<~Teller|GM> Teller The balcony on the backside of the PRT HQ is large enough to almost be a deck. The slowly flowing river lies two stories below, a wide expanse of water that winds to the ocean on one side and into the forest on the other. All in all, it's a very scenic location. It feels like a lifetime ago that he planned to drown his parents here.
17:20 "-and the substance was designed to cause pain more than anything else. The doctor told me that scarring shouldn't be too bad," Pioneer says. She sounds a lot better than she did the last time Cowl was with her, but then it is hard not to sound better than ragged screaming. "Thanks for asking."
17:20 Wicht just nods. He sits across the circular table from Pioneer; the latter is one chair to Cowl's right, while Wicht is to his left. He seems grouchy and more subdued than usual. Cowl is pretty sure he only agreed to come in order to check up on Pioneer.
17:20 Playpen sits in the fourth seat at the table directly across from him. At least, Pioneer says it is Playpen - she looks like a completely different person. She seems about fifteen or sixteen, with long black hair and intensely blue eyes. Her costume is red jumpsuit with a pattern of crisscrossing white lines. The lines follow the sides of her costume, for the most part, but veer off at sharp right angles at certain points to form small
17:20 diamond patterns on her hips and shoulders, and one large one on her chest. She kicks her feet rhythmically against the underside of her chair and pulls at the fabric of the costume every few minutes. ||
17:23 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "O-Okay." Cowl nods. Looking absent-minded towards the river. Once, he thought he could drown all his sorrows in it. Funny.
17:24 He never planned to drown himself with his parents, but the thought sneaks inside his mind when he's feeling particularly low.
17:24 "And Muh-melange?"
17:24 It was a nice spot.
17:25 It was a shame that Wicht looked quite so morose. And Playpen quite so... not wanting to be there.
17:27 Pioneer had a helmet that completely obscured her face, so it was really hard to tell what was up with her. At least she wasn't screaming anymore. And she seemed to be awfully willing to continue with the whole cape business.
17:27 Cowl almost wanted her to resent him.
17:27 Some castigation felt due.||
17:36 <~Teller|GM> Teller "We haven't heard from her," Pioneer says, then adds, "Yet."
17:36 "But it's a secret," Playpen chimes up. She puts a finger to her lips. "Shh."
17:36 "What Playpen means," Pioneer says, "is that the PRT wants us to keep that quiet for now. So would you mind not spreading it around?"
17:36 "That's what I /said/, babes," Playpen says.
17:36 "...stop calling everyone 'baby' and 'babes'." ||
17:36 ↔ Stoic popped in
17:41 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Oh, I duh-don't really do much t-talking." Cowl says shrugging. Not yet? So she was fine? Cowl is able to let go of a breath he had been holding for far too long.
17:41 He looks at Playpen with interest. Was she imitating someone?
17:41 "Cuh-can you c-change your eyes to, uh, y-yellow? Or black?"||
17:48 <~Teller|GM> Teller "Yeah, I won't say anything," Wicht agrees.
17:48 Playpen stops kicking her chair for a minute. "Hmmmmm...maybe." She looks at Pioneer. "Do people have yellow eyes? Or just dogs and cats?"
17:48 "Yes," Pioneer says. "I think it's really rare, though, and it's not as yellow as you're probably imagining."
17:48 "Then yes," Playpen says. She takes a long sip of her dink. "Wanna see?" ||
17:50 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Sure." Cowl shrugs. What even -was- her power? Powers?
17:51 For a moment, Cowl makes an inventory of his body. Including the parts of his body that are not strictly there. The pulsating sensation beneath the skin. That thread of thought, now dormant, which connected him to something at the edge of his thoughts.
17:51 Not quite his power?
17:52 But undeniably related.
17:52 If Playpen could change her eyes, could change her appearance like such. What secrets had he, himself, yet to reveal from his own power? He had spent so much time trying to... pretend it was something else.
17:52 But did he even understand it?
17:54 It was control, yes. But... bah!
17:55 To become the very thing he hated the most. Quite unlike his parents, quite like so.
17:55 ||
18:00 <~Teller|GM> Teller "Be right back!" Playpen announces. All at once, the lighting in the area shifts to a stark violet hue and Playpen slides backwards, vanishing through a slit in space. Wicht squints until the area returns to normal.
18:00 "So weird," he mutters. ||
18:01 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "I luh-like it. Don't ruh-really have to be yourself all the t-time. Suh-sounds nice." Cowl answers.
18:01 "Isn't t-that why we wuh-wear this?" He says, pulling at his Cowl.||
18:04 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Social roll, please, Teruzi|Caul.))
18:04 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 1d6-1 Social
18:04 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Social" [5] -1 = 4
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18:12 <~Teller|GM> Teller "I thought it was so crazy people didn't show up to your house and murder your family," Wicht says, shrugging. He then seems to consider who he's talking to, and Cowl watches him ever so slightly cringe before pushing forward. "Anyway...I appreciate the food and drinks, but I keep waiting for the part where you and Playpen try to sell us on the Wards."
18:12 "Sorry if that's rude. It just comes up every time I talk to one of you guys, so it feels like it's been hanging over my head this whole afternoon and I'd rather just get it over with."
18:12 "I wasn't actually going to bring it up," Pioneer says. "But now that you mention it, I was wondering what you're both planning to do now."
18:12 Now that Zenith was coming apart at the seams, she doesn't say. ||
18:13 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Oh, y-you know. Guh-get in trouble out of my cuh-costume." Cowl says dryly.
18:14 "So suh-someone goes to m-my parents puh-place and cuh-kills them." He finishes, staring at Wicht.||
18:17 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Another social roll please, Teruzi|Caul.))
18:17 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 1d6-1 Social
18:17 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Social" [6] -1 = 5
18:19 <~Teller|GM> Teller Wicht stares back at him. Then, just as dryly, he says, "Yeah, because you were too much of a punk to manage it yourself."
18:19 He's trying to make light of it, but Cowl can tell the subject makes him a little uncomfortable. ||
18:23 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Honestly, I t-think he s-should be the one in tuh-trouble with the law." Cowl says, clicking his tongue.
18:24 "W-what option do I even have?" he adds, turning towards Pioneer.
18:24 ||
18:36 <~Teller|GM> Teller "Well, legally, you're not in any trouble," Pioneer says. "Most capes in your situation get a plea deal or something like that, but the director pushed for the DA to not even try your case."
18:36 "What?" Wicht says. He looks at Pioneer, then Cowl. "Why?"
18:36 "I'm not sure," Pioneer says. "I think it had something to do with him joining the Keepers or Zenith instead of the PRT. But he never got prosecuted for it, and Plower didn't press any charges-" Wicht frowns at the mention of this "-so you're as free as anyone else."
18:36 Pioneer pauses. "Except you're at the group home for a few more months, right? Since they're responsible for you...I don't know if they'd let you go out patrolling or anything, if it wasn't with the Wards." ||
18:39 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "L-last time I puh-patrolled I got a broken ruh-rib." Cowl says, annoyed. Stupid Plower. Cowl had absolutely subdued Titz.
18:40 "S-so I guess it's fuh-final now? Zenith is d-done for?"||
18:40 → inkaway joined  ⇐ pinkmobile quit  •  Side|GM → Sidezero
18:50 <~Teller|GM> Teller Wicht scowls. "Basically. 'cuz Plower can't be fucked to lift a finger for anyone who's not Crest...and he did /such/ a good job with her, too."
18:50 The lighting in the area shifts again, and Playpen slowly slides back into existence. Over the course of a few moments the purple hue drains away and the world returns to normal - except for Playpen's eyes, which remain purple and decidedly not yellow. The color of her costume has shifted from red to yellow, however. She leans over the table towards Cowl and Wicht, opening her eyes wide to make sure they can see. "Look!" ||
18:51 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Oh, N-nice." Cowl says, somewhat amused. It did look very cool.
18:53 "B-better than before." He nods, sagely.||
18:54 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Social roll, please.))
18:55 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 1d6-1 Purgatory
18:55 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Purgatory" [5] -1 = 4
18:58 <~Teller|GM> Teller "Better?" Playpen makes a face. It seems like his compliment has only annoyed her. "What was wrong with it before?" ||
19:00 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "It w-was only puh-pretty before. N-now it's, uh, entrancing." Cowl says. He could have used a shorter word.
19:00 ||
19:07 <~Teller|GM> Teller "I liked the blue," Wicht comments. Playpen smiles at him before sitting back in her seat.
19:07 "Don't encourage her," Pioneer says. She then turn her helemt to look between Cowl and Wicht. "I know you both were really against join the Wards, and-"
19:07 "And I still am," Wicht interrupts. "Sorry."
19:07 "You don't have to apologize," Pioneer says. "I'm not trying to sell you on the program - you brought it up in the first place. I just wanted you to know it was still an option, if you wanted in."||
19:13 ((*joining))
19:13 ((*turns *helmet))
19:18 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Well, I luh-like purple more."
19:19 "We m-match." He says, while thinking what else to say. He lets out a sight. "My power duh-doesn't really l-lends itself for Wuh-ward work."
19:20 "And I f-feel like I'm nuh-not Ward material. I'm n-not a boy scout like him." Cowl grumbles, nodding towards Wicht.
19:21 "A-and the b-bad guys cuh-keep winning."
19:21 It was tiring.
19:22 But then again, what had worked before in his life? Maybe a life of heroics was in the cards after all. A truly Sisyphean endeavor.||
19:33 <~Teller|GM> Teller "Rosa says that purple is overdone so I'm not allowed to use it," Playpen says sadly. "But my power is already purple and I can't change that. Only me and Ravel should get to be purple, and Parrot and your teammates should have to pick new colors."
19:33 "Our teammates?" Wicht asks.
19:33 "The ones who were here when Ember was here and they left with your other teammate," Playpen explains unhelpfully. "The twins! With the dust."
19:33 "Ohh, them," Wicht says. "I don't know if they're really part of Zenith. I never even met them, officially."
19:33 Pioneer, however, remains undistracted by Playep and Wicht. She remains focused on Cowl. "Ward work? Or hero work? They're pretty much the same thing unless you follow Hoagie's philosophy." ||
19:38 ((*Playpen and Wicht))
19:38 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres The... twins? Wait, what? There were more zenith heroes? What? What!?
19:39 Cowl gives Wicht a glance. It promises retribution. And gossip. Mostly gossip. But that's for later.
19:39 "Seachange is free." He mumbles bitterly.
19:40 He had been part of that. And it had felt good! It really had felt like something that -mattered-.
19:40 Something that could make him worth a damn.
19:40 Was it always going to be that way?
19:40 His parents were free too.
19:42 Cowl turns towards the river. Marbas walked away, after killing a good woman. Maybe killing a good woman.
19:46 Alex himself was almost a murderer. And he was glad he wasn't going to jail but-
19:47 Wasn't that wrong? Wasn't that as stupid as anything he had ever done? Why was justice so inefficient?||
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19:56 <~Teller|GM> Teller Wicht returns Cowl's glance and shrugs. "Yeah. I should've broken his leg when I had the chance."
19:56 "So what?" Playpen says brazenly. "There's no point in crying about it like a baby. We'll just beat him up and arrest him again."
19:56 "It's not that simple," Wicht says. "Did you hear about the new capes who are with the Brotherhood?"
19:56 "You're right, it's not that simple," Pioneer says slowly. "But it also kind of is? There's no point in getting upset about something we can't change. We'll just do our best, because what alternative is there?"
19:56 "Maybe Hoagie /does/ have the right idea," Wicht mutters darkly. ||
20:02 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Now t-there's an idea." Cowl says, amused. "I've b-been t-trying to turn him to the d-dark side for so long. All I had to d-do was to luh-let the heroes talk."
