Avenger Assembled

"Very nice work," said Owain, complimenting Consuelo for her art. "Do you take commissions?" he asked her. Returning to the conversation with the new people, he asked Iris "What do you like to read? Claremont has one of the largest libraries I had ever seen before I came here," he confided. "Hundreds of books on each floor, and all printed and easy to read, about any subject you could name!" He smiled, then seemed to blush a little. "I get, ah, carried away about the books sometimes. I am what you would call 'something of a bookhound'" he confided. "For myself, I have been reading the works of Merle Miller most recently. A fine chronicler of the deeds of great men - and a man honest about his own heart. We could use more men of such bardic inspiration in any age."

When Michael looked back at Neko, she was sitting up, her yellow eyes shining, her tail thumping vigorously back and forth on the chair behind her. "You have to sing for us before we leave the island," she told him, hands folded beneath her chin. "It would be so epic! If you do sing," she offered, "I bet I could sing with you..." Owain meanwhile was cheerfully greeting the twins, happy to see the girl and boy he'd met as part of his duties as chaperone. "Hello!" he said. "Can you believe we crossed the world in an eyeblink? This truly is an age of wonders, is it not?" For her part, Neko rose to greet the twins, still smiling with visibly pointy teeth. The twins had heard about the catgirls at Claremont and this one seemed more girl than cat; in many ways a normal Japanese girl of medium height and build, albeit with white and brown-spotted hair that looked like fur on her head, two huge yellow eyes that were almost bigger than a human's could have been, incisors that were just a little too pointy - and of course the ears, pointy and furred, that stuck up above her head, and the tail behind. "Hello!" she said, "I am Neko Musume. Owain told me about you," she said, stepping backwards so that she balanced on the metal frame of the chair as she looked down at Iris. Her own book, the Tales of Ise, was still clutched neatly in one hand. "What are you reading?" she asked.

Okay, here's what you notice: Everything here seems real (even though you know it's not) except Neko herself - until you start looking at her! She doesn't smell or feel right or anything, until suddenly she does. The overall effect is like an actor who forgets his lines suddenly spring to life when prompted, or a masked performer slapping their mask on after being spotted without it. Something is peculiar here.

"It was a love poem," said Neko, her purring voice becoming a tease as she studied him over the pages of her book. "The servant of the princess brings her love the poem, and he replies: Mata Ausaka no Seki wa koenamu which means 'I shall cross again to you, over the Meeting Barrier." With a sad little smile, she added, "They never meet again. But that's how poetry goes sometimes." She grinned at Michael and asked "Do you ever read poetry to Carmen? Girls like that, you know." Meanwhile Owain had climbed out of the pool to take a break and was toweling himself off, calling out cheerfully to some of the Bernadettes in the pool. "Nay, nay! You Irish spitfires fight like warriors born!" It was definitely a compliment, even if he had his odd way of saying it. He grinned at Michael and said, "Poetry is all well and good but you should learn a musical instrument! Ladies love a song from a gallant young man." Loudly he burst into Sumer is icumen in, his singing voice not bad even if untrained.

Owain winced at the story. "Yes, it was a - time. I believe the word used by scholars these days is - problematic?" For the benefit of the new arrivals, he said, "My, ah, foster sister is of Japanese heritage and she had much to say about Quirk afterwards." Bernadette had heard Neko grumbling about gaijin weeboo kami for days afterwards. "I know I would not have cared for a fellow who used my home to torment me, that's for sure." He looked at the twins and Ryan consideringly. Generally if students arrived on the scene without parents, cousins, or anyone from their clan accompanying them, it bespoke a good reason - a reason he would hardly pry into. "So," he asked the new people, "what do you like to do for fun? There is much training and preparation in Claremont, and much learning - but a great deal of fun! I have learned how to play video games, and toss the hackey-sack, and how to play baseball and football!" He grew more and more excited as he spoke, obviously delighted by these memories.

