ic Dance Beneath the Stars (IC)

[Thevshi]

Bayview

Freedom City, New Jersey

February 14, 2024 4:00 PM

 

A few blocks away from Bayview Mall was an old, converted warehouse that now housed a laser tag arena known as Crossfire. It offered its customers an opportunity to experience laser tag in a more realistic, tactical environment than the run-of-the-mill laser tag experience. The majority of the old warehouse space had been converted into a large area, filled with all sorts of realistic obstacles, from old vehicles to sandbag walls, stacked tires and more.

 

It was here that Charlie had told the rest of the Guardians to meet up this afternoon for a chance to have a bit of fun and practice teamwork at the same time.

 

After finishing classes for the day at Claremont, Bernadette had quickly headed back to her dorm room to drop of her books and change before catching a shuttle from the campus down to Bayview Mall. The redheaded teen was wearing a pair of black jeans and dark grey long-sleeve T-shirt. Over that she had put on the laser tag tactical vest (which included the sensors to record hits) as she and the others finished getting ready for their time slot in the arena.

 

Looking at some of the rather realistic looking laser tag guns, Bernadette finally settled on one, a small gun that was modeled to look like a compact sub-machine gun. Lifting it up in one hand, she glanced over at some of her teammates. "I think this is tha one fer me." She said with a grin.

[Heritage]

Shift

 

"This is an interesting concept for training," noted Shift as she took in all elements of the course."Our lack of familiarity with the layout will definitely add to the challenge."

 

Based on Charlie's instructions, she appeared to be wearing black gym shoes, black jeans and a charcoal grey turtleneck. She kept fiddling with the straps of her sensor vest in irritation. 

 

"This garment is not well-designed. I do not like how it feels on my body."

 

Suddenly the fabric of her 'sweater' began to ripple and writhe; it spread over the cheap tactical vest and integrated it into Shift's body, so that the sensors appeared to be part of the material. In addition, her dark cloud of curly hair twisted into a set of tight braids that fell down her neck, shrinking her silhouette considerably. The overall look was sleek and futuristic.

 

The robot smiled and nodded at her handiwork.  "That is much better! I also need a weapon."

 

Moving next to Bernadette, she reached out and chose a somewhat boxy-looking automatic pistol. As she held it, her fingers stretched out to absorb the laser pistol, integrating it into her arm so that the laser's lens was in the palm of her hand. Extending her palm towards the Irish multiplier, her eyes glowed neon red as her voice became deep and metalic.

 

"TODAY I AM HUNTING HUMANS."

 

Despite this disturbing transformation, it was obvious she was grinning and struggling not to laugh.

Edited January 26 by Heritage

[RocketLord]

The STORMCROW

 

Charlie is dressed in black panths and a black t-shirt, with a black cap. Colors to blend in nicely and hide his hair. He's obviously prepared, as he checks out the gun that he has chosen for himself, a simple hand gun that isn't anything too fancy. Where would the fun be in that, after all?

 

"Hey, Shift... could you... un-integrate that?" Charlie asks, quickling nodding towards some of the people working at the laser tag arena. "It's cool and all, but we're trying to stay under the radar here, y'know."

 

It's damn cool, but maybe if they set something up back at the mansion like this? 

 

Once everyone is there and ready, he lays out the plan. "So! I thought we could all have some fun, if you're game? Do something other than hang out at the mansion and get into big fights. Sooo..." he pauses to spin the gun around on his finger. "We need two teams. Who goes with who?"

[Lone_Star]

Ghule strode into the building, clad in all black: an athletic jacket, plain cotton T-shirt, and stretchy yoga pants. The latter were more for comfort than practical concerns - these were the same pants she wore when just lazing around. She considered wearing leather, but she thought the lights in the laser tag center would reflect off it, so she decided to keep it matte. She hadn't been to a laser tag place since she was invited as a kid, but this definitely looked *way* cooler.  

 

"Nice choice of venue, Storm. This place looks pretty awesome!" she said, stretching as she approached the other heroes. She laces her fingers together and pushes them towards the ceiling, sighing as her bones crackle in a satisfying way. Then she suddenly grabs her leg and pulls that into the air, grinning at the three of them. "Hey, it's important to limber up! Wouldn't want to pull a hammy." 

 

In response to Stormcrow's question about teams, Ghule immediately linked arms with her bro, Multi-Girl. "Sorry, Storm. This one's taken. Besides, I want to see you two fight! Girls versus..." She glanced over at Shift... 

 

On 1/25/2024 at 11:28 PM, Heritage said:

"TODAY I AM HUNTING HUMANS."