20:02 He lets out a sigh.
20:02 He waves his hand dismissively, after a moment.
20:03 "Y-you're both s-strong. I'm j-just gonna get muh-myself killed." He says. "Hoagie is s-strong. That's about t-the only thing t-that seems to muh-matter."
20:03 "I cuh-can always retire." He shrugs. "N-not like I guh-got fans."||
20:14 <~Teller|GM> Teller Playpen sighs. "You're all so /mopey/." She turns to Pioneer. "You said this would be fun."
20:14 "I guess I'm a liar," Pioneer says patiently. "Sorry. You can go inside if you want."
20:14 Playpen sighs again heavily and reaches a hand across the table to pat Cowl's arm. "There, there, baby. It'll be okay. Cheer up." ||
20:20 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Cowl gives Playpen a toothy smile.
20:21 "W-what do you d-do for fun anyhow? Cuh-catch bad guys?"
20:22 "G-get drunk?"||
20:32 <~Teller|GM> Teller Playpen perks up. "I can make wine with my power! Also /chocolate/. I could also make you a better costume...but I already made a /million/ costumes today so I don't feel like it right now."
20:32 Pioneer shakes her head a little. "No wine. Ian would have a fit."
20:32 "Like he can stop me," Playpen mutters. Then louder, she says, "We also have a giant TV in the break room. Plus every video game...but I'd just beat you and you'd be even sadder." ||
20:43 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Oh, I've nuh-never actually luh-lost a single match" Cowl says, casually. This wasn't strictly a lie.
20:43 Of course, Coy would disagree.
20:45 "You nuh-know, there are s-some chocolates with l-liquor inside." Cowl says, smiling. "My mother w-was a fan of t-them."
20:45 LRD → LRD-sleep
20:47 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Cowl looks at Pioneer. It's not like she's wrong. Moping never helped.
20:49 Maybe doing something would help. Something, ah, heroic.
20:50 Or perhaps not too heroic.
20:50 ⇐ inkaway quit (uid324427@brockwell.irccloud.com) Quit: Connection closed for inactivity
20:50 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres What could Cowl do?
20:51 Or rather, what could his power do? It had changed, almost imperceptibly.
20:53 Cowl looks at Wicht, before kicking him under the table.
20:54 "You're j-just p-playing hard to guh-get"
20:55 ||
20:56 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Who is that last line directed at?))
20:57 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ((Wicht!))
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21:09 <~Teller|GM> Teller Wicht kicks him back, sharply. "I'm actually pretty easy, when I'm interested. Just ask Cassette."
21:09 He stands up and rubs the top of his head. "That, uh, reminds me. I'm going to go see if Purple Parrot knows when we'll be able to go visit her yet."
21:09 "Don't get too wasted on liquor chocolates while I'm gone...and I call next after Playpen beats Cowl in whatever game you guys pick." ||
21:09 ((Final post for this section.))
21:11 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Hmph." No faith at all!
21:12 "N-no need to cuh-call them uninteresting." Cowl mutters, rubbing his calf.
21:14 He looks at Playpen and Pioneer. He lets out another sigh.
21:14 "I g-guess I'll t-think about it, again."
21:15 There are things unsaid. He wants to say sorry, but what good would that do? Maybe he could be a ward. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. It's not like he was a fan of his power, right?
21:15 But that wasn't entirely true.
21:16 And he was no hero. He was never going to be one.
21:16 His parents, Seachange and Marbas. How many more would he see getting away?
21:17 What alternative did he have? To risk life and limb in a pointless crusade? To foolishly throw himself in harm's way for his own satisfaction?
21:17 Yes, actually.
21:17 He could do just that.
21:18 And perhaps he ought to.||
21:19 <~Teller|GM> Teller |||
21:19 ...
21:31 ⇐ iridium248 quit  ↔ Dolyn nipped out
22:00 <~Teller|GM> Teller The sun is little more than an orange speck now. The heat of the day is fading along with the light, a welcome boon inside of his stifling costume.
22:00 He's been in this part of the city before. His first outing, a lifetime ago. Coy had left him with gnarly scars and Hoagie had nearly killed him with a shipping container. He's farther from the docks this time, waiting in the narrow alleyway between two warehouses. There are some needles on the ground nearby and what looks like an old pair of underwear. It's a very sketchy place. Nobody in their right mind would be here after dark.
22:00 And yet, here he is.
22:00 And here /she/ is. Selma, the Rabble girl with the giant eyes who'd given him her number. The girl he'd called here to...the thing on the edge of his mind is pleased. A small, unbidden thrill of excitement runs thorugh him.
22:00 Selma looks excited too. She waves to him as she approaches. There's nobody here with her, as far as Cowl can tell. She barely even questioned it when he said he wanted to meet.
22:00 Then again, that's hardly surprising. Nobody ever accused the Rabble of being intelligent and discerning people.
22:00 "Cowl!" Selma calls out, way too loud. She covers her mouth and then drops her voice to barely above a whisper. "Sorry! Hi."
22:00 As she gets closer, he notes that she's still wearing the metal gauntlet and the boot that she had on at Alex's house. The latter makes a soft clunking noise with each lopsided step. ||
22:02 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Hey" Cowl answers back, altering his voice slightly. To feel like less of himself. What a sweet naive girl.
22:02 Why catch this weakling, when there could be better prey just around the corner? That's what he tries to reason.
22:02 "Hey Selma. How a-are you duh-doing?"
22:02 ||
22:09 <~Teller|GM> Teller "I'm fantastic!" she says. She slings a pack off of her back and begins to unzip it, making a point to show off the dexterity of her gauntlet in the process. She seems quite pleased with it. "Alex said I could keep this stuff until I was better! I'm practically all healed, though. Just a day or two more."
22:09 She pulls a container out of her backpack. "You called me /just/ after we got done with dinner. I don't know if you ate already, but there's some blueberry pie here. If you want it."
22:09 She holds it out to him cautiously. "I made it myself." ||
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22:12 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Oh. That's w-way too n-nice of you. T-thanks." Cowl says, receiving the pie from the overly enthusiastic girl. Where did Ravel find these people?
22:13 "Y-you still talk w-with the rest of t-the ruh-rabble?" He asks, casually, while inspecting the pie. Score!||
22:18 <~Teller|GM> Teller Selma makes a small noise. "We're not a rabble! We're Ravelers! Or Ravelation, which is the name I liked but nobody uses..."
22:18 Then she brightens up. "And of course! Why wouldn't I talk to them?"
22:18 It seems like decent enough slice of pie. Flaky crusty, moist without being mushy, probably not poisoned. ||
22:22 ((*crust))
22:26 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres If it was poisoned, that would be a hilarious end. His parents would hate it. Cowl bites into it, pleased.
22:26 "Oh, good." He says, before actually tasting it.
22:26 "J-just wuh-wondering why the, uh, Ravelation has b-been s-so active lately."
22:26 Was this immoral?
22:26 Maybe.
22:27 This pie was laced with immorality.||
22:31 <~Teller|GM> Teller Selma leans forward, getting way too close with her way too wide eyes. "It's 'cause people are angry, Cowl. Angry at villains like Dark Reprise and Allele, and angry at the PRT for not doing nothing about 'em. Just like you were sayin' on the phone."
22:31 "We had a /bunch/ of local people join up lately. They wanna do something about all the stuff happening in their city." ||
22:33 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Angry. And tired." Cowl says, slowly. "I c-can understand t-that."
22:34 "Wuh-wait, how m-many people are w-we talking?"
22:34 There was no way anything that convenient could ever happen, right?
22:34 Surely he couldn't rile random and very foolish people into his cause?
22:34 ||
22:39 <~Teller|GM> Teller "I don't know, we don't keep a count," Selma says. She adjust her backpack and sits, resting most of her weight on top of it. "But I see /tons/ of new faces all the time."
22:39 "Are you..." She hesitates, like this is too good to be true. "...looking to join up with us? You'd be the second cape to ever join us! Ravel's the first, o' course." ||
22:40 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Cowl shrugs, amused.
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22:40 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "M-Maybe I'm just t-tired too, hm?" He's slowly thinking about it. They want to help, don't they? Not that he needs justification.
22:41 He had already made up his mind when he took the first bite of that sinful pie.
22:41 "Duh-don't you guys m-meet up anywhere? Suh-some order is important t-to change things."||
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22:46 <~Teller|GM> Teller "Sometimes we have big rallies, but mostly we just post to the different boards or mail lists and see who all wants to do things," Selma explains. Cowl can feel his hands starting to "sweat", a thin layer of goop forming on the palms. ||
22:50 ⇐ LRD-sleep quit (uid178344@brockwell.irccloud.com) Quit: Connection closed for inactivity
22:56 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ...
22:57 "T-that sounds guh-great, actually." Cowl nods, understanding. It could be this easy. Or hard. It really depends on how much they struggle.
22:57 "S-say, do y-you want to do suh-something tonight? Actually muh-make a difference? Because I c-can help. I'm t-tired. I wuh-want to do good." Cowl says, giving her half the truth.
22:58 The nicer side of it.
22:58 ||
22:59 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Social roll, please, Teruzi|Caul.))
23:00 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres (May deception apply?))
23:00 ((Er, subterfuge))
23:01 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Sure. Give me Subterfuge.))
23:03 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 2h6-1 Subterfuge
23:03 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Subterfuge" (1) [6] -1 = 5
23:04 iridium248 → iridium248
23:06 <~Teller|GM> Teller It's too easy. Selma inhales sharply, then bobbles her head quickly. "Yes. Yes! Of course."
23:06 "What are we doing?" ||
23:08 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "L-lets set things ruh-right. D-did you hear about Ruh-Red eye? Robbed a buh-bank. G-got away clean." Cowl says, doing his level best to sell the idea.
23:08 "PRT is n-not r-really cutting it. It's nuh-not enough."
23:09 "M-maybe it's time suh-someone showed t-them t-that we duh-don't need l-laws to enact juh-justice."
23:09 Huh.
23:09 That... actually doesn't sound like bullshit.
23:09 It's like something just coalesced in his brain, in this dingy alley. Justice was not defined by laws. Or by the PRT.
23:10 That feels right.
23:10 ||
23:12 → JustLurking joined  •  iridium248 → iri|Oberon, soulpelt| → soulpelt|sleep
23:15 <~Teller|GM> Teller Her fingers dig into the canvas of the backpack. "Exactly!"
23:15 She jumps to her feet. "Right is right and wrong is wrong, no matter who says otherwise. Ravel taught me that."
23:15 She hesitates. "Just you and me?" She then grabs him shoulders. "Because...I'm ready right now, if that's what you want to do!" ||
23:25 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Cowl shakes his head.
23:25 "S-strength in numbers, right?" He says. "And I duh-don't w-want this to g-go wrong."
23:26 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((*his shoulders. Jeez.))
23:27 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "I t-think it's time the Ruh-Ravelation showed w-what it's guh-good for." Cowl was keenly aware of how close she was. And it was really uncomfortable for a number of reasons.
23:27 He was also keenly aware why villains in movies used so many figures of speech. It was because of people like Selma.
23:27 Did-
23:27 Did that make him a bad guy?
23:27 That depended entirely on whether or not he was capable of actually achieving something, he supposed.||
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23:38 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres -||
23:39 "I c-can make this." Cowl says as his hands begin to seep some of his goo. "It's ruh-really sticky. I c-can use it t-to glue things or puh-people together."
23:39 "B-but it's also hard t-to cut. Or harm. I t-think I c-could make suh-something like an armor. I t-think."
23:39 "So n-no one guh-gets hurt."
23:39 He could do that, right?
