Brown Dynamite

Let's see Erick's going to try and punch the guy with an attack roll of 16. If that does somehow does land it will be a DC of 18.

And Erick gets a 34 on his initiative roll.

GM Grab made sure to hold on long enough to make the point that she was in control of the situation. Then, her fingers suddenly unfurled from within the costumed vigilante letting him ease his way harmlessly to the ground. Omen for his part was gasping for air and coughing out desperately. Not that Grab paid him any more attention his part in her ploy was over with. It was obvious how tempted Grab was to try and throw Omen at Velocity. Not that she was positive she could even launch him far enough. And the elastic woman wasn't about to put forth the effort to see how that would go. As resilient as her body was. A beating was still a beating and Luann wasn't worth taking any more blows. Especially if she couldn't even get a read on Velocity, whom as far as she could tell wasn't hesitating at all despite the threats. Perhaps if her eyes could keep up with the speedster's movements to judge her body language better her course of action would have been different. "No I suppose I don't want to add that to my rap sheet. Not on him. Well, I already did my job. With the bonus of buying enough time wouldn't you say? About enough for someone with a good enough pair of legs to make her escape with the guy that can break the big lug and I out of prison? I suppose this is the part you bring me to the proper authorities." Grab was correct in her assertion that Get Away had gotten away with Trap Door in blink and you miss them fashion during the tussle. What she failed to mention was the reason she knew this was through a shared commlink in which she was updated earlier whilst favoring her ear from the blow that sent her careening out from under the table. "Well, come on now. I don't want to wait around all day." Both heroes couldn't help but notice even in the dark that the only auction items targeted for destruction where items brought by a representative of Grant Conglomerates. One of which seemed to include a now smashed beyond repair hard drive that must have been hidden inside of one of the auction items. A matter that Grab showed no interest in addressing.

Omen's lack of comfort of his vocal cavity being invaded whilst being smothered to death from the inside was not alleviated by the threat of being drowned. A sense of looming light-headedness began to creep it's way forth. Every second making his plight more pronounced. So much for a day off. Go to a party she says. Mingle. What's the worst that could happen. Well, I have an answer for Alaina now. A lot. Trashing with what little strength he had in the tank at the moment, Omen had come the closest to breaking free had during the course of the entire fight. But close only went so far when it came to suffocation. As the paleness on Omen's face would attest. An arm got lose and flailed about before being forced to retract when Grab continued to establish dominance on the hold. She wasn't the strongest grappler in the world but being as elastic as can be did wonders in establishing control whilst wrestling about. Not having to suffer all the regular anatomical pitfalls that Omen did. Such as his body not agreeing to contort in ways that would prove questionable for a human despite how many pleas his brain made for it to do as such. "Gah!"

Omen brings on another escape check of 20 which I will spend a HP to reroll with the slightly less low 24. Which fails to Grab's opposed check of 28 So Fortitude Check time 24 which makes the DC11 It's actually pretty lucky that Grab lasted as long as she did. Long enough time having passed for her surrender to matter this round. Yes, she's giving up. Bringing the brawl to a close and almost wrapping things up.

Ants! Ants! and more Ants! Power outages are nothing new for superheroics. But power outages caused by some sort of ant/insect controller? A mixture of terrifying and exciting. Probably Die Harding it and the power outages are a distraction to commit some sort of robbery. Part of the fun would be PCs having to start out trapped in some way due to the electronic loss. Perhaps in an elevator?