 

"Guys and gynoids?" She subtly shivered. 

 

"As far as weapons go, this one looks just right. I'll be using the cliche zombie-killing weapon against you!" She picked up a shotgun that was about as big as she is, and raises it into the air. "THIS...IS MY BOOMSTICK!"  

[Nerdzul]

For once working at the mall has proven not to be that bad for Luke that had been able to reach the Crossfire as soon as his shift was over.

 

Sure he was still wearing the festive red boardshorts that he used at work, not exactly great as a camouflage, but whatever... Not unlike his friends he had donned the laser tag vest on top of his athletic T-shirt and he was now balancing the fake futuristic looking machine gun in his hands.

 

Now admittedly the nineteen years old wasn't an amazing shot by any stretch of the imagination (and even when playing games his little 'bro tended to own him), he did prefer to go up close and personal with his quarries after all, but that didn't mean he was not gonna have some fun anyway. 

 

"F-ing Neat. Good find by the way." He grinned at Bernadette, as he surveyed the arena. "Hey we should build one of these..." He added, this time addressing Chaz.

 

On 1/26/2024 at 6:28 AM, Heritage said:

"TODAY I AM HUNTING HUMANS."

 

 

"Feeling lucky that technically I'm not one of those..." He teased.

 

"Girls versus Boys and Robots is fine for me..." He nodded at Ghule's suggestion. Grinning confidently.

 

"Anyway are you people ready to get your asses kicked!" He shouted enthusiastically.

[Heritage]

Shift

 

As Charlie made his request, the robot rolled her luminous red eyes and sighed.

 

"FINE..."

 

The cheap plastic pistol slid out of her arm and into her hand, and the vest reformed, sensors intact. Of course, now the fit was perfect and much more comfortable; she wasn't sacrificing that.

 

"The teams are satisfactory. May the best bipeds win."

Edited January 28 by Heritage

[Thevshi]

Multi-Girl

 

Bernadette chuckled slightly at Shift's enthusiasm and merging the vest and laser gun into herself, which Charlie promptly asked her to reverse, given they wanted to keep this rather low key. As Ghule arrived, the Irish teen gave her a smile and a nod in greeting. The newest member of the team had a bit of an edge to her, but then several of them did to some degree, but she was someone you could count on in a fight.

 

When discussion about how they were going to divide up into teams began and Ghule quickly linked arms with her, Bernadette responded by locking her arm with Ghule while giving Charlie a smirk and a small shrug. "That sounds like a good plan ta me." She said with a smile.

 

When Luke agreed and added some trash talk, the redhead gave him a grin. "Oh, we'll see how it goes, some o' us are bigger targets than others." As if to prove her point, she casually held her compact laser gun sideways across her body and fired a shot that set off Luke's vest.

[RocketLord]

The STORMCROW

 

Charlie smirks back at Bernie and Ghule at team split. "I mean, sure, if you want to lose that badly, then I'm game." 

 

He is still spinning his blaster on his finger at he talks, not even looking at it.

 

"So, first of all, this is just for fun. Only rewards for victory are bragging rewards. We're out in public, no masks or anything, so no powers, and I'm not gonna use any of my gadgets or tools. That means you, Leon. And I guess it'll be me, Luke, Leon and Pol going up against Bernie, Muirne and Vik, yeah?" 

 

He looks around at others. "We're playing for points. If you get hit, you go back to your start zone and gotta work your way out from that again. No spawn camping. Everyone clear?"

[Spacefurry]

Paper

 

Leon had regarded pair of Berettas, testing them in both hands. Setting one back down, the second disappearing from sight. He moved over to check both an M4 and a P90 . The renovated build was large but a rifle might be a little more than he needed. He contemplated the P90 as he looked over the selection again.

Leon picked up a Vector and tested its weight. It felt good and he nodded as he collected his sensor vest as he half listen to their fearless leader.

 

6 hours ago, RocketLord said:

That means you, Leon.

 

“Killjoy.”

He smirked. His weapon chosen, he finished checking his gear. He had kinda hoped for a free for all, but as long as he didn’t wind up with-

 

6 hours ago, RocketLord said:

 And I guess it'll be me, Luke, Leon and Pol going up against Bernie, Muirne and Vik, yeah?" 

 

“Sonova…”

Leon mumbled under his breath and sighed.

“Hey, is there friendly-fire?”

He asked aiming for Charlie’s back and testing his own weapon. Seeing as how teams had only just been decided, Charlie’s sensor echoed Luke’s beep. Leon just gave a smirk.

“Oops. Ready.”