23:40 "B-but the PRT and Zenith d-don't wuh-want me to use my puh-power on people." That part was true, at least.
23:41 "I t-think maybe I s-should guh-give people the chance t-to choose." He finishes saying. Oh man. It sounds real bad when he says it aloud.||
23:43 <~Teller|GM> Teller She bobs her head again. Either she just trusts him, or she's too crazy to care. Has she blinked at all the entire time they were standing here? "Why don't they want you to use your power on people?" ||
23:44 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres He shrugs.
23:45 "W-why don't they wuh-want you to help Ravel?" He answers her question with a different one.
23:45 And she still has him by the shoulders. By the gods. If he did use his power now, it would count as self-defense. Maybe.
23:45 ||
23:47 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Another Deception roll, please.))
23:49 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 2h6-1 Lying'
23:49 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Lying'" [1] (1) -1 = 0
23:57 ⇐ Turncoat quit (uid185268@ealing.irccloud.com) Quit: Connection closed for inactivity
23:58 <~Teller|GM> Teller Selma releases his shoulders. Finally, she blinks. "...I don't think most of the others would want to do it. No offense! It's just, it's not like you're Ravel."
23:58 Maybe his nervousness is showing. Or maybe her latent and underdeveloped self-preservation instincts have kicked in. Either way, she seems slightly more cautious about this whole endeavor. "Maybe...we can test it out first?" ||
Sunday, December 16th, 2018
00:01 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "It's fuh-fine. I understand." Cowl sighs to himself. He feel terribly dejected about all this. It was going too smoothly, he supposed.
00:02 ((*feels))
00:02 For a moment, his will wavers.
00:03 "I usually j-just try to g-glue people up. You s-sure it's fuh-fine?" He asks, skeptic. "It's q-quite sticky."
00:03 ||
00:07 ⇐ Mallmann quit (uid292283@hathersage.irccloud.com) Quit: Connection closed for inactivity
00:09 <~Teller|GM> Teller Selma inhales, then nods bravely. "It's fine!"
00:09 She moves her backpack to the side and leans it against the wall. "Should I do anything special, or stand a certain way?"
00:09 "Oh, and does it wash off easy? I'm not wearing anything special or nothing-" she gestures to her T-shirt and shorts "-but Alex might be mad at me if his stuff gets all gummed up!" ||
00:13 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Oh Selma. What a terrible judge of character you are.
00:14 "Uh, b-before we try it out..." Cowl starts, then tries to control his stammering. Why is his heart beating so fast? He's done this before. To his mom.
00:14 No! Enough!
00:14 Stupid brain.
00:15 "C-can ask w-where do y-you check the puh-posts? It s-sounds puh-pretty good." He says.
00:16 "And d-don't wuh-worry. It fuh-fades away after a w-while. I t-think it evaporates?" Maybe? He didn't actually know.||
00:21 <~Teller|GM> Teller "There are a ton of different places," Selma explains. "I mostly just get the texts or emails on my phone, but my dad is on pretty much /all/ sites." She laughs a little. "It take him three hours a day to check for updates. It's crazy!"
00:21 "I can show you right after." She rolls her shoulders, flexes her undamaged hand, then plants herself solidly in front of Cowl. There's an mix of excitement and trepidation in her voice when she next speaks. "So how does this work?" ||
00:22 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Hmmmm." Cowl thinks for a bit. How -does- it work? He's not sure she's going to be so eager to try it after all is said and done. That said!
00:22 There was always the chance tonight was a night of activity.
00:22 No wonder the poor girl was... like she was. Her father was into it too. Damn it, Ravel.
00:22 And damn himself for doing this.
00:23 He can practically feel the thing at the edge of his thoughts celebrating.
00:24 "W-well" Cowl says, slowly, feeling a heat climb up his neck and all over his face. Blushing. "T-take my hand. And duh-don't panic. It m-might feel weird, but I w-would never hurt you."
00:24 Just trick you. Use you.
00:24 Damn him.
00:24 He holds out his hand. Something wriggles underneath. Something vile and yearning to be used.
00:24 To control. To encapsulate.
00:25 He can feel his ears pounding. He could justify any other time, but this? This was just himself, being an ass.
00:26 He holds out his hand. Slick with goo, ready to climb. He has made a number of bad decisions in his life. And so has she. Why was she so trusting?
00:26 ||
00:26 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((*all the sites))
00:26 ⇐ pinkmobile quit (uid208117@brockwell.irccloud.com) Quit: Connection closed for inactivity
00:26 <~Teller|GM> Teller ...
00:28 Selma places her hand into his own. So trusting. So dumb.
00:28 She laughs shakily. "You're right. It feels so weird." ||
00:30 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres He holds her hand for a moment. "Uh, I've n-never held hands luh-like t-this before. Suh-sorry."
00:31 And it seeps. Slowly, inexorably. It climbs. It covers. Something like awareness begins to form in his mind. Awareness of her heartbeat. Her warmth. Her breathing.
00:31 "It's w-weird."
00:32 Her arm is covered now. He would only need to hold her down for a bit longer. The thing cheers and Caul winces.
00:32 "Y-you okay?"||
00:35 <~Teller|GM> Teller Her breathing is faster. Her heart is beating like a hummingbird's, but he can't be entirely sure it's not always just like that.
00:35 It's been too long since he's felt another person like this. The goop flows across her torso, down her legs, up her neck. She shivers slightly at the sensation of it crawling across her skin.
00:35 "I-I'm okay." She squeezes her eyes shut. ||
00:39 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "I'm n-not sure about that." He says, as he lets go of her hand. He can feel her react. Underneath.
00:40 "Um. Suh-sorry." Oh god. It got awkward.
00:40 Now!
00:41 How the fuck is he gonna get her cellphone?||
00:44 <~Teller|GM> Teller |||
00:47 Teller|GM → ~Teller
00:47 Teruzi|Caul → Teruzi
00:48 ⇐ You disconnected: Sleepy
Monday, December 17th, 2018
10:41 → Teruzi, Inksword, Flitter and LRD (was LRD-sleep) joined  ↔ ColdGold nipped out  •  Telloff → ~Teller  •  Channel mode: +nrt
19:27 ⇐ You disconnected: errand boy
Tuesday, December 18th, 2018
13:28 → Teruzi joined  ⇐ LRD quit  •  Teller → ~Teller|GM  •  Channel mode: +nrt
15:19 Teruzi → Teruzi|Caul
15:52 <~Teller|GM> Teller Selma doesn't react like the others that he's gooped.
15:52 He feels her trying to move, at first. Before she fully understands what he's done to her. She tries to take a step. Tries to flex her fingers. Turn her head. He feels her heart beat faster, as she realizes that she cannot.
15:52 This realization doesn't cause her to struggle, however. She seems to be a weird mix of panicked and...excited?
15:52 The thing on the edge of his thoughts is excited too, as he looks at the goo-covered person in front of him. He can still feel his hands dripping with anticipation, as if his power as unsated. As if this is just the first sweet, sweet bite at the beginning of a feast. ||
16:01 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ...
16:03 "Duh-duh-duh-damn it." Caul says as he lets go of her hand. Foolish girl. Foolish foolish girl. What is she excited about? That only serves to somehow make it worse. Or better. Both. Neither. Damn it.
16:04 "Are y-you okay?" He asks, futilely. Knowing she can't answer. But he still asks. The facade of normalcy. He feels worse than she does. He knows, because he's finally fully attuned to her. In a way that was more... aware than before.
16:05 It's not just the lack of struggling. He can almost feel the exhilaration. It's off-putting.
16:06 "Um, uh, n-nod once for okay. Tuh-twice fuh-for not okay?"||
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16:10 <~Teller|GM> Teller She nods once, then once more. Or at least Caul feels her try to nod; the goo dampens the movement so much it's imperceptible to his unpowered senses. ||
16:36 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ...
16:37 "Uh, t-that doesn't t-tell me much."
16:38 "R-raise your luh-left arm for n-not okay, ruh-right arm for okay?" He asks again. She will at least -try-. And the movement will be more easily discernible.
16:38 It's strange. To be aware of another body.
16:39 He can feel her heartbeat and her breathing. The vague sensation of sinking. Trepidation. She should be more scared.
16:39 Caul clicks his tongue softly, as he makes a mental check of her current condition. Can he feel her phone within the fleshy encasing of his power?||
16:52 ⇐ Everyperson quit (Mibbit@net-7nupv1.NATPOOL.NYU.EDU) Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client
16:58 <~Teller|GM> Teller It is hard for Caul to put a finger on it. He can feel /her/ beneath the goo, her heartbeat, her breathing. Objects...he does not feel them as much as he is aware of how they cause him to feel Selma less. The goo clings to the skin of her face, her arms, her hands, her legs, but her t-shirt separates his goo and her torso by the smallest fraction of an inch. Her denim shorts are thicker and cause more separation. Alex's gauntlet and boot
16:58 thicker still.
16:58 He can feel one such separation approximately where the back pocket of her shorts should be, roughly the right size and shape for a phone...
16:58 Instead of raising her right or left arm, Selma gives him a laborious shrug of her shoulders. ||
17:06 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ...
17:07 "Okay." Well, that's complicated. And annoying.
17:08 Girls. Who could understand them?
17:09 "I, uh, um, can tuh-tell you shrugged. It's wuh-weird." Caul says, talking outloud. Did he ever have any ideas that weren't terrible?
17:09 Haha. No.
17:09 Instead he goes towards her backpack.
17:10 "I s-should puh-probably call fuh-for some help or suh-something." He mumbles. Right. Help.
17:10 Absolutely not more minions.||
17:19 <~Teller|GM> Teller Caul roots through Selma's backpack. In one compartment, a bunch of different colored pens. Tampons. A hospital gown, mashed down at the bottom of the pack. Mace. Three containers of food - peas, sliced potatoes, ham, all still warm. A notebook with doodles and absurdly neat cursive handwriting. No phone, but he already knew that. ||
17:20 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Oh hey. He can use that mace. He's probably gonna go to jail after tonight, so he might as well do something worth it. Or something.
17:21 If she was terrified he wouldn't have to feel quite so awkward about it.
17:21 "Um, S-Selma? Can you c-come over here?" He says, as he wills his power to make her obey. It's not like she has any options, really. But at least he's asking nicely.
17:21 "Alright. Uh." Damn. Could she see underneath the goo?
17:22 "Here's y-your backpack j-just help me- Ah y-yeah." He mumbles to himself as he makes her go through the motions. Now she has her backpack, at least.
17:22 "Okay." Shit.
17:23 "Hang on fuh-for a bit." He says, as he pulls up his own phone, making a cursory search for 'Sicol Bend Dynasty' and 'Ravelation meet up'.||
17:25 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((I don't think you have any particularly relevant skills, so Knowledge roll, please, Teruzi|Caul.))
17:26 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 1d6+1 Know
17:26 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Know" [5] +1 = 6
17:35 <~Teller|GM> Teller 'Sicol Bend Dynasty' turns up a handful of results. It looks like after the Tigers lost all of their capes, they reemerged as Dynasty under the new parahuman Furor. Instead of holding most of western Sicol like the Tigers did, this new iteration seem to only be active in Aveston and - very recently - Hume.
17:35 'Ravelation meet up' turns up nothing. He then remembers that Selma said that nobody uses that name, and searches for 'Ravelers meet up'. He's only finding old events, however, many of them in the nearby city of Gresham. He /does/ find some Ravel fansites that are still active (one has a very prominent page background of the heroine smiling out at him), but it will take some time for him to dig through. ||
17:38 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Time, time, time. He probably has time. But not after mucking it up with Selma. What was his plan again? Ah, yeah. He didn't actually have one.