As the new student arrived to join the existing group, a large black bird flew overhead, giving a distinct and ominous "Caw! Caw! Caw!" before it landed in the grass at everyone's feet. After just a moment, a remarkable transformation took place as the bird unfolded itself into a young man. It was not a biological transformation, there was no snapping of limbs nor shedding of feathers - rather the bird's outline seemed to grow and change into the form of a tall, muscular fellow who looked like he might have been the quarterback of the high school football team - if this was an ordinary high school. He was wearing a T-shirt that declared his loyalty to Freedom City's football team - the Heroes. "Hello!" declared the young man, his voice deep, and British accent musical to an American's ears - but of course obviously Welsh to Bernadette. "I am Owain Celliwig. Welcome to Claremont Academy!" He bowed to the group, his bowl cut bouncing a little as he moved. "I am sorry I ran late, Bernadette," he added apologetically. "Were we discussing battles?" he asked seriously. "If you are worried, worry not; it has been sometime since Claremont fell victim to outside attack. There was that blaspheming fellow who mocked the plagues of Egypt, and of course the Christmas demon, but those were years ago, and no one was seriously hurt even then. These days, Claremont is among the safest and most warded places in this realm!" he added reassuringly.

Okay, @MoonSimply, your turn!

That hits. https://orokos.com/roll/1000557 = he is bruised. There is something off about the cyber-Neko. You can't quite put your finger on it but she seems - off. Almost as if she's not really here. @MoonSimply, you notice that she doesn't seem quite real either - she doesn't smell like Neko either.

Sea Devil stared at the vampires with her gigantic black and gold eyes. With powerful snorts of her big nostrils, she smelled their dead flesh and the blood of Surface-Men in the air. She knew what these things were; she had heard stories of the things that wore the faces of Surfacers while eating their flesh and drinking their blood from the moment Singularity had opened up to her about the world that had once been her home. She expanded her throat and bellowed, a deafening noise that rang out through the park, and bared her own teeth at the beasts, huge serrated triangles designed by the gods below to rip the flesh from living, struggling whales, and declared "You thought you could hide from me? You are weak!" And then her helmet snapped shut again as she hefted her trident high.

Neko's eyes lit up as Michael handed her the book. "Thank you, Michael," she said in that soft, purring voice as she took the book from his hands. She was now definitely surrounded by what looked and sounded like cats (a not-uncommon sight for the senior when she was sitting in one spot for long enough) and rolled over on her back to read, nestling the book against a fat white and brown specimen that seemed to be resting on her chest. She smiled at Michael and offered "Will you sit?", pointing to a stool near her chair. "I can read you poetry, since you were such a help to me." She turned the cracked-spine paperback to the right page and said in a low purr: "Kachibito no Wataredo nurenu Eni shi areba" She looked reflectively at the pool for a moment, where Owain was just climbing out to fetch a cooler of drinks for the duplicates in the water with him. "It means 'Shallow the inlet - if the traveler wading in it - is not even wetted.'"

What happened next to Gamma Buzz made no sense in retrospect but at the time seemed to make all the sense in the world. As his greenish cloud of radiation seemed to fill the room, setting enemies to coughing and choking (though only disabling a few), his antagonist concentrated on him - narrowing round eyes in his direction that turned suddenly from circles to slits. It wasn't just a question of eyelids moving either, but rather as if the very shape of the nanite-infused creature's face had changed. And that change was making its own change, right in Gamma Buzz's brain! He could feel as things inside his head, his very thoughts, were being shifted and squeezed out of shape, as if a hand composed of mind itself had reached into his skull and sought to quite literally reshape his brain! Meanwhile, Golden Star could see that some of his teammates (like Spaceman) were faring well against their opponents; with the former having seemingly trapped his magical opponent in a spatial snare, others like La Puma Negra and Gamma Buzz were struggling. There was definitely something hinky happening here, but with the Patriot and Lady Liberty noisily battling in front of him, it was hard to think what that was.

Okay, you all have been very patient so far - @Poncho, you are up as soon as I post

Neko "What?" asked Neko. "I am just staying in touch with literature." Smirking, she folded her hands across her belly as another cat seemed to appear from nowhere and settle over her thighs. "My mother used to tell me Tales when I was very small," she admitted softly now that she and Bernadette were alone. "She couldn't read, of course, but we had a folding screen in the shrine that must have been two hundred years old. She would point to all the parts and make the poems just as if we were there. It is a good book; the translator is - very good.." She lay there in the water and over the sound of Owain and the other Bernadettes playing in the water listened to the silence. And then her smile returned. "Michael is a nice boy. Very...helpful. That is good for a boy."

