TheRedGuy
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I will be very busy with my master's thesis and another exam over the next 2-3 weeks. Posting will be sporadic at best, nonexistent at worst. I'll do my best not to hold back any threads I'm currently in - writing me off to the side would be the best bet. Look forward to going back into the groove when the whole thing is over.
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"Pleasure's all mine.", Aníbal accepted the handshake with practiced grace, He idly wondered what she heard about him, or rather, what Raina had told her. It was probably good, judging by her demeanor. He, on the other hand, knew very little about Raina's mysterious advisor. Raina had mentioned she was taking classes here, and mentioned Talya a few times, but the sultry woman was still very much a mystery. Before he could say anything else, attention was diverted to Huang's faux pas, which occasioned quite a bit of awkward, evasive talk from the two trainers. Aníbal looked on in silent puzzlement. Clearly, something was going on between those two, but he had no clue what it was. Poor Huang, he thought. The kid seemed to be a magnet for awkwardness. "Huh... So... What kind of torments do you have in store for us today, Miss... Talya?", he asked, trying to get things back on track. It felt a little weird to call someone that old by what was apparently a nickname, but he'd probably get used to it.
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Wha... Gone? Aníbal was stunned as his projected blast found its target, apparently vaporizing the lioness. Some sort of illusion? Was it magic? He wished Raina were here, she'd probably know how to handle this. Before he could take another action, the second lioness vanished into thin air. Suddenly he felt tired, abnormally tired. It wasn't the exertion of battle, it was something else. It felt like a pair of lead weights was tied to his legs, pulling him down towards the ground. All his exertions and attempts to remain focused and shrug off the sudden onset of drowsiness were useless. He landed in the back alley, not far from the spot where the lionesses had disappeared, and dragged himself back inside the jewelry shop using his last reserves of stamina. Was Miracle Girl okay? Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a girl leaving the store. She looked familiar: he'd seen that face somewhere, perhaps a news article. Who are you?, he thought, and then everything went black. He slumped on the floor of the jewelry shop, not far from Miracle Girl. Later, he felt a firm hand on his shoulder, trying to shake him awake. "Déjame dormir, Mama...", he muttered and rolled to his side, pawing at a nonexistent cover. Slowly, the events of the day came rushing back into his mind and he awoke with a jolt. The lions were gone, and most of the jewelry was cleaned out. The hand on his shoulder belonged to a rather burly police officer. He nodded to the man, slightly flustered, and quickly stood up. While he was unharmed, his ego took quite a bruising. Miracle Girl was awake too, joined by another heroine. He walked up to the pair and greeted the newcomer with a friendly nod. "What... What happened? How long were we out?", he asked, still a bit groggy from the ordeal. Second time, he thought bitterly. This was the second time a foe had eluded his grasp. One more score to settle.
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"Yeah, we probably don't.", Aníbal agreed. He felt a little sorry for Huang. Leaving him to fend for himself as his parents arrived didn't feel right. On the other hand, the party was his idea. Never take a risk if you can't face the consequences. As Raina dragged him outside, he felt the night's chill on his bare torso and shuddered, pulling his cape over his chest. The proposed mode of conveyance made him hesitate. That looked super uncomfortable. It occurred to him that there were precious few depictions of warlocks riding brooms, the reason for this being rather obvious. However, when Raina sat sidesaddle, he moved forward and sat down next to her in the same manner, wrapping one arm around her waist and holding on to the broom with the other. "Brrr...", he huddled next to her, pressing her closer to siphon off some warmth, "Okay, let's get out of here."
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I'm OK with wrapping up too.
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Aníbal's eyes were fixed on the spectacle of a nervous, zooming Huang, who was apparently terrified of the prospect of his parents coming home early. He himself quietly welcomed the news. The parents seemed like the ideal people to put an otherwise wheezing party out of its misery. It wasn't Huang's fault, of course, but even though the night was still young, the energy level had decisively dropped. Finally, the young dhampir stopped whooshing around and nervously opened a portal to... what was that? A starry void opened up where the door used to be. Aníbal didn't know much about magical stuff, but that looked dangerous. Maybe it just looked like outer space, or maybe it was - either way, he wasn't going to step through that without some assurances. Huang's rather uncertain promise that they'd probably be safe didn't inspire confidence. "Güey... Um, Huang, man, look...", he addressed the host, "I think you're going to have to give us more than probably fine if you want us to go through that thing." Soon, the new girl opened her own portal. This one looked much nicer. You could see Claremont through it, which was a good sign. This one he was prepared to go with. As Riley made his way out the window, Aníbal turned to Raina. "So, do we take the new girl's portal or fly home?", he whispered the question, "If you're taking Winifred, I'm not sure her stomach could handle flying through the air. But, your call."
