April

While a part of her was elated to see Erik and the others the rest of her was still overwhelmingly angry and distraught.  Her white hair streamed behind her as she strode purposefully toward the supine Darkness, the dryad's cuts and bruises healing and fading.  As she grew closer the vines lashed around the wrists and neck of the fallen Atavism and lifted her up and stretched her arms wide.

Min stood there for a moment contemplating the woman that killed Talya, tendrils wrapping around her own arm and forming into a large spike.  She hesitated for only a moment, but then her expression hardened and she lifted her arm to strike... only to stop and snap her head around in the direction of the debris.  Darkness momentarily forgotten, Min launched herself in the direction of the scratching she heard and started to toss aside chunks of debris.

Notice: 1d20+15 32

"Sister Nicola," she answered stressing the title somewhat, not because she was trying to talk herself up but just because she was trying to cling to who she was.  "I am, or rather was, a nun.  This may be difficult to believe but Church life is not exactly free from drama."  She made a throwing away gesture with her hand, like she was discarding that train of thought.

"And just who are you?" she now asked, raising a dark eyebrow.  "Other than not being the person I was hoping you'd be."

Min's lips twisted into a half smile as she filled up Talya's cup while she gave Dimitri's question some thought.  "I knew a little about Talya before I met her," she began. "My husband would speak about her on occasion, but it was only until recently that I had the pleasure of meeting her for myself."

Min paused for a moment to take a drink.  "The children and I just returned from the park and as I was putting them down for a small nap my little spies," she inclined her head toward some of the plants, "informed me of our guest.  So as a proper host would, I went to meet her and make sure she was properly welcomed."

Min was the shorter one now with Talya in her heels though one could argue that her long white hair--tamed, bound and braided--added enough height to make them even.  Not that she really minded the extra height the heels gave Talya, the heels provided other perks as well.

Min reached out and knocked on the door; as much as she had adopted to the modern world, the dryad was still 'old school' in some mannerisms.  One didn't just enter a home unless invited, even if it was your mother-in-law's.  She cocked her head to Talya, returning the smile.

"Mm, much too late to run now, dear heart," the ancient guardian said, running a hand down the Englishwoman's spine and letting it rest at the small of her back.  Cradling Mia in her other arm Min smiled down at her older daughter, extremely pleased with how quickly Eden had adapted to, and adopted, Talya.

Despite herself and the situation she was in Nicola laughed.

"This is a joke, right?" she asked her accent coming through a little thick as she gestured at the extravagance.  "Put a shirt on you strutting peacock." Oh crap, did I say that out loud? Nicola thought to herself looking suddenly abashed.  She coughed and tried again.  "I was promised food."

"Oh," Nightingale answered reaching up to undo her choker and slipping it into a pocket on the inside of her jacket.  When she withdrew her hand she had a blood bag in her hand.  "Here," she said handing the bag to Phantom, "I don't want you getting in trouble when he, whomever he is, finds out I stole from him."

"I have your word?" Nightingale asked stepping from her hiding place.  The young vampire's movements were preternaturally graceful as she approached Phantom hands open and to her sides to convey she had no hostile intent.

Her clothing was all dark grays and blacks, a housebreaker's harness with a number of pouches and hooks for tools was briefly visible under the long coat she wore. Dark brunette hair framed her pale flesh though her eyes were hidden behind a pair of shades and around her neck was a choker from which dangled a cross.

Damn, Nicola silently cursed.  She had been certain she disabled the blood bank's alarms--only temporarily, she would have turned them on when she left--but apparently she must have missed something.  And considering the response to her intrusion the young vampire fervently wished she could have slipped even deeper into the shadows.

"Let's say I believe you," she eventually answered Phantom.  She still clung to her hiding place, not necessarily because she felt she could remain hidden, but just for the illusion of comfort.  She'd been doing a lot of that lately.  "You could leave and let me get what I came for, stopping me from doing that is hurting me."

Min watched Talya walk away with an openly appreciative smile then accepted a cup from the Frost.  She couldn't get drunk, not unless the beverage where spiked with something other than alcohol--magic for instance--but the dryad had spent enough time among humanity over the countless millennia to understand the social aspects of drinking.

