Curious Key

Warp is going to use her standard action to go Total Defense and boost her defense up by four. Then she's going to use her move action to try to demoralize SS with a Taunt. That's a bluff roll for her, at a -5. Taunt: 10

Rolling to avoid brain damage: 25 Success!

Come on, she gritted her teeth, cursing her body's stupidity. You skirt the end of all things every other hour. Water is not scary! Kat got further and further down the lane, and in no time at all her body realized that it was far too much work to swim and be terrified at the same time. It fell into a pattern, and her body understood patterns, reluctantly conceded that yes, it seemed that she'd be able to breathe in time and no, she probably wouldn't sink . . . When they reached the other side Kat groped for the end of the pool and hung on for dear life, wiping a hand across her brow and trying to recollect herself. She managed enough awareness to spare Subito a sideways glance and a half-smile. "Don't lie," she said, nevertheless noting his willingness to comfort her. She shook her head and heaved herself out of the water so she could sit on the end, relenting to her want for something hard and solid beneath her. Kat looked up when she heard a stranger's voice directed at her and saw a girl she didn't recognize. Did Subito know her? Her eyes swiveled from Subito to Blodeu. She raised an eyebrow and nursed a suspicion. "He was teaching me how to do the front crawl," Kat stood up, but even then Blod had half a foot on her. She wore a friendly smile and shook the water from her hands. "I'm Kat. Nice to meet you."

The animal screaming in the back of Kat's mind calmed when it felt something keeping it safely afloat, but the girl had nerves for a different reason. With Subito's arm wrapped around her middle, Kat couldn't keep the blush down—well, he couldn't see it. Small mercies? Kat allowed herself a moment to try to submerge it before she turned her head out of the water. "R-really?" She said, offering him a lopsided grin with only the slightest stutter. "Did you forget the rest of us need to breathe?" Now that he had arm around her, Subito could feel the rock-hard tension in her body, even if her voice didn't betray it as she said; "I'll be fine. Thanks." You're a hero for god's sake; be brave. Repeating the mantra in her head, Kat dipped her head into the water and blew bubbles out of her nose. You're a hero, she kicked, made the first stroke and turned her head out of the water. One stroke. More to go. Be brave.

When Kristin had come to her about doing a little sparring, Kat had jumped on the chance, not so much for the fighting as the spending time with Kristin that came along with. She found something snug and breathable to wear and got there early to do her stretches on the mat and squeeze some of the tension out of her limbs. When Kristin threw open the door Kat was facing the other wall in full splits. Kat waved back in the general direction of the door. "One sec!" Pushing herself up off the floor, she turned all smiles and cheer. "Hey Kristin," she said, opened her mouth to say something more when her eyes found Elias, and just like that the smile went poof, like mist in morning. She made her stance a little wider and crossed her arms. She very much did mind. Of course Kris would have tried to get them to make up; she was way too nice. It was her fault for not realizing. Kat sighed. "This was never gonna be about sparring, was it?"

"Hey, hey!" Kat raised up her hands and showed the mother a smile. "Take it easy. I can get you." She looked up and watched the lightning caller running; she needed to get this done fast, or they'd get away. She could teleport one person with her usually, but that was the limit. She didn't have the time . . . Atomize the door? . . . Nah. Warp pointed to the two teenagers in the backseat. "Scoot away from the middle. And please, try not to freak out?" She breathed in and concentrated. The air between the seats opened like a wound, bleeding red mist at the edges. Through the middle they could see a bookcase, as if through a dirty glass. She gave Marcus a thumbs up without looking. "This'll take you to the library, it's dry and warm and you can use their phone if yours aren't working."

Kat had seen a few other swimmers try what Subito was calling the front stroke, and he was leaving out an important part. The one where they held their face under the water. Again a little primal, illogical part of her rose up in panic at the thought of it before she tied it down again. Squirming a little in the water at the thought of Subito holding her up in the water. A cursory look around told her that no one was really paying attention. It wouldn't, she thought, be the worst thing in the world . . . Half a lifetime of theater kept the awkwardness from bubbling to the surface. "Don't worry, you're fine," she reached out a hand and let it rest on his shoulder. If she drew attention to his anxiety, maybe he wouldn't notice hers. "I could use the help." She breathed in deep before her cheeks had a chance to betray her and filled her lungs with air she held. Kat forced her grip loose and tried to get into the right posture in the water, holding her body straight. That damned knot in her stomach screwed tighter and told her everything would fall to pieces; her body went tense and stiff as it tried to figure out exactly why it was floating in the water with nothing to hold on to. They flat out refused to leave Kat to herself.

