Spacefurry

Leon notice the slight shift in Bernadette’s mood, but decided not to call attention to it. She probably didn’t want to talk about it right here or now, he thought. “Hey now, I have class in the morning. I also have it in the afternoon and the evening.” He gave a sly smirk and took a draw from his beer. “We should at least say ‘hey’ before we bounce with their ringleader. If they really wanna hang around and watch the B-tier acts, that’s on them.” He grinned as Luke threw arms around him and Bernadette. “That sounds like a plan then.” Leon grinned and raised his bottle in toast.

I’ll try a Well-Informed check at the mention of the Chuggers, just to see if Blackstaff has heard of them since they seem to have a rep for dealing with in artifacts. Gather Info: 20

Paper Paper rolls his eyes when Stormcrow declared himself, then turns his full attention to Ms Scorpion. “Well now, I think it’s time for a rematch.” He smirks. Paper strips curl out from his belt, twisting and folding into his grips. A moment later, two identical whips snaked out to wicked looking tips. He gives one a sharp snap and it cracks like thunder. Before he can do anything though he flinchs as Chump rips out of Sue’s belly. Paper glares daggers in his direction as the man runs for his boss. That would have to wait. He was about to have his hands full for a minute. “Still got a little scar from you. Maybe I can return the favor.” He threatens turning back to Ms Scorpion. A scream erupts from the cluster of friends and foes halfway across the spacious room, but Paper ignores it. But he can’t ignore the sudden shaking of, well, everything that follows. He chances a glance back, unsure what’s happening. Scorpion’s gleeful, giddiness are really starting to get on his nerves. “Oh my god! Will you just shut your trap!” He yells at her. All around them the rag clad men and women climbed to their feet again as one. Creepy much. The warehouse doors fly open and more swell their ranks. “Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter.” He growls in annoyance as his whips start to sway unconsciously in agitation. Suddenly the sound of the concrete floor cracking echoes through the room. “What now?” From unknown depths a figure rises from the ground. Slowly the shape drags itself up into the fluorescent lighting of the warehouse and Paper finds himself staring at the man-like figure. Slowly, with dread beginning to settle in the pit of his stomach, the kid from the streets realizes who this is… “F*ck me sideways…” Paper finally manages as he stares at a literal boogeyman crawling out of the ground.

I’ll go Knowledge (Streetwise) for Paper Check: 27

Blackstaff Blackstaff let Armitage vent. Perhaps she had been too accusatory, but there were outstanding circumstances. She only raised an eyebrow at the accusations of ‘secret societies’, after all he wasn’t completely wrong, was he. She said nothing, letting the professor cool off on his own. “You’re right.” He acknowledged. “Forgive my own rudeness.” “Smugglers would be easier targets, but that’s would only be a short term solution. There’s always people willing to make easy money.” She looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding to herself. “But, they could provide a link back to the supplier.” Blackstaff nodded to Golden Star. “Mr Star, your help would be appreciated and welcome.” Looking to Thomas she added. “Mr Dickens, I don’t suppose you have any possible leads to offer up?” He asked. “Otherwise I may have to try another tracking spell, and that I fear may take some time.”

Predator Predator stood silent sentry by the door, watching as others reacted to Archeville’s tale. Judging by their expressions it one of mixed emotions. Many seemed skeptical, while others stared in disbelief. Perhaps it spoke more of her that nothing within the story surprised her. She had seen a fair share of ‘strange’ things between her home world and while she was shifting through dimensions prior to her arrival here. A memory came unbidden, hazy. When she tried to recall details a pain crept in. It’s becoming a reoccurring issue when she attempted to remember details before her arrival. Not every time, but more often than she cared to consider.

Predator A quick scan and Cynthia had easily linked into the comms system. A test ping confirmed it and the armored hero gave Dr Clark a nod. “Comms established.” She glanced at Shooting Star and switch to the given channel. “Can you read me?” Once Star confirms, Predator nods and turns her helmet back to Clark. “If you could, copies of the intended routes and secondary routes could prove useful for predicting possible detours or ambush sites. I can study them as we go.” Other than that final request Predator stands ready to go.

