Gizmo

"First piece of advice: when you go to say 'it's better but' ask yourself if you're really saying 'it's hot bull and'," LaMarr suggested in a dry, rumbling drawl. He met her sidelong look and raised one eyebrow. "If you're looking for surprise you're gonna have to learn not to stand like a cop. I'm not a fan of the police as an institution but you already guessed that. We're luckier in Freedom than most American cities but any system that relies on local vigilante justice to hold officers accountable has fundamentally failed." He spread his hands in a broad gesture that seemed to invite introspection as well as rebuttal. "I can give you the benefit of the doubt for now, assume you got into for good reasons and not the power trip. My question for you is who do you take orders from now?"

"Hah, we oughta have some sort of meet-and-greet. Like a parade or something, there's an idea." The furniture in LaMarr's apartment was all broad and sturdy looking, mismatched from where pieces had been replaced one at a time despite the forethought. The walls were all but covered in framed photos and newspaper clippings, mementos of an eventful life. He picked up a piece of mail sitting in a stack on an end table and used it as an impromptu bookmark for a textbook he'd had open next to a handwritten lesson plan. He refilled a glass of sweet tea that was mostly ice from a pitcher, raising it slightly in offering to his guest. "I shouldn't joke. This is still new to you, yeah? Not so old I don't remember what that's like."

Once Ashley actually made it to the apartment building's shallow lobby and buzzer it didn't take long for Keith LaMarr to appear, filling the space left by the door he opened. He wore a simple short sleeved black and gold banded dashiki that would have loose and billowy on a smaller man and light khaki trousers and took off a pair of reading glasses as he gave his visitor a once over. Ashley had spent enough time on the other end of a practiced investigator's careful eye to recognize it then, noting him stop very briefly on her pins and bruises. With a sigh that rumbled like a great weight settling into soft earth LaMarr folded his readying glasses and hung them from his deep collar. "You look like this is about the last place you want to be," he observed. "Probably means it's important that you are. You coming in or do you need me to go somewhere?"

22 - Forever Boy - Uninjured, 6HP 21 - Angelic - Uninjured, 3HP 17 - Nocturne - Uninjured, 2HP 16 - Chitin - Uninjured, 3HP 10 - Apocalypsette - Uninjured - Crab Ragin - Uninjured - Centipede Ragin - Uninjured - Bat Ragin - Uninjured @RocketLord Pan is up for our first round of real combat!

The cyclone brought the dark haired guitarist to where the mosh pit would have been in front of the stage, the grassy area cleared of people as she approached and set down. Her hair fell to cover one of her eyes dramatically as she seemed to zero in on Eira, continuing to play the entire time. "You think a half dozen lessons at the strip mall makes you losers musicians? That you deserve all the attention and praise? That you earned fans getting tattoos of your band's name?!" Some of that arrogance seemed warranted as the notes she played came faster and faster, an intricate display of virtuoso skill backed by waves of palpable self righteous anger. The volume had grown to be deafening but somehow her words carried through it clearly. As her fingers flew across the strings people throughout the crowd and inside the bandshell clutched the sides of their heads, doubled over and clenched their hands or dropped to their knees. "I'll give you all a name to remember! The name of RAGE! APOCALYPSETTE!" With a final power chord electricity in a kaleidoscopic rainbow of colours erupted from her guitar and chained from audience member to roadie to musician and onward, cascading back and forth across the festival. Unconscious bodies fell to the ground in its wake while the power solidified into three hulking forms. On the stage itself something like a spider crab the size of a pickup truck spread its legs outward. Where the front of the crab's body would have been its form instead continued upward into a squat humanoid torso, topped by misshaped hammerhead shark head with a weirdly simian mouth sporting curving tusks. About ten yards away from Natalia and Pan a creature formed with far too many clawed limbs, a horrible rat king of bodies connected around a central point that sprouted upward in a segmented centipede ending in massive pincers. Finally, overhead huge batwings unfurled, attached to the body of an exaggerated jungle cat as its front limbs. From its shoulder blades behind the wings sprouted human-like arms with sabre sharp fingers while its maned head had the same curving teeth arcing outward from the corners of its mouth. All three were partially translucent, with outlines that vibrated in time with Apocalypsette's music and sparked with violent electricity.

