Zeitgeist Blue

So entirely out of reflex Nicole takes a swing at Spitfire. 1d20+3=18 Unfortunately, it doesn't connect because of his Uncanny Dodge (Visual) feat, unless he wasn't looking, of course. Winks subtly.

"Yes... Neither do I," added Nicole drily, imagining the bright orange vegetables framing the button. It was garish enough as it was and adding anymore was just overkill, so whoever shot down that graphic designer deserved a medal and the key to the city in her opinion. "But isn't that a little dehumanizing? Being treated as tourist attractions?" Nicole wheeled herself to the middle of the room as she talked, closer to the other guests. She waved a hand in annoyance as she imitated the too-cheery but somehow robotic voice of a public advertisement. Of course, the Borough-folk may have a completely different attitude from her, but it still reeked of exploitation. Tourist attraction? Merchandise? What was next, a meet and greet? "Look at me for only twenty dollars an hour! Just five hundred of me left!" She rolled her eyes at the absurdity.

Nicole stared blankly at the pair of crutches then at the tiny lady hovering in front of her face. "And what am I supposed to do?" She said, blushing, and waved her branch to shoo the pixie away. Grimalkin was a superhero Nicole knew from her readings of news articles though mundane sources held little noteworthy information compared to the networks of the magical community. Probably a fae people whispered, but one who seemed to want to do good by this world. Just so, a soothing voice and a superhero name might have been enough for some to trust these strangers, but it wasn't remotely enough for her. She knew magic, knew intimately what it was capable of, and she'd be out of her mind to be caught in lies so easily. Just imagining the verbal-barbs her dad would throw if he found out steeled her resolve. She watched them warily even as she gripped her cloak and verified Demon-wannabe's words. Yellow and with the same symbols, similar to all of theirs, but then it had to mean something, things always did. She wracked her brains for an answer, but try as she might she found little. "Why am I wearing this?" she asked finally, slowly as if unsure she would receive a proper answer.

I was planning for Nicole to drop her guard anyway. Though I'll be using the table thing under the Diplomacy skill to color her attitude towards you guys. So she's now Unfriendly instead of hostile.

"Nicole," she said, shaking the outstretched hand. "I don't watch TV so I can't say I've seen them there." She had registered his words. 'Drew me to their world' he the lab coat said, and she mulled this as she poured two cups of tea from a ready teapot. One of the teacups she offered Edward while she cupped her own between her hands, inhaling the fragrance that steamed up and that seemed to help clear her thoughts. She had read a city announcement on refugees from another world who looked oddly like rabbits. There were multiple explanations, the likeliest being that they came through interstellar or dimensional means. Neither were they mentioned in any article, forum, website, blog, or academic paper she had read before they appeared in Freedom City and so they must have been esoteric, enough that information on them was non-existent. That is, before their rescuer had... "But I do know of them and nothing else," she started, drawing the words out as if she was loathe to say them. She gave him an odd look as if to challenge him to divulge more information. "My cosmological studies have been really lacking lately."