Predator Predator’s reflective helmet never wavered as Patriot/Copycat called for reinforcements. She took the opportunity to watch the man and analyze him. His mannerisms didn’t seem threatening in any manner she could tell. His nervousness seemed genuine. But she did not like dealing in maybes. Until his motives were revealed she would remain cautious as everyone else exhibited. As others joined them and ultimately escorted Dok to a separate room, Predator followed silently. She would not be ashamed to admit she was out of her depth here. The others were obviously possessed of ‘bad blood’ with Archeville, information probably tucked away within the redacted files. Maybe after this she could petition for more access to files. Predator disliked being ill informed when placed in a dangerous situation. Inside the room, Predator mirrored her friend, taking up a sentry position on the other side of the door. Her armored tail unconsciously swaying in agitation as she attempted to follow the conversation. Cynthia was already recording it, the suit’s A.I. programmed to being doing so as soon as she calls on it. She would probably rewatch it several times to analyze it before she was satisfied she had learned everything she could from it. Despite everything that was happening, she was able to take a moment to appreciate the A.I. as it played host to the proceedings. She would love to get chance to examine its coding.

Paper Leon had had his hands full with another diaper change when Liz and Chris had stopped in. He wasn’t able to do much more than offer a smile and a nod. Finishing up, he was disposing with the trash when he caught Neko’s signal. He never would have thought they would actually use it, but the three distinct claps had him moving. She would have the kids in hand while they secured the room. With practiced casual ease he moved from one door to the next, his paper wolf following him. As he walked the paper wolf split, forming a new wolf that curled up in front of each door. Paper slid silently from Leon’s arm to cover and seal door cracks and vents. Only once he and Davyd had made the rounds and verified the room’s security did Leon move to stand by Neko’s side. “Room’s secured.” He said to her in a low voice as he waited for her next cue. This was her gig, and he would follow her lead.

Blackstaff Christopher chuckled as Adrianna described the robotic dinosaur incident. He had heard of the academy but had never had reason to look into it, not unlike that private school over in Bayview. Suddenly, the sinister magic that had been following them swelled and a sharp rack cut through the night. Before them stood a figure draped in a human guise. Instinctively, Blackstaff stepped in front of Dreamer. One hand out toward the mysterious figure. He could feel it, this was the source of the magic he had been feeling. “Stand down.” The wizard declared as his own magic shimmered around him. “Return whence you came.”

Blackstaff “Curses indeed.” Blackstaff agrees with a nod. “Powerful ones at that.” She levels a look at the professor. “You seem to know more than you’ve let on professor. A matter this important should have been brought to the attention of someone like the Master Mage Phantom. After all, this is a little bigger than a missing person, an annoying little hex, or a stray demon causing a commotion around town.” She sighed. “I suppose though, since I am involved now, I can at least look into it for now.” Lark leans against the door frame, an imposing presence despite her appearance. “Should I cancel your meetings for the next few days?” Blackstaff nods. “I’m afraid so. Mrs Hammershine will have to deal with the cats stealing from her forge a little longer.” “It’s quite alright Mister Star.” She gave the young man a friendly smile. “I’m sorry you’ve been drawn into this. And I assure you, we can make sure you’re returned home as soon as you need to be.” “Now, Prof. Armitage, if you would please. I think we deserve the full story.”

Chimera Chimera watched in horror as the fragile bodies crumbled into dust, yet the gold continued to shift and move on its own. She backed away from it quickly. She watched at the golden masses slowly flowed and merged, like something kind of old black and white horror movie monster. When Nightscale began to retreat back up the stairs, she realized he was trying to lure it after him. ‘Then what?’ She wondered. “I hope you have a plan.” She called after him as she kept her distance. “I don’t think we want this thing getting any bigger.”

Christopher gave Dreamer a friendly smile as he waited for her to finish handing out gifts. The itch of strange magic in the air still lingers, following the duo like some kind of trailing cloud. As they move along the city sidewalks Christopher tells Adrianna about opening an office front here in Freedom City to be closer to family. “It’s easier than one would think, having the office connected to both cities really cuts down on the commute.” He chuckles. “What about you? What brought you to Freedom?” He tries to project calm and casual, but he can still ‘feel’ the unknown magic growing.