Right next to one of the speakers Eira had commandeered, Ryder covered his ears and ducked his head down with a wince. In the crowd some of the attendees started shouting for whoever that was to shut up while on stage the whirlwind argument between the musicians and organizers turned its attention toward them. "Eira, wait! If this is like the last couple of times we really need to try to deescal--" "HA! YOU DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT I AM!" A sudden wind tore one of the nearby tents loose from the ground and sent screaming onlookers scrambling away. Carried aloft by a stormy grey tornado crackling with weird pink lightning was the young woman Ryder had seen once before at the bus stop with Danica. Straight black hair with a single purple streak that would have reached well past her waist was spread out in a windswept halo. With her leatherjacket flapping backward a black tank top torn along the bottom edge to be little more than a bralette showed an intricate, twisting tattoo up her left side. "AND YOUR 'SHOW' IS A SAD JOKE!" "Outvoted, I guess," Ryder shrugged, taking advantage of the distraction to duck behind the nearest curtain and dropping a hand to his belt. "CYMK! Dream in colour!"

22 - Forever Boy - Uninjured, 6HP 21 - Angelic - Uninjured, 3HP 17 - Nocturne - Uninjured, 2HP 16 - Chitin - Uninjured, 3HP 10 - ??? - Uninjured Angelic is up, @Avenger Assembled!

Chitin Initiative: 1d20+10 16 ??? Initiative: 1d20+7 10 ??? Initiative: 1d20+10 22 They're not acting just yet but still good to know. 22 - Forever Boy - Uninjured, 4HP 21 - Angelic - Uninjured, 3HP 17 - Nocturne - Uninjured, 2HP 16 - Chitin - Uninjured, 3HP 10 - ??? - Uninjured @RocketLord Pan has the first chance to react or prepare!

The milling of the crowd made it challenging to keep their quarry in sight without drawing attention to themselves in turn. As minutes ticked by past the time the concert had been scheduled to start pockets of conversation turned to shouts in the direction of the stage. With patience stretched thin a few disagreement could be heard breaking out across the glass and people were less gracious about letting Pan and Natalia pass, thinking they were jockeying for a better view. Meanwhile the dangerous looking individual they were tailing seemed to have spotted what they were searching for and as Pan was elbowed to one side and Natalia's path was belligerently blocked by a group passing around a flask they seemed to vanish. The tense energy rolling off of the crowd wasn't making it any easier for cooler head to prevail in the bandshell. While Eira worked voices were raised and it sounded as though disagreements were starting to get personal despite Soup's best efforts. "Er, not to rush you or anything..." Ryder murmured to his friend, returning to her side after following her instructions and disconnecting the damaged audio equipment for the time being. Several band members stomped out from either side of the stage to join in the shouting match when finally a power chord rang out, crunchy with heavy reverb that rattled the bones. "Hey, nice!" As two more short chords sounded and progressed into a driving bass line Ryder looked down at Eira's handiwork to see her still holding the last heavy duty audio cable, not yet connected to anything. "...uh oh."

??? Stealth check: 1d20+15 27

Chitin Initiative: 1d20+10 19

@Avenger Assembled Give me a relevant tech skill check and just a raw Charisma check. @Fox @RocketLord Give me Notice checks to keep track of the suspicious audience member.