This can't be happening. Kat stared at Marty, fallen on top of cheap prop tombstone and groaning. This can't be happening! But it happened anyway; Kat heard the screams echoing up from all around her and frightened little girl in the back of her brain urged her to run, run fast to some dark place and warp to London for an hour and wait for real heroes to take care of it. The part of her that wasn't up for that bull stepped toward the shimmering spectre, grabbing Joel by the shoulders and pushing her gently toward the nearest exit. Haul ass, Kat hoped Joel would understand. "Your act was dry and dead before you keeled over." She called up at swirling terror, putting on a smirk that made Veruca Salt look sweet. Kat had no idea who this was, but she assumed that it was at one point dead. It seemed like a safe bet. "Blow away and rattle chandeliers where someone gives a damn!"

Okay, first, Kat's going to roll to know who this floaty ghosty is. Looking for a ten on pop culture roll: 5 . . . Well. Warp is going to do something probably stupid, and do a Bluff check to try to keep Silver Scream's attention off Joel. Bluff Roll: 32 . . . Goddamn.

Kat let go of the buoy and experimented with wading with her feet, staring dubiously down for a moment before she felt confidant crossing her arms. "Blue Dame?" He was running off the juice of some blue spirit lady? One corner of her mouth turned down as she looked him over, trying to work out whether he was trying to pull something over on her. "I guess I've heard crazier." Last week she'd heard news of some hero called the BEEKEEPER. The THIRD. Freedom City seemed convinced to make her believe in everything, but she wasn't quite there yet. When he gasped out of the water after an ill-advised dive, Kat couldn't help but laugh, grabbed hold of the edge and wiped her eyes clean. "Yeah. Great power." She let up a little and her head dipped below the water for a moment. Her hand shot to the edge and she clung tight to the edge of the pool, shaking her head and taking a nervous breath. Her feet crossed beneath the water and Kat chewed on the side of her lip. "Is it that obvious?" She brushed a bit of hair out from in front of her face. "I was tired of the gym, but I haven't gone swimming since I was nine. I wasn't gonna ask," she gave him a thankful smile, "but if you're offering . . ."

It was hard to make out exactly what was going on, except that there was a traffic jam and someone had decided to go ahead and do the criminal thing. With lightning. Somehow it never occurred to Freedom's villains to be a little more subtle. Warp was grinning until she saw the bystanders in their cars. With a thought she was standing outside one of the cars by the window. Warp rapped her knuckles against the glass and brushed some wet hair from in front of her face. "You okay?"

Kat gets 18.

Warp rolled her eyes. "Like you would've said no. This is way more fun than chemistry." As Marcus slipped on his disguise, Warp couldn't help but marvel at the way everything changed. Was that magic too? Anyway, this wasn't a good time to ask. Maybe later? She stepped forward and grabbed hold of Marcus's wrist. "This might feel a little weird." Warp's voice was distracted, and Marcus felt himself tugged sideways along with her into a horrible, hungry, red— And then they were outside quicker than a blink, the rain falling on their heads. Warp peered, trying to make out the source of the disturbance for herself.

Kat—No, Alva, Lady Rebecca's sister—shook her head and grabbed hold of Rebecca's arm, letting her flowers spill to the ground in front of Solomen's grave. "Well we can't!" Sister Alva was the younger, the more emotional, the less in-control. Alva's voice rang with emotion; her sweet brother, dead, and her sister chasing conspiracies in the dark that had gotten their brother killed. "Can't you see? It's done. The judge has won, and there's nothing we can do." Her voice rose, went shrill. "He's dead, God, dead," She spat the last word, shaking Rebecca by her shoulders. "We'll never know! The only hints died with him, and his soul is long fled from here!" And there, a distant part of Kat thought, goes the cue.

Kat tilted her head to the side and frowned. "I don't think I know Crow." She was opening her mouth to ask what the Beast Rune was when the thunder hit. It wasn't a distant, rumbling thunder but a loud, roaring one that Kat could feel in the empty space of her lungs. "The hell?" Kat blinked at it for a long moment before she started shoving her books back into her bag. She pulled out her hair-tie, threw it in and held the bag over one shoulder, peering for any watchers in the stacks. There weren't any. Reaching into the place between places, she put everything on her in there and drew out her costume in the same breath. It was like inky-red mist had come out of nowhere, and when it'd gone Warp was wearing her full her full red-and-black uniform, hands on her hips, smiling. "Up for a little heroism?"