Knowledge (Current Events): 1d20+7 = 26

It was almost the break of dawn when Nicole decided to go forward with her request in Chrysopoeia Cosmetics' website. She would send a catalog of her orders, exhaustive and exacting, the quantities measuring in pints and sometimes quarts, customized to a sufficient degree. There would be no doing this by half and so she would be sending a video to go along with her list, expecting that the company would not shortchange her. Of course, she would know if they did that. Even if some of their products presented in their videos and stock baffled her as to their production, she was more than enough of a competent chemist and alchemist to identify when something was not what it was supposed to be. But those thoughts were for when her products would be delivered, and so she adjusted the lights in her workshop, from the harsh industrial lighting, dimming it into a cooler, mellow yellow. Faiza would never have let her work this late into the night, nevermind the bright lights when everyone was supposed to be sleeping, not without an earful of nagging but that was fine; Nicole worked better without eyes looking over her shoulder. She tied her hair into a simple ponytail and brushed the detritus from her desk. Paper full of rejected makeup concoctions and scrawled, crossed out notes on the margins went into the trash bin. Then finally she was ready. ... ... Recording. She coughed to clear her throat and produced a sheet of paper, several in fact, and began to recite from memory. "By now you would have the address I sent, so let's not waste time." "First order: Nine units of the psionically driven blush, specifically tuned to glow the breadth of the visible spectrum when it is respectively exposed to the radio frequencies ranging from 89.5 megahertz to 123.0 megahertz. Match the proportions. Second order: A box of 12 pieces of reactive lipstick, sensitive to changes in salt levels in the air and temperature as shown in Graph 1.1, attached with the order sent. The effects desired are seen in Graph 1.2, detailing the amount of perceived thickness and absolute sparkle..." She continued like this for several minutes, stopping only briefly to drink from a bottle of water. "Right, this would be the last order: Two units of foundation, resistant to changes of synthetic metalic-ness in the subject." There was a long pause as she looked straight at the camera, then she began to shuffle her papers awkwardly and it was broken. "I have an idea how much all that I ordered would cost and I'm ready to pay it. I assume bulk order pricing would be utilized? If some products are inadvisable or undoable then I am willing to talk with you to find a viable alternative. And have it sent to Claremont Academy, Freedom City, New York." Another uncomfortable pause. It was weird talking to an inanimate object for this long though she was no stranger with long conversations with herself. But the slight awkwardness was for a good cause; they were to be analyzed in her free time and hopefully she would find some insight into chemical reactions and solutions. And she knew her order was large, but it was so some portion could be presented as gifts. After all, she'd taken pains to make the products as aesthetically pleasing as they were complex. It wouldn't do to waste her effort. She nodded stiffly. "Thank you. And out."

"Language," Nicole chided lightly before Jayaman leapt into the air, transformed into an eagle-man, and Qualia right behind him. She watched with a pout hidden behind a helmet as winds buffeted those on the ground. Leaping headfirst into the fray wouldn't be a bother, so long as they did it with everything they could know. But they left without even a word about her concern, and that was what irked her the most. She stamped her boot in frustration and sighed. "Fine. Let's just fight the thing." Huang had cast a spell which looked for magical energies, far as her sensors could tell. Nicole on her part engaged her thrusters, accelerating to top speed in seconds before stopping high above the scene. She was provided with a bird's eye view from her vantage point and the octopus-squid-monster and Archetech plazas both could almost fit within her hands. Perfect. She activated her radar, various objects of interest lighting up in her HUD in bright purple silhouettes. At the same, she raised her arms and began to heat up her autocannons. Her face lit up with a rictus grin. Hands cupped her chin in concentration. Enemies. Simulations. A fight. An exercise. Wanton destruction and calculated moves. They were all this, and she- Father started coughing violently, loud and annoying enough to break her concentration. She did not give him the satisfaction.

Knowledge (Arcane Roll) to know who Grimalkin and/or Silberman's Books. In case it's needed too. 1d20+14 = 23

Nicole collapsed with a muffled yelp as she suddenly found herself in the middle of a forest. She sprawled face first on the ground, her shout terminating with a mouthful of grass, and for a moment there was the earthy dark as she tried to grasp her bearings. One moment, she was in Claremont, making tutting sounds at her painting, and the next she was outdoors and without her wheelchair in clothes that did not feel right. None of it felt right. With a heave of her arms, she flipped herself up, sputtering grass and dirt on the way. Her head bounced on the ground with a dull thud and took the wind out of her. ... "Ow." She was breathing heavily when she realized she was not alone but alone in the middle of an eclectic group of yellow... robed... She sneered as one of them came running up to her, his hand extended as if she'd fall for that. She diverted her eyes from the symbols on his robes. Maybe he wouldn't be so friendly if she spat on his hand or pushed it away but she smiled, calling for Bellios, her armor, as she tried to stall for time. She pushed herself to her elbows and when he smiled back, his fangs showing clearly in the eclipse, it only made her want to wretch in disgust. Instead, her stomach fell as her armor failed to respond. There should have been a feeling of battle just about now, of protection and foes to fight and bloody struggle, but there was nothing and that made her more scared than anything these two-bit practitioners could have done. "Cultist," she spat and backed away, crawling on her elbows, from the demon-looking man. Though he wasn't really from the Infernal Realms, a small part of her mind registered as her eyes took in the rest. "There's no need for games; I know who you are. And whatever crazy ritual you've cooked up, it won't work." One hand found a dead branch, sturdy but light enough to swing with one arm, and she pulled herself up against a tree, back leaning heavily against its trunk. "And don't think I'm so stupid that I'd give you my name."