Doktor'd! Chitin - Spending 24PP! 1PP - +1 Will Save 6PP - +24 Skills +4 Craft [Artistic] +2 Knowledge [Life Sciences] +5 Notice +5 Perform [Oratory] 8PP - +2 Device (CMYK Belt) Bush Cricket: Adding Radio to the Displacement and Wall-Crawling to the Super-Movement, increasing Speed by a rank, adding Super-Senses. Orchid Mantis: Adding Concealment against Machines. Yellowjacket: Adding an Obscure effect. Kabuto Beetle: Adding half Immunity to Electrical and Fire effects. 9PP - +3 Device (Robugs) Increasing range on Communication and ESP, Increasing effective Strength of Move Object, adding Comprehend Animals and Enhanced Skills. Adding "Instar Swarm" Duplication AP. Saving Throws: 2 + 4 + 7 = 13PP Toughness: +5CMY/+10K (+3 Con, +2 Protection, +5 ProtectionK) Fortitude: +5 (+3 Con, +2) Reflex: +6 (+2 Dex, +4) Will: +8 (+1 Wis, +7) Skills: 112R = 28PP Acrobatics 8 (+10) Computers 9 (+15) Craft [Artistic] 4 (+10) Craft [Electronic] 9 (+15) Craft [Mechanical] 9 (+15/+19 Robugs) Diplomacy 12 (+15) Disable Device 4 (+10/+18 Robugs) Drive 8 (+10) Handle Animal 2 (+5) Knowledge [Life Sciences] 4 (+10) Knowledge [Physical Sciences] 4 (+10) Knowledge [Technology] 10 (+16) Languages 1 (English [Native], Japanese) Notice 9 (+10) Perform [Oratory] 7 (+10) Sense Motive 12 (+13) Device 15 (CMYK Driver Belt; 75PP Container; Flaws: Hard-to-Lose; Feats: Restricted 2 [Authorized Users], Subtle) [63PP] (technology, powersuit, spatial) When activated the driver uses spatial exchange technology to summon the Chitin power-suit armour. Each mode is accessed via the corresponding Robug. Communication 4 (Radio, 1 mile; Flaws: One-Way; Feats: Subtle) [3PP] Enhanced Defense 3 [6PP] Enhanced Strength 8 (to 20 [+5]) [8PP] Immunity 2 (Suffocation) [2PP] Protection 2 [2PP] Super-Senses 7 (Radio [Accurate (+2), Danger Sense] [4PP], Visual [Infravision, Tracking, Ultravision] [3PP]) [7PP] Chitin Armour Modal Array 22 (44PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 3; Drawback: Action [Move Action to Switch]) [46PP] Base: Bush Cricket Instar - “Hop to it!” Concealment 6 (All Visual, All Radio; Flaws: Displacement) [6PP] Damage 0 (Extras: Autofire [5], Feats: Mighty) [6PP] (CMYKick) Enhanced Feats 10 (Attack Focus [Melee] 5, Dodge Focus 5) [10PP] Leaping 5 (x50, 750’ Running Long Jump, 187’ High Jump) [5PP] Quickness 3 (x25; 1 Minute to Standard Action) [3PP] Speed 4 (1000’ Move Action, 100MPH) [4PP] Super-Movement 2 (Wall-Crawling, Water Walking; Flaws: Limited [While Moving]) [2PP] Super-Senses 8 (Auditory [Accurate (2), Extended 1, Ultra-Hearing], Visual [Analytical 2, Counters Obscure (Darkness)]) [8PP] AP: Orchid Mantis Instar - “Say your prayers!” Concealment 4 (All Visual; Flaws: Blending) [4PP] Concealment 10 (All Sense Types; Flaws: Limited to Machines) [10PP] Damage 5 (Extras: Linked [+0], Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Improved Critical, Mighty) [9PP] + Drain Toughness 10 (Extras: Affects Objects, Linked [+0]; Flaws: Limited [Objects Only]) [10PP] (CMYKutters; dimensional, electromagnetic) Enhanced Feats 5 (Dodge Focus 5) [5PP] Super-Movement 2 (Wall-Crawling 2) [4PP] Super-Senses 2 (Visual [Counters Concealment]) [2PP] AP: Yellowjacket Instar - “Kick the nest!” Damage 8 (Extras: Area [Targeted, 80’ Cone], Selective; Feats: Homing 2) [26PP] (CMYKuarrels) Enhanced Feats 5 (Attack Focus [Ranged] 4, Dodge Focus 5) [9PP] Obscure 3 (Visual, 25' radius; Extras: Independent) [9PP] (CMYKover) AP: Kabuto Beetle Instar - “Can’t beat this!” Enhanced Feats 4 (Improved Grab, Improved Grapple, Improved Throw, Improved Trip) [4PP] Enhanced Strength 10 (to 30 [+10] Total) [10PP] Immovable 3 (Extras: Unstoppable) [6PP] Immunity 20 (Electrical Effects, Fire Effects; Flaws: Limited [Half Effect]) 10PP Protection 5 (to 7 Total) [5PP] Super-Strength 4 (Effective Str 50, 12.8 ton Heavy Load, Feats: Countering Punch) [9PP] (CMYKudgels; gravity) Device 8 (Robugs; 40PP Container; Flaws: Easy-to-Lose; Feats: Multiple Devices 3, Restricted 2 [Authorized Users]) [29PP] (technology, robotics) The Robugs are a quartet of semi-autonomous, palm-sized drones resembling a bush cricket, orchid mantis, yellowjacket and kabuto beetle respectively. Base: 6 + 4 + 3 + 16 + 10 + 1 = 40PP Communication 5 (Auditory, 5 mile range; Feats: Subtle) [6PP] Comprehend 2 (Speak to and Understand Animals) [4PP] Enhanced Skills 3 (Craft [Mechanical] 4, Disable Device 8) [3PP] ESP 5 (Auditory, Visual, 5 mile range; Extras: Simultaneous; Flaws: Limited [Reachable by Robugs]; Feats: Rapid 1 [10x search speed]) [16PP] Move Object 3 (Strength 15; Extras: Range [Perception]; Feats: Precise) [10PP] Alternate Power 1 [1PP] AP: Instar Swarm - "Four colour dream! Now WAKE UP!" Duplication 12 (180PP; Extras: Horde; Feats: Mental Link, Progression 2 [5 Duplicates]; Drawbacks: Limited [One of Each Instar Form]) [38PP]