The first lap, Kat tried her hand at a clumsy breaststroke and kept her eyes focused in front of her, afraid to talk back to Subito and let water down her gullet. She didn't feel safe answering him until she reached the other end. A worm of envy wriggled under her skin; he sounded so . . . adjusted. Kat stared at the boy for a few seconds, his sudden excitement making her toes curl, nervous that her answers would disappoint. "Nah," she said at last. "My little brother's as vanilla human as they come." Whatever she said, they didn't actually talk about her powers much. She tried to steer the heading of the conversation away from family. "Well, have you?" She asked, grabbing hold of the buoy between lanes and pulling closer, eyebrows drawing together, voice pitching down in severity too theatrical to be real. "Eye beams are so in."

HellQ Introduction Who are you? Sum yourself up in one sentence. "I’m a girl, a mutant and a hero-in-training, in that order." Do you have any nicknames, street names, titles, or nom de plume? “Of course there’s Warp. My friends call me Kat and my family calls me Lilly. The only people who call me Katharine are stuffy teachers, people trying to make a point and suits reading it off a profiling sheet. “What’s a nom de plume?†What is your full birth name? "Katharine Lilly Shade." Where do you live? "The Claremont dorms." How old are you? What year were you born (if applicable)? "Sixteen, in 1997." Physical Traits What is your gender? If not applicable, please explain. “I’m a girl.†How would you describe your heritage? “My Mom’s family came in from Scotland and my Dad’s has been in America so long they forgot where they came from. Nothing special, though. No heroes, no mutants, no nothing. I’m the first.†How tall are you? "A bit over five feet." What is your body type? "I’m little, whatever measurements you’re using, which I guess is nice in its way. I’m not exactly well-developed. I mean, it’s not like you can’t tell I’m a girl, but . . . You know what? Next question please." Do you have any particular weaknesses, such as allergies or physical disabilities? "I am the pinnacle of health!" How do you carry yourself? Are you graceful, or heavy on your feet? Can you be stealthy, do you walk with confidence? "Graceful? I dunno if that's the word I'd use, but others have. My body's mine, and I knew its every trick, can coax it to do just about anything I need. You'll never see me take a step I'm not sure of. " Describe your skin, eye, and hair color. “‘Fair’ is pretty code for skin that ‘burns after an hour in the sun, always.’ It’s pockmarked by a few freckles here and there that you can see up close . . . see? Instead of tanning, I just get more freckles. Not quite as nice to look at. "My eyes are gray and my hair is the dull sort of red you’d think to find on a rusty faucet.†How do you wear your hair, if applicable? Do you have facial hair? "I hold it in a tail, unless I’m going hero. I like it better free with the costume." Do you consider yourself attractive? Do others? "Nah. I asked a boy out when I was fourteen and he said I looked like his kid sister. I’ve grown a little, but everyone else has grown more, and Claremont is full of supernaturally pretty girls. I don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell." Do you have any scars, tattoos, piercings, or birthmarks? "Nada." Do you resemble anyone famous? "Nope." Do you have a dominant hand? "My right." What kind of clothing do you wear? "Generally I shy away from skirts and dresses unless I’ve got a reason to be all formal. Shirts, jeans and shorts suit me just fine. Browns and greens and reds are great." Do you wear makeup? "Normally? No." What is your vocal range? Is your voice distinctive in some way? "I don’t try to pull off the gravely hero voice, if that’s what you’re asking. My voice isn’t really all that special." Do you have any distinctive habits, nervous tics, or mannerisms? Where did they come from, and what causes them? Do other people notice and remark on these habits? Do they annoy you or other people? "People say I chew on my lip when I’m nervous. I usually don’t notice." History Where do you come from? "Normal Illinois." Have you made any major moves, or do you live in your hometown? "Yeah, from Illinois to Freedom." Do you feel loyal to your country of citizenship? Do you consider yourself patriotic? How do you feel about the government of your country? "It’s not bad, I guess. I’m sorry, I get this feeling I should be more of a patriot but I’m just . . . not." How do you feel about the place you come from? "Normal is real quiet, and nothing exciting happens there. Sometimes, I never want to see it again. But when things get really weird, it’s nice to know there’s some place out there that’s still mostly sane." Where is your home town? What was/is it like? "Normal, Illinois. Far from Freedom, far from superheroes. The closest we got to that was an open precog working in the police force, and some wizard in Chicago’s phone book who they called up sometimes." Growing up, were most of the people you knew similar to you, or were you somehow a minority? How did that affect you? "I never knew any metahumans growing up and I still don’t know anyone who’s like me. It's not like my family hated heroes or mutants really. But they were never really human, right? Not like us. Except, now, I'm not part of 'us' anymore. "I guess now I still catch myself thinking I'm normal sometimes, and then I remember what I actually am. Leaping across the world with a thought? Shooting stuff out of my hands? That's not normal. Not really human either. It's a bit of a jarring thought every time I realize it again." Is there something you've always been really good