Riffsational!(IC)

[Darksider42]

Riff tilted his head as he noted that the buzzing had finally ceased. "Huh, he really knows how to act fast." He said to no one in particular as he made the final adjustments to his guitar. He checked the time on the clock hanging on the wall. "Oh damn! I think we're up now guys." The guitarist announced. The drummer leaped to his feet. "Finally!" he shouted as he rushed out the door. The others followed close after him, even the bass player who seemed just a bit annoyed with the warm weather. It wasn't long after everyone has gotten on stage that Warren himself flew onstage, smoke machines cloaking his approach before he landed before the mic.

"Hello Freedom City!" The Guitar Genius announced to the crowd. He quickly levitated one of the plugs connected to the amps, snatched it out of the air and attached it to his guitar. "You have been waiting for this long enough, now lets get started!" He said just as he let a power cord echo in the air as the rest of the band started playing.

[Ari]

GM

The crowd below gave a tremendous roar of applause and whoops of excitement when Riff and the rest of the band appeared onstage. Gleeful chants of the band's name rising into an almost physical wall of noise as the first cords blared out, and the first song began. Those who knew the words sang along, though they were mostly drowned out by the less coherent shouts, screams and wails from the audience. The crew had done outstanding work, with not a single technical failure springing up to ruin a second of the song.

---------------------

Wait, I'm in the US? Oh God...

the air trembled briefly

W-well I can tell you happened at least. I was showing this British girl with white hair how the thing worked, and she asked.."Can you turn physical things into sound?" And I told her no, and to demonstrate I walked into the..that main entry, where the transformation boundary was on it. Then I felt myself getting pulled into it, and then everything went dark. I could hear everyone around me start yelling and screaming, and for a moment it felt like I was being pulled apart. Then I stopped moving, the sounds stopped, and after a long time something broke and I could hear stuff again

There was a brief silence

So, can you help me? I can't seem to move, feels like there's something around my leg, like a ball and chain.

---------------------

The woman said something crisply in Greek, turning on the heel of her immaculate running shoes and walking off down the blazing sidewalk.

"<I am sorry>" the man said to Blue Jay flatly, his features shifting and skin wobbling as another of him tore away from his body, and followed Taker "<But I have to do as I am told, you know?>" with a sudden movement his arms flowed out inhumanly, followed by the rest of him as he turned into a sphere of water that encased the archer from neck to ankle.

[Raveled]

Blue Jay's eyes widened and she leapt back from her liquid assailant. She'd assumed that someone who looked like a regular person would be a regular person, not some creature of mist and water. She made a mental note that in the future, she would have to be more careful about assumptions like that! In the meantime, she considered her options. She could try sticking an arrow in it, but she didn't much fancy digging her shafts out of the watery mass after the fight. Besides, it was a bit close for a shot, so instead she decided to put her hand-to-hand training to use. She stepped to the side and spun on one foot, lashing out and striking it twice with her heel; once where the man's knee had been, and again midway up what had been his humerus.

[Ari]

GM

Her enemy gave a horrific shriek of pain and surprise, and Blue Jay saw that the man's leg was torn completely open! But instead of what normally was concealed by skin, a flood of red-tinted water came rushing out, the 'man' revealed to be mere water in a bag to give it shape. In moments the body had completely disintegrated into a puddle of reddish water that after sliding uncertainly about the sidewalk for a little while, its edges lapping at the ground like it was searching for something before it gathered itself, coiled, and shot up four feet into the air to return to the grave-looking Paris who had stopped to observe the conflict. It coiled around his arm, appearing to seep into his body by osmosis. "You are better than I thought" he confessed aloud, his voice carrying clearly to Blue Jay, ignoring the ring of Freedonians who were gathering around to watch with guarded calls of encouragement for the girl with the bow.

--------------------------------

Meanwhile, Synth had been called away to see her boss after a short conversation with strange blond man, sending another to man the stand in her absence.

