Avenger Assembled

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?"

Neko/Kid Gawain Once the dynamic duo were reunited on the other side of the wall, they took a few minutes to recuperate, arms linked together, as they waited for their friends to arrive. They'd been through worse things than this, but that by no means meant this was an easy thing. (Kid Gawain had let his and Starshine's invisibility slip once they were reunited with Neko, recognizing the look on her face when she was alone.) "Silence and distraction seem to be the order of the day," said Gawain to the others, "come, let's stick together." And so they did; knight with his sword drawn and cat creeping behind alongside the road, heading towards the next step of the adventure.

"The drummer," said Neko thoughtfully. She sensed a story there, and looked from one girl to the other before moving on. A potential rival - romantic or otherwise? Nobody seemed ready to talk right away. "I will have my consultant look at your website as well as your social media presence," she said carefully. When Red finished his tour of the room, he landed on Neko's shoulder and seemed to be communicating with her - though perhaps it was just a robot bug's little dance. It was very hard to tell, given his size. "Will we be meeting Mark?" she asked curiously.

That's right! Okay, that hits. https://orokos.com/roll/999218 = 17! That works, okay, that's a slowed! All right, Buzz is up - then some of these NPCs will start going! (maybe)

Neko Musume With a harsh shriek, Neko tore open the sky with her claws, an infinite legion of flaming kasha pouring out to shriek at the soldiers, promising to drag their filthy infernal souls to the very depths of the lowest hells. "<And when you see the yama kings,>" hissed Neko through them before she ran herself, "<you tell them who sent you there!>" And then she ran on little cat feet, having kicked her shoes off on the way, head low and arms behind her, scrabbling furiously before she leaped over the near wall and climbed her way up into the next level.

"Hello!" called Sea Devil suspiciously from near the treeline. "Are you still in there?" She wasn't entirely sure how to handle this, though her short-lived respect for the creatures who lived in the park was going through a steep decline. "Are there any bad murderers there?" Shifting nervously from foot to foot for a moment, executing a hopping dance, she decided to throw caution to the winds. Crouching low and deep, she leaped in the direction the trail seemed to point, branches cracking around her armored body as she leaped towards the danger, bellowing a challenge.

"Who set up your website - and is anyone managing it now?" asked Neko immediately. "Proper social media management is essential for a rising brand such as yours." She hmmed as she circled the room, giving a critical but not-unfriendly eye to everything. "I have access to a very successful website manager," she admitted, "he was very helpful in getting Catgirl Reacts!" she put the exclamation point in the middle of the word by sheer force of will "out there in the social media market place." She pressed Bernadette and Summer on the social media question in particular, making sure they had a presence on every major platform - and a few of the minor ones. "Who is your market?" she added, climbing up onto the back of a big overstuffed chair; and then without seeming to think about it climbing up to the top, so she perched there while she watched the other two girls talk. "There are people who market to the metahuman community," she said, enunciating the last two words carefully, "and people who seek a broader market share. I recommend the latter," she went on, "inside jokes and winks to your friends are cute but they won't make you any money."

Neko While Neko returned from the drug store with her burden in hand, she caught sight of the adult in the company of the teens and frowned. She had almost walked in on them, tipsy as she was, but she'd been aware of the imminent face of death since she was a small girl. She cooly stepped back into the doorway and considered what to do. A man who was too friendly with teens was generally not a friend at all, but wasn't that the man who looked like Alice? A resemblance didn't necessarily mean a friend either. Considering her options, she cracked open her phone. She thought first of texting Owain but if there was a menace there, she did not necessarily trust him to keep a straight face. So instead she texted Leon their danger signal: DO U WANT PIZZA TONIGHT?

Neko/Owain "Everything okay up here," Neko had reported to Erik, tilting her camera back so she could see Owain trying unsuccessfully to keep Fleur's youngest away from a large cookie tray that had made it upstairs with them. There was lots of noise behind her but Erik had been father of a large brood long enough to distinguish the good screaming and running from the bad screaming and running. "There are eyes on the perimeter and nobody has crossed it." Neko had picked up martial English first, and maybe best. "Don't worry, if anyone does, we will take care of them." Erik had known Neko long enough to understand he was hearing a polite and super-kawaii way of phrasing 'the intruders will wish for death but it will never come.'" - in other words, she sounded ready but unafraid.

