Semi-Autogyro

John smiled apologetically at Kristin. "I appreciate the intent of your offer to assist, but it is a personal preference to carry this as it is my purchase and therefore my weight to carry. Besides, I consider this merely additional weight training." Truth be told, he still was hesitant at trusting new people, even ones as seemingly nice as Kristin. It was something he had voiced to Headmaster Summers, namely integrating better at the school and expanding his social repartee. That and he was well aware of the looks and subtle gestures some other people at the mall were shooting at his and the ladies directions (mostly by teenagers), and it was better if only one of them was burdened if something were to occur. Returning to the task at hand he looked over the menu before deciding on the curried chicken and rice, paying the cashier with a decent tip as well. John followed the others to the table, setting his tray and load down before joining the conversation. "I admit I do miss Mr. Morgans' presence. He was serious about training with his father ever since the incident in the zen garden on campus. I hope he is doing well, as he promised me a rematch when he came back." He took a bite of his food and decided he liked this curried chicken dish, making a mental note to look up a recipe later. "It has been quiet around campus without him. I still check the tree whenever I pass by it." Johns' expression didn't place emphasis on whether that was good or bad thing.

John adjusted the strap slung across his chest so it did not dig into his shoulder, while waving off their offers of assistance with a small shake of his head. "Thank you for the offer, but these are my burden to bear. If it does become too intolerable, I am sure Miss Victoria could rapidly get these back to my room back at the academy." He was happy when Etain had chosen a place to eat, since he was still shady on the various types of ethnic cuisines. "That sounds fine, please just place your orders and I will pay for them afterwards." John had a small reminiscing smile cross his features when he noticed the chopsticks in the Chinese restaurant as he followed the girls inside. One of the first noncombatant skills he had picked up was the use of chopsticks when he was in Tian. John turned his attention towards Vicky when she had declined his payment for her meal. "Very well. Would you at least allow me the favor of buying you a dessert or handling the tip?"

John leaned in closer to inspect the instrument in Etains' hand before gravely voice spoke out to them. "Looking for an axe, son?" Said Tom, who was giving John a appraising look. "Axe?" John replied to the man, confused. "A guitar. You really have no idea what your looking for or getting into, do you?" John parsed the information before affirming with a negative nod of his head. "No, Sir." Tom broke out into a deep belly laugh, before sitting down on one of the nearby stools. He wiped a tear out of his eye before continuing. "Well, if you'd like to hear my recommendation, a good beginning place is to use a hybrid acoustic/electric guitar. From there you can try the electric or acoustic side of things based on your preference as you gain skill. We have numerous comprehensive starter packages as well that provide everything you need, including some one on one instruction time. The package deal knocks a good chunk of change off the price if you bought them all separately." John considered it for a moment before nodding. "I defer to your expertise in this matter. My friends can help me stay within my allocated budget." Twenty minutes later, John was weighed down with a guitar, an amp, plenty of cables, and a few introduction books. Despite the load he shot a smile to the girls. "Well, we have achieved my objective for being here. Anything else that you all would like to do I would be more than happy to assist, plus my offer still stands of taking you all out to a restaurant of your choosing as thanks for today, on me."

John considered his options. "I in all honesty I would prefer something that is rugged, portable, low maintenance, and easy to store." he gestured to the larger instruments present: keyboards and drums. "I think it would be safe to exclude these, on those grounds." John moved through the isles before pausing at a collection of harmonicas. "These fit my prerequisites, but I am not keen on the ones that use the breath to operate, as they strike me as...unhygienic." His walkabout the store brought him next to Kristin, where he responded to her question. "I do not have a preferred genera of music, nor do I posses a predilection towards a group or style. I have listened to various due to Miss Victoria, Miss Etain, Mister Morgan, and Mister Brian loaning me their musical devices and through the Claremont library plus the internet." John examined a nearby bass guitar. "I think these string instruments would be a good place to start. What types are there?" He addressed the latter part to all of the girls.