[Raveled]

Blue Jay felt the watery mass dissolve under her blows and retreat. Thank you, Erik, she thought to herself as the liquid returned to the older man. "Trust me," she said, "I'm the best you've ever seen." She took off at a sprint to a nearby streetlamp, hand reaching behind her shoulder to the quiver. She grabbed an arrow and quickly dialed the head to the bodkin setting. She reached the post and raced up it a few steps; then took a jump up to the crossbar that that supporting flags promoting the concerts and loosed a volley of shafts at Paris.

[Cubist]

"Wait, I'm in the US? Oh God…"

"Yep. But it's okay, we're mostly civilized here in the Colonies!" Jubatus replied, hoping that the levity would improve the woman's mood.

The air trembled briefly. "W-well I can tell you happened at least. I was showing this British girl with white hair…"

Hm. No idea who White-Hair might be.

"…to demonstrate I walked into the..that main entry, where the transformation boundary was on it. Then I felt myself getting pulled into it…'

Jubatus winced. Of course. Of-friggin'-course. I hate being right all the time.

"… like I was being pulled apart. Then I stopped moving, the sounds stopped, and after a long time something broke and I could hear stuff again."

What do you want to bet that the 'something broke' event happened just when you were smashing those pellets, Jube? By this time, Jubatus had updated his likelihood estimates on possible explanations for the story Constance was feeding him, and she's telling the truth had pulled ahead of she's bait for an as-yet-unknown scam.

So, can you help me? I can't seem to move, feels like there's something around my leg, like a ball and chain.

That was exactly and precisely the question: Could he—did he actually have the power to—help Constance? "I… I'm not sure what I can do for you," Jubatus acknowledged. "I've dealt with some pretty weird situations, but your situation is a new one on me."

He upshifted, making precious extra seconds to think over what he was going to say next so that (Carnegie willing) the transformed woman might not freak out entirely. "I think your body has been completely transformed, Constance. I think you're a living, sentient standing wave of acoustic energy. Which is seriously bizarre, granted, but transformed or not, you're still you! And speaking from relevant personal experience, I can assure you that even if you're not biologically human, you're still human in every way that actually matters worth a damn. Okay?

"Now, you started talking to me after I smashed a bunch of gadgets that were emitting hypersonic frequencies. I left one intact, just in case it might be needed later, but the fact that you didn't communicate while the complete set was intact suggests that said gadgets were keeping you contained. And if that's correct, the last gadget is probably the, quote, ball and chain, end quote, you're feeling now. There are… other possibilities, some of which are pretty nasty. But that one's my best guess. And if I'm right about that last gadget, smashing it should free you. If I'm wrong… well, if I'm wrong, there's a chance that smashing the gizmo could kill you, or worse. I don't know how to even begin to work out the odds here, but like I said, there's a chance. It's possible that smashing the gizmo could mess you up, big time.

"So it's up to you, Constance. Your choice, not mine and not anybody else's. Tell me you want that final gadget smashed, and I'll do it. Tell me you don't want that, and I'll make sure the gadget's protected. Whichever you choose, I'll back you up on it. Okay?"

Whatever happened, Jubatus knew he'd be playing with the woman's life. It was only fair, and ethically sound, that she be given the opportunity to grant or withhold her informed consent…

[Ari]

GM

Her attack took Pawn completely off-guard, as he apparently had been assuming that she would stand still and shoot at him from where she stood, and not go bouncing off of the streetlamp and fire from an entirely different angle. The arrows slashed across his body, cutting him well but not deeply. Muttering under his breath, he stumbled backwards, glaring at the archer. The reddish water flowed into him through the wounds, visibly rippling his skin as it disseminated through his body. Seizing his chance when her bow didn't have any nocked arrows, he lashed out with one of his arms that distended horribly as it sailed through the air, whipping over her head and slamming into the ground. "I was too slow" was all Pawn said "But you are not the best I have ever seen."

---

There was a lengthy pause as Constance absorbed this information, at last saying firmly

Leave it for now. I think it's keeping me from dissipating, and if not then we can smash it. Thank you. What do we do now? You Americans have a lot of super-scientists, do you think they can help?

