Witch & Porcelain and Koan

[18:42] <Porcelain> "I- then why do you need to ask?"
[18:43] <Witch_> "It's like a lie detector, I would need to ask the question ahead of time to know your answer"
[18:43] <Porcelain> "Not what I meant."
[18:43] <Porcelain> "I mean if you don't want the answer, then why ask at all?"
[18:44] <Witch_> "..."
[18:44] <Witch_> < Rolling social quick >
[18:44] <Porcelain> ((I have no idea how to get Tyche in here))
[18:45] <Witch_> < 5+3=8 >
[18:46] <Witch_> "I- uh..."
[18:46] <Witch_> "Well, I was going to... Offer to take you on a date"
[18:46] <Porcelain> "Uh."
[18:46] <Witch_> "Nevermind"
[18:47] <Porcelain> "What exactly do you mean?"
[18:47] <Witch_> "Well..."
[18:47] <Porcelain> "There's a few ways I can interpret that, and none of them make sense."
[18:47] <Witch_> "I was going to ask if you were interested to maybe going for coffee or a movie sometime?"
[18:48] <Porcelain> "I'm kind of a monster, Witch."
[18:48]  * Witch_ shrugs
[18:48] <Witch_> "The offer stands"
[18:49] <Porcelain> "I'll keep it in mind."
[18:49] <Porcelain> "Maybe another time."
[18:50] <Witch_> "Or, I could just be there if you ever need somebody to talk toL
[18:50] <Witch_> *"
[18:50] <Porcelain> "I think that would be better.  Talking is something I can do without too much trouble."
[18:51] <Witch_> "I didn't mean to alarm or confuse you with my offer of a date, you just seem like a really nice person who nobody has given a fair chance to in that department"
[18:51] <Porcelain> "Well..."
[18:51] <Porcelain> "Thank you."
[18:52] <Porcelain> "But I'm really not as alone as you think.  I have Koan, and some other friends you wouldn't know."
[18:52] <Porcelain> "One of which in particular is a bit, ah..."
[18:52] <Porcelain> "Well, you know how it is."
[18:52] <Witch_> "I didn't imply you were alone, just..."
[18:53]  * Witch_ blushes a little
[18:53]  * Porcelain laughs a bit
[18:53] <Porcelain> "I appreciate the concern."
[18:53] <Witch_> "One second"
[18:53] <Porcelain> "Certainly."
[18:54] <Witch_> Witch grabs a piece of paper and scribbles her mobile phone number on it
[18:54] <Witch_> "Here is my phone number. Call or text me if you ever want somebody to just talk to, or maybe if you want to go on that date"
[18:55] <Porcelain> "Perhaps if one of us can find a Tinker who works in disguise."
[18:55] <Porcelain> "Would you care for mine as well?"
[18:56] <Witch_> "I would indeed! Thank you"
[18:56]  * Porcelain does the same
[18:57] <Witch_> Witch inputs the number into her phone and then carefully slides the paper into a folder inside of her bad
[18:57] <Porcelain> "Now then, I suspect Koan's gotten himself stuck outside.  You two have work to do, I imagine?"
[18:57] <Witch_> "I would suspect so"
[18:57] <Witch_> "It was a real pleasure meeting you Porcelain"
[18:58] <Porcelain> "I was about to say the same thing."
[18:58]  * Porcelain offers a handshake
[18:58]  * Witch_ accepts the handshake and reciprocates with a firm shake
[18:58] <Porcelain> "Stay safe."
[18:59] <Witch_> "I do my best to"
[18:59]  * Witch_ heads outside to meet Koan
[18:59] == Porcelain has changed nick to Koan
[18:59]  * Koan is talking on his phone
[19:00] <Koan> "Look Kit, this is urgent.  We're talking multiple synchronized attacks."
[19:01]  * Witch_ waits in the corner of Koan's line of sight
[19:01] <Koan> "People are consolidating.  Geist's been brought in by Gatling, Bear's gone into hiding, Tep is-  one sec."
[19:01] <Koan> "Hey Witch.  Tell me if you need anything."
[19:02] <Witch_> witch nods
[19:02]  * Koan turns back to his phone
[19:02]  * Witch_ eavesdrops
[19:03] <Koan> "Tep says Damocles is building an army.  Beowulf, Laelaps, Frigate, a bunch of big names."