17:38 'Alright, bastard. I suppose we're going hunting.'
17:38 Not that there was any point talking to the thing at the edge of his thoughts. It communicated by sensation and elation. Or disappointment.
17:39 It felt like trying to communicate with a fairly dismissive... panther. Or something feline. A predator that didn't move unless it had to.
17:44 → LRD joined (uid178344@brockwell.irccloud.com)
17:44 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Hume then Aveston?
17:44 Heading towards home. He supposed. He didn't really plan to go back there, did he?
17:44 Or maybe he did.
17:44 Or maybe he didn't.
17:44 Hume, Aveston then Kensington. Clean up degenerates? Lose his nerve and run off to hide?
17:45 Why does he feel so disconnected? It's like he's watching himself from above, from outside.
17:45 Poor Melange. All he had ever done was fuck up, time and time again.
17:46 Hume first, then.
17:47 He stares at his hands for a moment, almost expecting them to shake. But no such thing. Just something wriggling and twisting underneath his skin. Eagerness personified in the moving of his power. He's practically dripping. Except he's not.
17:47 It's more like a glove. Ready to spring forth at a moment's notice.
17:48 Always hungry for more. Like his parents. No measure of control seemed to suffice. But unlike his parents, his power was patient.
17:48 Maybe. Maybe it was Caul who was so like his parents. And his power merely reflected that. It made his gut twist with disgust. And anticipation. Hume, first.
17:49 He's not sure if it's the thing at the edge of his thoughts or himself. But he can almost see himself commanding a great deal of people. The foreign sensation of being someone else.
17:49 He starts walking.
17:49 "Selma? K-keep up with me, p-please. If you w-want to go on a puh-patrol, that is." He lies to her. Just to keep her calm. Keep himself calm.
17:50 ||
17:51 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((How sneaky is he hoping to be about this?))
17:56 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ((Well, he does have sneak. Might as well use it. He shoulda learned -something- about patrolling on his stint on Zenith too))
17:57 ((At least until he gets a bead on Furor))
17:58 → JustLurking joined (uid195947@hathersage.irccloud.com)
17:58 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((A sneak roll then, please. And another sneak roll at a -1 penalty.))
17:59 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 2h6+1 Sneak
17:59 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Sneak" (4) [5] +1 = 6
17:59 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 2h6-1 Sneak
17:59 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Sneak" [6] (2) -1 = 5
18:00 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((That would be a 6 if he has a +1.))
18:05 → Everyperson joined (Mibbit@net-nt9cdd.NATPOOL.NYU.EDU)
18:06 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ((Oh yeah. Go team!))
18:19 <~Teller|GM> Teller Selma follows, of course.
18:19 Caul has almost forgotten how unwieldy his minions can be. She walks unsteadily along behind him, gooped feet sticking and unsticking with every step. He has to take extra care to keep her out of sight as they head towards Hume, sticking to the quieter streets and steering his shambling goo puppet out of the way of the streetlights once they come on.
18:19 It is almost fully dark by the time they reach Hume, but considering how slow Selma is they've made good time. There are still a handful of shops in the area still open and enough pedestrian traffic that he has to keep Selma crouched out of sight around the corner of a building. He can feel her heart beating faster now. He can feel his own heartbeat as well, a steady pulse that throbs all from his chest and down his arms into the palms of
18:19 his hands.
18:19 There's no overt sign of Dynasty or Furor here. He will either need to confront them directly in Aveston - he thinks he remembers reading about a building they operated out of, a local community center - or he will need to do something to get their attention. ||
18:23 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Or he could do both, really.
18:24 But first, he scans for police officers in the area. He, technically, still is known as a Zenith hero.
18:24 And frankly, that had some perks. For example: People willing to offer information otherwise not given to some random punk cape looking for trouble.
18:25 He just had to phrase his question correctly.
18:25 If he found any law enforcement officers, that is.
18:25 He also keeps an eye out for flaming hands in the sky. Last time he went out solo he almost got squished by Hoagie.||
18:26 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Wits roll, please, Teruzi|Caul.))
18:27 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 1d6 Wits
18:27 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Wits" [2]  = 2
18:30 ⇐ Megafire quit (Megafire@net-133s0g.dynamic.ziggo.nl) Ping timeout: 181 seconds
18:35 <~Teller|GM> Teller Caul can't see any giant hands in the sky, flaming or otherwise. Maybe Hoagie is off squishing someone who isn't him?
18:35 He does, however, spy a police cruiser parked on the side of the road after a few long minutes of searching. The officer in the driver's seat is typing on a laptop, while the one in the passenger's seat is slowly sipping from a cup of coffee. ||
18:36 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Ideal. Kind of!
18:36 Now comes the actual hardest part. Talking to them.
18:37 "Um. I'm guh-gonna go talk to some cops, Selma. Hang in t-there, okay?" He says, while he gives her some reassuring pats in the back. And taking the opportunity to apply a new coating of goop on her.
18:38 He straightens up and clears his throat, before heading towards the officers. If only he knew how to strut, the illusion would be easier to sell. He only knew how to change his voice some.
18:38 'Hello, officer. It is I, Caul of Zenith. Autographs after the heroics.'
18:38 Should be... easy enough.||
18:40 → Flitter and iridium248 joined
18:52 <~Teller|GM> Teller The officer in the passenger, a heavyset and balding white man, taps the driver and points to Caul as he approaches. The driver, a smaller Chinese woman with short hair, twists away from the laptop and rolls down the window a few inches.
18:52 "Hey there," she says. "Er, Cowl, right? Zenith?"
18:52 She seems a bit tense, but not specifically because of his presence. Probably worrying about what he's about to tell them. "Everything okay?" ||
18:53 ⇐ iridium248 quit (iridium248@net-dka.csa.156.175.IP) Quit: http://www.kiwiirc.com/ - A hand crafted IRC client
18:54 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Hello officers. Um, uh, y-yeah." Caul says, standing there for a fraction longer than he ought to. Right. Modulate the voice.
18:55 It's just like lying to his parents. Or any relevant authority figure. Let them fill in the blanks. Cassette did something like that, but on the other side. Leverage the goodwill of people.
18:55 Do both.
18:56 He wasn't Alex nor Cowl right now. He was Caul. Both and neither. He was the lowest, trying to climb. He didn't need to be like his parents, although they defined him. He didn't need to pretend to be like Cassette, although he admired her.
18:56 He lets a breath go, before thinking of what to say. Usually, the simplest lie was the hardest one to see through. And sometimes, half-truths are better than any lie.
18:58 "I'm p-patrolling tonight. T-trying to make Sicol a b-better place. I think it's wuh-what Cassette would be doing, had I b-been out of cuh-commission." He starts, making sure to share eye contact with both officers as he speaks. He can feel himself fidgeting with Selma's fingers. Oops.
18:59 "This is Duh-Dynasty's territory, r-right? I just wuh-wondered you would nuh-know what places were, uuh, hotspots." He shrugs.
18:59 "I'm n-not really trying t-to guh-get into trouble."
18:59 He was looking to cause it.
18:59 ||
19:00 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Social roll, please. Deception applies.))
19:01 → ColdGold joined (uid147536@SanRaul.GM)
19:04 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 2h6-1 Deception
19:04 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Deception" (1) [3] -1 = 2
19:20 <~Teller|GM> Teller The woman looks over to the man, than back at Caul. "That's why we're here, believe it or not. Our department has us all following up on some tips that suggest the tong is expanding back into Hume."
19:20 "Aveston's the real hotspot, of course," the man adds. "Hume is still quiet enough, so you'll be pretty safe as long as you stick to this neighborhood."
19:20 "I always did like Cassette," the woman muses. "It's a shame what happened with her."
19:20 She shuts her laptop and twists to look more fully at Caul. "If you do decide to patrol here...well, we're here all night and you're welcome to swing back around whenever you'd like." ||
19:21 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Oh, hey. Convenient.
19:22 "That's... puh-pretty much why I'm here too." Caul nods, thinking. It stands to reason they wouldn't just fork over the important information. That said...
19:23 "Well, I cuh-can climb pretty guh-good if you need s-some eyes in... hard to reach puh-places." He adds, as he wriggles his fingers, a small drop of goop on the tip of each one.
19:24 "I t-think it wuh-would be best for everyone if w-we all nuh-knew where are t-they hanging around." He says, letting the sentence hang in the air for a moment.
19:25 ||
19:25 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Social roll, please. No Deception.))
19:26 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 1d6-1 Social
19:26 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Social" [5] -1 = 4
19:28 <~Teller|GM> Teller The man blows some air out of his nose. "Let me guess - you must have only patrolled in Wolf territory before now, haven't you?" ||
19:30 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Caul opts to look sheepish.
19:30 Almost as sheepish as he feels.
19:32 Camtist|GM → Camtist
19:32 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "M-more like I've n-never patrolled by muh-myself." He shrugs. Then he is quiet for a moment.
19:33 "It's n-not a nice thing, fuh-feeling useless while Cassette is at t-the hospital."
19:33 He scratches the back of his neck before continuing.
19:33 "Alright, thank you officers. I'll m-make sure to luh-let you know if I fuh-find anything n-noteworthy."||
19:42 → Thaydean joined (uid129619@hathersage.irccloud.com)
19:47 <~Teller|GM> Teller "Nah, it's-" the man stops and then starts again. "You're fine, kid. It's just that the Wolves are the only type of people you're going to find just 'hanging out'. Probably why your group would have you patrol there, too."
19:47 "The tong..." the man sighs and shakes his head, as if remembering unpleasant memories. "They move cargo. Drugs, stolen electronics, people. It's the sort of stuff that happens in the shadows. You can spend months or years digging into just to get a small bead on the scope operation."
19:47 "So it would make sense you wouldn't know about it. Last time they got into a fight out in the open was..." the man looks to his partner. "Aveston? Brotherhood and the one chick?"
19:47 "/Chic/?" the woman says. She rolls her eyes slightly. "You mean Ravel."
19:47 The man nods. "Her. Right." ||
19:47 ((*Chick))
19:49 ((*digging into it))
19:50 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Drugs, alright. Electronics? Okay. People? Uuuh. Caul supposed he had always known about that. Still...
19:51 "Huh." Caul says, pensive. "That ruh-reminds me, I had a run in with a ruh-rabble member tuh-tonight."
19:52 "Hope t-they're not s-stirring trouble anywhere." He adds, almost coy. Coy!
19:52 She used to be with them, right?
19:52 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((*scope of the))
19:52 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres But no, poor Alex had enough stress in his life. 'Hey I found this lost Rabble in the docks, by the way, do you know where I can pick up a fight with Dynasty?'
19:53 Would make the kid raise an eyebrow. Smarmy little shit.
19:54 "I should guh-get back on p-patrol." He says, giving the officers a thumbs up. "I'll m-make sure to b-bring any bad guys I cuh-catch." He add, jovially.||
19:57 <~Teller|GM> Teller "The Rabble. Ugh. Insane circus people," the woman says. She hesitates before returning his thumbs up, then opens back up her laptop. "Be careful out there." ||
19:58 |||
19:59 Teruzi|Caul → Teruzi
19:59 Teller|GM → ~Teller
20:00 ⇐ You disconnected: gotta go
23:08 → Teruzi joined  •  soulpelt| → soulpelt|sleep  •  Channel mode: +nrt
Wednesday, December 19th, 2018
00:01 → Ryneron and LRD joined  ⇐ Thaydean, Flitter and JustLurking quit  ↔ Megafire and Enneagon popped in  ↔ Inksword, Dolyn, Mallmann and Nonagon nipped out  •  ColdGold|GM → ColdGold, Pink|OLED → Pink, Thalia → Thaliaway, soulpelt|sleep → soulpelt|, Teller → ~Teller|GM
14:27 Teruzi → Teruzi|GM
14:28 Teruzi|GM → Teruzi|Caul
14:28 <~Teller|GM> Teller |||
14:29 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Caul continues moving carefully. If Dynasty is under police surveillance, then he would be quickly found out. That would be bad, wouldn't it?
