Avenger Assembled

"Well, fighting would spoil an already lovely evening. But would it bother you if I put my hands on you anyway?" he asked her, cocking his head with a teasing smile on his lips. "Because I have to say, I really enjoy the way your skin feels, and the way you smile when I touch you." He stroked her cheek, running his fingers lightly through her hair as his hand came down onto her neck. Thump-thump. "I'd like to see more of that."

"A woman who likes explosions..." Impulsively, Jack reached down and stroked the side of her face. "A woman after my own heart. Though my personal brand of action is more hand-to-hand." He demonstrated that by laying his other hand on her shoulder, his arms long enough to go almost all the way around her shoulders when they were leaning together like this. "Out of synch or not, I'm certainly glad you're here." He squeezed her shoulder. "You certainly seem very real to me."

"So what is your most useful spell?" asked Jack with a smile, enjoying the warmth of her body as he leaned against her and the sight of the pulse in her neck as he studied her. Easy on Jack, easy on. You're here for a good time. "I'm pretty impressed by the way you suck people into your cloak like that. Having your own pocket dimension is a pretty handy trick. Do you need your cloak on to use it?"

Yes, you can reconfigure your array mid-round, as long as you only do it once. Dark Star's array was set to Blast last round and that allocation carried over into this round. Remember, he didn't configure his Blast this round; he did that in the round previous. [That was one thing I was actually keeping track of. ] He came in, used his previous allocation, then made his sole in-round reconfiguration (from Blast to Gravity Control.) Just as next round Malice can blast Arrowhawk with the minigun (as that power is still active in his array), surge and switch to Enhanced Str, and then drop down into the street to fetch Scarab a beating. Indeed, doing so might well make his day. (The relevant information is on page 114 of the Pocket Player's Guide; my copy of the core book is a bit disreputable from overuse.)

OK, so let me see if I've got this straight: Phantom Avenger Scarab Dark Star going child liberating (thanks to their high stealth/concealment) and Doctor Archeville NPC Divine Wesley and Grim going to liberate Columbia thanks to their stopping power? (And because Grim knows Columbia...kind of)

"I am a psycho in a Halloween mask," Jack teased. "In my off-hours, anyway. And I came prepared. Avenger's in the trunk," he said, cocking his thumb back that way. "I've recently had occasion to be very glad I have a secret identity, so I'm extra-careful about adventures with a naked face." As the previews started, lauding the theater and its many attractions, Jack stretched, his arm coming down on the back of Taylor's seat. "You can tilt this back if you want; it goes back pretty far. Nice new car."

"Mm. That's strange. Do you get pings like that from everyone who's heavily into super-science?" he hazarded an ignorant guess. He wasn't at all sure that was the case, though, and so didn't offer too strong an opinion. "In any event, we'll stay away from him tonight. The worst we'll have to deal with will be the machinations of UMBRA in the movies." Agents of AEGIS was a live-action remake of a popular 80s cartoon about the uniformed super-agents who battled the machinations of UMBRA, a movie that promised a lot of entertainment and very little else. Jack paid as they pulled in, adjusting his car radio to match the frequency of the drive-in's broadcast. "You know there are only two of these in New Jersey?" he commented as they found a parking spot with a decent view of the screen.

"Moira," said Jack in an immediate reply, glad he didn't blush much these days. "I wasn't exactly an atheist before that. Personal reasons. But to actually meet a god, to touch her and fight alongside her, it..." He shook his head. "It opened my eyes to a lot of things, spiritually. And personally. She's quite a lady." That was certainly one area of conversation he wanted to avoid, though, so he quickly turned the tables as they pulled off at the Ashton exit. "I'm not a big fan of Dr. Archeville," he admitted. "A little too probing for my tastes in friends."

He turned his hand, touching her fingers as she touched him. "It's not like it is in the movies," Jack agreed. "Or like when Captain Thunder catches your car when you drive off a bridge in those PSAs." He shot a look Taylor's way as they went, the interior of the car oddly bright thanks to the big lights over the highway. "Who's the strangest person you've met in the business?" he asked her. "At least, that you're comfortable talking about. You don't have to name names if it's someone I know," he added with a grin.

So what _are_ the descriptors for his powers? (I'm reading over what you've said; mutant, is that right?) If you could put those on his sheet, that would be great. Also, a luchador should have a higher level of Intimidate. ;)

OK, that makes sense to me. Malice, that's a DC 27 Toughness save given Dark Star's Penetrating extra, and a DC 20 Reflex save to halve the Strength check imposed by Dark Star's Gravity Control array. (Remember, unless you have Evasion, you get that half-effect even if you pass the save.) I believe Malice's array is currently slotted for ranged combat rather than enhanced Strength; he'll have a chance to switch up and use his enhanced Strength to break out on his turn.