Which Grab does not make with a 26. Picking up a third bruise Velocity (59): Unharmed, 0HP Omen (18): Bound & Suffocating, 2HP Grab (5): Bruised 3, GM

"Five card sounds perfect. Try not to take too much of money now. I still have to pay for my beer." Repetition in poker, whether through winning or losing, could be considered a skill all on its own. If you could control a table to take three hands in a row without question you have some semblance of talent. Even if the reason you controlled the game was through cheating. The real test of skill was avoiding complacency from setting in. If you don't allow for a few moments of the unexpected and even daresay lose some it was inevitably going to bite you back. No matter how respectful your skill, there was always going to be someone hungrier waiting for the opportunity to take your money. You always had to account for unexpected variables. It was a lesson the predatory man would no doubt have already taken to heart had he learned to play poker from a man who could see into the future. No, he had the luxury of taking advantage of unsuspecting and inexperienced players. Which made the heavy set man think he was king of the mountain. It was that sense of complacency that allowed Erick to easily catch on to the man's cheating by the first hand. The heavy set man had a preference for bottom dealing. Handing the other players the bottom of the deck and pocketing the top for when he needed a better hand. Equally impressive was the fact that he was doing it so quickly, which no doubt made it easier to get sloppy. It was good enough to get the job done from anyone unfortunate to play a hand at the table. If only he was sitting across the table from any other 'Americano' tonight. Erick conceded the early hands of the games. Letting the heavy set man think that his ploy was just as effective on him as the others whom couldn't afford to continue. In reality, Erick was using the opportunity to try and keep track of the cards so that when it was his turn he could turn it all around. And slip in some small talk to make them all the more comfortable with him. The blonde man's hands thumbed the cards for a moment when they were handed to him. Obviously the momentum was against him due to the sheer amount of sacrificial hands he undertook in the course of the game to get to the most ideal point. The rest of the table assumed he was simply walking to his own execution. It made it all the easier for Erick to perform a false shuffle so that the cards would line up exactly how he wanted them to. With the scarred man thinking he had a straight flush if he pulled out the king he had pocketed in his right sleeve. Of course he would, especially after Erick went all in. The thing was, Erick had pocketed his own king. Erick's just happened to complete a Royal Flush. You always have to account for unknown variables.

And Erick spots the cheating with a : 33. And will attempt to show the Card Shark a taste of his own medicine. 26

Late tidbit. But yes even though she's threatening with the drowning, and is probably the most likely member of Larceny, Inc to take such steps, she's definitely lying. Woman's a grifter by trade. Veiled threats and bluffs are her bread and butter.

GM Grab sneered at Velocity after the blow struck its target. Her neck was knocked right into the ceiling like a rockem sockem robot. As it retracted the crook made sure to note who was going to get this treatment next. In signature Grab style her fingers would begin to stretch out and invade Omen's mouth. Surely bumping up its standing on the scale of how Omen ranked his worst boat trips. Her commitment to making sure at least one of them was suffering was noteworthy. Omen's muffled complaints would get him nowhere as the color would begin to leave his face. Grab furiously cutting off the blood flow to the costumed acrobat's head with a sadistic smirk. The woman's fingers particularly vile invasion of his insides was far from welcomed. "Well this has been fun really it has. Maybe this time you'll listen to me. Would be a shame if we both fell overboard wouldn't it? The cute ones always thrash so adorably when the oxygen fades don't you agree? " Grab edged back a little making sure her apparent intention to near the side of the yacht was known. Clearly the most manipulative and least morally grounded member of Larceny, Inc she wanted to get her way.

Omen tried again to free himself to no avail. If anything, Grab's grip was tighter this time than it had been thus far. Even with Velocity's fist explosive power hitting with amazing well for lack of a better term velocity. The elastic woman was not going to go down without a fight that was clear. Erick's muscles were screaming out in protest as they continued fatigue from being engaged in this one armed full body wrestling hold. The message was clear his body wanted out. It was message that he wanted to comply with more than anything. But Grab's rebuttal was also pretty convincing in that she wasn't about to go down without taking one of them with her. Sure, it still wasn't the worst boat ride he had ever been on his life. But it was in solid contention for second place. Possibly third.