at or really bad at? How has that affected your life? "There’s fighting, I was the star of my Dad’s dojo for a while, brought in a bunch of awards. Even without my, ah, gifts, I can put a serious hurting on anyone I've a mind to hurt. It's always a nice boost of confidence to know you can actually deal with anyone who gets it into their head to force you to do things, you know? But what I’m proud of is acting. Theater. You know. I hear I'm pretty good at it. Maybe someday I’ll be able to make a living off it . . . Well. We’ll see." Were there any traumatic experiences in your early years (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age)? "My little brother flushed my goldfish to see what would happen once. Does that count?" Briefly describe a defining moment in your childhood and how it influenced your life. "I didn't really know what I was until I woke up in a dumpster in Chicago in my PJs. There's something nasty about waking up somewhere that isn't your place, and I woke up in a DUMPSTER. And what's worse, I had no idea why. For a while I thought I'd been kidnapped somehow and dropped off there so they could close the door until they decided . . . what to do with me. It wasn't until I Claremont came knocking on our door that I knew it was all me. Which is just as scary, in a way. "If that hadn't happened, they wouldn't have known to come talk to me, I wouldn't be here in Freedom. I wouldn't have become Warp. My life would be completely different. I'm a kid, but I'm not dumb. My life's been changed for good, and it's never going back." What stupid things did you do when you were younger? "Since I’m pretty young to start with I’ll just go with something dumb I did this summer. I was new to Freedom; spent every night next to humming power dampeners and every day trying to nail my powers down. I wasn’t really in the best state. So I heard about these T-babies organizing, talking about things. Of course bad things were said about them, but I figured hey, probably just talk. "I was lonely, and would have given anything to have someone I could talk to. So I . . . Slipped away a few times. Went and talked to them. They seemed friendly enough, so I went a little more often. "Then they started trying to talk me into some supervillain class trouble. I got out of there next chance and pulled the plug, but when the heroes got there the Omegas were long gone. They’re out there, somewhere. And they know who I really am. "That counts, right?" Where did you go to school? How much school did you have, and did you enjoy it? "I’m still in school. It’s nice enough, I guess." Do you have any mementos of your childhood? What are they, and why did you keep them? If you have none, why not? "A few pictures, some presents. Nothing super dramatic." When did you decide to become a hero? Why? Did anyone influence you one way or another in the decision? "I woke up one day in a dumpster with no clue how I got there. The next week I was told I was a mutant. After that, they said I drew off the Terminus, the Terminus to use it. What does that make me? A monster? The unwitting foothold of some omnicidal maniac with a Greek alphabet fetish? "Maybe everyone at Claremont has the right idea. Maybe it doesn’t matter. Maybe it’s a gift. But if they're wrong, well . . . I don't like that thought too much, so I'm off to prove them right. And really, I’ve always daydreamed about sweeping in and saving the day. Who wouldn’t want to be a hero?" Is the reason you give people for becoming a hero different than your real reason? If so, why? "Generally speaking, I skip over the whole spawn of the Terminus thing and get straight to ‘who wouldn’t want to be a hero?’ I mean, it’s not really a lie . . ." Do you have any deep, dark secrets in the past that may come back to haunt you? "I’m one of those special kinds of mutants that were born from entropic energy. T-babies. People hate what I am a lot of the time. And I've been having these nightmares as long as I can remember . . . I didn't even know what the Terminus was like, but the more I hear about it, the more it lines up with the nightmares. " Do you represent yourself as being different from who you really are? Why? "Sometimes the best way to be brave is pretend you are until you’ve fooled yourself. It works, at least until everything is over, and then you’re just proud. Or, you know, dead, and it doesn't matter anymore." If you do have these secrets, what do you fear would happen if the truth became known? How far would you go to protect those secrets? "I wouldn’t hurt anyone, if that’s what you mean. Well, not anyone good . . ." Do you have any sort of criminal record? If so, is it public knowledge? "Huh? No. What a question . . ." Family What are your biological parents' names? "Their names are Rose and Alexander." Were you raised by them? If not, please explain and describe who raised you. "Yeah." What was their standing in the community? What did/do they do for a living? "Mom sells insurance; Dad is the head instructor at a Kung Fu dojo in Normal. Normal isn't a small town, so they weren't really recognized everywhere, but they weren't hated either." Where are your parents now? "Still in Normal." Did your family stay in one area or move around a lot? "We . . . They never moved." How did you get along with their parents? How do you get along with them now (if applicable). "I don’t think they’ve come to terms with what I am yet . . . They don’t say anything about it, but talking with them is harder—it’s like they’re afraid if they aren’t careful they’ll have to talk about it." How do your parents view you now, or how would they? "I think it matters more to them that I'm their daughter than what I've turned out to be, but . . . I'm a metahuman now, in a school with ghosts and redeemed demons and wizards. I don't think they see me as the same person that grew up with them when it comes down to it, I really don't." Do you have any siblings? If so how many and what are their names? Describe your relationship with them. "Lyle is my little brother. He’s a brat, always getting into my stuff . . . At least, he did." What was your birth order in the family? "I’m the first." Where are your siblings now (if applicable)? Do they have families of their own? What do they do? "Uh, little brother? He’s back in Normal, with Mom and Dad." Do you stay in touch with them or have you become estranged? "We stay in touch, sure." Do you love or hate one member of the family in particular? ". . . I don’t think so. Is this a trick question?" Is any member of the family special to you in any way (perhaps, as a confidant, mentor, or arch-rival)? "They’re not really in a place where . . . Well they can’t really understand, can they?" Are there any black (or white) sheep in the family (including you)? If so, please explain. "Well, I’m a mutant. I guess that makes me a black sheep." Do you have a notorious or celebrated ancestor? If so, please explain, including how it has affected your life. "No, I don’t." Do you have a partner and children currently? If so, please describe them. "No." If you do not have a partner or children, do you want them someday? How firm are you in your opinion on this, and what might change your mind? "Hello, sixteen? No I don't have children. Maybe someday, though? I don’t know. Is this thing I have inheritable? I'd have to know for sure." What type of person would be your ideal mate? "Someone who gets me. Someone I could open up around, and make me laugh." Relationships Do you have any close friends? If so, please describe them, and how you came to be close to them. "Not a lot, really. I only moved into the dorms recently, so not a lot of Claremont students, except maybe Kristin . . . Oh! I have a troop I perform with down in the Theater district. I used to work in the AbNormal troupe back home, and they were the best I could find here. It keeps my weekends busy." Do you have a best friend? If so, how did they become your best friend? How close are you to your best friend? "I don’t know . . . Maybe Kristin. She helped me when not-Dorothy crashed my room." If you were to go missing, who would worry about you? "My friends, my parents probably, not to mention the Claremont staff." Have you lost any loves? If so, how did it happen, and what did you do? "No." Do you have any bitter enemies? If so, please describe them and their history with you. "The Omegas, I guess. Scroll up for that story." If you have enemies, how do you think they might attempt to work against you in the future? "The Omegas are convinced that if they get just the right pitch I’ll flop over to their side. But for them, force is just another persuasive tool. They haven’t tried coercion or blackmail yet, but I wouldn’t put it past them . . ." What is the worst thing someone has done to you? "Does vandalism count even if it was done by an evil robot duplicate?" Where do your loyalties lie? In what order? "My family, my friends and people, in that order." Who or what do you trust the most? Why? "Right now? Kristin. She’s a good friend." Who or what do you despise? Why? "Killers. They're the worst sort of robber." What qualities do you admire most in other people? Are these qualities you possess? "Boldness, honesty, stubbornness, empathy. I'm running low on the first two, but I've got the rest down, I think." What qualities do you hate most in other people? Do you have any of those qualities? "Selfishness, cruelty and apathy. I do, but I like to think I keep them down, in the cesspool at the bottom of my soul where they belong." Do you have a secret identity? If so, who knows it? Do you hide it from people who are close to you? Why? "Yes and yes. I don't think Mom and Dad would react well to knowing that I was pulling the whole caped crusader routine. And what they don't know . . ." Do you work well on teams and in groups? Are you a leader or a follower? "Usually I do okay in groups; I can make concessions, try to keep the peace. I usually tend to fall behind someone else, though." Are you on a super team? If so, how do you get along with your comrades? Do you trust them, or do you have secrets from them? "No." Are you a member of any church, fraternal organization, club, committee, political party, or other group? How much time do you spend on that? "I'm part of a theater troupe. We have weekly rehearsals and tons of little unscheduled hangouts, and I go there as often as I can manage." Personality & Beliefs Who are your heroes? "I know I'm weird for this, but I don't have a lot of childhood heroes. They really weren't part of my life until I got to Freedom." Did you ever become disillusioned with former heroes or idols? If so, why and what were the circumstances? "No." Do you like being a hero? If so, what is the most rewarding part? If not, what makes you keep doing it? "When I was just getting started, before I got this costume and was just trying the hero thing out I was rooftop hopping over where the Theater and the Fens starts to blend together. Some sleazeballs had got hold of a someone who'd wandered down the wrong alley and started beating the tar out of him. It was bad, real bad, I think I saw one of his teeth on the ground. I got down there, drove them off and let him out. "He was thanking me, hugging me and saying stuff like 'angel' and 'god bless you,' like he really meant it. Being a hero is . . . validating." Is there anything that would make you give up hero work, or even switch