Lone Star

He also activates his shield so he doesn't die!

Blake turned around, and saw he was completely surrounded. He did a mental checklist of his magical weapons he had on hand- and most of them would attract unnecessary attention to him. His hand reached into his pocket, and he pulled out a skull adorned with feathers. It was a ritual talisman, and Blake put a bit of his latent magic power to activate it. The droogs would feel a feeling on uneasiness, and with some luck, complete and utter fear. He smiled a little bit while he waited for the talisman's effects to start working.

He goes on a 7. Alright, I'll spend a Hero Point to power-stunt a General Burst Area Fear Control effect, with the subtle extra. So that's a DC 21 Reflex save for the lot, and a DC 21 Will save vs. having the bejesus scared out of them. :P

Mad Dog's keen eyes picked up something from the corner of his peripheral vision. A guest- making a quick escape! He turned around, and pointed: a simple gesture that said so much. "Whoever that is, someone catch them! We can't have anyone leave the room. Fulcrum, we need to stay here with Totem. Someone, quickly!" He was torn between finding the culprit and helping Totem, but he decided his rather unextraordinary speed wouldn't lend to catching anyone. He instead pushed cups and plates off of the table, and hefted Totem onto it. His eyes darted to Guan Yu, and he gave him a look that showed the diety proper respect while conveying the urgency of the situation. "Guan Yu, as quickly as you are able, we need sterilized equipment. We're losing her fast, sir."

Blake grabbed the stick before he swung it down, and threw it across the floor. His eyes blazed, and he nearly punched the young man in the face. Instead, he unclenched his fists, and took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm going to be as calm as I can. But this is an art museum, and these artifacts are valuable and beautiful, and you're destroying them. Listen, I'm a teenager too, and I've seen A Clockwork Orange like ten times. But I think you guys are totally misinterpreting that film." he said, holding his hands up, and ready to throw a punch at a moment's notice. "So I'd highly recommend you guys turn yourself in." He had said to Jessica not long before that they shouldn't use their alternate identities while they were in Europe, but Blake felt angry enough to take them down as Warlock. He felt the weight of his lightning wand in his pocket, and he knew he could whip it out at a moment's notice.

Mad Dog rolls a 24.

Janis appeared at the cafeteria, a violent clap of thunder heralding her landing. She turned back, her long blonde hair whipping around. As the two approached, she smiled, and opened the door for the two girls. "Go ahead!" she said cheerfully, and she walked in behind them. She turned to Caresse, walking beside her on the opposite side. "So what are your powers, exactly? I guess mine are fairly obvious."

Janis, determined not to be out-done, teleported on the spot. Flashing a brief grin, she disappeared with a dramatic crack of lightning, appearing outside the window. She swung her legs and looked back at the two of them. "I can totally do that too! Well, probably not as well as she can, but teleporting is a lot of fun. Want to race?" She leapt from the window, and made a speedy transit to a tree nearby. "Come on!"

Mad Dog's eyes widened behind his mask, and in a moment he was on the other side of the room. Not sparing a single moment, he moved her mask up so he could examine her neck closely. His eyes flashed, and he turned to the others. "She's poisoned. It's restricting her ability to breathe. We need to perform an emergency tracheotomy immediately." He moved Totem's chair backwards, and attempted to keep her body upright. "I can perform the procedure myself, but I'll need sterilized equipment."

Mad Dog will make a Medicine roll to save Totem. A 36, not bad.

Blake practically leapt off the bed. "WHAT. The Victoria and Albert is across the street?!" He suddenly pulled Jessica close to him, and gave her a loving and passionate kiss. His arms wrapped around her waist and he happily rested his head on her stomach. "I love you. So which exhibits are being shown right now? I had just heard about the postmodern one...wow." Blake sat up for a moment, and looked at her. "This is my first vacation, and already it seems like it's the best. Thank you for taking me to Europe, Jessica."

Blake practically had his face pressed up against the cab's windows, as if he were trying to visually absorb as much of London as is physically possible. He gazed in wide wonder at the sights and sounds of the city, and had his hand over Jessica's the whole time. When they pulled up to the hotel, it was a comfort not to have to use his telekinesis ring and attract attention to himself. To the people of London, they were just another two American tourists. He smiled widely as she wrapped her hands around his neck. "Haha, yes we are, babe! It's so strange...everything is nicer here. The walls, the carpet, the...oops!" Blake watched his girlfriend fall onto the bed, and he quickly followed her, giggling with her. "So would you like to sleep off the jet lag, Jess? I don't know how well we'd be able to take in the city if we just got off the plane. And if you wanted to, maybe we could...erm." Blake smiled awkwardly and kissed her cheek.

Janis' eyes opened wide. "Wow, very impressive, Caresse. I've been wanting to take up martial arts myself." She lowered herself into a mock martial arts stance, then stood back up when she realized how silly she looked. "Anyway...I've never really won any awards myself, but if you need any mechanical help, I'm your gal. It's a knack of mine, I guess." Janis beamed brightly at her, then opened the door for the two of them. "So, ladies, to the cafeteria?"

Janis nodded understandingly, and held out one of her hands. The lightning snaked around her arm and lit up the bus. She grabbed hold of the device and kept a steady flow of electricity moving through it. She watched as the other heroes were about to confront the shadow-creatures, but kept to her post and kept the watts flowing. I wouldn't want to cause any...wormhole collapsing or anything. she thought to herself. I don't know much about science, but nothing about that sounds like a good plan.

