Zeitgeist Blue

Group 3 "One should understand that the government, ideally, should be to enforce the common good without trampling the rights of the minority," Nicole says across the circle from Corrine. "There is a whole history between superheroes and the government, precedent, sure, and we've entrusted that these rights that are under attack be protected. If we let this act to pass well," she waved her hand lazily in the air then rested it on the piece of paper with the question. "This isn't just about registration, because identities themselves have no power. This is control and how much power someone can have over your life." "So yeah, agree with Monica." She waited for Corrine to finish then began her own reply with a shrug. "Everyone has the capacity to kill and cause damage, but just because one has a greater capacity is justification enough for her to be singled out and unjustly monitored by the government? There are reasons why most individuals keep identities secret and registering those is like giving the government a loaded gun to point at your head."

"Well my best works do incorporate all of those. Bellios for one," Nicole said, tentatively holding a finger up. She understood scrying, did it much herself in different forms, and the thought that she was known for the things she put her heart into raised her spirits just a little. A ritual wasn't that bad, she decided, if only it was used once. "But eternally at my disposal just for that?" The tips of her mouth slowly turned upwards in a smirk as she looked up at the dragon. "I wouldn't mind that for a first date." She nodded, holding her thermos in both hands. The offer, made by a magical, invisible dragon for his ward, was weird, very weird, but she was used to weird things. "Yes, okay. But he should be the one choosing where and when."

Nicoel made a noise that could have been anywhere between approval and skepticism, but when she turned her head back to Ajasaro her eyes were looking at the Dakanan princess with a new light. "Yeah, no, I get it. It's a whole different world from silver platters and hundred dollar omeletes." She fidgeted as if debating something but then seemed to come to a decision. "Hey, if you want I sometimes do things in Southside. You can come and I'll show you around."

When she heard the deep rumble of someone's voice behind her, Nicole ceased rubbing her eye, suddenly embarrassed, and took a moment to compose herself before she turned to look. Yet she saw no one in the hall with her. Invisible then. Or psychic. She pressed the stem of her glasses with two fingers, activating the crude radar. Another press and she switched to magical sensors in quick succession, and the images rendered into her lens. She started as the snout appeared beside her, then she traced more of the dragon until it filled most of the hallway. She drove herself backwards to take the whole dragon in. "What for?" She asked, avoiding its eyes, brows furrowed, and choosing to ignore the second-hand apology. "And how do you know my name? I don't like being stalked."

Nicole's whole body stiffened as Zenith entered into her personal space. Zenith's movements were smooth, confident and certain to catch Leroy's attention but they mocked Nicole and when Zenith's lips met Leroy's hand, Nicole couldn't help but stare, eyes wide, and lean as far back as her seat would allow. Then she froze as Zenith's finger glided across her cheek. Then a quiet murmur into her ear, whose words she was forced to hang on to, and Zenith's attention was finally, mercifully elsewhere. Nicole snuck a glance at Zenith then quickly turned away, back to the podium and assembly proper. She closed her eyes, forced deep breathes through her nose. She wouldn't, shouldn't, not here, cry even if she felt crummy as all hell. This was some really, really... F***. "I-- excuse me," she half-mumbled, half-croaked and backed up her wheelchair from the two and drove away.

Choosing to ignore Ashley's not so subtle bragging, Nicole sighed at Judy's premonition. That was a use of powers there though she didn't have enough to guess anymore. Precognition, weather control, mastery over TV channels? Could have been anything and everything. She craned her head to the Dakanan princess instead. She was pretty boisterous and also seemed to not know that shooting at people was considered rude in most cultures. It was a Dakanan thing, probably, or a stuck-up royal, bodyguard, no-one-sneaks-up-on-the-princess thing. Either way Nicole decided not to hold it against someone who didn't know any better. "So, Ajasaro?" she said the syllables slowly. "What're you looking forward to for the next year? You've only been in America for a short while."

Nicole's ears perked up as someone dragging a suitcase took a seat beside her. Now wasn't the time and she prepared a retort and look up only to stop halfway through. Oh-- Seriously cute. She muttered what could have been a half-hearted "Hey" then dipped her head in a nod, averting her eyes from the new student and Zenith, which meant she had to stare dully at Mrs. Summers on the platform. Her lips pursed to control her growing annoyance. She forced herself up, straightening in her sit. Now really wasn't the time. Her hair was a mess with only a cursory combing to get rid of the worst curls and tangles. She probably had massive eyebags from her all-nighter and she had just thrown her clothes on from yesterday and called it a day. And he had chosen to sit here out of all places. Just her luck. She didn't need to deal with two completely different things at the same time. The fact that she hadn't taken her thermos and finish it in one go was an accomplishment in itself.