[Kaede Kimura]

Shadowborne

 

Aoife slid out of the shadows, fashionably late, wearing a pair of charcoal grey leggings and a navy blue sleeveless turtleneck. She had persuaded Muirne that she should be the one to join the exercise, since that way she could better assist her teammates should they be in another combat situation like with the Conqueror Worm. Muirne may not particularly like the idea, but she wasn't about to jeopardise her friends lives by not allowing her other half to learn how to fight alongside them.

 

She hefted an assault rifle from the rack, trying to ape the familiarity everyone else seemed to naturally have with the things. She was sure she'd figure it out as she did her best to join in the banter. "I'd say let the best man win, but I don't think any men will be winning today."

[Nerdzul]

On 1/28/2024 at 4:37 PM, Thevshi said:

Oh, we'll see how it goes, some o' us are bigger targets than others."

 

"It's not the size that matters..." Luke replied playfully, although he winced shortly thereafter as he found himself wondering if he had actually plaied himself... 

 

To be honest, he wasn't worried about getting hit too much, after all he has always been quick on his feet. Actually managing to shoot someone though...

 

"Well, there is more of us though..." He mused, shortly thereafter. Four versus three didn't sound chivalrous to him after all. 

 

On 1/29/2024 at 11:47 AM, RocketLord said:

Only rewards for victory are bragging

 

"Aaww... Bragging rights are good man, but a bet could have been fun..." He grinned.

 

The young man shook his head and sighed as he saw the little exchange between his Leon and Chaz.

 

His expression though brithened considerably when his girlfriend literally appeared on the scene. "Hey..."

 

9 hours ago, Kaede Kimura said:

I'd say let the best man win, but I don't think any men will be winning today.

 

"We shall see..." His gaze shifting to meet Muirne with a playful light in his eyes.

 

Edited January 30 by Nerdzul

[Lone_Star]

She grins when Bernie links arms with her. She hadn't known her for long, but she felt a sense of kinship with the duplicator, since they fought side-by-side against the Conquerer Worm's thralls. "We've got this!" 

 

On 1/29/2024 at 4:47 AM, RocketLord said:

"So, first of all, this is just for fun. Only rewards for victory are bragging rewards. We're out in public, no masks or anything, so no powers, and I'm not gonna use any of my gadgets or tools. That means you, Leon. And I guess it'll be me, Luke, Leon and Pol going up against Bernie, Muirne and Vik, yeah?" 

 

He looks around at others. "We're playing for points. If you get hit, you go back to your start zone and gotta work your way out from that again. No spawn camping. Everyone clear?"

As Charlie explains there's no prize for victory, Vik holds a hand in front of her mouth, and says "BOOOO" loudly! "Not even the boys buying us pizza when our inevitable victory arrives? Or steak...or burgers. Look, I'm a growing girl, okay?" She holds the shotgun out with her free hand, aiming it at her male and robotic teammates, making a little 'pow' noise with her mouth as she pretended to shoot them. She didn't really care all that much about winning or losing (though victory certainly was sweet!) but she just enjoyed going out with her new friends. That in itself was a victory. 

 

On 1/30/2024 at 2:49 AM, Kaede Kimura said:

She hefted an assault rifle from the rack, trying to ape the familiarity everyone else seemed to naturally have with the things. She was sure she'd figure it out as she did her best to join in the banter. "I'd say let the best man win, but I don't think any men will be winning today."

 

Ghule pulls Aoife towards her and Bernie, and links arms with her as well. "C'mon, let's kick some ass today! Alright, 'girl power' on three..."

 

"One...two...three...GIRL POWERRRRRRR!" 

[Thevshi]

Multi-Girl

 

"Sounds good." Bernadette responded when Charlie explained the plan for the game and the rules, particularly the no powers. She chuckled slightly when Leon "accidently" shot Charlie in the back and the let Vik pull her over toward Aoife as the other girl was brought into the fold of their team.

"GIRL POWERRRR!" The Irish teen added on the count of three before they started out into the arena.

Looking over to Aofie, Bernadette felt she seemed a bit unsure about the rifle she had selected. "Just aim trough these sights," The redhead stated, pointing to the front and rear sights on the laser gun. "Try ta aim at the vest, ta be sure you score a hit on the sensors," She pointed towards the sensors on her own vest. "And squeeze the trigger when yer ready ta fire. If ya jerk the trigger, can cause your aim ta be off an' miss."