14:29 At the very least, it would be inconvenient.
14:30 But something the cop said sticks to him. If he can't find the Dynasty people hanging around and choreographing songs, what about the Brotherhood? They certainly have no lack of... membership?
14:30 Dealers and the like.
14:32 ((*Wolf))
14:36 The wolves. Assholes. Circling some of the older kids of the group home, waiting.
14:37 Caul clicks his tongue. Why did he never did a thing? Rules? Laws? The rabble were insane circus people, but they had something right at least.
14:38 Right was right and wrong was wrong. And he never saw anyone but the people working at mister Dartman's place give a damn about the kids.
14:38 That... made a bit of sense.||
14:45 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Street Smarts, please.))
14:45 ((Just Knowledge, I think.))
14:46 ((Yeah, Caul has no street smarts.))
14:47 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ((He does not))
14:47 $roll 1d6+1 Know
14:47 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Know" [5] +1 = 6
14:48 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ((He's been learnin' tho))
14:54 ⇐ LRD quit (uid178344@brockwell.irccloud.com) Quit: Connection closed for inactivity
15:01 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Social roll too, please, Teruzi|Caul.))
15:01 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 1d6-1 Social
15:01 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Social" [4] -1 = 3
15:01 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ((Aw, almost had it))
15:13 <~Teller|GM> Teller Caul heads southeast, away from Dynasty territory and towards more familar ground. Selma glops after him.
15:13 The Wolf territory in this part of the city is on the nicer side, standing head and shoulders above Olney. Cleaner sidewalks, nicer buildings. Bench that aren't rusted and rotting.
15:13 Yet he still sees the telltale signs of gang activity, things he's learned to look for during his patrols with Plower. Tags on the walls of the alleys he hides Selma in. Teenagers on corners after sundown. Suspicious groups of people loitering near stores.
15:13 It is still hard for Caul to determine just exactly /when/, however, a group of black people are Wolves and when they're just regular people going about their lives. Plower said he'd get a feel for it eventually, but there were other things he could look for in the meanwhile. Certain tattoos or unusual ways of dressing that would indicate their ties to a certain "pack" within the Wolves.
15:13 Like that group over there: two guys with unbuttoned shirts and undone silver ties draped over their shoulders, talking to the girl with a bright silver bangle around her wrist. They're definitely Wolves. They aren't doing anything illegal, however, just standing around a red convertible and laughing about something. ||
15:25 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ...
15:34 'Hellooo, fellow kids.'
15:35 Caul makes a quick check on his current situation. How many others are around, the .sort of thing that Zenith would have leveraged for 'visibility'.
15:37 ((I do not know where that dot came from))
15:38 Fighting all of them at the same time seems annoying. At the same time, he is not necessarily looking to -fight- them.
15:38 He applies a new coating to Selma. It's unlikely that she'll stay -sticky-, but he can dream.
15:40 He positions her to be always relatively close to him, but out of sight. Then he just calmly starts walking in view of all three teens. A small hand wave should be enough to call their attention, he guesses.||
15:40 <~Teller|GM> Teller ...
15:47 At least one of the guys is decidedly not a teen, and the other two are borderline at least. All three turn towards him, the oldest one with a frown on his face. Zenith heroes is not an unfamiliar sight in this area, but it's not often they'd stop and chat with the gang members.
15:47 Caul feels Selma's breathing quicken.
15:47 "'sup," the younger guy says. ||
15:47 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Ah shit. He was going to have to talk to them, wasn't he?
15:47 Ugh.
15:48 He gently prods the thing at the edge of his thoughts. It was already aware, of course. But he could use the encouragement.
15:48 Wasn't that the same thing as psyching himself up? Uh. Somewhat. It always felt alien to him. Not of his own brain.
15:49 "Yo" Caul says, without stuttering. That's how other people talk, right? He almost wishes he spent more time practicing in front of the mirror. But the other kids at the home always needed to use the bathroom. Bah.
15:50 "Relax. I'm n-not here to arrest y-you or anything." He says, his intonation somewhat different. He holds up his hands for a moment, as if that would set people at ease.
15:50 "Just, uh, wuh-wondering if you cuh-could point me in t-the right direction."||
15:52 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Social, please.))
15:52 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 1d6-1 Social
15:52 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Social" [6] -1 = 5
15:57 <~Teller|GM> Teller In response to the prod, Caul feels tiny pinpricks on his palm as his power prepares to swells. The excitement from Selma and the anticipation from the thing on the edge of his thoughts blends into his nervousness, to the point where he can't quite tell them apart. Is this nerve-wracking or thrilling?
15:57 The two younger Wolves relax some. The older one just squints. "Probably." ||
16:03 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Cool" Caul says, posturing as he would imagine Wicht would do. Bravado? Easy confidence? Not a lot of things are scary to the kind of dude that can get punched in the face by Plower and walk away -fine-.
16:03 But Caul had always fought uneven battles.
16:03 Goddamn, his father had been a monster.
16:06 Hrm. Caul almost wants to go for round two, but it really was more hassle than not. Is he forgetting something? Oh yeah, the wolves.
16:06 "So..." Caul begins to speak before stopping himself. How should he even address them? He had lived a pretty... sheltered life. He was unsure about slang. He only knew what he knew from television. Which he supposed was as good as anything else?
16:07 He did imagine himself telling one liners to his father, but was never really able to throw much of a constructed sentence when the man was around. Fuck. Focus.
16:08 "Suh-some, uh, um-" Talking is so hard. Caul lets out a breath before trying again.
16:09 "You know the Wreston G-group home? Not t-too fuh-far away from here." He starts, slow, before finding a good intonation. Something that works.
16:10 "Ran by t-this Dartman person? Cool d-dude. Bunch of cuh-kids live there." Caul goes on, slowly setting up his lie. Or truth. Or lie. Or truth.
16:11 "Kids that have guh-gotten harassed by suh-some..." What would a hard boiled detective say?
16:11 "Some fucking asshole." He ends up saying. Oh hey. That's pretty good. He likes that.
16:12 "Maybe m-more than one. Wolves. I'm s-sure you're familiar." He always did watch police dramas and the like. Such bold people, those detectives.
16:13 He takes the time to look at each of the three wolves in front of him. His posture is relaxed, but he's poised beneath his skin. It feels like he's fit to burst from under his palms.
16:13 "I d-don't appreciate that." He adds.||
16:15 <~Teller|GM> Teller The younger one starts to speak, but the older one cuts him off. "Dunno know what you're talking about. You want directions or not?" ||
16:16 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Caul looks at the older one in silence for a moment. He double checks on Selma. Was she fine with this? Possibly.
16:17 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((*younger guy))
16:17 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Point me to someone that knows." Caul says, speaking slowly. Carefully avoiding to stutter.||
16:24 <~Teller|GM> Teller The older one stares at Caul, sizing him up. "This is a big city. I dunno every little thing that goes on. I don't even know who would know. But the capes run things, right? You wanna speak to one of them?"
16:24 He pulls out his phone without waiting for an answer. "Where's Wreston? Kennedy? Alameda?" ||
16:25 → Megafire joined (Megafire@net-133s0g.dynamic.ziggo.nl)
16:25 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres This... punk!
16:25 That's how you use it, right?
16:26 "Alameda." Cowl says, not particularly testy, but not particularly jovial either. "I could t-talk with one of the c-capes. Sure."
16:27 He holds up his left hand, as if he's checking something in his palm. Then he cracks his index finger.
16:27 It almost itched. Ready, prepared, desperate to be used. His power almost had an appetite.||
16:37 <~Teller|GM> Teller The older one taps on his phone briefly then flips it behind him to the girl. She nearly fumbles it, but manages to palm it.
16:37 "Yes," the girl says stiffly into the phone. "It's just some hero. Cowl from Zenith." A pause. Her eyes flicker to Caul briefly, then away. "Maybe."
16:37 "Might be a minute," the man informs him. ||
16:38 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Caul." Cowl corrects. Does Selma have senses? They better be working over time right now.||
16:38 ((*Caul))
16:40 -||
16:40 "N-not a hero." He adds, annoyed.||
16:41 → LRD joined (uid178344@brockwell.irccloud.com)
16:45 <~Teller|GM> Teller It's a good question. Nobody who's ever been covered in his goop has ever been in the mood to describe what it was like to him later. Even so, some level of intution (from thething on the edge of his thoughts?) tells him that his minions are going to have poor vision but their other senses are probably unhampered.
16:45 "Not a hero?" The man blinks at him. His cool demeanor wavers slightly before he regains his composure.  "Aight. What are you then?" ||
16:48 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Not very fuh-fucking patient." He says, before clicking his tongue. "It's a p-personal thing. N-not some Zenith b-bullshit."||
16:53 <~Teller|GM> Teller The man holds up his hands. The revelation that he's not here as a hero seems to have inspired some degree of urgency in the Wolves. "Come on, be chill."
16:53 "Ember's nearby," the girl adds. "He'll be here in...a minute or two. Three tops." ||
16:54 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Oh, sorry. B-been a long day. First the PRT, then duh-dynasty, now you guys." Ember? That's, ah, that's entirely more destructive than he cares to haggle with.
16:54 "No need to be s-scared." Caul adds, smirking.
16:55 "I'm not r-really a strong cuh-kind of cape. That's Plower."||
17:03 <~Teller|GM> Teller "Right, right," the man says. He then falls into an uncomfortable silence. The girl alternates between looking at Caul and looking at the rooftops, presumably scanning for signs of Ember. ||
17:03 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "How old are y-you two?" Cowl asks, to the younger wolves.||
17:05 <~Teller|GM> Teller "Just got out of school," the girl says warily. "Why? How old're you?"
17:05 The younger guy just shrugs doesn't respond. ||
17:06 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ((*Caul))
17:07 "Old enough." He answers. Then he points to the end of the street away from sweet Selma.
17:07 "Scram."
17:08 "We c-can w-wait alone, can't we?" He says, looking at the older one. It's hard to tell under the hood, but he's smiling.||
17:08 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Social, please.))
17:09 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 1d6-1 Social
17:09 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Social" [6] -1 = 5
17:17 <~Teller|GM> Teller "Yeah, uh-" the girl straightens up and makes to obey, but the older man slams his hand down angrily on the hood of the car. The younger guy jumps.
17:17 "No!" He sounds angry and a little scared now. It's pretty obvious that he expects something to happen if he 'waits alone' with Caul...but at least he's still talking instead of running or fighting him. "The fuck you wanna be alone for? We all good right here."
17:17 He glares at the girl and the younger man, daring them to leave him alone.
17:17 "And I didn't do SHIT wrong. Fucking...harassment. God damn." ||
17:19 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres It's almost a natural feeling. Except it's not.
17:19 It was a bit like accelerating in the car. He had the talent for it, maybe. He just never dug into himself to try it out.
17:19 He doesn't need the goop to tell how scared they are. And Caul is simply talking to them.
17:20 He clicks his tongue again, as he aims his left palm at the older man. To where he slammed the hood of the car.
17:21 "Don't be rude." He says, before the pinprick sensation grows in urgency. He always lobbed his 'attacks'. Not this time.
17:21 Something feels different. Perhaps himself. He almost can see himself winking at the thing at the edge of his thoughts. It's fine if he misses.
17:21 He must know.
17:21 Like that time with Seachange. He must know.
17:21 What he can do. What he can -truly- do.
