Avenger Assembled

"Oh, have I offended your hospitality?" replied an apologetic Odysseus. "You will forgive me, my friends," he said as the power around his armor slowly faded, "I sought only to take all of us to my home world. There I might show you the unity I wish to help you build on this world; and the wonders we might create together from that. Surely that is no great crime, is it?"

The deed is done! The thread is finished.

Though Jack enjoyed watching the news reports about the mysterious superheroes who had taken out the two thugs who'd hidden inside the Omegadrone armor, the better to rob the museum after closing time, he wound up with mixed feelings about the date. He'd gone out with a lovely woman who practically reeked of life, and he'd taken advantage of her lovely neck the first opportunity he'd gotten. What did that say about him, really? Avenger was on the streets with gusto the next few nights, knocking heads together and taking names, doing his part to make Freedom City a little better. Maybe, Jack thought, that said something better about him. He bought a pot of African violets a couple of days after that. He didn't go back to Stesha's shop.

Don't forget to fix your combat stats. (i.e; adding up the benefits from your recent new feats that boost your attack and defense)

"I did too," said Jack with some truth. "It was very memorable. And at least we got to make our own little contribution to history at the Super Museum." He gave her a wry grin. "I'll see you around, Stesha. Thanks for an evening I won't soon forget." He leaned in for a very quick kiss on the cheek, conscious of the apartment building behind them and the lit windows there. "You have a lovely power," he murmured softly. "Make sure you grow beautiful flowers with it."

"It'll be an interesting weekend, at any rate. And if we do work together, who knows?" Jack contemplated a meeting between Avenger and this woman. God, she'd run screaming in terror. "I think we could have something together. Tell me when we get close to your place," he said as they headed back, "I figure you don't exactly want to go back to the shop." He smiled a little at that. "And I think you're going to be a good hero. You stood up to people in Omegadrone suits, and even if you aren't from Freedom City, that takes some serious cajones. You'll be able to handle the rough element."

"I'm not the kind of guy who should be in the news," Jack admitted as they started up. "But I'll be out there." He was very glad he hadn't given her his address, or a lot of pertinent information about him. "You should get a domino mask," he told her with a smile, changing the subject a little. "Paint it green like your hair, and call yourself Flower Power."

Hey Faust, you still rolling them bones?

"That might be nice," Jack agreed, even as he knew it would be impossible. "I'll tell you what; I'll be the liason when your people come to put the flowers in, right? So we'll have a chance to meet then, and maybe make plans for another night." He was putting off the inevitable, he knew, but he felt less bad about the situation this way. He'd already taken enough from her. "It was a very memorable evening. And I think we'll avoid making it onto the news. Should I...should I look for you there, sometime?"

Jack finished watching the movie with Stesha, feeling oddly guilty for what he'd been doing. Well, he'd paid the price for taking advantage of a friend, hadn't he? If they were friends, anyway. When the movie came to an end they walked out together, but they weren't arm-in-arm anymore. "Well," he said with a small smile, "I don't think I'd ever have gone to see that without you along. But now I can say I did. Maybe there are more to these places than just watching old scary movies." It was quite late out now, the sky above speckled with light pollution and stars.

"No, no, it's okay..." said Jack reassuringly. She hadn't tasted bad, really, just a little odd. He sucked his teeth, then gave her a wry smile. "My bad. I think there was a fly flying around here or something; it had nothing to do with you." He reached down and squeezed her hand. "You're fine. And so am I." He turned and looked back at the movie, not pulling away but a bit less intimate than he'd been earlier. He had a lot of things to sort out yet.

We'll give Vith a couple more days, then get started.

Jack coughed as he came up, sucking hard to keep the blood down. What...was that?! It had been like biting down on a plant and human at the same time, the combination of tastes a bizarre and vaguely unsettling one. He recovered as quickly as he could, acting as if he'd swallowed a bug rather than something else. "Oh, sorry, sorry..." he laughed. "Guess I killed the mood there." No more feeding on meta-humans! Why am I so awkward with the women I actually like?

contents himself with hassling Electra. Ain't love grand?

All right, spending my other HP to shrug off the fatigue from power-stunting: Drain Constitution 1 (Insidious) (PF: Subtle) off Jack's regular ol' Drain Con. Just a little taste as Jack walks that fine ethical line. ;)

Jack and Stesha took full advantage of the darkness to enjoy a lovely little makeout session. Jack rather enjoyed the delay to intimacy, something his personal life usually didn't allow, and was glad he'd fed earlier that evening. But as lovely as her scent and taste was something was missing, and it was his teeth in her neck. But doing that here was going to be difficult, at least until he could do certain other deeds. She wasn't drunk, certainly, nor was she that distracted. He decided to concentrate on leaning in and exerted himself just a little as his teeth hit her neck...

Swinging like a rusty gate! Hey Sac, don't forget that you need to describe your action in the IC.

Oh, okay, I misunderstood what you said above. My bad. APPROV-ED!

"Further back," suggested Jack, who joined her in a cozy row relatively far back in the newly-built, antique-styled theater. The film was subtitled, which helped his education a lot, though it did mean he missed much of the so-inspiring story of the bee struggling hard to make it for herself in a hive overrun by enemies who lay all around her. After all, like any good man on a date, he was enjoying his date as much as he was the movie itself. They were sitting in a darkened corner indeed, the gargoyle overhead providing lovely concealment except to someone who could see well in the dark. But Stesha didn't seem to mind. He liked that about her.

OK, I'm going to approve this. 1 down, 1 to go!

Jack continued flirting with Stesha as they headed over to the small movie theater, talking warmly to her in the Lexus and taking a little while to enjoy the lovely curve of her neck as they went. Her powers didn't seem very overwhelming; her metahuman abilities apparently didn't give her the knowledge to know his true nature. He wondered what she'd taste like, even as he felt a little guilty for wondering that. She was his friend; they wouldn't do anything together that they all wouldn't thoroughly enjoy. He wasn't a monster...at least, not a monster like that. He paid for their tickets there again, after checking if Stesha wanted to see the 1930s version of The Mummy or a more recent French art film about bees.

Hmm. In that case, I would say it's a four point rather than five-point drawback.

Darn it. "Restaurant, eh?" He smiled down at her, something darkly suggestive in his eyes. "Shall I feast upon your lips some more, my lovely little flower?" he replied warmly. "We seemed to be doing pretty well, there...and I'm not actually hungry for food. Adrenaline always kills my appetite. For eating, anyway," he added with a small laugh. "Never for the other good things in life. We could drive over to the Hammond, that new artsy movie palace by the mall. We can catch the late show. And it's close to my place."

They kissed for a while, enjoying the moment and each other in the warm, dark alley. Jack had enjoyed his share of late-night encounters in dark alleys with willing women, but somehow this didn't seem like the right place for that. He could still hear the sirens on the other side of the building, and who knew if the Freedom League might show up for other investigations? He was sure he'd snuck them both out of there, but you could never be sure. "Let's get out of here," he whispered to her again as they broke the kiss, now in each other's arms, but he was smiling in a way he hadn't been before. "Some place warmer."

"I won't tell a soul." Jack looked down at the blooming flower, an odd smile on his face as he thought about the abilities his cute date had presented that night. "It's beautiful, Stesha, just like you. I envy you your powers." They were lovely abilities, he realized, a beautiful touch of life that he'd never have himself. What wonderful powers those were; how much he'd enjoy them if he had them! Between thinking of Stesha and her flowers and the super-romance of the moment, Jack succumbed to temptation. He bent down and kissed Stesha right on the lips.