sides? "I'm thinking no." What are your short term goals (what would you like to be doing within a year)? "I'm just getting started on this whole hero thing. I want to figure it out a little better than I have right now, I think. Plus getting through my classes, making some new friends in Freedom . . . you know, school stuff." What are your long term goals (what would you like to be doing twenty years from now)? "I want to get a job as an actor in the big time. The kind people will remember." What is your greatest fear? Why? What do you do when something triggers this fear? "The Terminus . . . No. I'm afraid of being a monster. I can deal with heroics, I can deal with danger but I don't want people looking at me with fear in their eyes. That's what keeps me up at night. I have a hard time even facing it." Is there anything you would give you life for? "I . . . Don't know." How do you feel about money and material wealth? Do you desire it or disdain it? Are you miserly with what you have, or do you like to share? Is it a mark of success, or a means to an end? "Money might not buy happiness, but it'll net you an apartment and good food. I hoard like a Scrooge, except I don't really have much to hoard." How do you generally treat others? "Most people are off doing their own thing, minding their own business. I don't like everyone I meet, but even then I try to be pleasant long enough to get out of there." Are you a trusting person? Has your trust ever been abused? People will lie to you if they think it'll make things easier for them. Well . . . I had a few 'friends' back home in Normal who liked to say something and then turn right around and do something different, but then again, who hasn't? Are you introverted (shy and withdrawn) or extroverted (outgoing)? Do you have a lot of self-confidence? I'm good at talking with people, but it wears me out so quick. It's nice when you can just sit back, prop your feet on the table and not worry about how people think of you, you know? How do you act around attractive, available members of your preferred sex? "Well . . . I try to make them laugh. Test the waters a little. Uh . . . I don't know, I've never really had a relationship before. I don't know how it works. I don't know how to get someone to really like like me." What are your most annoying habits? "People say I'm too playful, while I'm finishing an assignment, in class or out on patrol a lot. Especially out on patrol. When other heroes hear me and think I don't really take it seriously they tend to react badly. I've gotten the 'this is not a game' talk more times than I wanna remember. "Other than that . . . I guess I'm very physical. I don't like to sit still and I don't like to just talk. I want to move my hands and gesture and I want to shift around. My teachers usually say I'm restless. " Do you feel contempt for any general category of people? Who are they, and why? "I think . . . Hate groups. People who hold what someone's been born against them, especially when there's nothing wrong with it in the first place. It gets me riled up." What is your favorite food? Do you prefer any particular type of food? Do you take the time to enjoy your food, or do you eat as fast as you can? "Meat, actually. I'm an indiscriminate lover of meat. Pork, ribs, chicken and more, I love it all, and I eat a lot of it. Lamb is tiny, barely enough to put a dent in my stomach. People used to joke that how much I could put down was inhuman, which is a bit less funny in hindsight." What is your favorite drink (alcoholic or otherwise)? "Water, actually." What is your favorite treat (dessert)? "Let's say ice cream." Are there any specific foodstuffs that you find disgusting or refuse to eat? "Nah. I'm a human . . . Well, I'm a living garbage disposal!" What is your favorite color? Are there any colors you dislike? "Red's my favorite." What sort of music do you like? Is there any that you hate? "When you spend too long in a theater, you start to like a lot of old musical songs." If you have a favorite scent, what is it? "Good cooking." Do you have a favorite animal? "Not really, no." What is your most treasured possession? Why? "What is it with you and your trinket obsession?" Do you enjoy "roughing it", or do you prefer your creature comforts? "Exercise does a body good, but after a that's done I like to have a nice soft bed to lay on." Is there a job or a task you would absolutely refuse to do? "I'm a hero, right? I want to save, or at the very least not hurt them. I don't want to go counter to that." Do you consider yourself a spiritual person? If so, how do your beliefs affect your life? How important is it to you? "My family stopped going to church before I went to Junior High." Was your faith influenced or molded by anyone special? "Um. My Mom and Dad, I guess?" If you belong to a religious organization, how often do you attend? Do you have a specific place of worship, or friends within the organization? How much do you agree with the beliefs of your organization? "I don't." Could you kill? Have you killed? "I've never killed anyone. If I had too . . . I don't know." What circumstances led to you forming that conviction, or taking that action? "Listen, I just don't know yet, okay? " Are there circumstances under which you believe it is permissible to kill? What are they? "I haven't been doing this long. What if someone's trying to kill a buncha people, and there's no other way? Do I just let him? Do I try to find another way, even if it means everyone else might die? I dunno, I dunno . . ." How would you react to watching someone kill another person? Would your reaction be different if the killer was a friend or an enemy of yours? "If it was a friend, I think I