Let's see Omen gets a 23 on his Escape attempt. Which is stopped by Grab's 38. And Grab's on a bit of a grappling roll isn't she what with the 20's and 19's. Grab starts the chokehold that she would have been smarter to start two rounds ago. Completely done for narrative reasons and not me forgetting that chokehold can be applied immediately and not needing a standard action to use. *Whistles innocently* 'Course it did take me a good while to figure out whether dazed lets go of grapples as well. To show how often grapples and I cross pass. Back to the action. Although I think Grab can make a -4 attack with her free elongated armed due to the improved grapple and yadda yadda. The choke is all she shall do for actual narrative reasons. And Omen makes the first save with a 26 Round 11 Velocity (59): Unharmed, 1HP Omen (18): Bound & Suffocating, 2HP Grab (5): Bruised 2, GM

Grab fares much better this time with a 27. Which of course isn't enough to make it, but enough to only end up picking up a second Bruised status. Velocity (59): Unharmed, 1HP Omen (18): Bound, 2HP Grab (5): Bruised 2, GM

GM She couldn't have even blinked in the amount of time it took for Velocity to send Grab flying from under the table. The renowned thief was busy seeing spots as she tried to remember where she was. It was through sheer luck that she managed to maintain the grip on Omen. And perhaps a small sense of pride. For a moment she would use her free hand to clutch onto her head paying close attention to her right ear. Groggily readying herself for more, which would be all the easier of those darn spots would just go away. For the first time since the fight began she had nothing to say. Her motor mouth temporarily silenced by the sensation of her brain being knocked around like a ping pong ball.

The thing about being punched while holding on tight to someone. When you go flying so do they if you don't let go. At least that's how things operated for most people. When Grab was propelled forward, Omen found that he hadn't even budged an inch. Despite the impressive blow that Velocity had to her name. Although the blow did nothing to free him from his bound state, it did provide ample opportunity for Omen to take advantage of and free himself. And it was truly a valiant effort. Squirming around whilst shifting his center of gravity he was on course for a quick and fast exit. If only Grab hadn't somehow remained cognizant enough to maintain enough pressure on the hold. Somewhere in the back of her head, despite the pounding she had just received, she knew not to surrender the hold. The blonde would have to give a moment of begrudging respect to that determination. Even if it was just a fancy way to say foolhardy stubbornness. It was a sense of stubbornness he could relate to. Not resigned to giving up he would wait for the next moment that she eased the hold even for a second and then try and burst forth again. There was of course the possibility that she wasn't going to last much longer anyways. It took a single one of those super sonic fists to turn the tide.

Alright let's see. Since Omen's bound not pinned as I wrote earlier what with failing the grapple check by 5 last round only action he's allowed to try is Escape at a -4 due to Grab's Improved Pin. Not that he would try any other. And it's as good as it can get with a...31 ...unfortunately Grab's got an equally impressive roll with a 37. And since Grab is dazed can't do anything else other than keep the hold. Round Ten Velocity (59): Unharmed, 2HP Omen (18): Bound, 2HP Grab (5): Bruised, GM

That is a hit. And Grab gets a 22 which sets her at dazed and bruised.

Portugese was outside of Erick's wheelhouse. Perhaps if he didn't think the concept of elective requirements to be a joke, he might have considered taking up a foreign language course at FCU. It didn't soften the fact that a lack of knowledge in a subject was a missed opportunity for yet another weapon. It could have been his blonde somewhat all American, despite his Russian background. Or perhaps it was the way he strolled in when anyone with common sense would have high tailed it the other direction. But whatever the case, Erick made no question of the bartender guessing his nationality. If anything it was probably lip service if the operation really did have roots on the streets a rich American tourist had to have been noticed from the moment he got off the plane. "American actually. We have a saying back home. The house always wins. But I certainly have the purse to test that theory out. Just don't blame me if your patrons end up making my purse all the fatter." Erick quipped towards the large man laughing as he finished speaking. The blonde took the beer without a moment's hesitation. It'd be paid for by the end of the night. It was the last place in all of Rio that he would consider consuming alcohol. But it was also the last place in all of Rio that he would turn down a drink either. Not to mention alcohol ruins one technique. However, the cocky tourist in over his head routine would only go so far. He would have to get dealt into the tables housing the cards. It was about to become a long night for those in El Rosa. The young man would personally see to that. Well, let's see who's feeling talkative.