[19:04] <Koan> "We've already got Ash and Rev in.  Come on, I'll owe you one."
[19:05]  * Koan sighs.  "No, Hallway is still out.  Come ON, Kit.  This is important."
[19:05] <Koan> "What can... tell me what I can do to make it worth it."
[19:06] <Koan> "Fine, deal.  Just get over there."
[19:06]  * Koan hangs up
[19:06] <Koan> "One more ally."
[19:06] <Witch_> "Calling in some personal favors?"
[19:06] <Witch_> "I could probably help with compensation here"
[19:06] <Koan> "And issuing some new ones."
[19:08] <Koan> "Firewall is doing the same.  Skylark and Raguel are going for the hail mary."
[19:08] <Koan> "If they can get Kasparov, that's everything solved."
[19:08] <Koan> "This whole thing is just a mess."
[19:09] <Witch_> "I am able to offer quite a wide variety of compensation here in the form of my power"
[19:09] <Witch_> "Feel free to use it as a bartering chip in the future, as long as you run it by me first"
[19:09] <Koan> "Duly noted.  Can't imagine there aren't a few people who want to get around their mental roadblocks."
[19:10] <Witch_> "Or create some new ones"
[19:10] <Koan> "That too."
[19:11] <Witch_> "Anything I can do to make myself useful?"
[19:11] <Koan> "Right now, it's just a matter of networking."
[19:11]  * Koan pauses
[19:12] <Koan> "Actually..."
[19:13] <Koan> "Morrigan, you wanna... Morrigan can explain."
[19:13]  * Koan gestures to the crows chilling in your car
[19:13] <Witch_> Witch heads into the car, nodding
[19:14]  * Koan tosses his phone onto a seat, and lets a crow start pecking at the keyboard
[19:14] <Koan> "Probably gonna wreck it, but eh."
[19:14] <Witch_> "She should add Bluetooth to these things..."
[19:15] <Koan> "I know, right?"
[19:15]  * Koan winces
[19:15] <Koan> Slowly, letter by letter, Morrigan's crow writes out a message
[19:15] <Witch_> "I offer you my services a third time Koan"
[19:16] <Koan> "Not to save my life."
[19:16] <Witch_> "Would you consider at some point explaining to me why?"
[19:16] <Witch_> "I want to understand you"
[19:16] <Koan> "No."
[19:16] <Koan> "That's like rule one of Vanguard.  No talking about triggers."
[19:17] <Koan> ((He's lying))
[19:17] <Koan> ((There's no relation to him triggering))
[19:17] <Witch_> <Which part is the lie?>
[19:17] <Witch_> < Ahh >
[19:17] <Witch_> "Listen, I understand you don't want to talk about it"
[19:17] <Witch_> "I get that"
[19:18] <Witch_> "But don't claim it is something other than what it is"
[19:19]  * Koan doesn't respond
[19:19] <Koan> The bird continues tapping
[19:19] <Witch_> "Koan, I want to be your friend"
[19:20] <Witch_> "Do you think that's still possible?"
[19:20] <Koan> "As long as you don't touch me?  Maybe."
[19:21]  * Koan grimaces
[19:21] <Koan> "That doesn't count."
[19:23] <Witch_> "I swear I won't use my power on you unless if in an emergency situation or I have your consent to"
[19:23] <Koan> "Define 'emergency'."
[19:24] <Witch_> "Say, you're threatening the group and my power is the only thing that can stop you"
[19:24] <Koan> "Kid, if I started threatening the group, nobody would notice."
[19:24] <Witch_> "Or if you are having a seizure and need to be sedated"
[19:25] <Koan> "I doubt-"
[19:25] <Koan> The bird stops typing and squawks instead
[19:25]  * Witch_ looks at the screen
[19:26] <Koan>     4-6 villains at train station. Gatling Geist Hangman Monstronomicon Scourge? Alabaster? selling bombs, guns, truck.  No civ
[19:26] <Witch_> "What's your call on this Koan?"
[19:26] <Koan> "You said you wanted to be useful."
[19:26]  * Koan shrugs
[19:27] <Koan> "I'll try to grab someone to help us if you want."
[19:27] <Witch_> "Do we have the resources to engage?"
[19:27] <Witch_> "Morg, can you grab me a bio for each of them?"