Nicole let out a yelp heard with those neabry as Zenith's hair erupted around them, her hands clapping over her mouth a moment later. Then it was over and they were back in the auditorium, everything normal. Her body shook but soon she realized what had happened and the shock gave way to indignation, shaking in anger and her face reddening as she stared daggers at Zenith. Corrine's alter-ego was looking around, tall and imperious even while sitting down, and Nicole so very much wanted to put her down. A retort formed on her lips but when Zenith returned her gaze to Mrs. Summers, barely acknowledging her, the words faltered and so did her anger. She slumped in her seat. Unfair. So damn unfair. She could take and trade words with the best of them but powers, abilities beyond the mundane, were just beyond anything she could have and Zenith had rubbed that all over the wound. Zenith was wrong. It was hella one sided and she felt like kicking something. But even that was beyond her. She slumped further in her wheelchair and half-listened to Mrs. Summers speech, not bothering Zenith any longer.

"You're kidding, right," Nicole said, looking from one sister to the other. The peppy one seemed confident of the fact and this didn't seem like one of those things younger siblings got lied about and believe. Like they were adopted or something. "You're serious." Now she was really interested and she leaned forward, hands on her knees. She'd watched the video like most everybody else and Watchdog was wearing a helmet. She'd be forgiven if she couldn't figure out secret identities. "So let me get this straight, she," and Njcole jabbed a thumb at Ashley. "Was taken into custody by Raven and what, got sent to this school instead of time in juvie? Wow, that's... hmm." She honestly didn't know what to think of that. On one hand, by all rights and purposes she was supposed to be arrested and jailed but anyone could have taken pity on her and sent her here to be reeducated instead. Guess that tough and angry vigilante in the video was still a tough and angry teen here. "Guess he must have liked you." Nicole looked back, confused. Was it something she did? It was supposed to be a compliment, because if those kinds of people were popping a vein in anger, then you know you were doing something right. Right? But instead, Monica was acting like she was dribbling drool down her chin. Jeeze. This floor was pretty weird and that was saying something. Nevertheless, Nicole accompanied them to the common room, hanging back just a little from the congregation of sophomores, a little put out. Her chin rested on the palm of her hand as she maneuvered her wheelchair around and beside Astrid.

"Nu uh," she shook her head. So perhaps she shouldn't have been surprised there but heavy metal and viking metal bands? How did they come up with these names? They sounded like someone mixed blood magic lines with a good helping of spikes, leather, and leathery spikes. Then an idea popped in her head and she gave Astrid a slowly forming smile. "I don't have to be worried here do I? Cause I need to know if I need to cook up some really good earplugs and sound proof this room." She couldn't help but snort, waving her hand in a so-so manner. "Kind of close but it's more anything and everything." As if to stress the thought, she leaned her elbows into her armrest and into Astrid's way. "Tech, science, computers, data, cosmology, magic, runes, energy. Put your finger on it and I know it." She looked at the bat blandly. Well, it looked like a bat. Yep. Pretty bat-y. But she wanted to humor Astrid and she placed a finger on the side of her glasses. Her glasses lit up with a purple glow, obscuring her eyes. Lightning flashed for Nicole and when it receeded she leaned forward, the bat's wood now containing a lightning bolt and surrounded by blue Nordic runes and cracks of electricity, enveloped by magic, as enmeshed in it as the universal condition. "Ohhh, runes." She drove herself forward to the baseball bat in a duffel bag, taking in the composition and measurements harkening back to Nordic traditions and symbols. There was power in tales and tales measured in logic and power. Then her brows furrowed, finger reaching out to touch it. Maybe it was because she was unfamiliar with traditional Nordic runes, but runes was her specialty and she couldn't parse this. Like a grade schooler presented with advanced calculus. "This is... pretty cool." She snapped her head to Astrid, eyebrows raising, hands gesturing to the bat. "Where the hell did you get your hands on this?"

Nicole could have sworn she jumped a little in her seat at Astrid's entrance. "Hey! Couldn't you take the bus?" She unruffled the blanket over her legs, trying to look like she just hadn't startled like a deer caught in the headlights. She turned to Ashley and said, "Anyway, my cat's been in fights before too. And I would have remembered you if you had appeared on TV. Guess you aren't that special, Miss Dark and Brooding." It didn't matter that she'd never had a cat. Miss Dark and Brooding was getting on her nerves. Then she crossed her arms and turned her torso as far away from the so-edgy-it-hurt-edgelord and looked the other new students in turn. Her eyebrows raising a considerable amount as she recognized who she was with. "The new Lady Liberty? Da-a-amn," She half-sang then swiped at her nose with her thumb, leaving a smirk behind. "Heh. I bet old white boys and rednecks love you, or rather, love to hate on you." She wheeled backwards as if to take the whole scene. A trigger-happy foreign royal, a conservative's Public Enemy #1, Fight Club as teenage girls, and someone who needed to get a driver's license. "Well this is just cute."