 

Giving the other girl a smile, Bernadette came to a halt in the area designated as their spawn point. "This is our startin' point. If ya get tagged out there, ya have ta come back here an’ get reset ta start over. If ya find their startin' point out there, don' stay there, as Charlie said we can' just camp it ta shot 'em again when they reset. Got it?"

[Kaede Kimura]

Shadowborne

 

Aoife gave Luke a smirk as he bantered back, before getting pulled in to link arms with Ghule, smirk spreading to a giddy grin as the warmth of companionship filled her. "GIRL POWERRRRR!!!" She joined in on the battle cry with gusto before stifling a giggle. 

 

Aoife nodded along with Bernadette's explanation of how to use the rifle she had picked, grateful for her intervention. She had tried asking Muirne but she hadn't had a clue what to do either. "Thanks Bernie."

 

She grinned again, savagely this time as Bernie explained the rules. This was gonna be fun!

[RocketLord]

The STORMCROW

 

Charlie just looks back at Leon with an expression that just reads as "really?" before turning away. Alright, then. That's how he wants to play it, then he can do it like that. 

 

"I'm the one buying pizza all the time anyway!" he shouts after Vik as the girls start into the arena. Maybe he should have put something on the line? Eh, he's more a lead in the moment or plan ahead guy, but, with that said...

 

"C'mon, let's go," Charlie says to Leon, Luke and Pol, motioning towards their starting location. Which starts his other reason for doing this, aside from just having fun. "So, how do you guys wanna do this? What's the plan?" No reason he should tell everyone what to do all the time.

[Spacefurry]

Paper

 

“Fair warning,”

Leon called after the girls with a grin.

“I won’t hesitate to shoot a pretty girl.”

 

He elbows Luke.

“No playing favorites with your girl.”

He teases his friend as he starts towards the arena behind Charlie.

“We hit’em hard and fast, keep’em off guard,”

He suggests, cocking his weapon purely for show.

[Heritage]

Shift

 

The young robot appeared conflicted by all the 'girl power' comments; although Shift technically had no biological gender, she tended to prefer a female form, as she felt more comfortable around them than boys. Part of her wanted to join the other team, but perhaps that would be disingenuous? Of course in the grand scheme of things, the gender rivalry between humans was pointless, and maybe even bad for them in the long run. However...

 

These ideas flew through Pol's head in a matter of seconds, and the construct ultimately decided it was probably best to accept the situation as it was, enjoy the team building and learn more about her new teammates. 

 

"I will assume a surgical sniper role. I can maintain a still position for an extended length of time with no discomfort, which makes me well-suited for this sort of operation."

[Lone_Star]

Ghule

 

Vik looked over at Shift before huddling up with her team. Maybe she should have asked them to join their team? After all, Shift did assume a feminine form most of the time... 

 

Dammit Vik, there goes that mouth of yours again. Better apologize to them after the game, it's too late now. 

 

"So! I'm thinking that I can lay down some covering fire...honestly, I can't shoot worth a damn, so it'll be up to you two to take out Chaz and the others. We've got to keep our eyes out for your boyfriend, Bernie!" she said, playfully nudging the redheaded lass. "But for real, he's sneaky as all-get-out, so eyes open at all times. Do the two of you have any insight on the others - any preferred strategies, weaknesses, tips for psychological warfare?" 

 

Seriously, this was cool. It had been such a long time since she had real friends! Even before her death, she barely had enough time for herself, working several jobs to keep her family afloat, and juvie was no place to make friends, only temporary allies. For once, she was actually able to relax and let her guard down...at least until the laser tag match starts!

[Thevshi]

Multi-Girl

 

Bernadette gave Aoife a nod at her thanks for explaining how to handle the laser gun and the basic rules. But when Vik began talking about what they might do in terms of topics and playfully teasing the redhead about her boyfriend, Bernadette's expression became more serious. "Aye, without bein' able ta use powers, this little excursion heavily favors him." She acknowledged before looking at the other two.

 

"But, you are about as sneaky." She said, indicating Aoife. "Leon is pretty sneak as well, Luke a little less so. All three o' them are also pretty elusive, Charlie especially so. Not sure about Pol. I think if we want ta have a chance, Murine, we need you to follow either Vik or I as stealthily as you can. If Charlie or Leon tag us an' revel themselves, you take a shot an' try ta deal with them. If it is just Pol or Luke, don' engage just let us try ta deal with them, even if we lose. The moment you reveal yourself, if you haven' eliminated Charlie or Leon, they will likely tag you."

"Sound good?"

[RocketLord]

The STORMCROW

 

"Hard and fast? Do you want to split up then, or stick together?" 

 

Charlie is already looking around. There's plenty of places to hide, corners to move about. A lot of places to stay out of sight for an ambush.