[Raveled]

Blue Jay in a three-point stance and was almost immediately back on the move, drawing more arrows from her quiver and turning these to a blunt setting. If she could push some of the liquid mass out of her opponent, maybe it would slow him down? "I'm surprised you're still standing," she said. "You have a talent for annoying people. I'd've smacked you down before, if I knew about you."

The archer loosed on the move, finally hunkering down behind a parked car. At the very least she might draw him in closer...

[Ari]

GM

The arrow whizzed through the air towards Blue Jay's distended opponent, the man twisting his head out of the projectile's path at barely the last minute and glancing back as it thudded and bounced across the sidewalk into the startled and retreating crowd. Looking back just in time to see the young archer dash behind a car Pawn said "A poor choice of cover, not least because I can easily remove it." So saying he dragged the arm laying on the ground back into a more or less human shape, eying a neatly-parked van sitting just behind the car Tona crouched beside. Lashing one arm around its front and the other around the back, he lifted the entire thing into the air with ease, hefted it, drew it back over his head and with a burst of violence flung it savagely into the auto shielding Blue Jay!

With a mighty crash, the two vehicles collided, only for the van to prove unable to so much as budge the car, which by some miracle wasn't even scratched by the heavy impact. Pawn blinked "Good car." he said with no little admiration.

[Raveled]

"Never much liked cars," Blue Jay admitted as she stretched back to her quiver. Her nimble fingers flitted over shafts with squared-off ends and found one with a concave end; she pulled it out, double-checked the green fletching, and rose to a crouch. "But I like this one." She quickly ran from the fender of the first car, to its roof, to the roof of the van Pawn had just tried to throw at her! She leapt off it and loosed the arrow in mid-flight, landing in a tuck-and-roll and looking up to see the impact... against a tree just to the right of her target. She swore in French as her eyes darted around for more cover. This was taking longer than she had anticipated!

[Cubist]

"Leave it for now. I think it's keeping me from dissipating, and if not then we can smash it. Thank you. What do we do now? You Americans have a lot of super-scientists, do you think they can help?"

Jubatus nodded and breathed an internal sigh of relief. Either she's not freaking out at all, or else she's putting a lid on it for the duration. Either way, good. "'Can', obviously. 'Will' is another matter. That said, there's one guy in the near vicinity, Warren Wilder, ay-kay-ay the superhero Riff. Sound-based powers, pretty damned knowledgeable about sonics in general, it's a real good bet that he'll be willing to help you. Right now… hold on a second or three…" Upshift, run back to the festival area, confirm Wilder's location, cursory examination of amps and cables (no evidence of further tampering by Manderley or whoever, thank the Hidden Variables), run back to Constance, downshift. Elapsed time less than 10 clock-seconds. "Back. Okay. There's this 'Battle of the Bands' music festival going on, and Wilder's on stage right now, performing with his band, Octopus Dropkick. You want I should try to get him out here right now?"

[Darksider42]

And with that, the final notes to Riff's song rang out through the air as the song was finished off, dissolving into the roaring crowd of fans and others who came to see him perform. "Thank you! Next up we-" Warren cut himself off for a moment. Even with the combined noise the audience and his band, Riff could make out the sound of metal smashing, glass, and arrows flying through the air. Riff turned to the band. "Switch to the instrumental guys. You know the drill." He said as he pulled out the cord connecting his guitar to the Amplifiers. "Ok, next up, me and a few others take care of some gatecrashers that have just shown up." He suddenly announced to everyone as he slowly started to rise from the stage. "We are not gonna stop playing because of this though! Ear open and enjoy!" He said, voice amplified by his powers as he took off, moments before the band started with the sounds of riff performing still ringing in the air.

In a flash, the Guitar Genius was hovering not far above the fight. His fingers were still strumming cords as he surveyed the area, brain working fast on working out who was who. OK, girl looks tough, but I'm pretty sure she wouldn't need weapons if she could hurl cars...Which naturally means. That he came to a conclusion and summoned forth a blast of sonic force at the man, striking him in the head.