17:22 He shoots, this time.
17:22 "Kids s-shouldn't hang around at t-this time of the n-night."||
17:23 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Give me a 2h6+1 attack roll, please.))
17:23 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 2h6+1 Attack
17:23 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Attack" [2] (2) +1 = 3
17:28 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6 WD
17:28 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "WD" [5]  = 5
17:32 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 1d6-1 Social
17:32 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Social" [3] -1 = 2
17:32 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6 WS
17:32 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "WS" [1]  = 1
17:38 <~Teller|GM> Teller Caul feels the goo build up underneath his palm, the skin stretching and swelling like a massive blister. Then the blister 'pops' and a glob of goo shoots forward at the Wolf. He whips his hand out of the way, leaving the goo to splatter against hood of the car.
17:38 "Fuck!" the man yells.
17:38 "Shit!" the girl leaps away from the car. Her and the other Wolf are scrambling away, fully prepared to leave the older man behind.
17:38 "Fuck you! Get the fuck back here!" he yells. "Strength of the wolf is the pack, you-" his words are doing nothing to slow their escape "-you COWARDLY FUCKING BITCHES!"
17:38 He too is making to run away, however, trying to put as much distance between him and Caul as possible without turning his back to him. ||
17:40 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Yeah. No." Caul says, relaxed, as he fires again. At his feet.
17:40 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((*against the hood))
17:40 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "I think I agree w-with you. The strength is in the p-pack." He adds, amused. See them run! Stupid kids.
17:40 It's a good thing that they're running.
17:41 He hates them, he doesn't want to see them hurt. So free and stupid. Do their parents ever tried to box them in? Run away, from this disaster.
17:41 Run away back home. Or whatever den wolves go back to.
17:42 "But p-please. Relax." Caul adds, more calm than he feels. "I'm n-not going to hurt y-you."||
17:43 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Attack roll, please. Assume it's 2h6+1 from now on.))
17:43 $roll 1d6 WD
17:43 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "WD" [2]  = 2
17:44 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 2h6+1
17:44 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul (3) [4] +1 = 5
17:48 <~Teller|GM> Teller The blast of goo (he can never let Azz know about this, can he?) strikes the man's leg and causes him to trip. He hits the ground hard, but almost immediately he us scrambling back to his feet. Simultaneously, his hand goes for the back of his pants.
17:48 "What the FUCK!" he screams. "I didn't do shit! Leave me the fuck alone!" ||
17:50 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Everything is c-chill." Caul says back to the man, before throwing another blast. Aiming to goop up the man's arm to the ground. Making him unable to pull out what is most likely a gun.
17:51 "Just s-sit tight."
17:51 Huh. Why is he enjoying this too much?||
17:51 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Another attack roll, please.))
17:51 $roll 1d6-1 WD
17:51 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "WD" [6] -1 = 5
17:53 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 2h6+1 Attack
17:53 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Attack" [2] (2) +1 = 3
17:54 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((You're right, it's a gun. Can I get a dodge roll as well, Teruzi|Caul?))
17:54 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 1d6-1 Ath
17:54 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Ath" [2] -1 = 1
17:55 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6 WA
17:55 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "WA" [5]  = 5
17:59 <~Teller|GM> Teller ...
18:04 "No! FUCK! YOU!" The man screams. Even with his gooped leg he manages to twist out of the way of the goo blast, then he furiously tears the thing that is indeed a gun from his waistband and points it at Caul. He fires it.
18:04 A flash, then Caul feels a punch square in the center of his chest. The force knocks the wind out of him, nearly knocks him over, but the armor built into his costume protects him from the worst of the shot. He can't take another hit like that...
18:04 He feels Selma jump and wince at the sound of the gunshot. Yet somehow she's still excited by all of this. ||
18:07 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Right, stupid. Always move. He should learn to do that.
18:08 His thoughts are a jumbled mess of tv one liners and flashes of pain. And frustration. And anger. And underneath, the beating of his heart. He's scared, scared, scared.
18:08 And angry.
18:08 And alive. Hot damn, he was alive.
18:08 He bites his lips, moving to put the car between the man and himself. He's too hurt to really say something smart.
18:09 He doesn't really have to say anything smart, thankfully.
18:10 "R-rude." He mutters, in pain. Before firing another blast, aiming for the man's face. This was going to suck, as usual.||
18:10 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Attack roll, please.))
18:10 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 2h6+1 Attack
18:10 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Attack" [3] (3) +1 = 4
18:11 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6-1 WD
18:11 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "WD" [6] -1 = 5
18:18 <~Teller|GM> Teller The man scrambles out of the way of this blast as well. Instead of returning fire, he quickly crawls to the far side of the vehicle and presses himself against it, interposing it between himself and Caul.
18:18 "Hey - hey!" he calls out. His voice is breathless and desperate. "Come on! I didn't /do/ any shit to deserve this. I'm nobody!"
18:18 "This- this about some kids? Or...your- your teammate? Lacrimosa? I got nothing to do with that!"
18:18 "Fuck! Come on!" he pleads. Caul hears him slam his fist against the side of the car in frustration and anger. "What do you want?" ||
18:18 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Lacrimosa? What?
18:19 Oh.
18:19 Oooh.
18:19 Right.
18:22 Fucking christ getting shot hurts.
18:23 "Yeah. I cuh-kinda jumped the g-gun there. D-didn't nuh-know I could even d-do that." Caul admits, gingerly touching where it hurts. It really fucking hurts.
18:24 Plower and Crest. Both black people? Wicht was always so testy about it too.
18:24 Caul had never been on the level with that whole deal. But, uh, Lacrimosa had gone missing around the time Crest joined Zenith? Maybe?
18:24 Did she even show her powers on public? No, that would be like him using his goop on people. Bad branding.
18:25 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((*in public))
18:25 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres That's why Plower was so intent in helping her? It certainly seemed to make sense with what Wicht had accused him of.
18:25 Damn. He really didn't know much about Zenith after all.
18:26 And Crest had gone missing and... Lacrimosa had killed Horn Lord.
18:27 Geez. Maybe he should make sure to get out of this alive so he can ask Wicht what the fuck is going on.
18:29 "To b-be fair, I shoot g-glue. And you shoot fuh-fucking bullets."
18:30 Oh hey. Those are the man's legs.
18:30 Caul fires another blast.
18:30 "So why d-don't we start over?"||
18:31 -||
18:31 From underneath the car, straight at the free leg. It was unlikely to web the man to the floor, but it was likely to scare the fucking shit out of him.
18:31 He just had to keep out of sight from that gun. Guns are scary.||
18:32 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Attack roll, please.))
18:32 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 2h6+1 Attack
18:32 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Attack" (1) [5] +1 = 6
18:33 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6-2 WD
18:33 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "WD" [1] -2 = -1
18:33 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6-3 WA
18:33 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "WA" [6] -3 = 3
18:33 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Dodge roll please, Teruzi|Caul.))
18:33 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 1d6-1 Dodge
18:33 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Dodge" [4] -1 = 3
18:36 → iridium248 joined (iridium248@net-3rs.62i.156.175.IP)
18:39 <~Teller|GM> Teller Caul peers beneath the car. He can see the man's legs and backside, and he's not paying any attention...
18:39 The goo blast hits home, latching onto the seat of his pants and sliding down to merge with the goo already covering his legs. It is creeping up his torso too...Caul's almost there...
18:39 "Ah! Fuck fuck fuck!" The man fires wildly and randomly over the top of the car. Most of the shots go wide, blasting tiny holes in the asphalt, but one of the bullets grazes his left shoulder. Caul feels nothing at first, then he feels a burning pain. ||
18:39 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Oh boy. He's gonna get murdered before Ember even gets here.
18:42 ⇐ Megafire quit (Megafire@net-133s0g.dynamic.ziggo.nl) Ping timeout: 181 seconds
18:44 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres He doesn't say anything for the moment, instead opting to take another potshot from underneath the car. After all, the man was too panicked to -run away-.
18:44 Stupid guns.
18:44 They really hurt.||
18:44 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Attack roll, please.))
18:44 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 2h6+1 Attack
18:44 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Attack" [5] (4) +1 = 6
18:45 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6-2 WD
18:45 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "WD" [3] -2 = 1
18:47 <~Teller|GM> Teller Caul wings another blast of goo beneath the car. He feels it hit home, hears the man's swear words fading as the goo covers his mouth. Feels his awareness of the man blossoming in his mind...
18:47 The Wolf is not excited. The Wolf is scared and the Wolf is angry. He is struggling against the goo, straining to free himself from its hold. ||
18:48 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "You cuh-cuh-cuh-" Come on, not right now. "You shitheel." He ends up saying.
18:49 He has what, a minute or two before Ember gets here? Haha. Fuck that.
18:49 Fucking fuck everything hurts. Why does he keep bleeding all over the place when he gets into fights?
18:50 Oh yeah. He's not one of the strong capes. Right. Fuck.
18:50 He makes the Wolf kneel.
18:50 "Relax, man." Caul says, trying to not show how much he's hurting. "Take a deep b-breath"
18:50 "W-when I tell you to."
18:51 Slowly. In through the nose. Out through the mouth.
18:52 ||
18:52 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6 WB
18:52 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "WB" [3]  = 3
18:54 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Actually, ignore that.))
18:54 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ((I mean, sure))
18:56 <~Teller|GM> Teller The man-shaped stack of goo stumbles over to him and drops to his knees. His breathing is slow and rhythmic, as Caul commands, but his heart is hammering and Caul can feel him trying to yell and scream beneath the goo, fighting fruitlessly to be free of the fleshy substance.
18:56 Caul knows that he's in control now. He can feel two hearts now, beating alongside his own. ||
18:56 ((*Caul knows that he's in control))
18:57 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres He's absent minded as he slathers some wound on top of his shoulder wound. It should at the very least keep the bacteria out. And the blood in.
18:57 He jogs quickly towards the downed Wolf. Asshole.
18:57 Gun, gun, where's the gun?
18:58 ||
18:58 -||
18:59 'Alright. Two down. How many more you want?' He snarks to himself. And the thing at the edge of his thoughts.
18:59 Hrm. How far away were the wolf teens? And did the car have keys in it?||
19:01 ⇐ iridium248 quit (iridium248@net-3rs.62i.156.175.IP) Quit: http://www.kiwiirc.com/ - A hand crafted IRC client
19:03 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Wits please, Teruzi|Caul.))
19:04 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 1d6 Wits
19:04 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Wits" [6]  = 6
19:06 <~Teller|GM> Teller The goo isn't the most soothing of salves, but it does stop the flow of blood from seeping out.
19:06 Caul locates the weapon lying on the ground, not far from where he took down the Wolf. The metal is warm to the touch. The Wolf teens are harder to find - he doesn't see them, though he does know which direction that they went.
19:06 Then, as the man thrashes lightly in the background, Caul goes to searches the vehicle for keys. The interior is kind of gross: there are McDonald's wrappers and cups in the back, half a dozen bottles of half-empty water botles, a bunch of shopping bags from the mall filled with clothes...no keys. But it turns out that there's no ignition in the car either, only a bundle of colored wires hanging out from beneath the steering wheel. ||
19:08 -||
19:13 How many more does it want? The thing on the edge of his thoughts is not a greedy thing. It is patient. It will wait, if it must.
19:13 How many more does he want? It's a question without a good answer. Maybe it's not the right question.
19:13 Is he just a collector of puppets, gathering people to himself only to leave them to collect dust in an attic? Maybe put them in a box somewhere?
19:13 Or will he take his puppets and put on a show? ||
19:14 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Then he's making the wrong question. It's not a matter of wanting. It's a matter of needing.
19:14 If he were to fight against Azz again, would two puppets suffice?