Congratulations on another month of pulse-pounding, page-turning adventure! Remember you can still post in the Late Thread Counting thread if you missed the cutoff point for last month and give me a shout if it looks like something is off with your totals. Dr Acheville Artificer: 2 posts = 1PP Protectron: Ref PP = 1PP angrydurf Kensei: Ref PP = 1PP Fox Grim: 1 post = 1PP Nocturne: 6 posts = 1PP + Ref PP = 2PP Gizmo Jack of all Blades: 1 post [Maxed] Ghost Girl: 4 posts [Maxed] Lou Lubrano: 0 posts + 5 (Rollover) = 5 posts = 1PP Chitin: 12 posts = 2PP + Ref PP = 3PP Kaede Kimura Shadowborne 9 posts + 2 (GM) = 11 posts = 2PP Shooting Star: 2 posts = 1PP The Dreamer: 1 post = 1PP GM: 1 posts * 2 = 2 KnightDisciple Judex: 2 (Rollover) = 1PP Raven III: 2 posts [Maxed] Thunderbird: 3 posts = 1PP + Guide PP = 2PP Lone_Star Outrider: 15 posts = 2PP Nerdzul Nightscale: 8 posts = 1PP Nick Blue Fox: 5 posts = 1PP + Admin PP = 2PP [Maxed] (Player Progress) RocketLord Archer II: 1 (Rollover) = 1 post = 1PP Forever Boy: 4 posts [Maxed] Freedom Eagle: 1 post = 1PP Ghost: 10 posts = 2PP Justice: 1 post + 9 (GM) = 10 posts = 2PP Little Mermaid II: 1 post + 24 (GM) = 25 posts = 3PP + Guide PP = 4PP Nevermore II: 3 posts + 7 (GM) = 10 posts = 2PP Rebellion: 1 post [Maxed] Rocket: 3 posts = 1PP GM: 20 posts * 2 = 40 seconding Legatus: 12 (GM) = 2PP GM: 6 posts * 2 = 12 Spacefurry Blackstaff: 1 post = 1PP Chimera: 6 posts + 4 (GM) = 10 posts = 2PP Paper: 7 posts = 1PP GM: 2 posts * 2 = 4 Tiffany Korta Bee: 1 post = 1PP Blodeuwedd: 1 (Rollover) = 1PP + Ref PP = 2PP Now Titanium! Emerald Spider: 1 (Rollover) = 1PP Madame Raven: 1 post = 1PP Merge Trois: 1 (Rollover) = 1PP Miss Grue: 4 posts [Maxed] The Immutable Betsy Brooks: 1 post = 1PP The Scarab III: 1 (Rollover) = 1PP Zhenshchina-voin: 1 post = 1PP