Snow covered swaths of the workspace. “What in the-?” Lark asked, sounding only slightly surprised. The blonde glanced around the room as the others talked and argued. Seeing the professor, Mr Dickens and Golden Star she became concerned. “Hey! Where’s Mr Daye?” A drift of nearby snow shifted and Lark rushed over. A few handfuls of snow cleared away revealed the back Christopher’s jacket. “Chri- Mr Daye!” Muffled noises proceeded the a rush of snow filled wind as the snow drift was swept away by a simple magic spell. The exhumed figure hugged itself as it shivered and coughed. “Damn-*cough*-damned magical feedback.” Christopher straighten up, voice sounding strangely off. “I am so going to feel that on in the morning.” The wizard for hire surveyed the room and sighed. “House keeping is going to have fun with this.” Lark stood, mouth open, staring. “What?” Christopher asked when he saw her staring. Lark could only close her mouth and point. “Um, you’re going to need a change of clothes.” “What? Did my shirt get rui-“ Christopher looked down and stopped mid sentence. “Oh, for the… Not again.” The figure standing in the remains of the snow was easily a few inches smaller than the 5’ 11” gentleman Professor Armitage had met downstairs. Her hair hanging just past her shoulders. The young woman was holding up her sagging pants with one hand and rubbing the bridge of her nose with the other. The burnt edges of her shirt revealing her belly and part of her chest, all of which was covered in a dusting of soot. “Alright.” Christopher said looking around the room. “Professor.” She glance at the man he was currently engaging. “Mr Dickens I presume. And, ah…” She regarded Golden Star and raised an eyebrow. “Golden Star, I think he said.” Lark glanced at the young man and Christopher nodded. “Thank you Lark.” She nodded her thanks. “If everyone could join me in the den.” Christopher motioned for the others to follow him down the hall. In the den, she approached a full length mirror and examined her reflection. She sighed and shook her head. Pulling a price of broken chalk from her pocket she quickly scribbles a few lines of words on the surface. Then, placing just her finger tips on it and spoke a single word under her breath and a wind rose up around her, flapping her clothes. A purple hue spread over her and the clothing began to shrink, reshape, and repair itself. A moment later her clothes look untouched by the snow or magical backlash, and are sized and fitted for her new form. She turns to face Lark and the men. “Well, now then. Would someone like to explain what happened? I mean, before and up to the magical mishap in my workshop.”

Predator Jean was about to apologize. She hadn’t meant to cause her friend any offense, but sometimes she misinterpreted social nuances. The sudden shift in her drinking companion’s attitude stopped her though. The seemingly carefree Copycat was gone, and in her place was the serious Patriot. Jean stiffened and followed Patriot’s gaze. She stood up after her and fell instep behind her. The subtle sound of air being displaced and the change in the weight of her steps accompanied the Predator armor phasing in from Z-space as she walked. Predator came to stand behind Patriot. The smooth reflective surface of the helmet regarded the newcomer. Inside, she called on the suit’s AI. ‘Cynthia, identify target.’ The computer quickly scanned him and reported its findings. ‘Doktor Viktor Archeville.’ It identified him, echoing what Partiot had called him. “Please do not cause a scene.” Predator’s calm voice came through the helmet’s speakers. The information Cynthia compiled though offered little help. Public records were spotty, and government files she had access to were heavily censored and redacted. Oh, how she missed her old systems. She needed to dig deeper, sooner rather than later.

Predator Shootingstar raised valid questions, given her power set. Predator could appreciate her thinking ahead. With her external microphone disabled she addressed the onboard AI. ‘Cynthia, find and download the specifications and schematics for the transport trucks.’ ‘Yes, ma’am’ The artificial voice answered. Turning on the microphone again she looked at Shootingstar. “Do you have a communication device we can use to coordinate?”

Predator Jean joined Copycat in applauding the younger heroes. It was a moment of honesty and Jean wasn’t going to make a scene of it, but she was touched that her friend unconsciously felt comfortable with her. She smiled and nodded. “I had… I have friends back home. Two of them adopted their first child. They eventually had three more of their own, but they never loved their first any less.” “The night is still young.” She teased and looked around. “I can recognize some faces from the news and online research.” She commented. “So much history I’m not a part of. Having to build whole new relationships. Forever the outsider.” She hadn’t meant to say it. Perhaps her drinking companion’s moment of openness was contagious.

Predator Jean couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her friend. Juggling secret identities was more trouble than it was worth in her opinion… But…, she never had family to protect, and that seemed to be the driving factor in that decision, she had observed. It didn’t help here that she stood out completely. In the end, all she could do was nod and attempt a reassuring smile. “Being beholden to a higher authority can be… taxing.” She mused. Of course, pictures were another matter altogether. Jean smiled brightly and happily scooted closer to look at the small screen. The tiny lifeform in Copycat’s arms was very cute indeed, despite being furlessly pink. “He is adorable. I’m sure he will be quite the handsome man once he grows up and his fur comes in.” She teased, fairly certain that the child wasn’t genetically predisposed for fur. Though, she did notice the slight point to the little one’s ears so she could not be certain. “Favors the other half of his genetics?” She asked as tactfully as she thought she could, hoping it wasn’t a sensitive subject.