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The kitchen was a mess, or, rather, it felt like a mess to him. He had never set foot into one of these before, and had no idea where anything was. The fact he was surrounded by unconscious people didn't help him maintain composure. Muttering curses under his breath, he methodically went through the various cupboards and shelves in the area, trying not to leave behind too much of a mess. After a while, he found one item from the list, which boosted his spirits somewhat. It was going fine. everything was under control, he had the situation well in hand, he repeated in his mind, clutching the plastic bottle like it was made of diamonds. Surely there was another one nearby? He continued his search. Soon, he could hear the patter of little feet behind him. He turned and spotted Merlin, who decided to look for the items as well. Two heads were better than one, he thought with a smile, even if one of them was tiny and simian. "Well... This is highly unsanitary.", he remarked to the monkey, "Come on, help me look." Together, they soon found the items required. Aníbal breathed a sigh of relief, and noticed the back door was opened. On the ground lay something white, possibly an apron. He handed the rest of the items to Merlin. He was small, but the stuff seemed light enough for him to drag it back to the pizzeria's dining area and use it for whatever crazy purpose he had in mind. "There, take it to Raina. I'll go look outside.", he told the little familiar. Determined, he stepped outside the back door and picked up the piece of cloth on the floor. It was an apron, the kind the waitresses wore. Whoever was responsible wore it as a disguise before discarding it and fleeing the scene. An inside job... Huh. This was big, he thought. The poisoned guy had powerful friends, if his buddy wasn't lying about the talk with the mayor, but it seemed he also had powerful enemies. He wished Riley were here - he'd probably be able to track the fugitive's scent all across town. But, alas, he didn't have the Woodsman's survival skills. Aníbal checked the apron, hoping against hope to find any clues, like a nametag, that might shed light on the situation. It was all he had to go on, for now.
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Gah blagh clogged sinuses. Anyway... Flying upwards to get further out of range from the lionesses. Attacking lioness #4 with an Air Blast 9 (maintaining dynamic AP Flight 1), DC24 Toughness save: Attack Roll 1d20+10=25
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The blast hit its intended target. Unfortunately, the target simply shrugged it off and followed him outside. The lionesses executed an impressive joint attack on the young air-controller, one of them serving as a makeshift launch pad for the other, who jumped off of her and lunged towards its tasty prey. "Woah!", Aníbal pushed himself upwards on the airflow, barely managed to avoid the claws of the leaping lioness. The pair were well trained indeed, or exceptionally clever. He certainly never saw this sort of behavior on National Geographic. Clearly, taking these two on while within their striking distance was a recipe for disaster. He ascended higher, almost level with the top of the building, and looked down on the predators below. Unless they were supernaturally talented at climbing, there was no way they could reach him now. It wasn't a fair fight, he thought, but then again, two 400 pound beasts on one kid wasn't fair either. He focused again, aiming for one of the lionesses, and unleashed another air blast. This time he wasn't holding back, but he still couldn't hit with full force, as he was splitting his efforts between attacking and remaining airborne. He hoped this one would at least have some effect, and wondered how Miracle Girl was doing inside the jewelery shop.
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Notice Check 1d20+8=20 Eh well... It was worth a shot.
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Um, Heri, I think it's your turn to attack another lioness? EP noted the result of your last action in his latest IC post.
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Alrighty... For the move action, Aníbal is flying outside to get at a safe distance from the beautiful ladies going all David Attenborough documentary on him. Attacking lioness #5 with a Blast, using Accurate Attack for +2, which would make it a DC23 Toughness Save. I think. Attack Roll 1d20+12=28
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This was a bad idea, he thought, as the lioness shrugged off his attempt to choke her out using his powers. The ladies of the pack soon overcame their initial fear of the newcomers and went on the offensive. One pair of lionesses, which he hadn't noticed earlier, stormed past him carrying jewelry. He tried to maintain his attempt at suffocation to no avail. The lioness he was attacking lunged forward and snapped her maw at him, but thankfully she was at least somewhat off balance. He skillfully dodged her attempted attack, but backed straight into the path of the second lioness, who bit into his forearm with amazing force. The pain was unbelievable, comparable to the burning sensation he felt when the pyrokinetic terrorist set herself ablaze on his shoulder a few months ago. This time it was razor-sharp teeth, pressing themselves into his flesh. The protective lining on his suit was designed to deal with ballistic damage, not animal bites. Despite the enormous strain it was subjected to, it held out, making the pain bearable and absorbing much of the pressure on Aníbal's arm. He cried out in agony and tried to extricate his arm from the lioness' maw. Christmas Eve was tomorrow. Christmas Eve was tomorrow, he thought, and he was not going to spend it in a hospital bed. With renewed determination, he somehow managed to free himself from the bite before the teeth had cut through the lining and reached his flesh. Instinctively, he propelled himself towards the exit, flying out on a sudden rush of air and barely landing on his feet. He turned towards his attackers and took a deep breath. Clearly, the less violent option wasn't working. The fact that the magnificent beasts were clearly not going to extend him the courtesy of a gentler approach considerably weakened his reservations about hurting animals. He was still uneasy about having to do this, but it was a life and death situation. "Okay... Want to play rough?", he huffed as he aimed a blast of compressed air at the lioness that bit him, "Now we play rough." He thrust his palm forward, sending a blast of air towards his target. The blast was weaker than before - a small mercy towards the lion that also made it easier to accurately manage its path.