GM The table was providing surprisingly competent cover thus far even if the only thing draped over it was a fine see through sheet. But Grab was no one's fool, things were not off to a fine start having to play the number's game meant that it was only a matter of time before one of them started to land a blow or two She was tough, but she was no Smash. So Grab's approach would have to be pragmatic taking them down in the quickest manner available to her. The beauty of having elongated limbs. Even on an impressively sized yacht such as this one. Practically everything was within her reach. A fact that Omen soon found himself acquainted with as the back of his body was soon wrapped up from behind. Wasting no time she quickly brought him to the ground as if a constrictor snake had finally found its prey. A set of predatory eyes looming from beneath to further match the implication of what she had in mind. Calling out towards Velocity she would try and take the heroine off her game now that she had some advantage. "Careful if you come at me again. I might accidentally tighten up and break boy toy's wind pipe. You know, I wonder if I accidentally squeezed and broke his ribs what the chances of hitting something important.."

The lenses on Omen's Domino mask were specially built to see through the darkness. Shaking off the sensation of his balance being tested by Grab's attack. Following the path of the arms back to their source, Omen swung his legs low underneath the table in the hopes of hitting the hidden rubber-like woman. His boot only came into contact with air as he retracted his foot back into a defensive stance. She was certainly holding her own despite being outnumbered. "I'm starting to think it's a good thing they weren't all grouped together in one area. Sheesh." Which did bring up the question of why was she down in this floor in the first place. Smashing the expensive pottery or whatever it was that she broke didn't exactly scream successful criminal. Unless they found the first person willing to fence broken pieces. On the bright sight, Velocity had made the situation more ideal. They now had her surrounded with the speedster on the other end. Something was bound to give eventually.

Omen has his own go at hitting Grab. And gets a 19 swing and a miss. Grab for her part tries and grapple Omen. Getting a 22 which lands and impressive 34 on her grapple check. Omen's opposed grapple roll comes down to a 14 leaving him pinned. Which would lead to a Distract (Bluff) check towards velocity as a move action. Due to taking it as a Fast Task the check is at -5 so she only gets a 15 Round Ten Velocity (59): Unharmed, 2HP Omen (18): Pinned, 2HP Grab (5) GM

Now I'm not going to toss Thaelia into this. What with the intended range being 10-13. But, will definitely be following said thread with obvious interest.

"Cross them. I would never think of doing something so bold. I'm simply an ignorant American on vacation. Unfortunately, I seem to lack intelligence proportional to the weight of my wallet. So I might just have to lighten the load a tad to learn my lesson." To start with, Erick already had a bit of a weakness for crying women. Coupled with Isabella's tale of loss, the man's decision had long been made for him. He was the last person to ever dispute the importance of family. A normal person would have far different tastes for their vacation plans. But it wasn't as if the festivities of Carnival were going anywhere if he took a side trip. "Do not worry for me. I promise not to add to the sad faces in the crowd tonight. Who knows maybe I'll even bring back a lost smile. I thank you for your warning. Everything will be alright...oh before I forget. I'm sorry for your loss." Stepping forward he would begin to make way for the questionable looking bar. It had been a few hours since he had gotten in a bit of trouble. Seemed about a good a time as any to remedy that.

Erick gave the woman a quick once over. Re-establishing the fact that it was certainly good to be in Rio. He made no effort to push her away as he pursed his lips to respond. "It sounds as if there's more to that story than just the ending. If you don't mind sharing that is. I'll admit I much prefer the company of a beautiful woman to that of a den of the dead and what was it killers?" Although, Erick wasn't entirely positive in the veracity of his statement considering how many nights he shared with killers. Not that they found themselves enjoying his company. He would keep a wary eye on the bar as he spoke. The warning having the opposite effect than what he perceived the woman had expected. Erick's curiosity would not be so easily deterred. How bad could it really be? A small chuckle slipping forth as his imagination ran wild to answer. "Of course, I would still like to hear what it is you know about such an establishment. Before I can even consider setting my gaze on much more productive locations." His head turning ever so slightly to examine the mask adorned upon her face.