HP for +2. Give me some knowledge!

Knowledge (Arcane Lore) Roll: http://orokos.com/roll/545319

"A program is only logical, of course. I can't imagine what we'd be doing for an hour or two given that there isn't any..." Nicole adjusted her glasses as the candy menagerie formed on the table. They clearly weren't normal candy and had more in common with magical curios than it did the grocery past the corner where she bought her candy. An expenditure of time and resources and most of all energy, but an expenditure there was not denying the quality of. How the practitioner in the lab coat practiced his magic was strange and curious, but not surprising given the breadth of magic's potential. She glanced at the candy maker, gesturing for permission, and picked up a chocolate frog, examining it thoroughly. It looked back at her and opened its mouth as if to croak though no sound came out. "Odd," Nicole murmured, loud enough for the lab coat man to hear. "What, why, and how?"

Sure. I wouldn't mind.

"Nicole." She extended a hand in greeting, her manners kicking in almost immediately. "Pleased to meet you. And how may I call you, sir?" A quick peek around the room quickly put to rest her notion the gravitas occult meetings lent itself. There was no ominous Latin chanting, no hooded robes or pentagram written in goat's blood, but was it too much to ask for an animal sacrifice or two for the freshest ingredients? Even a frog dunked in liquid preservatives would have been nice, but judging by the mass produced food on the table there was an argument for the sacrifice of humanity through their labor. Now was not the time though, and she moved to get some tea, passing by two men. One could have stepped straight out of a low-budget sci-fi film, and the other had this punk rocker sorta vibe. They did not scream 'occult practitioner' but there wasn't exactly a single, dominating stereotype of one anyway. She turned to the older man. "Is there a program for tonight? The invitation did not mention anything and I don't want to assume."

"Funny, that's what every mage wants you to think," Nicole pointed out. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at Huang's attempts to affect the wisdom and poise he did not possess. There was no accounting for how people carried themselves, but it was precious in the way he tried. She traced a single rune down its disparate components with an armored finger. Huang saw the armor light up where she pressed it, somehow expressing her pride in the way it glowed in different energies only visible with Huang's mage sight. It spoke of centuries and lost magic, of how it adapted to the times and grew stronger with each passing generation. It became one with its wearer and took up her proclivities and strengths and shortcomings, and there was pride there. So much that it lit up with the slightest provocation. "At least you have a good eye," she said, her words clipped. Then Huang left and even a blind woman could see the tension between him and Jayaman, but before Nicole could ask what was going on between them the simulation began with a familiar sight: the Pyramid Plaza. She had seen better renditions, but she could imagine the place where her department called its own. Deeper in the bowels of the stylized ego of a man, they would not be privy to the sight of an oversized Calamari-to-be climbing their towers. She blinked, processing the simulation with wide eyes. Then the monster shrieked and shook her from her reverie. She glanced at Citizen, at the fleeing civilians, and finally at her schoolmates. She points at the monster. "Biggest threat or much too obvious?"

Nicole Whitfield-Hall Salvo

Nicole knocked on the door and waited. Or perhaps she should have just invited herself in instead of waiting with her hands awkwardly folded over her lap, two grocery bags sitting by her feet. One contained a shopping trip's worth of chocolate bars, candy, and chips; gifts of a polite house guest. However, she had filled the other grocery bag with a respectable amount of chalk, candle sticks, neon glowsticks, copper wires, incense, matches, spark plugs, and other esoteric catalysts useful for her particular style of magic. Perhaps it was too much, but she would be the first to admit that she had little idea on how these gatherings, her only real experience with the wider magical community having been a disaster. It was another mistake laid on her parents' feet, one she felt the need to rectify, even if the past years have seen her too busy and focused on solitary projects to do so until now. She had received the invitation and was free tonight, having completed her schoolwork after classes, so there was no harm in trying. She fidgeted in the evening dress she was wearing. Sensible and proper; a dark purple that reached her knees with stockings that covered her legs. The door opened and she raised the two grocery bags. "Hello. I've brought... offerings."