Upgraded - Abs Salvo Fluff Removed the pictures. Added a new one for Nicole. Added a Physical Description. Changed birthday year to 2001. Additions Added 2PP (4R) to Skills [Bluff 1, Concentration 1, Craft (Artistic) 1, Knowledge (Art) 1, Knowledge (Current Events) 2, Sense Motive 2] Moved 2R from Computers into Concentration (making a total of Concentration 2) and Diplomacy Added 3PP to Feats (Luck, Online Research, and Well-Informed) Added Improved Initiative in Protocol Sy Added Limited [5 times a day] to Kinetic Beam + Dazzle Added (Auditory) and Area [General, Burst] to Dazzle. Made it Dazzle 10. Added Energy Vent in Weapons Suite Array Changes Added Duration [Continuous] (+1) and Ablative (-1) to Force Field 5 of Wheelchair Device 1 In Weapons Suite Array's Kinetic Beam exchanged Action [Full] for Slow Fire from Gimmick's Guide to Gadgets In Fusion Autocannons changed Variable Descriptor [Any Metal] to [Any Energy] Missile Batteries Area is changed from Burst to Shapeable Changed Improved Critical [18-20] to Dimensional [Magical] in Containment Foam Removed Something in the Dark complication Online Research and Well-Informed from Data Link in Sensory Suite Array Invisibility Matrix in Servos-Dynamos

"Right..." Nicole said through gritted teeth. A few months of summer break had dulled her sense of just how much like grinding rocks together talking to Zenith was. It was almost enough to get her to leave for another person she knew, but the sleep deprivation must have thrown her game off and she found herself watching Zenith move a hand. Bright light suddenly flashed around the hand and Nicole's head snapped away, her eyes shutting against the light. "Hey, ouch." She brought her fingers up and rubbed the white spots away, still listening to whatever dog-eat-dog, survival of the fittest view Zenith was spouting. "Why don't you poof yourself a tinfoil hat and color it rainbow?" Nicole asked, opening an eyelid to glance at Zenith playing with a coin. All that for a coin. It was enough to make her crave another shot and she popped open her thermos and did just that. She brought her thermos down and looked around the assembly before returning her attention to Zenith. "I'd rather test people in a controlled environment or have them answer a questionnaire, but that's just me." And everyone else thinking normally she didn't say but so dearly wanted to. "... And everyone who isn't you," she mumbled loud enough for Zenith to catch.

"Yeah, sounds like what to be expected. We've got loads of that here too." Nicole nodded her head along. This Astrid was making a lot of sense and Nicole's opinion of her went up. Making sense was like the first thing anyone should do. Yeah, a lot of people liked fighting. Nicole had to learn how to fight in her own way. It came with the package of their extra-curricular, volunteer work as it was politely referred to. Playing the part of the hero. "So you're a guitarist?" She asked, obviously rhetorical, glancing at electric guitar on the side. She skidded over to it and looked at Astrid for permission to touch it. "Huh. So a brawler and a guitarist. That's an image right there. You don't seem like the hard drinking, partying type of girl." She chuckled, aware how wrong her idea could have been anyway. "I don't know that much about music myself but maybe I should have," she admitted. "So you're into the Arctic Monkeys, Fallout Boy, Paramore. That sort of things?"

Nicole's back stiffened as the mini-projectile shot past her ear. Then her grin widened, plastered to her face, as she realized that someone had basically fired a warning shot from a gun at her. She wasn't any stranger with people shooting at her in her armor, as safe as she was inside it, but it was an entierly different beast wearing nothing but the shirt on her back. At Ajasoro's welcome (as if nothing happened), Nicole moved through the doorway, still smiling stiffly. So maybe Ajasaro really was the real deal. Princess of the most technological nation on Earth and all that fun Jazz. But before she could retort to Ajasoro, she noticed the tense looking girl pull out a scanner and wave it at her. Up and down, most likely sweeping for weapons. Nicole would even bet it flashed green when it invariably found nothing on her. What a waste of time when three-fourths of the people in this school didn't need a weapon to be dangerous themselves. "I like not getting shot at or scanned in the mornings. Thank you," Nicole said stiffly, eyeing both Ajasoro and Ashley in turn, daring them to dispute her. "It's like my breakfast dessert. You're going to start a fight or several if you go about like you do, you know. Lucky for you I'm the friendly sort." She scoffed. As if she'd be up to a fist fight against anyone right now.