"I can live without drive-in food," said Jack with a shrug. "You know how physical my side of the work is. I didn't get this way by eating a lot of greasy food." He turned to her with a smile and added, "Not that I'm harshing on people who eat for fun, by the way. I'm actually more than a little envious of people who can sit down to a pizza or corn dogs without guilt. But I'm all right with that." He gave her a reassuring look. "Any quirks you have are fine with me, Taylor. I've got plenty myself."

"Not much risk of that tonight, I think," said Jack cheerfully. He could attest to that for a certainty, having played a major role in helping drive a pack of werewolves out of Freedom City a few years earlier. Infected were one thing, but these guys had been a weird genetic subspecies. Creepy bastards they'd been, breeding with a captive human population and attracting super-powered attention to the supernatural community by blowing up factories. Shaking aside the memory, he said, "The food's not great, but I know that's not a big issue for you. The rest of it, though, is very nice." He grinned. "I just hope I can keep intriguing you the whole evening long."

"Aw, so I won't get to see you and the Master Mage riding on broomsticks and kicking a soccer?" asked Jack with a grin as he buckled himself up. "Too bad. I'd even have brought my camera phone for that." Jack navigated with the skill of a long-time resident of the city, pulling them easily out of Riverside and up onto the interstate that would take them out to Ashton. "You'll like this theater," he promised her. "It got pretty sleazy back in the 80s and early 90s, but now it's almost a family place."

"Thanks," he said with a smile. "Whatever else has happened, I know how to show local pride. You look pretty good yourself." Despite the obvious temptation, he did no more than hold her hand as they headed downstairs together. There'd be plenty of time for that later. "So we're watching Agents of AEGIS and Harry Potter tonight. Looks to be quite a double-feature." He grinned at her. "If you don't mind watching a movie about your specialty that's inaccurate, that is."

Power-stunting Comprehend (read and understand all) (codes and cyphers) (Affect Others, Burst Area) (16 pp) and Enhanced Skills Knowledge (Cartography) 12 (3 pp) off my Probability Control here, bawss. Luckily, Edge is familiar with such shenanigans, and can explain them to his chums!

Mark peered at the map, a curious look on his face. He stroked his bare chin, his eyes briefly glowing. "Hmm, I think I can puzzle this out," he said thoughtfully. "I saw a cypher like it in one of my dad's old books once. It's something heroes used to use...back in the day." He hmmed. "I think the map starts somewhere that way. That symbol...maybe St. George's Cathedral out in Midtown?" He frowned. "But that would mean we'd to put on some pants."

If I gave HPs and VPs for people blowing themselves up, Malice and Arrowhawk would be carrying their heavy load. OK, quote, Knievel is up. You're currently Distracted. I'm inclined to think you can tell the hallway in front of you is an illusion, without needing to roll, since it's a pretty safe bet. (And since it was special effect of the Distract feat rather than a use of the Illusion power as such. It's a free action to maintain a static illusion, but it does appear to cost a standard action to set one up.)

"Believe me," said Jack with a half-smile, "I know the feeling. And shoes would be good," he agreed. "Hopefully neither of us are going to be flying anywhere this evening." He took just a step into the apartment, leaning against the doorframe as he watched Taylor dig out her clothes. It was a nice view, and one he could appreciate unreservedly after feeding earlier. If her apartment wasn't much like his own new nearly immaculate new place, well..."Nice place," he complimented her. "I moved recently myself, so I'm more appreciative of a good place to live."

OK, Ronin is fatigued at the beginning of his next action. Arrowhawk has taken a staggered and stunned from his attack.

I have Ronin at being Bruised twice (once from the mental blast, once from the explosion) and unconscious. It is true that he does have an injured, since I've Fiated that the blast was indeed lethal. Since he was one-punched by the mental blast rather than being whittled down, he didn't take the intermediate steps o' damage. As for whether he's flat-footed; give me a Notice check, Arrowhawk.

August 10, 2009: At the Ashton Drive-In, Jack and Taylor settle in for An Evening of Blood and Thunder.

This is Jack and Taylor's second date.

The Ashton Family Drive-In dated back to when the new bedroom community had been an isolated crossroads several miles from busy Freedom City. Where many drive-ins had failed around the nation, this one had survived thanks to Freedom City's love of nostalgia and frequent patronage by superheroes. Jack was still very far from Ashton when he went to pick up Taylor, though, having borrowed one of the new cars he had access to in order to pick her up. With the mirrors turned just the right way, she was unlikely to notice that only one occupant of the car cast any reflection. He was there at her curb in the new Subaru just in time for their date, heading upstairs in an FCU shirt and jeans that made him look more like a TA than a gritty vigilante. Or the king of Freedom City's vampires. He'd left his cellphone in the glove box for this particular date. When he reached her door, he paused a moment before knocking.

"I'm going to the library for a little bit. Mike is writing some poetry today and..." Mark made just a tiny little face. "I don't think I'm a really good audience for him. He doesn't seem to appreciate the advice I offer." He smiled a little. "Thanks for the practice, Erin, I really appreciate the chance to work with you. You're really good at this." He grinned a little wider. "And next time, maybe I'll be able to move a little faster."