John watched the pair intently. "I see. It is somewhat similar to the idea of katas. Thank you both for the demonstration. I can indeed try dancing when either of you have time to spare while in the gym." Firehouse Music was on the lower level of the mall, taking up about three smaller shops worth of space. Musical accouterments and various instruments lined the walls/rows, with little handwritten signs denoting the price. At one corner of the shop was a small collection of stools and amps with the words 'Try before you buy!', 'Stairway Allowed!', 'Need Assistance? Just ask!' hanging nearby. There was nobody currently in the store, save a older man in his 50's with a name tag that read 'Tom - Owner/Operator' reading a magazine behind the register. What little unused place remained on the walls were taken up by photographs of local bands and talent with Tom. A chime rang as the group passed threshold of the shop and went inside, Tom glancing at them before returning to his magazine. John looked around the store, looking a bit bewildered as he turned to the girls. "There...There a lot more variations than I was expecting. Where should we start?"

John cocked his head to the side slightly as he tried to explain. "The list is rather long of the things that I have tried, but what I have generally found out is that more physical oriented hobbies are not something I think I could ever appreciate as a pastime. They all seem too similar to my daily training. While there is a certain satisfaction in hard work and improvement, I do it because I need to do it. I consider it work, not a hobby." He gave a small sigh of frustration. "As for my last few attempts I have tried drawing, woodworking, pottery, cooking, and astronomy. Cooking was interesting, but I was limited in what I could do because I only had access to the communal kitchenette and supplies in the dorm." John blinked twice in surprise at Kristens' direction. "I had not considered dancing or a musical instrument yet, but I do not know the first thing about either." He turned to peruse the nearby mall directory. "So where should would we go to look for an instrument?"

John tried to keep up with the rapid fire pace of the new arrivals' conversations, along with Etain comments. He had a chance when she offered her hand in greeting. "It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Kristen. I am John if you have not already divined that information." He replied with a slight grin as he took off his gloves and shook her hand. He kept up the conversation as he moved to the doors and held them open for the girls. "Indeed, no sense in standing outside being exposed to the elements." Once they were all inside, he turned to address them focusing on Kristen. "Thanks for coming. One of my continuing goals has been to find an enjoyable hobby, and as Miss Etain has indicated I have tried numerous ones. I suppose if we could continue in the vein of my last few attempts, which were focused on more artistic hobbies." John gestured in Victorias' direction. "Miss Victoria and I however can attest to my lack of talent in the drawing department per my last attempt. It went...poorly." John paused for his moment trying to ascertain where to start things off but coming up blank. "As to where to begin in our search today, I am open to suggestions. I do not mind if you want to go to other shops as well, since I do not want to monopolize the reason you are all here."

John smiled as he stood to greet Etain, his greatcoat knocking aside some of the gathered snow of the bench. "Greetings, Miss Etain. It has been very quiet on campus. Headmaster Summers had time enough for a few games of chess with me, though I fared poorly against him. While I enjoy the relative peace currently on campus, I look forward to the others returning." He gave Etain a rueful smile. "Though I was unsuccessful in remaining an impartial outsider during the inevitable snowball fights that broke out on campus during the break." John noticed Victoria approaching out of his peripheral vision. "Glad you could make it, Miss Victoria." "Ah, that reminds me. Miss Etain, did you invite anyone? Since I already took the liberty to ask Miss Victoria."

Bayview Mall Early January John was sitting outside by the south entrance to the mall fifteen minutes before Etain said she would arrive. While he enjoyed the solitude, he was feeling a bit lonely during the holiday season as the majority of his friends went home leaving him one of the few still at Claremont. He had been invited over to Pankhurst by her earlier last week for New Years, and he had informed her of his continuing search for a hobby to his liking. He respected her opinions, and with her different views he might happen upon something that he would not have considered himself. In that vein they had agreed to go to the mall together, and John had offered for her to invite along someone else if she was inclined. Truth be told, one of his resolutions for the new year was to be more sociable, something that he hoped would help if he met more people. Hmm. He always could invite Victoria, as she had helped him previously in his search. He dug his smartphone out of his pocket, dialed her number, and waited for her to pick up. "Miss Victoria? John here. I am at Bayview mall and was going to look around for further ideas for hobbies for myself, along with Miss Etain. I would enjoy your company as well, if you have the time available. The offer includes dinner, and I will pick up the tab as thanks."