Nicole pushed her way past the double doors and into the auditorium holding in one hand a newly filled thermos of caffeine goodness. There was sleeping at a sane hour, there was sleeping at a late hour, and there was not sleeping at all. She hadn't meant to, not a darned way, but nobody with ears could sleep to viking metal playing on the bed a few feet away. That's what she told herself anyway but her textbook was engrossing by itself and she had lost track of time. Her head throbbed as the auditorium lights flashed bright, unwelcome in its stark whiteness and conversation thrummed through the student body around her. Her fingers found her temples and slowly rubbed circles along them as she looked around her. Faces and names popped out at her and she saw a few of the new students - those on the fourth floor with her, mainly -- who she had gotten to know. Then she saw Zenith at the back and groaned. Smart move. Great place. Horribly strung up person. Corrine was fine. Zenith... would probably start coloring like abstract art was going out of style at the drop of a hat. But what the hell. She tipped her thermos straight up for liquid energy. Then she drove to Zenith's side. "Hi Zenith," she said carefully. "So, new year? Pretty exciting isn't it?" Before Zenith could (or even would) respond, Nicole brought her thermos to her lips.

When one was moving along their dormitories corridor, one wouldn't expect a virtual-infested daemon to break out of the wall and start dancing the opening sequence of High School Musical. One didn't expect to either overhear someone refer to themselves as the princess of a nation. Unironically. With reference to Disney princesses. Ordinarily Nicole would have ignored the comment and kept on rolling. There were many strange and weird students around these parts and stranger and weirder personalities to accompany them as if mixing it all in a strange and weird snowball. But she passed by the open doorway and saw a whole party happening inside. She hadn't yet broken her fast on digging through people's online footprints for fun but she knew new students when she saw them, and all these four were new. Being the responsible upperclassman, she decided to stop and knock on the opened door of the room. "Hey, excuse me, new kids? Try to keep from saying those things so loudly. You never know if someone really mistakes you for royalty and sends an assassin at you." She grinned, lightly sardonic. It wasn't meant to be serious and she'd be flabbergasted at how gullible the new batch was if they did take it seriously.

Nicole winced, though she felt like spitting in disgust, at Astrid's mention of her long lost dad showing up all of a sudden. Her own dad wasn't a paragon of fatherhood either and to be treated as just an asset, a mere avenue to achieve their own plans... it struck a chord. She would have called Astrid's dad something insulting but Astrid had mentioned where she been taken. Asgard. The "godly" realm from the Norse myths if she had her history straight. Nicole's eyes widened and she gave Astrid a once-over, as if she could find something that would give Astrid's demi-status away on the second try. In hindsight, Nicole shouldn't have been surprised. She had been to many different realms and had been slowly learning the cosmological theories. Hypothetically, the old myths were true and their realms accessible but to have a living specimen prove both to her only brought stock to the old adage. Seeing is believing. "Real flesh and blood," she muttered and shook her head. "I wonder what made the old Norse think of you and your blood as gods. There isn't anyone here to take to Valhalla, Valkyrie." She flashed Astrid a smile to take the bite off. "But if you're asking me..." she said, caught up in the flow. She lolled her head back and sighed, eyes turned to the ceiling. "A lot of things. One of which is how you could get anything worth anything here. It's a datamine and you just need to reach out and take it." She brought her gaze down to Astrid's level. "You'll see what I mean later on. But it's only here you get everything from bleeding edge tech to magic tomes centuries old and everything in between. This school has everything worth anything and you'd think I was lying until you see it for yourself." She shrugged. "Take the advanced classes, ask the professors, buddy up with the smart kids. All of the above. Do anything except learn to just punch things."

"Really, that sounds like a pain in the ass," Nicole replied, playing along with the sarcasm. "And I've only brought half of my house with me." Then she cocked her head to the side. Curious. The accent was one she had not heard before and it clearly marked Astrid as not American. "Yes. That's me." She nodded her head. "Astrid Torsten. Torsten. Torsten," she mumbled, pulling back from the handshake to look at Astrid better. "That's European? Northern or Central? Wait, no." Then she snapped her fingers in recognition. "Scandinavian! Sorry, I'm not familiar with foreign cultures." "You're pretty far from home. I mean," and she waved her hand around as if to encompass the whole of Claremont inside their room. "I can see why. There's a lot to take from here." Astrid was a new student. Nicole would have recognized her otherwise, either that or Astrid was really good at hiding. "But you're looking for what exactly?" Nicole looked at the other girl sideways, daring her to say something stupidly stereotypical. Like snow control.

