]

(Golden Star)

 

She might be open, but it's not sporting to hit a lady who can't move, and Michael was playing the Chivalrous Knight. If he did something uncouth, then it might make the audience realize this wasn't a game. So he needed to play to being Sir Gawain.

 

He taised his foam sword up and began to glow, bathing the arena in a golden light, possibly blowing his cover, but playing like he was still Gawain. As he did so, he raised a hand at the woman, holdimg his palm out.

 

"Face my condemnation of the Sun, my worthy foe! Let the light of the Sun cast judgement upon you!"

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

"Hiiii-la! Hoop-la!" 

 

Gamma Buzz looped into the air with an elegant spin, landing, face down, on the side of a wall. He stuck to the masonry just like a radioactive cockroach might. 

 

"Something something chivalry and all that," he shouted down. "Um. Noble regal lances and helmets and m'lady. That will do. Now I can blast you."

 

He squinted, and two thin green laser beams sprung from his eyes, carving into the woman. 

 

"How you like them apples!"