19:14 No. What he needs to ask is this: How many does he need?
19:14 As many as he can get?
19:15 No. Just enough to slow her down.
19:15 What about Plower? But he doesn't need to defeat them. He's thinking about this wrong.
19:15 He needs to control them. Defeating Azz means getting three clean shots at her. It means the same for everyone.
19:16 Lowly wolf to mighty Azz.
19:16 What about Ember? That just implies fire.
19:16 Uh. Right. That's bad.
19:17 As Caul gets into the car, he commands his fair-weather friends to do the same. He lobs some insulting goo at the Wolf, just for the hell of it. It would be really troublesome if that one got free.
19:18 Now, uh, to start it.
19:18 At the very least, he can drive.||
19:18 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Wits and Dex, please. And where does he want the Wolf and Selma to sit?))
19:20 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ((In the back. And the driver seat. Respectively.))
19:20 $roll 1d6 Wits
19:20 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Wits" [3]  = 3
19:20 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 1d6+1 Dex
19:20 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Dex" [4] +1 = 5
19:28 <~Teller|GM> Teller The goo splats against the Wolf and drips down his chest, merging with the coating goo already there. There's nothing he can do about the insult except sit in the backseat among the trash, settling down on the fabric with a squelching sound. Selma does the same in the front of the car, growing more and more excited as she climbs into the driver's seat.
19:28 Caul has never seen a hotwired car before, but he's seen movies and it doesn't look too hard to figure out. There's only two wires with black electrical tape on them, and with copper innards exposed enough to touch together...
19:28 The engine roars to life. It sounds powerful, dangerous.
19:28 When Caul looks up, he sees a figure on the building above. Humanoid, wreathed in flame.
19:28 Ember. Powerful, dangerous.
19:28 Time to go. ||
19:28 |||
19:29 Teruzi|Caul → Teruzi
19:29 Teller|GM → ~Teller
19:33 <~Teller> ((*coating of goo))
19:45 → Thalia, Lid, JustLurking and Flitter joined  ⇐ Thaliaway, Ryneron and LRD quit  ↔ pinkmobile popped in  ↔ Dolyn nipped out  •  Inksword → Inky|Henderson, soulpelt| → soulpelt|sleep, Bel → bel|sleep
Thursday, December 20th, 2018
00:04 ⇐ Mallmann, Dolyn and Lid quit  •  Inky|Henderson → Inksword, Teller → ~Telloff, Pink → Pink|GM, Thalia → Thaliaway
03:19 → Mallmann, Megafire, Ryneron, LRD and Dolyn joined  ⇐ Flitter, Thaliaway, JustLurking and Wellwick quit  ↔ Inksword and Thalia (was Melpomene) nipped out  •  Pink|GM → Pink, soulpelt|sleep → soulpelt|, bel|sleep → Bel, Telloff → ~Teller|GM
14:19 <~Teller|GM> Teller |||
14:19 Teruzi → Teruzi|Caul
14:27 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ...
14:29 Caul lets out a nervous giggle as he revs up the motor again. There are three sets of bodies in his mind. He's only but a third of his current experience.
14:29 Excitement overshadows despair.
14:29 It eclipses caution.
14:30 The sting of his bullet wound seems to be slowly dulled as adrenaline starts to flow through his body. Bodies?
14:30 He revs the engine again, and the goopy wolf has the gun in his hands. Is he controlling that? He must be. It's not like the man can do it by himself.
14:30 It's such a precarious position to shoot from.
14:30 Such a potshot would never hit.
14:30 But sometimes it's just about taking the shot.
14:32 Caul makes the man take the shot. A second later, he starts driving the car. He makes Selma grab bottles of water at the same time. It's vaguely confusing why he's not getting the bodies mixed up.
14:32 A state of flow.
14:32 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Isn't Selma in the driver's seat?))
14:33 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ((She is, but I assume she doesn't have the seatbelt on))
14:33 → Wellwick joined (uid211357@hathersage.irccloud.com)
14:33 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ((can't she like, uh, twist?))
14:33 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Hm. Explain to me again where everyone is sitting.))
14:34 ((The part that is throwing me off is 'he starts driving the car'.))
14:34 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ((Caul on driver seat. Selma on the side. Behind her is the wolf. I imagine that gives the wolf the opportunity to climb out of the car to aim. You know, like in movies.))
14:34 ((Caul is the one drivin'))
14:34 ((He has the skill you see))
14:35 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((So Selma is in the passenger's seat, not the driver's seat.))
14:35 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ((Ah, sorry. That would be the name, yeah))
14:36 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((No problem. I understand now; you can keep going with your post.))
14:36 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres It's like a race. The wolf fires off the signal, towards Ember. And then Caul is off. Why is it that he feels the most alive when he's in such danger?
14:36 ||
14:37 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Driving, please.))
14:38 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ((2h6+1, yeah?))
14:38 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Yeah.))
14:39 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 2h6+1 Driving
14:39 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Driving" (3) [6] +1 = 7
14:39 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres yeah, just gonna put on the redline soundtrack
14:40 ((oops))
14:41 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6+4 EA
14:41 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "EA" [2] +4 = 6
14:51 → Flitter joined (uid297490@stonehaven.irccloud.com)
15:00 <~Teller|GM> Teller The gunshot sounds and the convertible takes off like a rocket. It is not hard to see why the Wolves stole this car; it is much more responsive than any he's driven before. It is also an entirely new experience driving with the top down. The wind whips past him, rustling the hood of his costume and making weird ripples on the surface of his goo-covered minions.
15:00 Ember pursues. They are /fast/ as well as athletic, bounding effortlessly from roof to roof to keep pace with the car. At this distance they aren't much more than an orange streak against the black sky, but Caul is sure that could easily change if he lets up for even a moment. ||
15:02 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres So he should probably not let out. He makes the Wolf get back inside. It was a bit fun of theatrics, but really, there was no reason to put them out in the open like that. Instead, Caul puts them to work.
15:03 Selma is hoarding the water bottles, while the wolf is throwing away the stolen clothes out in the wind. Not that it should block -much- vision, but it must look hilarious.
15:03 ⇐ Inksword quit (uid324427@brockwell.irccloud.com) Quit: Connection closed for inactivity
15:03 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Caul is too busy trying to remember where the hell is his objective. And how the hell is he supposed to -get- there without alerting half the police force.
15:03 Huh.
15:03 Maybe that was the intention.
15:04 Skyline, then franklin? Fuck.
15:04 He doesn't really have time to think on it much. He's busy driving.||
15:04 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Another driving roll, please.))
15:05 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 2h6+1 Driving
15:05 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Driving" [3] (3) +1 = 4
15:05 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6+4 EA
15:05 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "EA" [5] +4 = 9
15:09 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6+3 ED
15:09 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "ED" [1] +3 = 4
15:31 <~Teller|GM> Teller The wolf flings clothes out into the wind. Caul is right - it doesn't do much other than look funny.
15:31 Selma hoards water bottles, fumbling and dropping a few and she tries to pull them onto her lap.
15:31 The streak of orange suddenly veers to the left and vaults into the open air above the street. It looks like the jump is short and they're going to plummet several stories to the street below, but instead they hurl something at the car. A large projectile, as bright and fiery as they are...
15:31 A burning metal sword clips the right side of the car. It misses Selma by a few inches narrow inches, instead leaving a trail of sparks as screeches against the side of the car and knocks the side mirror clean off. Selma's heart pounds.
15:31 Ember seems to hang suspended in the air above the street for a second, then they glow an angry red color and rocket in a straight line towards the car. Before Caul can blink the fiery figure is almost directly on top of them, a trail of fire burning in the air between their previous location and the fiery sword that they've appeared next to. It's several car lengths back at this point, thankfully, but that fact is little comfort as Ember
15:32 grabs the hilt of the weapon, yanks it free of the asphalt, angrily throws aside a stray flying t-shirt that hits them in the face, and begins pursuing the vehicle once again.
15:32 Most of the pedestrians in the area have presumably been scared off by the gunshots, but there are still a handful of vehicles on the road. A blue van is crossing into Caul's path at the up coming intersection, swerving left and right as it does so. It seems panicked by the approaching red car and the firestorm, unable to make up its mind about where to go. ||
15:35 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Right now is really not the time to be indecisive, van person.
15:38 Caul has never actually, ah, been on a joyride before. Is that how it's called? Maybe. He really can't afford to stop, but if he continues going, he's gonna smash straight into the van.
15:38 Hrm. Ember is probably going to burn his ass if that happens.
15:38 It's really not the most ideal situation.
15:39 Although, it is certainly exciting.
15:39 He's not going to involve the people in the van futilely.
15:44 There was this movie he watched once. With fast cars. One of the final chases had a pretty cool stunt. He's... not really sure how it goes but-
15:44 Well, he has less than a second to decide it.
15:44 He flicks on the turn signal towards the right, while honking once. Maybe the Van will get finally decide on a course then.
15:45 Caul has only a moment to take a deep breath before he turns.
15:45 $roll 2h6+1 Driving
15:45 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Driving" [4] (1) +1 = 5
15:46 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres The momentum is too strong to let go of the wheel. And he doesn't really want to take his eyes away from what he's doing. His wolf is free to aim and fire, at the very least.||
15:48 -||
15:48 The sound the tires make as he brakes and turns a hard left is something he didn't quite expect. But something he quite likes.||
15:50 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Deception roll, please.))
15:51 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 1d6-1 Decepton
15:51 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Decepton" [3] -1 = 2
15:52 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ((er, that's supposed to be 2h6))
15:52 ((also deception))
15:52 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Okay. You can roll another die.))
15:52 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 1d6-1 Deception
15:52 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Deception" [6] -1 = 5
15:53 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6-1 WA
15:53 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "WA" [1] -1 = 0
15:54 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6-1 ST
15:54 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "ST" [5] -1 = 4
15:55 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 2d6+4! ED
15:55 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "ED" [5]+4 [2]+4 = 9, 6
15:55 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6+4 EA
15:55 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "EA" [3] +4 = 7
15:57 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((note: Ath))
15:57 $roll 1d6+3 Ember's Attack
15:57 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "Ember's Attack" [1] +3 = 4
15:58 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6-1 WD
15:58 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "WD" [4] -1 = 3
16:16 <~Teller|GM> Teller Caul twists the wheel and turns hard, feinting to the right but braking and skidding to the left. The Wolf and Selma both attack, the first shooting and the latter flinging one of the water bottles at the approaching cape. They barely stop moving forward, jerking to the left to avoid the gun and deflecting the water bottle with a flick of their sword.
16:16 It seems like Ember has less traction than the convertible and won't be able to stop before slamming into the broad side of the convertible, so instead they leap into the air. They pass so close overhead that Caul can make out the focused glare on the burning face above him. They - she, Caul sees now - is more like lava than fire. Her skin is glowing, patches of red and yellow shifting over each other like molten metal. Her hair is drifting
16:16 in the air around her, as if suspended in some medium. Flames roll off of her body, forming the vague shape of clothes. Her hands and feet are clawed.
16:16 One of these clawed hands brings the sword swinging down, but at the Wolf rather than Caul. The burning metal cleaves into goo and flesh alike, sending a mixture of blood and goop running down the man's arm. The man makes a muffled noise of pain beneath the goo, but the small breach does little to affect Caul's control of him.
16:16 Ember releases the sword, leaving it to clatter to the ground as she flies past and hits the ground, turning an awkward tumble into a roll that allows her to spring almost immediately back to her feet. The whole thing takes place in less than two seconds.
16:16 The blue van slams on its brakes and swerves to the right, barely managing to avoid both the supervillain and the convertible. It skids to a stop a few feet away, parked at a diagonal across the other lane. ||
16:17 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Phew!