Janis smiled and offered her hand to Caresse. She took a deep breath and sighed happily as she smelled the familiar scent of incense. "Nice to meet you, Caresse, and nice space you've got here. I like what you've done with it." She noticed the trophies too. "So what did you win those awards in, exactly?"

Blake's flight had been much more relaxed than Jessica's- he had gotten a window seat and amused himself by imagining what the passengers would say he appeared as Kid Cthulhu outside their windows. Jessica looked a little stressed, and Blake tried to keep her relaxed. He didn't think that she would be worrying about her powers- although he couldn't imagine why a girl who wore a battlesuit would ever be nervous about flying in a plane. As the taxi drove along, Blake chuckled at her messing with the cab's driver. "I don't know, honey. I imagine it's...somewhere. London is a pretty big city, after all."

Janis leapt from her bed, practically mauling her roommate. "That sounds great!" she said with a huge grin. As they walked down the hallway, Janis was practically skipping. "Sorry I'm so...ditzy today. I just got the new Ultradeth album. It's pretty metal. Oh, that reminds me..." she said, tilting her head to one side. "How are things with that one dude? The guy with the..." A strange gesture with her hands was completely incomprehensible. "Runes?"

It was a boring Saturday afternoon at the Claremont Academy. The birds outside chirped merrily, and the sun hung high overhead. Janis was sitting on her bed, listening to a new album she bought from the local bookstore. The heavy metal blared from her earphones, practically making her bed vibrate with the noisy music. Her foot tapped lazily against her sheets, ruffling them slightly. She sat, completely relaxed, and absently played with the headphone cord. Her eyes drifted up to the ceiling, and she suddenly snapped her iPod off with a pop of electricity. She looked at her roommate, and poked her. "I'M BORED."

Mad Dog stood up and stood at ease, listening carefully. He knew nothing he could say would help the situation any, if at all. I don't know who that is, but there's obviously been some foul play. If I can, I'll have to talk to the other Freedonians and see if we can all put our heads together. Though he did not know much about magic, he did know to stay alert. There could be more trouble in the hours ahead.

Blake scratched the back of his head. "Uh, gimme a sec." He hastily waved his hand, and the vines began to shrink back into themselves. The flowers unblossomed, uncreating themselves and within a minute, it had shrunk into one brilliant, multi-colored flower. "Is that easier to work with?" he said with a smile. "I'm still getting the hang of those sorts of spells. Now, what were you doing a moment ago?" He grasped the back of her hair with his open hand and kissed her lovingly, his lips caressing hers with passion.

Blake smiled back, putting a hand on her shoulder. He slowly walked her inside, making sure to close the glass sliding door behind them. "Even better than that, baby." He started rummaging through his pockets, his hands examining every inch of his jacket. "I need a material component to do this...oh hell." He started to look more frantically, then sighed with relief and pulled his hand out of his pocket. In his hands was a tiny seed. "I love you, Jessica." He concentrated for a moment, his expression becoming stoic as he focused his mystic power. Within moments, the seed became a small green sprout, and blossomed into a gorgeous flower- more beautiful than anything that could be produced by nature. A dozen roses of brilliant colors grew up from his palm, their vines reaching towards the floor. Holding the flower in his hand, he kissed her sweetly on her lips.

Blake wrapped his arms around her and suddenly pulled her into a passionate kiss. One hand went to her hair and stroked it gently, and the other went to her back. Beneath his warm kiss, Blake smiled. When he broke the kiss, his face was flushed with happiness and excitement. "Jessica, I'd be more than happy to! That is, supposing you don't mind paying more of the rent...I don't earn a whole ton working paranormal stuff. I was having trouble keeping that place, anyway." He kissed her again, and gave her a peck on her neck. "May I do something for you?"

Blake's eyes widened as he tried to take in the whole apartment at once. "Ooooh my God." were the only words that could possibly start to describe how he felt. He took a few steps in, and with every step, the room seemed to widen around him. He saw he walk outside to the balcony, and he quickly ran after her. He was greeted with a dazzling view of the city, and he gasped in wonder. "Babe, this is absolutely breathtaking." His knuckles turned white as he gripped the balcony rail for dear life, afraid that if he loosened his grip, he'd go flying and become a pancake at the bottom of the fall. He turned to her and gave her a kiss on her cheek. "So, uh." Blake said nervously. "Want a roommate?"

Blake followed her on his motorcycle, the wind blowing against his helmet. He gripped the handles tightly as he turned with her into the parking complex. He followed her, the bike's engine puttering as he walked it to the parking spot. He locked his helmet inside the bike's storage container, and made his way over to the elevator. He was surprised by the sheer speed of the elevator, and his heart started racing. He gripped her hand and steadied himself against the wall. "Yeah? Where are we now?"

Blake grinned as she popped the door open with a look. "That's so cool. And sure thing, baby." After a quick kiss on her cheek, he made his way over to his motorcycle. He could almost feel the blush on his face. It was difficult being at work without having Jessica around as often as when they first started dating, but he hoped their vacation would really give them a chance to connect once again. Blake popped the helmet on his head and adjusted the chin strap. He scooted down, and ignited the powerful engine of the bike, which roared into life. Turning it around, he slowly moved it behind Jessica's Explorer, and gave her a thumbs-up, and a wide smile.