Myrmidon Freedom City News - Myrmidon (1) Vignette: Personas non Grata (1)

Hobbies I have been encouraged to attempt to procure activities in an effort to integrate more successful into my cover story as a student. Video Gaming - While enjoyable for the short term these have proven to to be as engaging as training. Miss Victoria finds my aptitude at first person shooters and simulators odd, considering my relative inexperience with these devices. Cinema (Movie) - Yet another area I have been given a crash course in courtesy of Mr. Morgan and Ms. Victoria. I appeared to have confused them when I had not seen movies they deemed to be 'cultural classics' and wondered if i had grown up under a rock. Must endeavor to do more research. EDIT: My taste in movies is apparent the film noire and pulp genre..according to them after several marathons. Musical Theater - While on my morning run had a chance to talk with a woman who was an actress, and had told be about her show currently running in one of the theaters nearby. After going it was enjoyable, though I do not understand the reasons why it was about cats. Bizarre. Gardening - After numerous false starts I have found that I do not possess a green thumb. Have odd proclivity of plants dying in general area while I am around. This might be due to my association with Mr. Morgan and his odd way of finding himself up a tree. Dancing - was approached by one of the female students while in the gym. Se asked if I could assist her since her for a week while her partner was sick with what was going around campus. I am contemplating looking more into this one, as it provided a workout to muscle groups I do not usually target. Note: Research more on the tango, as it caused a rather odd reaction from her when I mentioned dancing styles. Karaoke - Never again. Origami - I can make an improvised knife out of a newspaper but cannot fold these right. it is a vexing matter.

Myrmidon The Masks We Wear: Personas non Grata Claremont Academy December 7, 2011 John as usual snapped awake a minute before his alarm went off at 5:00 AM and cancelled it before it had a chance to wake his slumbering roommate, who was currently snoring and drooling on his pillow simultaneously. He stretched, working out kinks from sleeping as he headed to the bathroom. Once there, he followed his daily routine like clockwork only to pause and blink at the mirror mid-shave. The reflection that stared back was a familiar and disconcerting sight, to anyone who knew of the identity of the original. John grimaced at his current train of thought and the reflected visage of a youthful Wilhelm Kantor mimed the reaction back. Getting back to the task at hand as he reformed the straight razor with his powers, John recalled when Daedalus had offered surgically altering his face before arriving at Claremont. He had declined, of course. Looking back, his reasoning was that he was a copy of the original but still his own person, so why be concerned about something as trivial as physical appearance? That view had changed as he spent time living on his own, he now fully comprehended the immortal inventors’ reason behind the offer. His friends, the school, and anyone close to him were put at risk. Regardless of that, he could not change things now and he would not even if he could. He was not Wilhelm Kantor even if he had the occasional flashback and déjà vu instances. Those were merely ghosts of memories from the flash duplication of his brain as part of the cloning process. No longer was he a mere serial numbered experimental subject, as he had discarded that designation upon arriving at the academy. The thoughts remained in his mind as he washed his face and quietly and efficiently dressed for his morning workout. He slid on his ubiquitous sunglasses on as he left his dorm room and headed out for his morning exercises, John mused that this was yet again another mask of his as his eyes adjusted to them. This one was known as John Smith, Claremont Academy student. This one was close to who he truly was, but was just another layer obscuring the truth. The mannerisms, the measured responses, and the social expectations were engineered as much as to benefit him as well as to encourage less inclination of suspicion. Still, bit and pieces of his true nature had worked their way out, leading to some knowing his secret. John was positive that his friends had their suspicions about him as well, and his days of keeping them from the truth were rapidly coming to an end. The cold morning air with a light wind hit him as he left the dorm, and the recent snowfall and temperature discouraged outdoor exercise. He made a beeline for the gym instead, intent on using the treadmills in lieu of his customary morning run. Upon arriving at the gym his body on went autopilot as he went through the repetitive motions of exercise, his mind was free to wander. John had gone through numerous scenarios in his head, trying to choose the best one to inform the friends of his true identity; but none felt right especially with Morgan on some sort of covert training hiatus. Miss Etain already knew the truth, which was good, but he remained concerned with the possibility of ostracizing the others. There was a small but vocal group of students on campus who already disliked him from his cover identity, not to mention the reaction he got from the random few older students, alumni, and staff who knew the true face behind the mask of Overshadow. His wristwatch alarms beeping tone brought him out of his reverie. Thirty minutes till the first class of the day. It was not until the daily afternoon training with the Irregulars until John had a chance to resume his ruminations, as the day to day schoolwork and life kept him on his toes mentally. Only when he was alone in the prep room and sitting on one of the benches did his thoughts return to earlier in the day as he gazed idly at his helmet in his lap. He mused to himself that this was yet another one of the faces he presented. This one however was what he was intended to be: the weapon, the tool, the destroyer. Granted, it was no longer in hands of people who would abuse its’ power, but the fact remained that John could never fully remove himself from that ingrained nature. Morgan had once asked him once why he had chosen a helmet for his uniform as Myrmidon instead of a mask. Johns’ explanation was that mask didn’t exactly protect against cranial trauma as the major reason and John was not gifted with superhuman resiliency. The honest reason as per the SHADOW files was to further dehumanize the individual. Since he had modified the original armor and made it his own, he supposed the same intent carried through. One could not see his facial reactions through the matte black reflective faceplate, or notice changes in his voice due to the electronic filtering of the helmet. Coupled with the training the intent was to be a faceless, impartial, soulless weapon. The time at Claremont had gradually worn down the soulless part of the equation from the intent; though he still sometimes struggled to curtail the callous and efficient brutality he was hard-coded to operate under. He sighed ran a hand through his hair, this train of thought was getting him nowhere. Besides, he had not even rightfully answered unspoken question that had started all of this introspection: "Who am I? The face? The Persona? The Mask? Really it was a simple question at heart which led to a simple answer being the easiest…†A hand on his shoulder brought him out of his reverie, and he clamped down hard the reflexive impulse to respond with a vicious counterattack as the adrenaline started rocketing through his veins at the perceived attack. He shot an apologetic glance up at Victoria and then saw the others standing ready, blinking at him. He had been truly distracted, something that was out of character for himself. Judging by their reactions his friends had caught it too. “Ah. Forgive me. My apologies.†John said as he stood and donned his helmet. “I am ready to go now.†As he followed the others as they left out of the room, John recalled the answer he had arrived to before being startled. "I am me, and that will suffice for now." He flicked off the rooms lights as he crossed the doors threshold.