Getting the drinks took longer then Leon liked. By the time they were on their way again he was fidgeting. Luckily getting past the backstage muscle was nice and easy. Leon glanced in as they passed doors, checking out some of the other bands. When they spotted Bernadette, he gave her a wave. “You kidding! You nailed that, girl.” He gave her a grin as he gave her a one armed hug. “I’d give you a kiss, but I have a girl friend I love and am totally not terrified of making mad.” Leon laughed. “Besides, everyone knows you have someone else you wanna play tonsils hockey with. I had a nice conversation with your diary, but the way, it says it wishes you’d stop writing so much mushy stuff.” He made a mock gagging motion before grinning teasingly. They both knew he’d never actually done that, and that he was just having fun with her. “Have a drink on us.” Leon gestured at Luke holding the extra glass. They all did know she was sweet on someone, bets had been made…

Paper Leon smiled down at the top of Neko’s head. Tilting his head he gave her a kiss by one of her ears. He grinned over at Owain. “Ya, I can see you as a horse cop. You would own that.” He shook his head at Luke’s comment. “I know ACAB, but that’s why we need to start sprinkling in some good ones.” Leon chuckled as he thought about Alice’s question. “Higher learning? Nah.” He grinned. “Though I do think I’d make a pretty good trophy spouse. I got the whole being arm cast thing down pat.” He chuckled. He nodded. “Luke’s right. The hero stuff will fall in your lap whether you want it or not.” He smirked. “Just, you do you. Do what’cha like.” Leon gave Alice a grin. “I can just see you out there, on the school field with the gym shorts and the whistle.” Leon laughed and smirked again before he added mysteriously. “Actually, I do have a hustle I’m looking into.” He gave Owain a grin. “And it’s totally on the up and up.”

Predator Jean smiled. “Yes, you did. And thank you, again.” She accepted her drink with a grateful smile and took a sip. “Here alone?” She asked with curious glance, noting she was fiddling with her empty finger, then looked out around the room. “I thought I might see Patriot and hers tonight, but I suppose she couldn’t make it. I do hope it wasn’t anything serious.” She said in an off handed manner before smiling back at Copycat. Jean tried not to pry into personal lives, but she did consider the woman to be a friend and was willing to listen if needed. She would let Copycat steer the conversation for this.

Paper Leon gave Neko a playful salute as she directed him to the offending diaper. Henrico caught up with the little one and a popes them up, making a funny face as he carried them off to the changing station they had arranged when they got here, well that Neko had arranged. She had pulled this together better than he could have. The money was nice, but he actually was happy spending time with her. And let’s be honest, he was gonna spend anything he made from this on her anyways. He changed the child’s diaper and sent them off to play again while he cleaned up and disposed of the trash.

Christopher accepted the offered matchstick with a warm smile , then blinked as the little girl disappeared before his eyes. He found himself caught off guard for a moment, then smirked and shook his head. “Me?” He asked giving Adrianna a knowing smile. “Searching for the holiday spirit I guess.” He joked, putting hands in his coat. “I’d ask what you were doing out this evening, but I think it pretty obvious.” Christopher glanced around the street. A few lingered, some curious, some suspicious. Who was this man? What did he want with the pretty lady Santa that had been so generous to them? He hoped he was coming off as friendly and non threatening. “You know, there’s a place a few blocks away that has a great cup of hot cocoa. If you wa-“ Something drifted through the night air. Magic, but not her’s he thought and most definitely not his. He glanced around what he hoped was casually. There was too much ‘Dreamer Magic’ in the area, he couldn’t pin it down. “If you want,” He started again, smiling back at her again. “We could go and warm up. My treat.”

Predator “Do not sell yourself short. Flight and strength are quite versatile. They can prove to be the keystones to a solid career of heroing.” Predator nodded. “While I do not have flight capabilities, I am still highly mobile and capable of ranged and melee combat. I am also possessed of a significant sensor array.” The armored hero turned her attention back to Dr. Fields again. “If we find ourselves attempting to reach escape velocity, I fear we may be in greater trouble than we are properly prepared for.” She attempts to joke before continuing more seriously. “Very well, the armor is secondary priority, everything else is of tertiary priority. Retrieval of tertiary targets is approved, as long as it does not endanger the security of the armor or top priority targets.” She crossed her armored arms. “Is that correct?”

Notice check: 13