She tossed back her drink grimaced.  She was definitely more the beer drinking immortal.

"I can understand this Klara's motivation," Min said being very careful to not immediately glance at Erik.  "But Russian feuds?  They are the thing of children, you should have seen Atlantis and Lemuria."

"Before we wiped them out, of course," she added, taking the bottle from Dimitri and pouring herself another drink.

"Thank you Bluebird," Eve said after the machine intelligence finished.  Resting her arms on the table the white haired telepath took time to regard each of the exceptional women seated at the table before inclining her head to indicate the folio in front of her.

"I've had yet another communique from the Freedom League inquiring into Tarva's status," she began.  "I assured them that she was being watched, intimately, but I'm going to have to let one of them in here eventually."  Her sage green eyes locked onto Tarva and Kimber for a moment, silently begging them to not screw that up.

"In addition, I've had Bluebird contact the Silver Tree," Eve continued, "for two reasons.  The first is determine if they have heard of any hint of reprisal against us for the operation against Steelgrave."  And for Tarva's betrayal, but Eve felt she didn't need to elaborate on that.  "And second was for a list of targets of opportunity, with the intention of decapitating Terminus leadership."

"Bluebird?"

"Careful, my lovely songbird," Min murmured into Talya's ear, "He has that look on his face."  Talya knew that look, The Espadas Look, it's one she'd seen often enough around her new family when there has been even a hint of wrongdoing done to one of their own.

Min made no move to relinquish Talya from her embrace, content to enjoy every second of close contact with the other woman.  She just smiled into the Englishwoman's neck, relaxed and listened.  A few moments later the dryad's ear was twitching in time to the former-somewhat-thief's heartbeat.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" she asked after a moment lifting her head up look at Dimitri.

Interpose: Toughness Save DC30: 1d20+11 22

Willow had a moment to reflect under the rubble of the building.  Her armor was cracked and burned, stressed and scorched, but it still had some life in it.  She could feel blood running down her cheek, some debris must have slashed her face, but she knew that wound would close.  She also knew she wasn't fighting smart, that all she had been trying to do these last few moments is just inflict as much pain and suffering onto those that took Talya and Erik from her.  She wasn't working with her friends, allies and teammates, and it was time she started.

The boat-building shuddered and the sound of metal being rent filled the air when huge vines and roots burst forth from the rubble and swept it aside before withdrawing to cover the woman standing at the center of it and (perhaps accidentally) uncovering Miss Americana.  Min wiped the blood from her cheek, giving it only a casual glance, while the burnt and broken parts of her armor were ripped off and discarded by the new growth.

She looked at Mara and Ellie.  "You two OK?"

Yeah, no idea.  Min's going to Regenerate, healing one bruise: Regeneration: Recovery Check: 1d20+9 18.

Per Chat: Move Object 20 (Strength 100 tons, Limitation Direction: Outward), 20 PP.

She's going to toss that boat aside, accidentally freeing Miss A too.

Phaedra frowned slightly, forgetting for a moment that Jimmy was still standing there.  She knew Raina was irritated, and she knew it was something she did, but she didn't know what it was or why.  She sighed, brushing a strand of red hair from her face.  "The party moved on James, you'd best move on with it."

She didn't know how she was supposed to act in this situation, the short primer she had before being dumped at Claremont didn't exactly prepare her for this.  The labyrinthine politics of Throne where something she knew, they were something she lived and breathed, but this party stuff was a mystery.

Already addressed this above, I thought.

It was suggested that Daze just refreshed, not stacked, so I thought I cleared it. If that is not the case, to hell with spending any HP at all and I'll bank both of those and sit out the Daze.

Reflex Save DC 25 for Half Damage: 1d20+8 17

DC 30 Toughness Save: 1d20+12-1 22

Refreshed Daze, I guess waste an HP to shake the Daze.   Still buried.  Joy.

Min blushed, momentarily seeming to be the the mid-twenty something she looked like.

"Well, you know how I can get and you've seen him with his shirt off, among other things..." Min murmured, trailing off.  She was aware that she was still blushing, and aware that whenever she tried to be lighthearted with Talya it always came across as coy and coquettish.  She brushed her nose against the Englishwoman's, fighting the urge to stop speaking.

