ic Hours in the Day [IC]

[Gizmo]

Jill breathed a sigh of intense relief as her partner finally managed to effect the chainmail clad juggernaut. She'd gotten a little cocky, letting him get in so close and resorting to her touch based powers rather than keeping him at a distance with her force fields, but there wasn't much to be done about that now except to press the advantage while they had it. "Okay, take two," she muttered to herself in English, gathering as much power as she could into her fist, virulent light seeping forth from between her finger, darkened by floating spots of shadowy jetsam. She didn't have the same wells to draw upon as her brother, but to her own metamagi nature it was as reflexive as drawing back her arm for the blow itself. "<Eat luminous immune system overload, Chuckles!>" the young woman demanded before springing forward and slamming the butt of her palm up into the disoriented knight's nose.

Rather than a glancing touch, this time she actively poured her sickly power into her target, coaxing his own body's defenses to turn against each other. With a choked gagging sound, the Sword of Santiago's eyes when wide and unfocused as the veins in his face turned a dark, prominent green. The imposing swordsman suddenly held himself with much less certainty, his free hand clutching his stomach as he slipped again and fell to one knee, further reducing the rooftop's supply of tiles.

[Fox]

hah! - go Ellie - see how he likes that Dragonfly grinned to herself, the Sword of Santiago's discomfort apparent even from back where she was standing. And if his system was taking nearly as hard a hit as it looked like....

Her suit's wings flared to life, four long blades of twisted space and light that didn't quite touch the small nodes built into the back of her suit. It was a matter of seconds to take off and shoot straight toward the swordsman, but that was all the time it took for the plates on her right gauntlet to flex outward, something deep in the inner workings of the suit rearranging and linking the armor plating directly to its rather potent power source. Neon-tinged electricity was already crackling between her fingers as she arrived - the only warning he got before her hand touched his torso and a decidedly unhealthy amount of energy decided the guy in chainmail might make a nice path to ground.

[Gizmo]

The knight abruptly straightened from his bent posture when Dragonfly's gauntlet connected, his body going rigid as the presumably mystical armor he wore proved to be as effective a conductor as its mundane equivalent. Electricity rushed downward, leaving a blackened mark on the rooftop's ceramic tiles about the shocked swordsman's feet. Even so, with a wild look in his eyes, he seemed determined not to go down. "<Th-the gr-g-grace of t-t-the-->" the obviously delusional attacked managed to grate out before his jaw seized up on him despite his best efforts.

[Gizmo]

"<Yeah yeah...>" Jill muttered in response to their foe's incomplete objection. "<Good night, Irene.>" Reeling back, she slugged the knight once more across the jaw with her glowing hand, snorting with satisfaction as he finally crumpled against the rooftop. The mystical blade fell from his fingers as he lost consciousness, clattering loudly and sparking with crimson energies. Quickly throwing a crackling blue bubble of bioelectrical force around it, Jill watched as the fanciful costume disappeared from their beaten opponent, leaving a perfectly ordinary man in simple casual wear at here feet.

"So..." she began, looking to her armored amore. "Cuenca was kind of a bust."

[Fox]

[bg=#555555]"Enjoyed it up until sword-swinging idiots started threatening people,"[/bg] Dragonfly agreed, scowling down at the man and the sword. Little lights danced behind her eyes as she quietly linked into the nearest security system and started reviewing footage for anything that could expose their identities. [bg=#555555]"Didn't expect this in a tourist city. Sort of wonder what his problem was. Suppose the police can take care of it?"[/bg]

The armored heroine tapped a finger against her leg in thought for a moment, and then shook her head. [bg=#555555]"Do have a backup vacation spot. Or two. Since this didn't really work out. Can still get some use out of the teleporter."[/bg]

[Gizmo]

"I think he was saying something about the cathedral, the one that doesn't allow photography or anything. 'Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Gracia'," Jill suggested, flourishing vaguely with her glowing hand as she recited the building's full title. "Or whatever. Guy seemed pretty out of it, so he's probably fine now that we got that sword away from him. We can just turn him over to the local law." She had to admit that she knew next to nothing about Spain's superhero community let alone the structure of their police force, but it didn't seem like it would be too hard to get the proper authorities there to take over. "...yeah, y'know what, backup plan it is. It's been weirdly stressful to stick around here now."