Myrmidon The Jade Arenas of Heaven: Shock the Monkey (1)

John scanned the contents of the scroll quickly, before looking up towards Guan Yu. "As I suspected, this is all merely a diversion. Where is the Seat of the Pellucid? Bres was instructed per these orders to attempt to detain or delay us here." The noise of the ongoing battles echoed in the background as Myrmidon rolled up the scroll and slid it into one of his pockets. "If we make haste I think we can disrupt their plans of whoever is behind this." He stood and faced Guan Yu, who had just deputized them and awaited further directions.

Hey folks. I feel the need to explain the lack of my presence here this last month or so. Basically, my new job that they hired me for was unable to keep paying me due to government budget cutbacks among other things. Dealing with that between a job hunt and some medical issues, I didn't have much time to be around here. Furthermore, it might be that I could be potentially moving so there is that too. So, sorry that I haven't been around that much and that trend might continue.

His body running at an adrenaline high, Myrmidon was able to process the surroundings in his flight path as the hijacked hero used him as an impromptu shotput. Luckily Miss Etain had good reflexes and managed to get out of the way of his trajectory, but that meant he went through the thin walls of the Zen Garden and was finally stopped by slamming into the side of the gymnasium about 15 feet off the ground. Bruised ribs, he thought with a wince as he picked himself up out of the small rubble pile stemming from the impact, the pain from his ribs feeling like a vice around his chest. Thinking of proving some suppressive fire for his team mates Myrmidon looked around for a good vantage point only to have crow pop up next to him and deposit him on the roof of the zen garden. The blastwave from Megastar hit him in chest, his ribs taking another hit. Myrmidon turned to Crow after he recovered his bearings. "We need...too end this. We cannot keep him...contained much longer." He told his teammate between ragged breaths. Myrmidon called forth another weapon, the exertion of it causing his powers to flicker like lights before a brownout. "You...talk too much," he said to the cosmically enhanced hero, his weapon unleashing a blindingly intense coherent beam of blueish-white energy.