Ryder swallowed his mouthful of food and ducked his head slightly between his shoulders, look vaguely embarrassed. "Uhm. I admit it's kinda nice that you think I'm special, I mean doing something special but I guess maybe I don't really have an explanation you'll be happy with. I feel like if I say I treat people the way I'd like to be treated you're going to give me, like, a look." "And she would be right to do it," Jenny opined airily. Shawn did a poor job of hiding a short laugh behind a cough before saying, "It sounds like Natalia has her reasons not to trust people's intentions and that's valid. If there's anything our family can do to help with whatever circumstances those are, you should know you're always welcome here, hm?" He gave their guest a kind nod then allowed a wry smile to push one end of his moustache higher. "And not just because of the 'attractive' comment. I'm a vain old man, you know." "Then explain that shirt," his daughter quipped without missing a beat, uncannily timing her eating around the conversation and instigating another burst of laughter around the table.

Ryder retrieved his phone from his unusually tight pants with a little difficulty and checked the text message in question, not-too-subtly looking around before turning back to Eira and giving her a broad shrug. The group of roadies seemed immediately taken with Natalia, both the broad jawed man and the lean redheaded woman unconsciously standing a bit straighter, talking over each other to assure her that they would make sure she and her friends were able to enjoy the show. Soup regarded Eira for a moment then bobbed his head slightly in a gesture that was difficult to read but suggested a degree of respect. "Works for me. Let's get it done before Maureen has a stroke." He led the way back to the bandshell, pointing Eira and Ryder toward a rats nest of cables before having an animated conversation with several musicians and one of the organizers, an exhausted looking woman with her dark hair buzzed short and a STAFF shirt. With Soup running interference they were able to get to work with a minimum of fuss.

"Hold on a sec! Don't want to move it until we know if any of the systems are still powered, yeah?" Ryder called down to Leon. "I'll be right down!" Matching action to words he jogged across the breath of Super Bee's fuzzy back and leapt into the empty air! With wind rushing around him he toggled the chambers of his belt and was briefly obscured in a flash of light and a blast of displaced air. "CYMK! Dream in colour! Bush Cricket Instar! Hop to it!" The plating of his armour locked into place just before he landed in a crouch in the shallow pool of honey left on the ground, rippling outward from the fist he planted to steady himself. As Chitin stood up the multifaceted eyes of his helmet alit with a soft, strawberry red luminance. He cracked his knuckles through flexible gauntlets. “Alright, let's see what we've got! Bee, you want to get in on this? Bee the Human, I mean."

Probably makes sense for Ryder to armpit up and help move the actual machine. He’ll be looking out for anything that looks active or like it’s shorting out.

No sooner had the text been sent than Ryder approached again with the shark tattooed man in tow, along with a half dozen other people. "Hey, so I'm Soup," the bald roadie introduced himself, walking right up to Eira with a nod. "My man here says you know your way around custom work sound equipment?" "The Blood Tribute's second bassist's amp got dropped on the way onto the stage," Ryder explained, gesturing emphatically with his hands to indicate that they should all be taken aback by the news. One of the other roadies, a lantern jawed man about the same height as Pan but nearly as wide as that again covered his face in massive hands covered in spiderweb tattoos while the wiry redheaded woman in the glossy purple corset beside him patted his shoulder comfortingly. "But Soup and I talked to Kel--" The redhead raised her other hand in greeting. "And she said Pyroclasm brought almost the same model. But their frontman usually won't let anybody touch their stuff except Antoine here, right?" A roadie with huge spacers in his ears and straight black bangs covering both his eyes slumped his shoulders. "And I would but I just ended this thing with Liam - he plays in Necropotence and Bog Wraith, obviously - and... ugh, it's stupid, we said it was just going to be a casual thing right off the bat and--" "Antoine, bud, we just went over this. Having feelings does not make you stupid." The circle of roadies all nodded and murmured in agreement. Ryder turned back to his friends, hands still animated. "Liam is hooking up with Sepulchre from Blood Tribute - that's his sister Luanne with the drumsticks on stage, she's their drummer - so clearly that's a non-starter." "I need somebody to be @#$%in' Switzerland and just get stuff set up so everybody can deal with their feelings in a healthy way," explained Soup. "At the top of their lungs in front of a screaming audience, yeah?"