[Fox]

[bg=#555555]"Think we interrupted the tourism for a while, anyway,"[/bg] Dragonfly agreed, sighing as she looked down at the (all things considered, really quite minimal) damage, both to the roof and to the store front across the way.

She managed to get the unconscious man bound with her handy zip-ties and down to the ground shortly before the police arrived, at which point she tried not to make her girlfriend do all the talking; normally she was more than happy to let others deal with the authorities but this time it just didn't seem like it'd be...fair, maybe. She was more than happy when they had a chance to excuse themselves, though.

As soon as they were back to where they'd started she let her armor go, her suit disappearing back the same way it had came until she was left in her street clothes and choker. And from that choker she - with suspicious cheer - pulled a gold-and-red-glass armband, inspecting it for a moment to make sure it was no worse for wear. "Probably going to need this," Mara said, as casually as she could manage. "You are, I mean - built one into my choker, just in case. Going to be very cold."

[Gizmo]

Depositing her mask and gloves back in her bag but not bothering with the rest of her reasonably casual look costume, Ellie accepted the armlet with as eyebrow the lifted into her dyed black bangs. "You do get that I'm supposed to be giving you presents today, right?" she asked, the hint of a laugh behind her voice as she affixed the piece to her upper left arm. As much as Mara protested a complete lack of interest in appearance, she took a considerable amount of pride in her work and as such had produced a handsome if presumably strictly practical accessory. It also didn't escape the pre-med student's notice that it had been rendered in hues that complimented her taste and complexion rather than the silver and blue the engineer would have chosen for herself. "Should I be worried by the need for very pretty safety gear?"

[Fox]

"Should probably note that armband won't work forever. Three days of use, maybe, before it loses charge. Could make you a more long-lasting version later, if you want."

Mara pulled a cell phone - or, at least, what probably used to be a cell phone; the entire back had been removed to make room for widgets and whatnots - and dialed something, muttering some math under her breath for a moment before continuing. "But perfectly safe, or should be. Quiet. Few tourists. Besides-"

The world turned inside-out again, the little room in Spain briefly becoming Mara's apartment again before there was the odd feeling of suddenly switching directions. Ellie's armband kicked to life just before they arrived, a pleasant warmth spreading out from it just in time to protect her from...the snow. Piles of it, as far as the eye could see, a pristine landscape of frost and mountains and an unusually familiar mountain pass. "- we've been here before."

[Gizmo]

Ellie raised a hand to her eyes, thinking for a moment that she had been somehow dazzled by the teleportation. After blinking a few times and taking a crunching step forward in the heavy snowfall the reality dawned upon her and she let out a genuine, throaty laugh. "Oh my-- You remembered, huh? Big sap." Turning around, the acrobatic young woman ran through the snow with surprising grace to tackle Mara in a bear hug, sending them both toppling into a snowbank where she wasted no time in pressing her lips to those of her girlfriend to adequately indicate how pleased she was with the surprise.

[Fox]

It was more than a little while before Mara thought it important to answer, as her important speaking bits were pleasantly otherwise occupied. When they did finally break apart - for air, or just a short break - she leaned back in the snow looking rather pleased with herself. went better than expected "Was going to surprise you earlier, but didn't find it in time," she said, the briefest flicker of a frown crossing her face before it got completely washed out by post-makeout mellowness. "This place, I mean. Hard to track down. But worth every hour it took."

[Gizmo]

"You're such a rockstar," Ellie chuckled as she rolled through the bank to lie next to her girlfriend, one arm draped across Mara's stomach and her chin resting in the space between the inventor's shoulder blade and neck. With the consideration of cold removed, the thick snow made an accommodating mattress, offering a chance to recover from the unexpected stress of their previous destination. "Granted, Cuenca definitely had more stuff to do, but you're raking in beaucoup romance points." It was more than a little unconventional, but so had been the circumstances of their meeting. "Can't beat it for getting some privacy. How does this work, anyway?" she asked, glancing toward the armband.