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Ay, caramba. Toughness Check 1d20+8=12 Spending an HP to re-roll. Toughness Check Re-Roll 1d20+8=27
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"Sure is...", Aníbal agreed with Raina's assessment of the party so far. All beginnings were difficult, but this one seemed far more difficult than necessary. He'd seen his fair share of mismanaged parties that went awry, but this was especially bad - things didn't even go badly in a spectacular, interesting fashion, which would at least provide some focus and excitement. Instead, it just seemed to peter out into boredom and recriminations. Upset feelings and upset stomachs were not a good basis for fun. He shrugged. "Yeah, it's... it's kinda lame. I don't know what I expected, really.", Aníbal remarked under his breath, "Given all that's happened so far, I don't think ghosts would help matters much. There's a talking dog in the other room, though, if you're interested. It was his turn to play when I left, but honestly, I don't think we should continue the game any further." He awkwardly adjusted his tights. "I'm uh, going back. You two feel free to join us whenever you're ready.", he said, and left the room after politely nodding a farewell to the two ladies. When he rejoined the rest of the group, he noted the lingering stench of vomit had wafted out from the other room. So that's where it went, he thought, and discretely recirculated the air, sending the foul odor to the corners. "Okay, I think we all learned that the truth can hurt.", he commented, turning to Huang, "So, I'd say it's best we cancel truth or dare and find something else to do. Anyone have any suggestions?".
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It's a fine power for an aerokinetic, but it's not exactly the most efficient one. Hmmm... I could use an HP to buy either Area or Split Attack, but seeing as I'm not confident this'll have any effect, let's just go with 4. I'll edit the post.
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Woah... The door was blasted open, slamming against the wall with a loud thud that alerted the entire pack to his presence. So much for the "stealthy" approach from the back. Adjusting the force of his compressed air bursts was something he never quite managed to pull off. Determined not to let this affect the plan, he strode towards the now open back door, but stopped in front of it and instinctively jumped to the side as three lionesses came rushing past him. Woah! They didn't attack, but moved out the back and around the building, going to the front. Were they flanking? As he entered the shop, two more lionesses dropped their precious loot and stared at him, apparently spooked by Miracle Girl's arrival at the scene. It was an amazing sight. For a moment he stood there, motionless, admiring the savage beauty of the creatures. He had seen them at the zoo, but never this close. This was an unpleasant situation - lions were one of his favorite animals, and he hated the idea of having to hurt them to foil this surreal robbery. When Miracle Girl zoomed towards one of the lionesses and unleashed a ferocious Taekwondo attack, he winced. Cruelty towards animals wasn't his idea of a good time, but something had to be done. He extended his arm towards one of the two lionesses, the palm upright, like he was offering her something. "Sorry, girl...", he muttered with a mournful sigh, balled his fist and pulled his arm towards himself, like he was lifting a weight, pulling the air out of the lioness' lungs to suffocate her. He had far more devastating moves in his arsenal, but he didn't want to hurt the majestic creatures any more than necessary.
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Okay, so, 1) moving inside the shop, 2) using my Perception-range Suffocate 5 on the two lionesses that dropped their jewelry and turned towards Aníbal. DC15 Fortitude save. I know it sucks as a power, but Aníbal likes teh kittehs too much to seriously hurt them.
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El Huracán There's A Moon Out Tonight Monster Mash Brightly Polished 24 Carat Wits El Huracán, obviously, gets all rewards.
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Okay, blasting the door with m'Blast 10. DC25 Toughness save. EDIT: And here's the Initiative Roll. 1d20+4=11
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Aníbal flashed a pearly grin at Miracle Girl's joke. A cheesy joke it was, but in tense situations cheesy jokes were a welcome stress reliever. "I'll think of something. Good luck!", he replied and, with a wave, watched the blonde paragon fly over the building and head into action. Now it was time for his part of the plan. Inhaling deeply to steady his nerves, he approached the back door, hoping he wouldn't need to cause too much damage to pry it open. It was, naturally, locked - a shop door in a back alley was a prime spot for intrusion. Presumably there was an alarm as well, though given the situation, perhaps attracting the attention of law enforcement wasn't such a bad idea. He took a few steps back. There was only one way he was going to get it open. Time to play the big bad wolf... He gestured like a martial artist to aid his concentration and propelled a burst of compressed air towards the door with a thrust of his palm, aiming for the area around the doorknob to minimise the damage and maximise the odds of getting it open.