16:17 Innocent asshole safe.
16:17 And, uh, the wolf is probably gonna bleed out soon.
16:17 That's pretty bad.
16:17 Not that Caul gives too much of a shit.
16:18 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((*leaving it to clatter to the floor of the car))
16:19 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres He doesn't really have much time to react, again, since Ember seems intent on being the fastest moving piece of magma this side of Hawaii. He should probably shout that at her in a few.
16:20 He has more pressing matters at the moment. Like the fact she's probably going to teleport the fuck on into the car in about a second. Maybe half. Good thing the wolf is already burnt.
16:21 Caul makes Selma throw water on the sword, just for the hell of it, while he forces the Wolf to grab and chuck the sword upwards.
16:21 He's pretty sure she can fly, but well.
16:21 Whatever.
16:21 He starts the car again.
16:21 At the very least the van has stopped, and he has to keep moving. Where were those cops again? Hrm. Too into Hume.
16:21 ||
16:22 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6 Wolf Resist
16:22 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "Wolf Resist" [6]  = 6
16:38 <~Teller|GM> Teller Selma pours water on the sword again as Caul speeds forward. He's well out of Kensington now, driving deeper into Tiger territory. The blue van shrinks in his rearview mirror.
16:38 A cloud of steam rises from the burning weapon as the water hits it, mixing with the acrid smell of burning carpet and plastic. The wolf reaches down to grasp the sword-
16:38 Then he stops, his muscles tensed and straining. Defiance. The man is fighting against goo and the order with everything that he has, forcing his hand to remain open above the hilt of the sword instead of closing on it. He knows as well as Caul does what will happen if the sword doesn't leave the car.
16:38 Ember leaps. A streak of fire briefly engulfs the back of the car and then dissipates, leaving behind small patches of fire on the seat and scorch marks on the side ofthe car. Ember now crouches in the back of the car, one hand on the sword, the other hand on the passenger's armrest.
16:38 "The hell is the matter with you, you fucking crazy bitch?!" she shrieks. Her voice sounds hollow, echo-y, and furious. "Stop! Before you make me run this sword through you!" ||
16:40 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "W-what? Your g-guy FUCKING SHOT ME" Caul turns around, shouting at Ember. Oh man. he was going to be so hurt for this bullshit.
16:40 "And I'm the cuh-crazy one?" He goes on, forgetting to modulate his voice.
16:41 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((*of the))
16:41 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Fine. Fuh-fuck you." He says, annoyed. Also relieved he's not on fire. Also not dying for the moment. Ember can talk. Huh!
16:42 Caul slams the braces before he slams the brakes as hard as he fucking can.
16:42 "T-there." He says, as the car comes to a stop.
16:42 Wow. Car chases are absolutely fucking amazing.||
16:43 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6 EB
16:43 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "EB" [3]  = 3
16:43 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6 WB
16:43 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "WB" [2]  = 2
16:43 <~Teller|GM> Teller $roll 1d6 SB
16:43 <+[ATM]> ATM Teller|GM "SB" [4]  = 4
16:44 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ((*Brakes))
16:45 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((What word is that correcting?))
16:45 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres ((Rather: Caul braces before he slams the brakes as hard as he fucking can.))
16:45 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Okay.))
16:48 All three of his passengers tumble forward, Ember falling into the space between the two front seats and the Wolf crashing heavily onto the floor of the car amongst the trash. Selma's head hits the dashboard, but not all that hard. Probably.
16:48 "Ffff-" Ember sits up. The car smolders beneath her. "Your..../thing/...fucking shot at /me/! So I don't want to hear it!"
16:48 "What the fuck are you even /doing/?" ||
16:49 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "That's a fuh-fucking Wolf!" Caul says, angry. "He s-shot my shoulder!"
16:50 He lets go of the wheel, sticky strands of his goop almost reluctantly being left behind.
16:50 He takes a few deep breaths before he speaks again.
16:50 "I t-think I'm guh-going to be suh-sick."||
17:02 → JustLurking joined (uid195947@hathersage.irccloud.com)
17:02 <~Teller|GM> Teller It's a definitely possibility. Smoke is coming off of the vehicle's interior, and it smells like things people shouldn't be inhaling. Ember's continued presence is only accelerating the process.
17:02 "That's a-" Ember does a double take at the gooed man behind her. "Oh. Fuck." She grows quieter. "You're like me."
17:02 She straightens herself into a more intentional kneeling position on the floor of the vehicle. Then her voice becomes louder and angry again. "Shit, I'm sorry about Wreston, and Lacrimosa, and whatever else you're pissed off about. But nobody fucking needs this right now. Not Zenith, not the Wolves, and definitely not her." She looks around and groans. "Fuck you. I shouldn't even /be/ here."
17:02 She looks at Selma. "Who's that?" ||
17:03 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Why is everyone t-talking about Luh-Lacrimosa? I don't even nuh-know her!" Caul says, as his body breaks out in a cold sweat.
17:04 Antioch → AntiClaus
17:04 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Do y-you need to b-be on fire? Fuh-fuck." Caul says, somewhat rambling.
17:04 He really shouldn't be breathing in the fumes.
17:05 "That's, uh, a fan of Ravel. S-she's helping m-me fuh-figure out my p-power." Caul says, as he rubs his forehead.
17:05 soulpelt| → santapelt|
17:05 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres He makes Selma wave, for good measure. He's sure it's what she would have wanted.
17:05 ColdGold → ScroogeMcDuck
17:07 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Alright." Caul says as he opens the door of the car. "W-whatever. I puh-panicked. F-fuck you and your fuh-flaming bullshit."
17:07 He's vaguely amused that he calls her flaming, when he's the one wearing the skirt. Wicht would find it funny. After he had an anger aneurysm.
17:08 "D-do you really nuh-need to be on fuh-fire? You wuh-won!" He adds, sourly.||
17:28 <~Teller|GM> Teller Caul can hear sirens in the very near distance. Ember stands up and leaps out of the opposite side of the vehicle, vaulting over Selma's head as she does so. "Fine."
17:28 The fire fades away to reveal a college-aged black woman. No costume, mask, or even shoes, just a shirt and some pants that both look like they've seen better days. She is still glaring, and she points at him with the sword. "Fuck with me and it's right back to fire and fighting."
17:28 "Keep the Rabble. I don't give a shit. Just...undo whatever it is you did to him, and then..." Ember sucks her teeth. "Fuck. How don't you know Lacrimosa? I- forget it. Now I really don't know why you're doing this."
17:28 "But you're still goiing to fuck everything up!" Ember squeezes the sides of her head, agitated. "Can we just agree to both go away? Wolves shot at you, you shot at me, call it a wash? Or is this shit going to be a regular occurrence with you?"
17:28 "We just got done dealing with one grudge. I am /not/ fucking looking for another one anytime soon." ||
17:28 → Inksword joined (uid324427@brockwell.irccloud.com)
17:29 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Huh. He's not on fire.
17:29 "I -can't-" Caul says, gesturing towards the Wolf. "I duh-don't nuh-know how to s-stop it. I'm f-figuring it out."
17:29 "I'm n-not luh-looking to get fuh-fucking killed here."
17:30 Caul rubs his forehead.
17:31 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((*going))
17:32 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "Well now I nuh-know she's C-Crest." He says, shaking his head. "T-this was just... a juh-joyride."
17:33 "Things m-make a lot more sense now." He adds, getting out of the car. He's jittery, but in a way he can't put his finger on.
17:34 Selma gets out of the car too. He's... probably not gonna be able to get control of Ember. But he's also successfully dragged her well into Tiger territory.
17:34 If they have -any- sort of patrol, they are probably on edge.
17:34 But so is the police.
17:34 Megafire → HearthFire
17:35 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "You m-might want to leave." He says, rubbing his shoulder. "I w-was going to g-go to jail eventually, anyhow."||
17:40 ⇐ Wellwick quit  •  ScroogeMcDuck → CG|Megaphone
17:44 <~Teller|GM> Teller "Joyride? You had that girl call me about the group home in Almeda, and-" She just seems confused. "And you want me to just leave him here with you?" She looks in the direction of the sirens. "God, fuck you. What are you going to do with him? Because this-"
17:44 "Fuck. I thought Zenith were supposed to be heroes." ||
17:46 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres "I'm a p-pity case." Cowl admits. "And t-that was a joke."
17:47 "I w-was just t-trying to do some guh-good before my t-time is over. Once Zenith is gone, so am I." He shrugs. He feels a gnawing emptiness in saying that.
17:48 "I used t-to live in Alameda g-group home. T-they duh-don't need the w-wolves preying on t-them. I f-figured I could try t-to do suh-something about it." He shakes his head.
17:48 "Didn't w-want to get s-shot doing it." He winces as his shoulder stings once more.
17:49 "You're fuh-free to try to c-carry him." He shrugs. "He's r-resisting me too m-much. It's annoying." He adds, looking straight at Ember.
17:49 ((*in the Alameda))
17:50 "You ever l-learn suh-something new about y-your power?" he asks, looking at his hand. "It's always l-like that fuh-for me."
17:50 "They'll be here soon." He comments. The cops? The tigers? Whatever.
17:52 ||
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18:05 <~Teller|GM> Teller "You tried your best to ruin the first chance of things getting back to normal we've had in months," Ember snaps. Caul isn't entirely sure what she's talking about, but she seems really nervous about being in Tiger territory. "Still might. That sure sounds like doing some good to me."
18:05 The Wolf struggles beneath his goo. Ember takes another step backwards. "Uh, yeah? Pretty new to having powers. And to being in the Wolves, so it's not like I can make promises or deals or anything. But if it mens you not doing shit like this again-" she glances at the pitiful, bleeding, goop-covered Wolf "-and letting him go when you figure out how...I'm sure Big Bad would be fine leaving the kids in the group home alone."
18:05 "Don't fuck with us, we won't fuck with you." Ember turns and begins jogging away at a rapid pace. The Wolf makes a muffled noise of anger at being left behind. ||
18:06 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres Jesus Christ on a pogo stick. That worked.
18:07 Caul jogs towards the man, applying a fresh coating on him where the blade cut him. He has no time to waste in here. The car is a wash too. Pity. It ran really well.
18:07 "If you w-want to get out of this in one puh-piece, I suggest you s-stop resisting and start cuh-collaborating." Caul says. He has the best luck. He has the worst luck.
18:08 "If you s-struggle again, I'm guh-going to walk you s-straight into the fuh-fucking police station myself."
18:08 "See who t-they believe."
18:08 That said, he too makes a speedy exit of the scene.
18:09 Can he... make the puppets climb like him? He'll figure that out after he runs away from the -stolen car-.
18:09 Oh man. He feels alive. What a weird feeling.||
18:09 <~Teller|GM> Teller ((Give me an Athletics roll, please, Teruzi|Caul.))
18:11 <Teruzi|Caul> Andres $roll 1d6 Ath
18:11 <+[ATM]> ATM Teruzi|Caul "Ath" [1]  = 1
18:19 ⇐ HearthFire quit (Megafire@net-133s0g.dynamic.ziggo.nl) Ping timeout: 181 seconds
18:22 <~Teller|GM> Teller Speedy is not quite the word to describe it. His puppets squelch away from the burning vehicle, and he himself isn't making very good time either. He hears the sirens before he sees the police car turn the corner, headlights illuminating him. They are cautious at first upon seeing him, slowing down and leaving a safe amount of space between themselves and the cape.
18:22 Then, after several moments, the car speeds up enough to pull up alongside him. The window rolls down, revealing the face of the cop that he spoke to earlier and an expression of concern.
18:23 "Cowl?" ||
18:23 ||||