[Fox]

"Science," Mara replied, teasingly, settling back in the snow a bit. "Actually a force field, sort of. Traps enough body heat to keep you warm, isn't high-energy enough to block contact with your surroundings. Or protect you from attack. Need much more potent energy source for that." She idly brushed some snowflakes off her forehead, frowning. "Too expensive to mass-produce, and has a bad battery life, so not too practical for wide use. But good for short trips into the cold."

"Probably right about not having as much to do. Very pretty, though. Strange urge to...not sure. Build a cabin here, or something. Not even sure how to. Portable cabin? If we ever wanted to come back. Cozy, could find things to do there."

[Gizmo]

"If only you'd invented some sort of technology for bringing access to a larger space with you wherever you went," Ellie sighed in mock wistfulness, playfully sending a cascade of loose snow from the bank above their heads raining down atop them with a swipe of her free hand, still enamored by the sensation of the flakes against her skin without the chill. "...do you think we could actually do that?" she asked after a pause, staring up at the arctic sky. "Just have a place away from everything... Ah, when would we even have time to enjoy it? I guess it'd be kinda crazy to build something here."

[Fox]

"Mmh," Mara pondered. hadn't really given it thought - guess we could? "Specialize in 'crazy', you know. Could...probably build something if we really wanted it? Weekends or short vacations? Would probably need to find or pay for plans, but could do actual building with drones, keep location secret and costs low. Not so bad, but would take time."

She frowned at their surroundings for a moment, idly trying to ponder where she might be able to hide a well-fortified cabin, before glancing over at Ellie. "Could make it happen, if you wanted," she offered, in honest seriousness. "If you thought it might be nice to have. Could probably use a couple 'hidden' labs, myself. Just in case."

[Gizmo]

"Oh, I know you could, corazoncito," Ellie responded to the offer without hesitation, tightening her embrace slightly and nuzzling her nose into the crook of Mara's neck. "You can do anything." It was casually said, and the medically trained young woman didn't give it much thought even afterward. It wasn't an opinion so much as reminding her girlfriend of a simple fact. "I can see having back-up workshops being useful, but I'm betting you've got more important things on your plate than building a lake house in the arctic we'd barely get to use anyway."

[Fox]

"Mmh. Maybe." Mara frowned a little, briefly running through her mental list of things that needed to get done soon or soonish. not sure when that list got so long - not important right now "Did say it might take a while, if I did it - would have to prioritize other things. Not really willing to just throw money at it and make it happen."

She shifted onto her side a little so that she could wrap her arm around Ellie's waist. "Something to think about, at least, when I do have the time. Might be worth being able to do this more often."

[Gizmo]

"Oh baby baby," Ellie chuckled throatily as she tucked her chin downward a bit to accommodate Mara's repositioned embrace, "you know it drives me wild when you talk fiscally responsibly to me." Letting her eyes close for a few moments, she enjoyed the simple quiet, the softness of the snowbank and the subtle warmth provided by the armband and her partner. "This is... just amazing," she breathed quietly, almost afraid to break the spell as she opened her eye to stare across the stark landscape. "Thinking about how far we are from anyone else, how totally--"

"NO, HAHN, YOUR FACE!" a voice abruptly bellowed from somewhere far to their left, behind a sizable outcropping of ice that obscured their view.

The first voice was followed quickly by a more modulated but no less irate answer, "That doesn't even make sense and you know it! Dammit, Gross, get back to your post!"

[Fox]

At the first voice, Mara lifted her head up in confusion; at the second, she reluctantly removed her arm from her girlfriend's waist to sit up a little and stare at the outcropping like it had questioned her maternal lineage. "What."

not supposed to happen "What is-- it's the arctic," she insisted, albeit quietly - she was frustrated, but not frustrated enough to want to draw the attention of whoever was arguing. Not yet, anyway. "Supposed to be empty. That's the point. ....think my brain will explode if it's another idiot with a sword."

[Gizmo]

Ellie sat up as well, looking fairly horrified by the development herself. "I... I don't know?" she attempted lamely, casting about for her bag and reflexively rummaging about for her bandana mask before doing anything else. She didn't know who in the arctic might actually recognize her without it, but then she didn't know who would be in the arctic in the first place.