[Ari]

GM

The crowd cheered lustily as Riff soared off to deal with the brawl going on just past the gates, settling down only a few decibels to enjoy the rest of the band's instrumental.

At his arrival there was momentary uncertainty among the small circle of Freedonians watching the fight from a respectful distance which side he was on, but when the hammer of sound coming from Riff slammed into Pawn they applauded eagerly, stepping back further to give more space.

Shaking like jelly at the attack, the blond man looked reproachfully up at Warren "Do you mind? I'm busy fighting her." he pointed to where he had seen Blue Jay retreat "Wait your turn, boy!" he added, his elongated arms whipping around like they had minds of their own, soaring at the Guitar Genius with outstretched and grotesquely-warped hands curling to grab him out of the air...and colliding solidly with a roiling wave of sound bursting from Riff that tore the watery limbs apart, sending them splashing to the ground!

"Well...hm." Pawn said mildly, staring at his arms as they slowly began reattaching to him with fluid motion "This is unexpected too."

---

That's a great idea Jay! But by all means, I can wait until the show is over. I can listen to the music until he's done. Let's go find him.

rang out the voice, sounding deeply relieved.

[Raveled]

Blue Jay was silently grateful for the appearance of the flying man with the guitar. She made a break for Pawn's other side, quickly drawing and releasing several arrows at him. She made sure to circle around to the side opposite the new opponent, so that the villain's attention would be divided. "Face it, Wet-Dry," she called out. "This is the point where you lay down and give up!"

[Ari]

GM

The arrows tore into Pawn, splashing out of him in gouts of water and leaving a significant portion of his body flailing on the ground, slowly flowing back into the now-battered form of the watery duplicator as he slowly knit himself back together. He collapsed partly to the ground, obviously in no condition to fight for much longer...

[Darksider42]

Riff smirked as the quickly erected wave of Sound Vibrations disrupted his attackers arms and reduced them to puddles. He watched as the bow woman tore into him with a barrage of arrows. "Well man, if you wanted to fight someone you picked a reeaaallly bad place for it." The Guitar Genius said as he began to rise even higher the air, beyond the water mans reach. He started strumming his guitar again as sound gathered around him. "Speaking of which, time to end it!" Riff said before another cascade of raw sonic force was sent smashing into Pawn once again.

[Ari]

GM

Pawn didn't have time to utter a sound before he exploded as the otherwise invisible wave struck him, falling apart into an inchoate puddle of water, with his clothes floating atop it. There was a stunned silence, then riotous applause as the crowd surged forward to congratulate the two crime fighters on their victory, several dozen arms and hands reaching out to thank them, calling up to ask Riff to come down...

With a snap of light and noise, a burly man wearing a towering stovepipe top hat and evening dress that hadn't been fashionable in years appeared between them. He glanced over his mustache at Blue Jay, muttered something displeased about "Young'uns these days", took off his hat and tossed it into the puddle of water flowing towards the storm drain. Before all of their eyes the water stopped moving, then flung itself by the gallon into the hat, the clothes along with it!

When the last drop was gone the man turned, took the hat from where it had been lying, bowed to the heroes and snapped his fingers, vanishing from sight with another crack.

[Raveled]

Blue Jay blinked in surprise when Pawn simply exploded, shying away from the grasping hands of the grateful civilians. She moved forward to collect her arrows and almost didn't notice when a man dressed in her father's formal suit appeared, complete with the hat. She crouched down and prepared to draw when he released the hat, and watching it suck up the remains of Pawn. She blinked as both hat and man disappeared, stamping her foot irritably. "Now that's just cheating," she muttered as she stalked forward, reclaiming the arrows. She examined the burst reservoir on the acid arrow and made a face, sticking back in her quiver regardless.

Rearmed, she gave the hovering Riff a long, appraising look. "I was handling him just fine," she called up to him.

[Darksider42]

"Huh...Must have put a bit more power into that attack than I estimated." Riff said as Pawn changed from a man into a human water balloon. He was caught a little off guard as a man came and absorbed water boy into his hat and vanish. OK, what the hell is Snidely Whiplash doing at a concert? He wandered for a moment before he vanished. Sometimes the Guitar Genius hated how teleporters operated. Especially when they appeared to not be on the side of angels.