"Oh wow, he just fully melted," Ryder observed from atop Super-Bee, watching Davyd's liquid descent. "Good for him!" He didn't know Corrine well enough even after spending time working together on Sanctuary to really know what was going on with her but he did make a couple mental notes about how her molecular structure seemed to be rearranging on the fly. "Man, that's neat stuff. Uprooting the conservation of mass and the second law of thermodynamics is like painting, y'know? Everybody's working with the same colours but it's always like, woah, what are they going to do with them? You know what I'm talking about!" he laughed, taking in Melissa and the great fuzzy being beneath him in a sweeping gesture. Moving forward enough that he could get a good look at the other giant bee he waved to get his attention. "Hey man! Brobee, yeah? I'm Ryder, super cool to meet you." He cupped his hands around his mouth to make sure his voice carried and nudged a reticent Yellow out from behind him to buzz about his shoulder. She seemed deeply unsure about how to interact with the titanic insects. "And this is Yellow! She's a little shy, don't take is personally, ha! Sounds like you've had a wild time, bud. Think you could zero in on where you saw that other guy show up?"

Chitin Search check: 1d20+6 23 Ryder will also attempt to talk to the worker bee, himbo to himbo, to try to get some actually useful information about where they should be looking. Diplomacy check: 1d20+15 20

Shawn had taken a few bites of his first burger, seemed to consider for a moment then removed the top bun and smeared some dark mustard across it with the back of a spoon. He guffawed at Natalia's question while reassembling it. "I think you're thinking of cops, kiddo. Do we seem like cops to you?" The notion seemed to amuse him greatly as he set back into his food. "It's not a superpower. Mostly we're all just very cute," Jenny offered with a wink so precisely calibrated it called her first assertion into immediate question. "Really, though, I guess the thing you're actually talking about, like talking people down or convincing them to go along with an idea? That's a skill, something you can practice." "I keep telling you, people are actually mostly okay!" Ryder told her with a shrug. "But they're used to thinking things are a zero-sum game, yeah? And that's not actually true at all. The only time things actually get significantly better for anybody is when people cooperate." "Not including the one percent, obviously," Shawn clarified as he nodded along to what his son was saying. "Parasites benefit by tricking people into forgetting about their collective strength." "Oh, sure. Eat the rich, no question. But still, mostly okay!"

Notice check: 1d20+5 6 Ryder is distracted!

"You might still be right!" Ryder called to Melissa, the Robug's gathered about him atop Super-Bee. "None of our textbooks at school seem to really agree on the difference between an alternate dimension and an alternate timeline, y'know? I guess it's kinda academic!" Encouraged by the giant bee's leisurely pace he clamoured to his feet and braced himself like he was riding a skateboard, arms outstretched on either side. "This is the best! We're going to get to see the hive and an analogue time machine! It sounded like he was talking about daka crystals for the power source, right? I've never gotten to play around with any of those before, this is going to be so freaking educational!"

Ryder froze at the sound of Natalia's laugh, one thumb on the edge of his lower lip in the middle of wiping away a bit of berry sauce, eyes wide with a sort of surprise. There was a beat of silence broken by rattling cutlery as Jenny not-so-subtly kicked her brother's shin under the table. "'Horrifying glimpse' is a new one but I kinda like it." She proved to be a tidier eater than Ryder even with a burger in one hand and her can of iced coffee in the other but it was clear their family didn't stand on ceremony around the dinner table. "Yeah, no, you're right," Ryder hurriedly admitted after clearing his throat. "We've got pretty strong, uh, opinions. Principles? I dunno, it just feels weird to be too pretentious about it?" He bounced back quickly with a short laugh of his own. "And hey, my 'approach' hasn't let you down yet, right?"