"Mm." Neko considered the story of the other dimension and the leprechaun - a figure that certainly sounded like many of the yokai she'd known at home. "It is dangerous to visit places like that, if you are not careful. If you do have what they want, they may want to keep it - and you. But if you have been there safely once, perhaps it is not so dangerous." In her experience places of magic and the raw essence of things like music usually were quite dangerous but that wasn't always true. "You could bring me along next time," she offered, "or a magical consultant." She considered, very briefly, the look on Carmen's face when she learned that Neko and her friends had gone to the Moon - then focused. "Yes, you cannot just travel. When is your next performance, and what is the venue?"

Off on the edge of the path, Owain collapsed downward into the shape of a large, ferocious-looking wolf, its grey fur sleek and form muscular as it took a few steps away into the cover of the brush. For her part, Neko shut her eyes tight for a moment and listened, ears twitching as they lay back against her head. "They are in the air!" she declared, her accent thick, tail lashing madly behind her. "<Your ambush has failed!>" she called in Japanese, her teeth bared and clawed fingernails pointed. "<Show yourselves!>"

As Consuelo flew off, Neko stirred comfortably where she rested and looked over at Michael. "Soo," she said in a soft, purring voice. "Michael." When he looked over her way, she was studying him with gigantic yellow eyes, and not incidentally had a large white and brown cast nestling on her chest and studying him with the same expression. "I left my book in the kitchen of the house. Can you be a dear and go get it for me?" she asked him, her tone ingenous and face hopeful. "I'm just sooo comfortable in the sun here, I think I could lay here all day..." She stretched her arms again, the cat mirroring her actions. "It's Tales of Ise, with the man and woman in Japanese dress on the cover."

Okay, nothing new from me in terms of posts: Neko Notice: 17 - Super-Senses 6 (Acute Scent, Detect Magic 3 [olfactory], Low-Light Vision, Uncanny Dodge [Mental]) [6PP] Stealth: 19 Owain Notice: takes 10 for 20 Stealth: 25

"There are some places where I could be your guide," she said tentatively, thinking of realms above and below this one she had visited even after coming to the 21st century, "but it would be better to bring...specialists." She considered Raina and some of her friends and nodded approvingly. "I remember Musicland," she added, remembering the story from Bernadette. "But going there might be difficult because of supply and demand. You know," she said, circling with her pen in the air. "You have something that they have. Even if they like what you have, it is hard to sell, because they already have some of it." Making a list in her head, she added, "I have never been to the Moon but I know superheroes can get there." She'd heard all about how Carmen, with her powerful mentor the Patriot, had managed a full-on trip there. "You could suggest...a diplomatic concert?" She wasn't sure what the right word was. "See if the Moon people like music, and what it is."

Neko Neko kicked off her sandals, wriggling her toes. Her feet were just a little bit furry, her carefully painted nails the color of the sky and sharp, like her fingernails. She considered what to say about Carmen, especially with Michael right there, and settled on the simple truth. "Pigeons here would be nice. Much cleaner than city birds, less...garbage." Even Fiji was overrun with people and their things by her standards, but she supposed that was hypocrisy since she was here the same as anyone else. She raised her arm to her face and noisily licked the back of her hand, not looking like she was putting too much effort into it. "Time zones make me sleepy," she added with a big yawn that showed off perfectly pointed teeth. Hooting and hollering, Owain had a fine old time with the various Bernadettes in the pool, splashing some and engaging in some light swordplay with pool noodles with others. Occasionally he thought of what it might have been like to meet a girl like Bernadette in his own realm, a wild woman of the Irish sea, but he was more than happy with her friendship. "Oh-hoh! Some of this, eh? You won't fool me, you squad of feminine brutes!"