"Or what, I might miss some piece of vital snow-related intelligence?" the voice identified as Gross continued to shout, its owner having stopped just on the other side of the outcropping and turning back to answer by the sound of it. "We've been here for eleven months, Hahn. Eleven months cooped up in a pointless little outpost and the closest thing to a woman in all this godless ice is Ackerman over there."

"H-hey!" a third, higher pitched voice protested from further away while Ellie put the rest of her costume back on and motioned to Mara for silence until they knew what they were dealing with.

Hahn spoke up again, the strain of being the voice of reason evident in his tone, "What about Drescher?"

There was a pause before Gross spoke up again. "Like I said, the closest thing to--"

"Oh, go to hell, Gross!" an angry, feminine voice interrupted, bringing the total to at least four.

"At least it would be WARM!" Gross shouted back. "Investigating possible signs of Eldritch my ass, this is punishment detail and you all know it! I had a little more in mind when I joined Overthrow then trying to find out if every snowflake is actually unique by checking them all by hand!"

[Fox]

At the word 'Overthrow', Mara's face went completely flat - well, flatter than normal, anyway. Then she made a face like somebody had punched her between the eyes, and then she turned to Ellie and mouthed 'SHADOW??' with what would have clearly been incredible incredulity, had it been vocalized.

unbelievable odds - seriously - should buy lottery tickets The engineer's choker lit up, the familiar spatial ripple sweeping across her body to leave her armor in its wake. Her force field wasn't far behind, twisting into being around her profile; just because they sounded like bumbling idiots didn't mean she wasn't going to be prepared to take them seriously.

[Gizmo]

Ellie's own expression as she caught on to who their unexpected neighbours were was considerably easier to read than Mara's, for all that it couldn't quite seem to decide between legitimate concern and impatient annoyance. Overthrow was theoretically more active in Europe, so most of her cursory knowledge of the terrorist organization came from the news, but it sounded like this group had been specifically sent to investigate what had happened in the arctic the previous Christmas Eve. She wasn't sure what her own reasoning was, but somehow that seemed to make them their responsibility. Putting a finger to her lips to call for silence, she crept toward to outcropping of ice, hoping to take advantage of the element of surprise.

[Fox]

Mara nodded, carefully getting to her feet - she didn't trust her armor to be light enough to stay as silent on the snow as Ellie (and she did have to admire the way Ellie moved); she trusted her wings even less, considering that they weren't really designed for stealth. although - interesting project - save for later - reduce vibrations?

What she DID trust was speed and surprise. She stood as still as possible while Ellie crept closer, waiting until her girlfriend was in place before getting her attention and holding up three fingers. Two fingers. One finger....

She took off, wings flaring into being and sending her coasting over the snow, gliding sideways past the ice as the very, very unlucky Overthrow goons came into view. The one unfortunate enough to be closest got the distinct displeasure of the nice big spatial distortion she'd built as she moved. [bg=#555555]"Hello!"[/bg]

[Gizmo]

Grinning in spite of herself, Jill hoisted herself over the outcropping with one hand in time to see a man in a rather ostentatious red and black parka stumbling backward as Dragonfly's attack shattered the ice under his feet. "What the what?!" Gross sputtered, his voice recognizable as belonging to the lackey who had been so loudly complaining a few moments earlier.

His toppling trajectory sent him directly into the medic's path, allowing her to wrap a glowing hand around from behind to cover his exposed face. "Time to take your medicine, chumly." A quick application of her biology disrupting touch seeped deep into his veins, causing the disgruntled terrorist to shudder before going lax.

"...typical..." he managed before crashing face first into the snow.

"The hell?!" shouted a bearded man as he and two other Overthrow agents in matching outfits went for their weapons. "Light them up!"

[Fox]

went even better than expected - go Ellie - one down - three left - let's see [bg=#555555]"'Light them up'?"[/bg] Dragonfly tilted her head, picking out a target and swooping his way before they could bring weapons to bear. sure - why not

[bg=#555555]"Good idea."[/bg] The plates on the armored heroine's gauntlet flexed as she reached out and placed one hand on Ackerman's arm; for the briefest of seconds it seemed like a harmless, vaguely futile gesture...and then something in the inner workings of the gauntlet clicked, shunting no small amount of electricity through the metal and into his body. [bg=#555555]"Glad I thought of it."[/bg]