Copycat/The Patriot When Velocity took Jack of all Blades aside for the confrontation with Archeville, Copycat took this opportunity to slip into something more comfortable. Trusting Jean to keep an eye on Velocity and Jack of all Blades as they headed for the conference room, she moved fast, practically running in her stocking feet to one of the building's elevators. Well, what looked like an elevator to the untrained eye, anyway. And so it was that the Patriot joined everyone for the final confrontation, her jacket gleaming with its pins (a Christmas tree having recently joined the collection), her armored costume gleaming, and any cat mask and cute dresses she might have once been connected to tucked away in the guts of Freedom Hall. Before the moment of confrontation could quite begin, she stepped close to Fleur and murmured, "I've got this if you want. Basil's up in the family shelter." The truth was that Ashley had not been thrilled to hear that an Axis supersoldier was guarding the littles tonight, one of many, many reasons why Phil was home with Fa'Rua tonight, but by all accounts Neko had earned the trust of the other heroes of Freedom.

Angelic "It is fine." Angelic had put her fingers over Percy's delicate ears, holding his head in place so he didn't run off and join the cavalcade around the "Deliverer from the Astral Realm" as he was insisting on calling Archeville, the music on the dance floor still playing around them. Eira had done her duty and made sure Miss A and Dragonfly both got the message about the new arrival, for all that she was reasonably sure both those worthies already had their own means of knowing about the party-crasher. "Part of being a hero means trust, yes?" She put her hand where his elven heart beat a faint up-tempo version of Santa Baby. "They are the greatest heroes in the world. They will solve this problem. And you," she said, pulling him down for a kiss by his tie, "do not need to solve everything." She kissed him, long and lingeringly, and smiled again. "That is my job, yes?"

Copycat Oh great. Goddamned alien Santa Claus. When neither Velocity nor Fleur seemed to think the idea was particularly amusing, Ashley groaned internally, crossing her arms over her chest. Is that really a thing? Goddamit. When the security alert beeped, she took the arrival of a mostly-shirtless Jack of all Blades as an opportunity to escape this scenario. (Velocity got there first, but then she usually did) "Predator," she murmured softly, "you're with me." No reason Jean has to sit here and watch this malarkey. Once they were out in the crowded hall, she made a bee-line for the new arrival, remembering that Erik would certainly know Ellie's friend from high school, at least. "Jack of all Blades!" she said ebulliently, "Merry Christmas! I guess VINCE called you, huh?"

"Hello," said Neko to Summer, giving her a quick bow as she folded her hands in front of her. "I am Neko Musume and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." As she spoke, a tiny bug took off from her shoulder and began flying around the room, a gaily-colored robot ladybug that Bernadette had seen buzzing around their room more than once. "Please do not mind Red," she said sociably, "he is just filming B-roll footage." She smiled at Summer, showing little points of teeth that weren't much bigger than a human girl's. "I like your music," she offered. "It is very nice. Where did you learn to play?"

Okay, let's see here. I don't think any of Neko's friends are within 250 ft of her - so she'll drop Obscure 6 (summoned storm of illusions; all senses; 250 ft, Extras: Duration [Continuous], Selective, Flaw: Phantasm) {32/32} on the soldiers.

"No problem," said Neko seriously. Bernadette had seen enough of her roommate to know that Neko's illusions went beyond hiding her ears and tail or summoning monstrous creatures - today she was wearing a downright studious mask, a blue-lined yellow notebook in one hand, her ever-present phone in her purse, and a manner closer to an accountant's than either the girl who acted like a friendly kitty-kat on camera or who occasionally woke up screaming on the weeknights they shared a room together. She was wearing today the small illusion of humanity; plus a flower-print dress and sensible shoes. She smiled at Bernadette and added, "I am saving my ideas until we get there." Inside, Neko was nervous - this was a real opportunity, and Bernadette a real friend. To have learned so much about this world was one thing; to teach it to another a different one.

The blows hit - and tore deep gouges in the illusory Neko's flesh. But as La Puma watches, the slashes healed up again almost immediately, flesh and blood knitting back together like they were being stitched together by silvery cords. As if whispering a confidence, Neko crouched low, her tail wagging behind her like a happy dog - or a very angry cat. "You see? You can't even do this right! Pathetic!" Lady Liberty and the Patriot were trading blows now; the former firing blasts of light from her hands, the latter from her dual-wielded pistols. Neither seemed to be hitting the other but they were certainly introducing the students to wide varieties of profanity. It was easy to notice, however, that they seemed to be repeating the same phrases over and over again, as if on a short loop of 'tape'.

Okay, that hits: Tou vs 23 She makes it!