might be scared. If it wasn't, I think I'd be angry. But no matter what, I'd feel sick." How would you react if something important was stolen from you? "I'd take it back. If I couldn't take it back, I'd kick their ass." How would you react to public humiliation? "Abort. Get away, out of there right away, as fast as I can manage." How would you react if a good friend or relative were purposely or accidentally killed? Has it happened to you? "Make them pay, if it was on purpose. An accident? I dunno . . . It's never happened to me." What do you consider to be the worst crime someone could commit and why? "Murder. You do something awful to someone, they can get up again. They can rebuild, get better, be happy. There's no getting up after murder's done." If your life were to end in 24 hours, what five things would you do in those remaining hours? "I think I'd go around the world, see places I haven't seen before. Maybe kiss someone and mean it. And eat like a king!" Career & Training Do you have any special training in your hero skills? If so, where and how did you get it? "Yup. I was born a mutant, but I didn't know how to make it work. They helped me work it out in Claremont." Who taught you the most about your heroing abilities? What was your relationship with that person? "Teachers at Claremont, again. It's kind of their job." Do you have any particularly unusual skills? How did you acquire them? "I'm an actor. I got it by acting." Do you do something besides hero work for a living? Have you ever done anything else, or do you plan to? "No. But when I get out of Claremont, maybe I'll be an actor . . ." What is your preferred combat style? "I like to get up close and hit them hard when I can, and when I can't, blast them right out of the sky so I can." Have you ever received any awards or honours? "A few local kung fu tournament ribbons when I was younger. Some acting honors in Normal. Nothing big." What skill areas would you like most to improve in? Is there anything you can't do that you wish desperately you could? "Look at me, just look at me. I look like a middle school student. Criminals never surrender when I come knocking, they always try to push me out of the way and try their luck. I want to be able to get them to take me seriously!" How do you act around people who are more skilled than you in areas you'd like to improve? Are you jealous, or do you try and learn? "Well yeah I'm jealous, but I'd be stupid if I didn't try to learn from them or if I held it against them. You don't snub an actor that's better than you, you talk and try to figure out their tricks." Lifestyle & Hobbies What is a normal day for you? How do you feel when something interrupts this routine? "Go to class, go to my room and get my homework done with, try to find someone to talk to and have fun, then patrol before it gets too dark. It's usually a relief to get out of the rhythms for a little while." Do you have any hobbies, or interests outside hero work? What are they, and where did you pick them up? "I'm part of an acting troupe, I've been doing it ever since I was a little girl, though it was a different troupe back then." What do you do for fun? "I read, play some games with friends, go for walks that may or may not be in Freedom." Do you have a costume? What does it look like? "Yes! It's got a pretty snug black, um, close-fitting bodysuit, I guess. It covers me from my neck to my ankles and wrists, with a red wavy swirl right across my chest. It's weird how tough and strong it is; whoever makes the uniforms at Claremont are geniuses, but I didn't really feel comfortable with something that hugged my skin so tight, so I got a vest to wear over the top. It was enough for me to pretend I was dressed like normal, and now, I kinda like the way it looks. I've got red boots on my feet and fingerless gloves on my hands to complete the ensemble. That's Warp!" How do you normally dress when not in costume? "I like something utilitarian that I can move around in. Shorts and shirts and jeans are nice. I don't have a lot of skirts or dresses anyway. I'll wear them when not wearing something old school would get me glares, but I like to avoid it when I can." What do you wear to bed most nights? "Pajamas." Do you wear any special jewelry? What is it, and what does it look like? "No." Do you have a special place where you keep your valuables? "In my own private little pocket dimension. I keep everything there, and I mean everything." What's your preferred means of local travel? How about long distance? "If I can't get somewhere by clicking my heels together and making a wish then I'll need a spaceship to take me there." Miscellaneous Have you ever made a will, or tried to make arrangements for your death? What provisions did you make? "No." If your features were to be destroyed beyond recognition, is there any other way of identifying your body? "I . . . Think there's enough entropic radiation on me to register me as a T-baby, I think mine is supposed to be unique." What would you like to be remembered for after your death? "Acting. And heroics, obviously." Do you believe you pose a threat to the public? Why or why not? "A little, yeah. Am I just a mutant, or some sleeping agent for Omega? Or maybe a living, entropic time bomb? I don't know. Maybe." What do you perceive as your greatest strength? "Mobility, probably." What do you perceive as your greatest weakness? "My inexperience with all this heroing nonsense." As a player, if you could, what advice would you give your character? Speak as if he/she were sitting right here in front of you. Use proper tone so they might heed your advice... "You don't have to lie, Kat. Not all the time, and especially not to your friends."