Salvo And Carnal Forbearance (2) Assemble! (7) Last Gasp of Summer (2) Roomies! (6) The Beast of America (7)

Whoever had thought to put her on the fourth floor needed to drill screws into their frontal lobe. It was bad enough to be forced to use the elevator whenever she wanted to go up and down, but the elevator had broke down before she had arrived and she had to wait half an hour for maintenance to come in and give it a fix through some good old percussive maintenance. It wasn't all bad of course. There was a vending machine on the ground floor lobby and she spent her time sipping iced tea and chatting Eliz in the phone to tell her that she was a-okay. She had all her things and, yes, she was in school. Safe and sound as a teddy bear in a machine shop. Fun, normal things even if a small part of her thought she could have gotten the elevator running under a minute if she could have only reached the broken pieces. But now she was on the fourth floor, chatter and moving-in noise wafting through the halls and thin, plaster walls as she pushed a large and overstuffed luggage bag in front of her. She was wearing a plaid dress over dark leggings when she wheeled into Room 411. She was here, back in Claremont, and the closest thing she had to a home. Maybe it could have been a sad thought but she was comfortable here. It was the start of another year. She found her roommate already inside with a duffel bag and guitar beside her. Red-haired and tall, taller than Nicole would have been standing on her two legs, and she was built like an athlete where Nicole could be considered lanky. Pale rather than tawny. But other than appearance, Nicole knew not a thing about her roommate. Not her name, age, achievements, online history, purchases, personality, favorite streamed movies, or whatever else was out there. Odd, a little bit annoying, but mostly interesting to not know anything yet. She cleared her throat to signal her presence then moved forward, hand outstretched. "Hi, I'm Nicole Whitfield-Hall and I guess we're roommates?" She indicated with one hand Astrid's duffel bag then to her own luggage. "I see your packing light."

Name: Nicole Whitfield-Hall Codename: Salvo Year: Junior Pronouns: Feminine Roommate: Unassigned. A PC would always do better than an NPC. Goal: Learning, as nerdy as that sounds. School has all the resources someone like her would need and teachers to pick their brains apart. Favourite High School Movie: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Right. Sorry about the late reply. I was waiting on word whether we were continuing this or not.

Her curiosity piqued, Salvo stepped beside Terrifica, looking over the other hero's shoulder as she worked. Tools and documents out, her movements efficient, wasting little precious time on frivolities or non-necessities. Salvo struggled to keep up, even just watching Terrifica work, and there were several times when she was forced to abandon a thread of thought and skip several steps ahead , filling in the gaps with conjecture and Hail Maries, as Terrifica left her behind. The speed with which she worked was fascinating, almost as much as the project on the worktable, and when the prototype was finished Salvo took a step back, adjusting her bearings as the intensity of the mental exercise wore off. Salvo shook her head from the wonder, and just a bit of envy, before she opened her files on her interface. "I have," she simply said as lines of code flowed from her suit's databanks to the prototype. "Terminus has been using a passcode to tag friendly assets going in and from the midway dimension. I'm passing on to you and ASTRO labs a workable solution to that dilemma." A few last second tweaks and flourishes and Salvo ended the data transmission. "This will provide a semi-adaptable e-offense to their defenses and the initial responses if they somehow manage to catch on to the disruptor before it could fully take hold." "As for the effectiveness against more durable Terminus sheathes..." Salvo moved forward and lifted the prototype device to eye level. "Perhaps just increasing its energy output would be sufficient? We don't need finesse if brute force can get us the results faster." As she said this she slowly rotated the device between her hands, her sensors analyzing the cold surface and the delicate hardware beyond that. Where her fingers swept over, thin lasers branded the device with arcane runes, microscopic in size but not in the scope of its effects. "There," she handed the prototype back to Terrifica. "This would do it."

Would you guys want to go out on the field to go punch some Omegadrones/Annihilists/ the portal nexuses? @Thunder King has done little right now. Terrifica is asking Salvo what's missing and I could say we need a sample or a record of something that isn't in the Terminus stockpile. It'll have to be something new, that it wasn't seen in the past Terminus invasion, but also rare enough that it isn't yet found in the recent Terminus stockpile we have on hand. Probably like the energy or wavelength signature of the sensors, third dimension, and/or portal nexuses.