Neko smiled at the two girls and wondered exactly how far their travels had taken them, thinking of the hidden world of her village and everything she'd seen since. "Other places. Other times. Other..." She made a little gesture. "Other worlds. There are ways to go into space, and to other...kingdoms, other times. There used to be the show on television where they would go back in time, I have seen that in reruns." The girls recognized Supercrime!, one of whose hosts had actually had time travel powers. "I would not recommend it for just any performing act," she added, "But you all have powers. And there are places to go that are...safe enough." She smiled, showing just a little bit of teeth. "Do any of you know any magic?"

Sea Devil Initiative: 12

Neko/Owain "We met through school," said Owain cheerfully. "You need not fear that we are corrupting the morals of your sister," he said, "she is a fine young woman of good morals." Relieved that everything was good, suddenly growing nervous about her cargo, Neko twisted the bag she'd bought up so that it wrapped around her fingers, then padded over to join the group. "Hiiii," she said, coming over and all but sitting on Leon's lap. "I am Neko Musume, a pleasure to meet you." She looked very much like a normal girl as she said, "We are just here for the party."

Neko/Owain "This is a Fijian," said the Crimson Katana as Neko Musume stood by his side, peering down at the mangled corpse with twitching ears. "They could be a proud people, but the British have made them slaves. We will liberate them," he assured the girl. "Now, you'll notice the other one," he added as they moved to the body next to this one, the stench of formaldehyde thick in the air. "The woman is of Indian stock, transplanted there by the British-" Back in the main house, Neko blinked away her memories and sighed. Girls who she didn't really care for and the beach were not exactly her idea of a good time, but Bernadette had been so excited about this she had let herself be swept along. Studying herself in the mirror, she adjusted her customized big floppy hat, wrapped a flowered wrap around herself, and padded out onto the huge deck behind the house. Glad to see so many friends there, she curled up, literally, on a big lounger by Rosalind and the others. Not bothering with an umbrella, she flopped around for a moment in the sun before stretching big, rolling around so her head was pointed down and her feet up. "Hi everyone," she said. "Nyyah, what a trip!" Then came a booming, familiar voice. "CANNONBALL!" Dressed in swim trunks that proudly bore the Welsh dragon, Owain came tearing past the group and leaped straight into the deep end of the pool, sure enough making a big splash as he landed. (Neko had carefully placed herself near the shallow end and so avoided any spillover.) His head popping up a moment later, he added excitedly, "Woo! It is a party, is it not!?" Ever the gentleman he did not ogle the girls in their swimsuits and only had a glance to spare for Michael, who after all was a good bit younger than he was.

Okay, trying to do something here: Lady Liberty: vs 15: 12 The Djinn: vs 15: 18 Geometer: vs 15 16 Well that's funny, it only tagged the most powerful character! Good move, Gamma Buzz! Okay, the Djinn is up. They are slowed, meaning they can only take a standard or a move action, and are –1 penalty on attack rolls, Defense, and Reflex saves. Subtle is a little different than Insidious, so they do notice the effect - they go ahead and target Spaceman. https://orokos.com/roll/999331 = 14 That is a miss. Okay, Geometer is up - they hit Buzz with an Mental Blast! Let's see a DC 18 Will save vs. damage, Cape. (I'll wait to post till we get the roll, to know how well it actually works)

"I see," said Neko, who was glad to hear the drama she'd worried about wasn't an issue. She sat down carefully, making sure her tail stayed curled up behind her where she wouldn't sit on it. "Talking to everyone would help." She considered what to do next, writing TOURING? MERCHANDISING? on her pad. She thought, hmming aloud, tail twitching behind her in a thump thump thump that she allowed to be audible now that she knew she could trust all the girls around her. "I am going to throw out some ideas. You can tell me if you have tried them, and then you can tell me your ideas. Okay? Do you have much merchandise?" she asked, producing as if from thin air a T-shirt with Bernadette and Summer's faces on it. "Merchandising can be a very lucrative enterprise for an up-and-coming band." Bernadette had seen the many Catgirl Reacts! products that an independent company manufactured for Neko, many of them scattered around their room. She nodded, then added, "Touring. With access to the superhuman community," she said, carefully pronouncing the words, "you can tour areas far beyond the reach of other acts. Have you ever considered travel beyond this place?"