 

"How about I scout a bit ahead and stay out of sight, then we can do a proper ambush?"

[Lone_Star]

Vik clutches her shotgun, grinning widely. Yes! This is so cool. I mean, it’s team practice stuff, but this will be so much fun!

 

On 2/4/2024 at 9:22 AM, Thevshi said:

"But, you are about as sneaky." She said, indicating Aoife. "Leon is pretty sneak as well, Luke a little less so. All three o' them are also pretty elusive, Charlie especially so. Not sure about Pol. I think if we want ta have a chance, Murine, we need you to follow either Vik or I as stealthily as you can. If Charlie or Leon tag us an' revel themselves, you take a shot an' try ta deal with them. If it is just Pol or Luke, don' engage just let us try ta deal with them, even if we lose. The moment you reveal yourself, if you haven' eliminated Charlie or Leon, they will likely tag you."

"Sound good?"

“Absolutely. I think you and I can make a forward approach, and lay down covering fire while Aiofe sneaks up behind them. Yeah, I’m not one for subtlety…so let’s hope that they underestimate us. We may lose a few points if they tag us, but that’ll help Aoife sneak up on them. When we find them, we strike hard and without mercy.”

 

She puts one hand out in front of her, and looks at the other two, waiting for them to put their hands in the middle. “Why wait? Let’s get out there and kick some ass!!”

 

 

Edited February 23 by Lone_Star

[Thevshi]

GM

 

As the laser tag session began, the seven teens/young adults quickly went to work, many of them disappearing into the shadows as they began moving through the large warehouse area. The game of cat-and-mouse would at times quickly escalate into a shot out, as one team or the other spotted one of the less stealthy members and fired, revealing themselves to other hidden members on the other team.

 

Overall, the boys' team (plus Pol), had an advantage, both in terms of numbers but two of the better shots in the arena. Unless Charlie or Leon were hit in a surprise shot, they were often able to quickly return fire and eliminate whoever got the drop on them, with Aoife better able to avoid Leon, but not Charlie in this regard.

 

The group was about halfway through their allotted time, with the boys' team (plus Pol) taking a sizable lead, when suddenly there was a loud crash, as an armored AEGIS vehicle came smashing through one of the outer walls and part way into the arena, dim daylight shining in through the smashed wall.

[Nerdzul]

Luke had been enjoying the game so far, although he was not a good shot as his team-mates and he had been "killed" plenty of time. In truth, while usually the young dragon was a pretty competitive in regard of this king of things, this time he saw their game more as an occasion fool around with his friends without the pressure of actual training or superhero work (plus it was a chance to for some playful teasing with his girl which was definitely a benefit as well).

 

He was sneaking around (although not exactly proficiently so at the time), seeking for his next target, when he heard the crush.

 

"I don't think that a freakin' tank is allowed by the rules..." He muttered, he briefly called for his 'hoard-sense' to check roughly where Muirne was, now he was aware that his girl could defend herself, quite possibly better than he could, but that didn't mean that he would not worry, especially after the whole Casanova thing. Then he darted toward the source of the noise, light on his feet, but still with an healthy dose of urgency, after all,  himself and most of his friends were super-heroes after all, but it was unlikely that the staff would have the same advantage... 

[RocketLord]

The STORMCROW

 

"Sorry," Charlie whispers, having snuck up behind Bernie and pulling the trigger, scoring another point from just behind her. 

 

It has gone well, so far. Bonding, having fun, hanging out without any big trouble. Of course, that's when the armored AEGIS vehicle crashes through the wall into the building. Charlie stares stares at it for maybe half a second, turns to Bernie. "Everyone, suit up as well as you can. Get to the vehicle. I need to grab my stuff." 

 

He is already moving towards his backpack before he has stopped talking, grabbing it and moving somewhere he can get into his suit.

[Heritage]

Shift

 

For her part, Pol was definitely enjoying herself, even though without using her powers she wasn't particularly stealthy. But if she was being honest with herself, she was starting to feel rather hemmed in without using her powers. After all, she was called Shift for a reason! So after the first ten minutes, she cheated...by becoming Bernadette. The more observant might notice their guns were different, but in the disorientation of the battlefield it was an easy thing to miss. Plus people were used to seeing more than one Bernie; maybe they'd think she was the one cheating!

 

Of course this was all in good fun, but then things took a more serious turn when an armored vehicle came crashing through the wall. Forgetting her appearance in the moment, Pol ran up to her redheaded teammate and addressed her in her own voice.

 

"What do you think is happening?"