With that apparently done, Warren lowered himself back to the ground. He gave Blue Jay a nod. "I'm sure you were. But who doesn't love it when backup arrives?" He said with a smile.

[Raveled]

Blue Jay shrugged, her gaze sliding off the hovering man and taking in the surroundings. "Wet-Dry was talking to a woman at the concert," she told Riff. "They came out of the park and walked this way. When I confronted them the woman slipped away, but I expect that I could still find her..." She squeezed the grip of her bow and shook it, and the carefully weighted arms folded in on themselves quickly. She reached around and hooked the collapsed weapon on her quiver, then began looking around where Pawn had been standing. She spiraled out, eyes and head swiveling as she looked for signs of the woman Paris had been talking to.

[Ari]

GM

Sliding away from the grateful Freedonians, Blue Jay saw a hole torn in a nearby hedge. and the trail of light shoe-sole prints led on a twisting way under the trees that ringed the Riverside Park. It led on for several minutes of tracking, ending abruptly on a small clearing with a faint smell of smoke trailing from the exact center. All around the clearing were scorched patches of soil, leading from and then towards the sluggish South River. There were no other signs.

Meanwhile, the crowd turned their attention fully to Riff, calling up to him, asking him to descend for autographs, handshakes and other thanks.

[Raveled]

Blue Jay ducked under the hedge and followed the tracks, deeper into the Park. She felt more at home underneath the trees but she never stopped watching, never stopped looking for danger. When she found the smoking clearing she stopped and squatted down for a moment, studying the scene. The man, Paris, had used some water abilities; maybe the woman had fire powers? Maybe she had used a strong blast of fire to propel herself into the air? But there were no singed leaves or branches that high, so that was unlikely.

The tracks led away from and then back to the River, so after a minute of contemplation Blue Jay headed down there. She paced up and down the length of the lazy waterway, looking for any more tracks or evidence that someone had passed this way.

[Ari]

GM

As she passed by the still-noisy yet distant pavilions and stages that held the Battle of the Bands, the tracks became increasingly blurred together, until they became a narrow charred streak in the grass leading towards the river. It led through the grassy peninsula, ending sharply at the riverbank, with only a small burned patch in the shape of a rounded boot toe slightly submerged. No other signs of passage were to be found anywhere on the shore, not so much as a rock disturbed.

[Darksider42]

Riff nodded, trying his best to juggle the incoming rush fans and other bystandards while trying to keep up with what Jay is saying. Well, if you can find that mystery woman, you could-oh." He didn't have time to finish when he noticed she was no longer there. Ah dammit. Riff shook his head as he tried to sort though the crowd. He thought he spotted someone that looked familiar, but they were gone before he could get a good look. It didn't matter when he tilted his head and listened in on the band.

"Sorry folks, I need to get back onstage." Warren said as he began to rise in the air and shot back towards the stage just as the song ended. "Sorry about that. I'll start making it up to you guys right now." He told the audience just as he hooked his guitar back into the amplifiers.

[Ari]

GM

The roar of applause that had begun to die down as the band had completed their placeholder song had only just begun to die down when Riff flew back to the stage, which raised several enthusiastic cheers from the audience, congratulations on his victory, and a few anxious shouts asking if it had been the Green Man or the Maestro again, the attack in 2010 still fresh in many concert-goers minds.

Some of the people that had seen the fight between Blue Jay, Pawn and Riff had followed the sonic-wielder back to his stage, happy to tell the story of the quick defeat of the watery man and the mysterious archer who had vanished into the forest, some of the more experienced fight-seers speculating that she lived on the peninsula, or had her base there.

As the electronic boom of the connection to instrument and amp resounded over the swelling crowd, an almost palpable sense of anticipation began to hang in the air as the jostling, sweating people stood in the partial shade of tents and hats, watching the stage. Some of the rowdier teens close to the front were eagerly chanting the bands' name, waiting for the next amplified chord that would begin the final song.