I was going to have Myr do suppressive fire at Cosmic-star from range, but I guess I have to suffer with the rest of you lot. Reflex Save vs. DC 25 - 1d20+6=14 That would be no. Tou Save vs. DC 30 - 1d20+9=10 HP'ing that! HP Toughness Save Re-Roll - 1d20+9=26 Much better. Myr picks up another bruise. Okay, Myr's turn. No sense in holding back, Plus I don't think I can scratch him regardless, if I do. :? Move Action - Create Weapon Damage 9 (Extras: Area-(Line) [5x90 ft], Penetrating, Flaws: Distracting; Power Feats: Improved Crit x2 [18-20]) AM Heavy Mercury Laser Gotta EE a standard action since Myr is staggered so he can use it. Attack! - 1d20+9=27 Woo! Crit due to the improved crit range. Well, if Cosmic!star isn't immune to crits, that is. That's a DC 15+5+9+5 = 34 Toughness Save. Myr will be fatigued due to the EE, and Have a def of +0 too. Hopefully he'll pick someone else to shotput.

Ha. Wow. Ouch. I can just imagine the set cartoon Myr-shaped holes in the structure part zen garden before the concrete wall of the gym stopped him. 1d20+9=26 vs. DC 38. Myr is Staggered and Stunned. 1d20+9=22 vs. DC 25. Myr picks up a Bruise as well. See this is why a helmet is a good idea in a superhero costume! :tinfoil:

Seeing as the others were not holding back, Myrmidon did not either. The crossbow deresoluted into voxels and reformed into a much larger weapon, and the sheer unwieldiness due to the new weapons sheer size and weight caused Myrmidon to struggle momentarily to brace it. Once he had it under control, the muzzle of the weapon was directed at the reeling Megastar as the attenuation coils started crackling with barely restrained power. The coils discharged with a high pitched whine, and a ball of coherent electrical energy sped towards its target "The effects of this weapon will linger. Be careful when you attack him, the effects may transfer by touch." He stated to the others.

I call upon the power of Nikola Tesla! Move Action - Create weapon. Damage 9 (Extras: Area [cloud, targeted] (1 rank only - 1x5 cloud), Penetrating +1, Range +1 (Ranged); Flaws: Distracting -1; Feats: Selective) [20 pp] Mark III Tesla Cannon This means he has to move out of the area or, Megastar get smacked again by the secondary electrostatic feedback next round with the same DC if it hits. Standard Action - Attack! Full on Power Attacking for +5 DC/-5 Def. ATK roll -1d20+9=10 Smooth. Okay, blowing an HP to re-roll that! HP Re-roll - 1d20+9=22. Much better. 15+9+5 = DC 29 Toughness Myr's Defense is again +0 EDIT: Since Megastar is once again unable to act, I'll go ahead and post this action.

Myrmidon Legacy Heroes - 7 posts Matside Meetings - 1 post Out of Blue Waters - 2 posts Shock the Monkey - 2 posts Something in the Water - 1 post Transferance from Abroad - 1 post 7 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 14 posts

*Stormtrooper voice* Move along, move along. Myrs' just keeping his ready action on Mr. Pistol still.

Myrmidon poured through the numerous battle strategies and tactics that SHADOW had flash-implanted into his brain for something, anything that would end this now. Tch. Nothing. SHADOW protocols were a lot less benevolent in nature than what was currently needed, and he had no wish to cause undue harm to the suborned hero. Still, he needed to be stopped. An anti-armor weapon probably would work well on him, he noted to himself. Probably need a kinetic core made of a super-alloy to even puncture his...wait. Seizing upon the idea and his mind putting action to the thought, a heavy compound crossbow appeared in his hands. However, in the normal place of a bolt was a aerodynamically-shaped syringe filled with an straw-colored liquid and tipped with a large jet black needle. Myrmidon knelt and took careful aim at the encased Megastar, before holding his breath and loosing the heavy tranquilizer dart. The dart buried itself deep into the herald of the Gorgons' shoulder, with a surprisingly meaty THWACK! "Impervium needles. Should have thought of it sooner."

Rav, Do you want me to go ahead and post or do you want to have a post for Cosmic!stars' dazed turn?

Okay. Hmm. Move Action: Make Weapon - Stun 9 (Extras: Range [Ranged], Flaws: Distracting, Feats: Precise, Sedation) [20PP] (Heavy Tranquilizer Rifle) Standard: All out & Power Attack! +5 DC/-Def With +9 that's a +26. With Distracting as well, His Def is at +0 till his next turn. DC 24 Fort save. Extra Effort that to give it +2. Blow HP to stave off fatigue. DC 26 total now.