Copycat took up a position by the side of the door, the better to keep an eye on the people who came in and to make sure nobody came in who wasn't supposed to. Technically one of those chairs belonged to her but she'd already been sitting most of the evening, and besides, there was no use telling the entire universe that Copycat was more than just a visitor here. She gave Gaian Knight and others who actually had a chair in this room a nod that meant 'take a seat. I've got this.' The small space would make it easier to handle the Archeville situation, which was rapidly going to spin out of control if they weren't careful. She appreciated those in the room who were handling things diplomatically; especially since it meant she didn't have to keep her hand on her weapon when talking to the dangerous technopath. It was close by if she needed it, along with some other things. "We could use cover in the hall," she murmured to others in the group, glad Tiamat was there backing her up. It wasn't that she couldn't herself, but the big, muscular woman projected more space and threat than she did unless she was trying very hard. "I'll close the door once everyone's in position." When Ghost teleported in with Grimalkin, she made a small noise but didn't interfere with him - or her, for that matter, taking a seat. For the benefit of the people in the hallway and along the wall with her, she added in a low murmur, "There are going to be people with an interest in this. Some of them are going to want to kick this guy's ass, some'll just want to talk. Either way, if they all crowd in here at once, the place is gonna explode. We need to make sure the League can actually have a conversation with this guy."

Neko Neko looked at the text message from Owain relating to the arrival of her mentor's old nemesis, eyes widening, for a barely perceptible moment. She remembered the first time she had met a German, a cruel-eyed man who had made a crude comment about her relationship with Crimson Katana in her presence, and wondered if everyone from that nation was cursed. But then of course there was much to do. She put away her phone and smiled, clapping her hands three times as she moved quickly through the busy rooms. She and the others had worked out a signal that would let them know to go on alert without actually frightening the many superpowered tots they were watching, an innocous set of words that were just for them. "Oh it is so cold outside!" she said with a theatrical shiver, producing an illusory gust of wind and shower of snow over the children's heads. "We should close the doors and drink cocoa!" As she spoke, she checked for any loose children and was glad to see none, with even the new girl - Cassie - having slipped smoothly into play. "Leon and David, take the doors. Lulu and I will make a show for all the children to see, so we can stay warm. Come children!" she said in the middle of the largest room they'd set aside. "Come see us!"

Owain Juggling urgent texts from his leader (a title Erik preferred over master, even though it meant something rather different to Owain than it did here) and a hungry toddler was a difficult task, but a true knight met adversity and mastered it. "That must be good!" he said, kneeling down by Basil and smiling at the green-haired boy. "You should eat it up!" Erik got in reply: NO HOSTILE MOVES. PLED SPIRIT OF SEASON. FLEUR + IVORYCAT? + ARMORED FOX?? + + TEXTING NEKO. A picture of the group (Fleur de Joie, Copycat, Predator, Geckoman, Spellbound) heading off with Archeville. He took a moment to text the situation upstairs to Neko, then another moment to chase Basil, who had run off with surprising speed for a boy his age, to grab another cookie and shove it into his mouth. "Well you are definitely going to be quite the crumbmonger!" he said, smiling at the little boy, who smiled at the game. Seeing no harm in helping the computer intelligence, he took a moment to connect his phone fully to the room's wifi, figuring VINCE was going to stage a broadcast in the area.

Copycat "You came to the wrong continent if you're looking for Dimitri Peshkov," said Ashley evenly. "But I hear they throw a good Christmas party in Moscow." She considered if Archeville had really meant to call out the Russian super-agent who'd been operating on American soil for years as a character reference, then decided that hey, she couldn't blame that particular security gap on him - the League had just welcomed the ex-Soviet operative as one of their own for years before his return to Russia! Trusting Predator to keep an eye on Archeville as a precaution, she pulled her hand from her purse and hit the button on her phone that yellow-alerted the rest of the League. (If you asked her, they needed considerably more complicated and specific alert measures, but "please come here, caution" was easy enough to translate into a one-button push.) She looked profoundly relieved when Stesha arrived. "Yeah, let's talk," she said, keeping herself between Archeville, Fleur, and the crowd as they headed for a more secure part of the room. She was mindful that Archeville in his villainous days had gone in for mind control, but she was reasonably sure that her current state of annoyance and bafflement were not the product of emotional tampering. She tended to have a pretty good grasp of threats, and for the moment Archeville wasn't acting like one - at least, not one who knew he was one. "You call your people?" she asked Chris softly. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing if the Interceptors showed up - but it would be good to know if they were.