What did one care about an eclipse? That was the question hanging from Nicole's mind as she brushed a jagged line across the canvas. There were many things, least of which was the curiosity most of the mundane world afforded it. It was a pity of course, there was so much more beneath the surface. Magic was her primary concern in that matter; darkness such an apt term for the most primal of fears. Cold and unfeeling, or perhaps it felt, craved to eat and feast upon the blind in the night? That was what the darkness was since humanity huddled around their campfires, trying to ward of the predators that lurked at the edges of their camp. Tigers, wolves. Demons and devils. Bandits or invaders. It rarely mattered in the end. They were one and the same as far as those who preferred the light cared. No wonder then that soon eclipses became a portend of calamity, for the power to blot out the sun was great and terrible, and the mages of old used such fear to weave dark magics. Most people would look at her odd for thinking such things about a natural phenomena. She pursed her lips. Most people were outside, watching the moon as if it were something special. But she opted to stay indoors, in one of the art rooms that dotted the building. She had a tablet open, showing videos in many angles of the eclipse and the students watching it, TV monitor style. And she painted what she saw, put thoughts into color and figures, and perhaps people had a point. She backed away and looked at her still wet canvas with appraising eyes. Dark and foreboding, and terrible in all its vicious beauty. The students flitted to and fro an orb filled with the echoes of the dead and yet-to-die and their gazes fell upon and beside each other, knowing the secrets they held, and melting into something they should not be. Ugh. She was supposed to be past that teenage stage.

Followed

"Well," Nicole drawled as she spun in place to face Selena. Her fingers hovered over her smartphone. There was an interactive map of the amusement park on the display and Nicole waved the phone at Selena. "It looks like the foodcourt and the roller coaster that turns-like-nothing are next to each other. The Arcade's off a little ways though. But you could come with us to the foodcourt if you don't mind walking a few minutes longer." "Coming Koa? Corinne? Jann?" She said as she began to steer away from the group, moving to the East pier among a few patrons who decided to enjoy the early beach-side morning, same as the Claremont students. "I love the smell of the ocean too, Selena. Makes me hungry for fish and chips, and there's a good place this way."

Nicole's ears perked up as her auditory receptors detected an unknown subject that was not inside the waiting room moments before. Curious, and a little peeved at someone getting under her sensors, she collapsed the mess of data threads and initiated her radar, sending out a single pulse. She counted eight people when before there was seven, with the newcomer leaning against the back wall. He was... very pretty wouldn't be too inaccurate, maybe handsome even, never mind the two elongated canine teeth that reminded her of a vampire's. And he was staring straight at her. She straightened and turned, meeting his eyes. "Yes?" A quick cross-reference matched the face, and she moved to him. "Did you get lost, Huang?"

So that's where I heard of him! Nicole shot a questioning look at Citizen's outburst. What? she sent back, remembering that her facial cues where useless when wearing a helmet. They were in the simulation room now, and she stepped beside Citizen, glancing at the group as he began to recite the scenarios. She considered the options before her, crossing her arms as she thought, each scenario bringing up more conjectures and threads to clutter her interface. Medieval, Crisis, Outer Space, Invasion, Undersea, Cross-Dimensional... She ended up flipping a mental coin as her father watched, bored. "Just choose Medieval," He snapped on her fifteenth toss and seventh tails. "Crisis," she told Citizen.

Upgraded by Absurdist Changed picture. Changed birthday. At The Absurdist's suggestion added Online Research to Data Link. Removed Cyberspace and Precise. Alphabetized Weapons Suite Array. Changed Missile Batteries to Area Targeted. Removed Dazzle.

I'm volunteering Nicole if you want more. And I do prefer the first.