[19:27] <Koan> The bird takes the phone back and starts typing some more
[19:28] <Koan> "I know Geist.  She's a Master Breaker.  Self-duplicates, but gets more incorporeal as she does."
[19:28] <Witch_> "What kind of duplicates?"
[19:28] <Koan> "Hangman is telekinetic with ropes.  That's it."
[19:29] <Koan> "Identical to herself, just a bit harder to see."
[19:29] <Koan> "Gatling is supposedly human.  Probably a tinker."
[19:29] <Witch_> "Are they each independent?"
[19:29] <Witch_> "The duplicates, I mean"
[19:30] <Koan> "They share a mind.  Can't turn them against one another."
[19:30] <Witch_> "Wonder if my power can effect the hive mind through one body..."
[19:30]  * Koan snorts
[19:30] <Koan> "Worth a shot."
[19:31] <Koan> "I don't know the others."
[19:31] <Witch_> "Hmm..."
[19:31] <Witch_> "Monstronomicon is one hell of a name"
[19:32] <Koan> "Yup.  Probably some new fanboy who got lucky and triggered, wants the best name he can come up with."
[19:32] <Witch_> "Book of the Large, Ugly, Fictious""
[19:33]  * Koan makes a vaguely questioning sound
[19:33] <Witch_> "The literal translation of Monstronomicon
[19:33] <Koan> "News to me."
[19:34] <Koan> "He'll end up called Monstro by the end of the week, I'm calling it now."
[19:34]  * Witch_ waits impatiently for the crow
[19:34] <Koan> The crow continues typing
[19:34] <Witch_> "Assuming he makes it big enough for the media to care"
[19:34] <Koan> "Very true.  Most people don't end up that way, nowadays."
[19:34] <Witch_> "I'm sure anybody near him already calls him Monst or something similar"
[19:35] <Koan> "Heh.  Probably."
[19:35] <Koan> "Hard to compare when you've got people like Simulacrum who blow up hospital equipment, or Ishtar and her slave trade."
[19:35] <Witch_> "Tell me about Ishtar"
[19:35] <Koan> "Okay not a literal slave trade."
[19:36] <Koan> "You know what I meant."
[19:36] <Witch_> "I have no clue"
[19:36] <Witch_> "Who is she?"
[19:36] <Koan> "Oh.  Uh."
[19:36] <Koan> "She's a flying brick."
[19:36] <Koan> "Forces people to join her team."
[19:37] <Koan> "Then makes them flying bricks too."
[19:37] <Witch_> "As in holds them at gunpoint or mind control?"
[19:37] <Koan> "Gunpoint."
[19:37] <Koan> "You don't disagree with someone who can tear apart a city to track you down."
[19:38] <Witch_> "Just a brute or is there some power resisting Trump in the mix?"
[19:38] <Koan> "We don't know.  She's got Thinkers around her though.  At least one precog."
[19:39] <Koan> "That's what Skylark and Raguel are trying.  Throw off the precog, then hope our angel trumps her."
[19:39] <Witch_> "Nasty. And Simulacrum makes suicide bombing clones of  people?"
[19:40] <Koan> "Yep.  Gets them sick, then when the hospital checks in on them, they blow up the equipment."
[19:40] <Koan> "It's actually pretty petty of him, really."
[19:40] <Witch_> "Hmph"
[19:40] <Koan> "Like, huge supervillain bomb lord... and his target is hospital equipment.  Not even the doctors or patients."
[19:41] <Witch_> "... Wait"
[19:41] <Koan> "They just explode big enough to wreck the machine."
[19:41] <Witch_> "The equipment?"
[19:41] <Koan> "I know!"
[19:41] <Koan> "Weird."
[19:41] <Witch_> "Hmm..."
[19:41] <Koan> "Guess everyone's got their quirks though, right?"
[19:41] <Witch_> "Now that *is* interesting..."
[19:41] <Koan> "Never mind, don't answer."
[19:42]  * Witch_ checks on Morg's crow again
[19:42] <Koan> Still typing
[19:42] <Koan> A full essay, apparently
[19:43] <Koan> Or she's pausing to check the information
[19:43] <Witch_> "Do we know what happened to Morg?"
[19:43] <Koan> "We do not."
[19:44] <Witch_> "... It may be my recent dealings with Strangers but I'm a bit suspicious here"
[19:44] <Koan> "I hear ya."