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"That might work, actually...", Aníbal stroked his chin. Presumably, although highly trained (or highly intelligent), the lions did not have the ability to fly, meaning Miracle Girl could pick a fight with them and easily bail out if things went badly. Meanwhile, he would get the customers and staff out through the back and join her afterwards. It wasn't much - a lot of things about the situation remained unknowns, which wasn't good when making plans - but it was worth a shot. He examined the back of the store, wondering what would be the best way in. "Okay, so... You go in the front and intercept the lions, I'll go in, get the hostages out through the back and join the fun.", he cleared everything with Miracle Girl and took a deep breath. "Ready when you are. Good luck out there."
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"Lio... Wha...", Aníbal mouthed in bafflement as Miracle Girl explained the situation to him. He nodded after a pause allowed the bizarre scenario to sink in. While he was slowly getting used to living a life surrounded by high weirdness, Freedom City could always find something new to surprise him with. Certainly, it wasn't the weirdest thing he'd seen since embarking on his career as a budding superhero, but it was up there. That, however, was beside the point. There was a robbery going on, however unusual the method, and the two of them had the opportunity to help. The mystery of what Miracle Girl was doing in the alley was resolved, but a much bigger problem remained. He thoughtfully stroked his chin as she explained her intention to go in stealthily. It was probably a smart thing to do, though whether the two of them had the skills to pull it off was another matter entirely. "Hmm... Unfortunately neither do I.", Aníbal remarked, casting a glance at the rear entrance to the shop. Was there even an alarm? If so, was it on? He cursed himself for not paying more attention to the extensive security arrangements his father had installed at the Herrera family home in Mexico. Listening to the contractors' sales pitches would have proved useful now, but alas... Perhaps just taking the risk was worth it? "Well... There's two of us.", he mused, "Perhaps we could split up? One of us takes the front, the other one approaches from the back, either way we get the jump on them... I don't think we'll have any luck tampering with the alarm systems."
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I'm guessing a Search check would be in order? Aníbal is untrained, so just using Int bonus. Search Check 1d20+3=9 (messed up the roll on Orokos; Int bonus is +3, not +4. D'oh!) Soo, that'd be a failure.
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Aníbal's eyes widened as he observed the scene in the kitchen. It was now clear what had spooked the waiter so much. Something had knocked the staff out cold - to his immense relief, it seemed they were still breathing, but it wasn't clear for how long. Were they poisoned too? The sight was eerie, particularly since the kitchen was otherwise unremarkable. Nothing was spilled, there were no signs of struggle, no mess. What could have done this? Who could have done this? The questions zoomed through his mind at light speed until he was snapped out of it by the voice of one of the poisoned man's associates. He sighed in annoyance before dragging the terrified waiter away from the kitchen. For a few seconds, he stood awkwardly between the two areas, unsure of what to do. The poisoned man's friend piped up again with spectacularly unhelpful commentary, and Aníbal finally snapped under the tension of the situation. "He won't be holding any goddamn presentations if he's dead, will he?!", he shouted back with surprising fury, looking the man straight in the eyes, "I'm trying to save your friend and I have to get some things from the kitchen. Meanwhile, there's half a dozen people back here OUT COLD and your whining isn't helping matters in the slightest, so shut up and let me work!". It was white-hot imperious rage, the ancestral blood of two dozen generations of hidalgos speaking through him with authority. He flinched a little, embarrassed by the intensity of the outburst. This wasn't the way he normally treated people, but then again, this wasn't a normal situation. "Raina, tell them to send more ambulances. There's more people back here, unconscious. No idea what happened to them.", he told Raina before turning towards the entrance to the kitchen and rushing inside. It was a risk, perhaps a foolish risk, but someone needed to fetch those supplies, and the waiter was clearly not in the state to do it himself. It struck him that it was technically a crime scene, and shouldn't be tampered with, but a life was at stake, and had to What was it that Merlin asked for? He strained to remember the items as he stepped between the unconscious staff members, surveying the kitchen. OK... So... Two plastic bottles, plastic bag, plastic wrap... It's gotta be in here somewhere. Composing himself, he began to search the kitchen for the items required, hoping he'd manage to find them in time to do whatever it was the ingenious little monkey had intended.