20 Questions Unreleased

Wiki Article Reputation 20Q HellQ

Kat shrugged. A jaunt across the country was more than in her ballpark. She turned toward the window and let hand rest against the glass, watching the rain fall. "If you think it'll clear up, that'd work better. It'd be hard to spot anyone that might see me in this rain, and I don't know that place." Not feeling up to sitting again quite yet, Kat let her back rest against the end of a bookshelf. "I don't really get magic," Kat said, scratching at the back of her neck. "Everyone seems to use it for something different. I met a girl who said she could jump into dreams, and another who was all calling fire and ice from the sky. It's all different. What's it really?"

She thought on that for a moment. "New's probably the best way to put it. I've been here since summer started, but most of the summer students probably didn't see me either." Kat shrugged, dismissing it. She'd slept in a room full of nullifiers to keep her from waking up in another dumpster or accidentally atomizing her mattress. She wasn't exactly eager to let Subito know that she'd spent all her time learning to keep from wetting the metaphorical superbed. She pushed off the edge and tried to work out how to properly tread. It was like riding a bike; her body remembered what was needed even when her mind did not. At mention of Kat's grip her smile widened almost to the point of laughter. "You noticed?" She lifted an arm out of the water and flexed. It didn't look half as strong as her hands had felt. "That's might be a piece of it. I think Da' was relieved there was a reason his little princess could carry more than him." She rolled her eyes, but there was affection in her tone.

Studying was draining, and not in the way that made her body ache for a good long sleep, like a long day in the gym, but it was good in its way. Marcus kept the aimless frustration of questions not answered at bay for long enough for Kat to get tired instead of bored, but it was clear that he had a better aptitude for this than she did. As time went on, things just started . . . slipping through. By the time the hour was up, Kat felt burned out. She stood up tall and stretched out a bit, trying to force an hour's stillness out of her muscles . . . And buy herself time to think. Offer or not? He had given up an hour for her . . . and hadn't said anything about magic yet. She needed time to drill him. "I could get us there fast, though I don't want them to see me jump in, so that'd still be half a minute in the rain . . ." Somehow she doubted that he'd want to try out the . . . cuisine of a city called Normal. "Maybe Chicago instead." She tilted her head to the side, like a quizzical owl. "Is it raining in Chicago?"

Only the sound of Subito's footsteps warned Kat of him early enough to keep her from jumping when the boy come up to her. When the big, friendly kid held out a hand Kat swallowed her uneasiness and let it sit in her belly while her mouth formed a sly smile. She shook his hand, sending all the strength in it right back as she looked up at him. This kid looked comfortable. "No big, I'm easy to miss." She said, making a dismissive gesture along her body. "Name's Kat." She was about to answer with snark when she glanced sideways to the hydromancers, realizing it might have been an actual question. "No worries, I only need one." As if to prove it, Kat walked to the edge and made the jump in, feet first. She fell straight to the bottom—deeper than she was tall, her lizard brain whispered, trying to wake an old, genetic terror—before she shot back to the water's surface and grabbed hold of the edge, grinning up at Subito. See? I'm fine.

November 17, 2012 10:00 AM Claremont Academy The Claremont indoor pool was damn nice, but it couldn't escape the fact that it was an indoor pool. The undercurrent scent of trapped chlorine wafted through the air along with an echoy din of grunts and slashes and indistinct voices. Some were simply swimming in the open area, bobbing up and down, laughing and talking. A good dozen other students were already taking laps, sometimes with breast strokes, front strokes, crawls and fins or hydromancy that Kat wasn't sure how to classify. No matter what, they seemed to know what they were doing there. Creeping out the locker room in her swimsuit, Kat envied them. She rubbed at both her arms above the elbow and winced at the odd feeling of damp tile beneath bare feet. She felt like an intruder, which was ridiculous, this was open to all students. But the feeling wouldn't go away. After entirely too much standing and gawking she decided if she was gonna gawk, she might as well pretend business while she did it. Taking slow steps across the pool, Kat bit down on the side of her lip and examined each open swimming lane left as though something she saw might make her prefer one to the other. They all looked the same, but there was a knot of something in her stomach and she wasn't really ready to jump in yet.

Kat made a disgusted sound and ran a hand over her eyes. "Who decided that? There's not even a K in it!" She fell back into her chair with a huff and studied the ceiling with half-closed eyes. She perked up at the mention of a deal and sat a little straighter, looked Marcus in the eye. Her face was sober, but her eyes were smiling. "Deal," she said, propping open her book and found Akali metals. It was almost an interrogation. Why're they called Akali? Why are hydrogen and helium excluded? Kat speared points in her book with each question, holding it so Marcus to see what she was pointing at. Why do they matter? What's that? What's a mole?