[19:44] <Witch_> "We might want to stay on the defensive"
[19:44] <Koan> "That's been going so well so far."
[19:44] <Witch_> "At the very least until we know Morg hasn't been compromised"
[19:46] <Koan> "Hey bird, you wanna-?"
[19:46] <Koan> "I mean.  Tell us what's up."
[19:47] <Witch_> "Wouldn't it be faster to just text his phone Morg instead of having the crow type?"
[19:47] <Koan> The crow stares at you
[19:47] <Koan> Koan's phone then buzzes
[19:47]  * Witch_ internally smiles
[19:47] <Koan> "The answer is yes."
[19:48] <Koan> "You, uh, could also just call, you know."
[19:48] <Koan> "You DO have a voice."
[19:48] <Witch_> "That works too"
[19:49] <Koan> The phone fails to stop buzzing
[19:49] <Koan> "Alright, alright, what's the deal?"
[19:49]  * Koan bites his tongue
[19:50]  * Koan passes you his phone after reading the messages - one from Morrigan, one from the bird
[19:50] <Koan> Morrigan: Hiding from Thinker.
[19:51] <Koan> And from the bird:
[19:51] <Koan> Gatling - tinker.  Guns never run out, grenades never run out.  Pulls them from elsewhere, maybe? Geist - breaker master.  Invisible clones.  Thinker power? Hangman - striker.  telekinesis.  Chains become flails, telekinesis spreads. Don't know Monstronomicon, Alabaster, or Scourge.  Can't find info.  Might not be real.  Stranger(s)?
[19:52] <Witch_> "Surely Monstronomicon isn't a Stranger name"
[19:52] <Witch_> "I mean"
[19:52] <Witch_> "From a pure flavor standpoint"
[19:52] <Koan> "You'd think so, yeah."
[19:52] <Koan> "But then, if you pick something that makes no sense..."
[19:53] <Witch_> "Then you're doomed to obscurity"
[19:53] <Koan> "True."
[19:53] <Koan> "Maybe a good thing, for a stranger."
[19:54] <Witch_> "Good Strangers shouldn't have commonly known cape names"
[19:54] <Koan> "Exactly."
[19:54] <Koan> "So something obscure like Monstro whatever would be perfect."
[19:54] <Witch_> "Anyways"
[19:55] <Witch_> "I'm in favor of sitting this one out"
[19:55] <Witch_> "Both of us have no firepower, in terms of physical damage"
[19:55] <Koan> "Too risky?  I mean, uh, I guess you think it's too risky."
[19:56] <Witch_> "I don't see what we could accomplish"
[19:56] <Witch_> "Hangman alone could whip us if he got the jump on us"
[19:56] <Koan> "True."
[19:56] <Koan> "But then, you're underestimating my power."
[19:56] <Koan> "Which definitely exists."
[19:57] <Koan> "It is definitely a thing that's useful and not just a handicap to my conversational skills."
[19:57] <Witch_> "Your power is hit or miss. If it works it works well. If it doesn't, you're fucked"
[19:57] <Witch_> "No offense"
[19:57] <Koan> "None taken."
[19:57] <Witch_> "With six capes and no backup I don't want to stake this all on your power taking them out"
[19:58] <Koan> "Yeah, figures."
[19:58] <Witch_> "Your thoughts?"
[19:59] <Koan> "I think I don't like the idea of villains working together, with Strangers, after this whole stupid thing."
[19:59] <Koan> "But you're right."
[19:59] <Koan> "I guess."
[20:00] <Witch_> "We're sitting this one out then Morg"
[20:00] <Witch_> "Can you tell us more about your situation?"
[20:00] <Koan> The crow begins typing
[20:01] <Koan> "What, not gonna...?"
[20:01] <Koan> "Never mind."
[20:01] <Koan> After a bit, it finishes
[20:02] <Koan> Potential trump thinker, may sense powers.  Attacked uncostumed cape.  Keeping distance.
[20:03] <Witch_> "Anything we can do to help?"
[20:03] <Koan> Crow takes the phone back
[20:05] <Koan> Not sure, need more info
[20:05] <Witch_> "Keep us in touch as you learn more please"
[20:05] <Koan> OK
[20:07] <Koan> "Alright.  Back home and try to get to Firewall and Rapture, I guess."