"All of that," the dryad continued while trying to sound a bit more serious, "And he and I visited a former teammate of ours, Grimalkin, and while the discussion revolved around her and Colt and their kids, it made us think about family a little harder than we usually do."  Min lifted her shoulders in a slight shrug, and stole a quick kiss from Talya before continuing, "I can only bear daughters, it's how I was made."

"Thus, Mia."

It was fair to say that Willow was functioning in a fugue state; Darkness' fall only earned a small frown and a quiet by furious corner of her mind thought it was better this way--it wanted Talya's murderer awake when the limbs started coming off.  As if ticking things off a list the dryad's attention shifted to Fire, who was making short work of the ensnaring vines.

The vines surged and rapidly drew the fire based flier toward the ancient guardian, who met her with a devastating blow.  Unfortunately, Fire's flame had already demonstrated how well it could burn through Willow's wood and her armor burst into flame.

Move Action Snare: Tether - Opposed Strength Check: 1d20+12+2 30, assuming that pulls Fire in close enough...

Standard Action Unarmed Attack vs Fire: 1d20+12 24 - DC27 Toughness

Also, since Fire has her flame aura up, Toughness Save vs DC 23: 1d20+12 17.  Oh well.

Min leaned into Talya's hand while it fussed with her hair, like a cat does when someone scratches their head.  She stood close to the Englishwoman, arms wrapped around her and resting lightly on her hips, a soft smile on her face.

"I can understand her fears," Min admitted.  "I have seen civilizations crumble, I have lost others of my kind--my sisters--but loss has never really touched me."  She brought one of hands around to rest lightly on her heart before putting it back around Talya.  "When I first thought about mortality, Erik's mortality, I panicked."

Her lips quirked up into a small smile, "This is how Eden came to be."

"No."

It wasn't a scream--merely a whisper--but one with a note of heartbreak that all present could hear.  The protective armor covering the dryad's head had peeled back to reveal the anguish on her face, a tear welling up from her amber eyes and streaking down her cheek while her hands flexed as the wind carried the ash of someone she loved past and through her fingers.

Those same amber eyes narrowed, the armor encased hands flexed and the fingers became as claws.

"I am going to kill you all," the dryad stated, her usual melodic tone sounding harsh and discordant while the ground heaved and the pavement buckled.  Massive roots surged up from the surface sprouting leaves, flowers and thorns a small forest oasis in the middle of a city block.  "And nobody will remember you, nobody will mourn you, because they will all be afraid of what I will do to them.  From your rotted corpses, flowers shall grow."

The flora exploded into violent action all around Willow, indiscriminately grabbing at friend and foe alike.

"Twice you took from me that which matters most," Willow hissed.  "Never again.  Not me, or anyone else.  Never.  Again."

Min is.. angry.  After some negotiations with AA, going to Extra Effort to use two powers in this array and give it some oomph, also using the HP from Talya's demise to negate the fatigue.  Min needs some woods, so she's going to make some woods.  And then she's grabbing, well, everyone.

Move Action:   Environmental Control 3 (25 ft. radius, Distraction [DC 15], Hamper Movement [25% Speed], Visibility, Extras: Action [Move], Independent, Selective Attack, Flaws: Limited [Forests], Range [Touch], Feats: Slow Fade [1 Minute]) 

Standard Action:  Snare 12 (Extras: Area [Targeted, Burst, 60 ft. radius], Flaws: Medium [Plants], Range 1 [Touch], Feats: Improved Critical 1 [19-20], Indirect 3, Obscure Sense 2 [Auditory, Visual], Reversible, Tether) 

Snare: 1d20+12 15 ... ew.  HP to reroll.  I think that leaves Min with zero HP now.  Snare: 1d20+12 20 + 10 = 30.  DC 22 Reflex for Snare

"Yeah, that works for us," Eve said as she stood.  She leaned over to give her girlfriend a quick kiss and a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder before settling down into the place Lane indicated, making the adjustments she needed to her own clothing to facilitate the process.

Getting comfortable, Eve flashed Becky an impish grin putting on as much of a show as she could just to ease the Canadian's nerves.  There were few things in this world or others that Eve truly had much fear of, but the loss of Becky's at-times fragile self confidence was one of them.