Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
Pretty sure Scapegoat also has a chance for the injury to jump back to you if certain conditions aren't met.
A Different Kind of Whale (Worm/FGO-based Gamer, a FI ft. Nihilo)
- Thread starter Omida
- Start date
- Crossover Mature
GeekGod_of_Speed
He Who Enjoys The Big Words
So like an actual paramedic? Which the qualification was based on?
Honestly if you have powers that effect healing at all, and have paramedic training you could probably get a whitecard, and with how Othala both has regeneration boosting power and access to Medhall, she would have that white card even if they had to fake her paramedic training as a pharmaceutical company would have the connections to know who to bribe.
It's basically free press for the empire if they have one of the few "white card" parahuman healers
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
Othala and Victor both have white cards. Amy would like to pretend otherwise.
- Location
- England
Should be "weighing".
Should be "Stalker's" (or you could have "Shadow Stalker attempt to stay... ")
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GeekGod_of_Speed
He Who Enjoys The Big Words
Would he though? Cause he technically dosnt have a power that effects healing, he could still have the skills of an accredited surgeon and possibly even the qualifications, but I couldn't describe his power as "healing" in any way
It's kinda like the difference between a "healer" and a "doctor" that I've seen in some sci-fi & fantasy fics. A healer can be anybody that could help somebody recover to full health faster through esoteric means, while a doctor is an academic that has studied everything and could do almost the same thing by medicine
Healing is a process meanwhile medicine is a science
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The bouncing back happens if the person gets too far from him before it fully transfers to him or if either take too large a hit while it's transferring tho given in canon something like the van he was in did an emergency stop and it didn't bounce back it's not as low as made out both of which are hardly relevant in most cases.
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
It is a lot simpler than that.
The funny costumed person flashes his white card and everyone knows that he's qualified for paramedic duties.
That's it. That's the whole purpose of the system when it comes to White Cards.
It's still consequences that can fuck up the patient and the trigger is very much relevant when you're doing disaster relief, helping pull people out of a firefight or dealing with an Endbringer battle (if the Endbringer decides to target the tent, you can't very well tell them no).
So Scapegoat gets a different color of card that immediately tells emergency services, heroes, PRT, everyone that there are risks.
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Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
Too busy living her best life of punching the teeth out of 80% of Winslow's population.
Chapter 8: 1-7 [Fixers]
- Location
- London
January 4th
"Mmmmm~... hmmm~." Elizabeth hummed cheerfully the tune of her ol' reliable under her nose as she skipped along the streets of the downtown Brockton Bay. The city was kinda dreary, in her honest opinion, but then, she did remember the flash and splendour of Millennium Capital and Mare Aurum, the almost overwhelming decadence of Vegas and even the sunny carefreeness of Hawai'i. Okay, so maybe that last part was really unfair, the island was tropics in the middle of a summer and Brockton Bay was… decidedly not.
Still, compared to the wild and fantastical locales Elizabeth's memories told her she had been allowed to be summoned to in the past… Future? The dates involved made her head hurt from thinking too hard on the details. The point being, Brockton Bay was dreadfully boooring in comparison. The Asian portion was, to the credit of the baron running the place, much better in that regard, even if portions of it did remind Elizabeth of that damnable vixen who so delighted in visiting utter humiliation upon Elizabeth in one of those sets of memories.
She flexed her fingers on instinct, the claw-like nails of her hands pinching gently into the skin of her palms as she imagined wrapping them around that neck and squeezing. Or, or, or maybe inviting her to Csejte's baths and... Nononono, bad thoughts, bad. You're supposed to be better nowadays, Elizabeth.
Shaking her head, Elizabeth stopped her happy spring and began a more normal walk. Her mood was a bit soured anyway. Best to stop thinking of the fox before she managed to ruin her day without even being present.
Ah, but with how Master's power worked, she could show up and usurp her at any moment, couldn't she.
She felt her tail unwrap itself from around her waist, rustling the cloth of the dress and stopped it with an irritated click of the tongue. Deerlet's little magic item that hid her extra-cute features was… it was, she supposed. Elizabeth had never been summoned in a normal Grail War, both Moon Cell and Chaldea were unique in their operations so having a few extra bits wasn't the most eye catching thing. On Earth Bet, on the other hand, the extra bits were a feature of the stand out and she promised Deerlet she would keep low-key until her debut. Even if it grated to keep down.
Deerlet in general was… weird. Closer to Ritsuka, if she were to be honest, if not quite as open to cooperation with more… unstable cases, as Gilles' card had shown her. And yet, they were willing to entertain her.
She had to keep being a good girl. If she fucked up and managed to slide back, she doubted they would offer a second chance like Hakuno did.
She paused as another tune invaded her personal space. The cheery, kinda cheap stuff that typically accompanied adverts. Tilting her head, she focused on the other side of the street, a little bit ahead of her where some sort of small crowd, primarily parents with children, crowded around a shop, in front of which some woman seemed to be doing a puppet show using oversized animal plushies. Coming closer, it came apparent that the woman in question was an obvious cape, with a rather well done blonde wig and porcelain mask sculpted into an imitation of a face. Puffy, somewhat lacy white dress too. The movements of the plushies were quite fluid and the woman didn't seem to need gestures much. The owner of the store prattled on about this or that, Elizabeth didn't particularly care, her attention on the parahuman.
About Elizabeth's own height, skilled but with enough sense to make sure the show came first and not call undue attention to herself. Decent eye for the aesthetic side of things. Shame Deerlet wasn't here with her, Da'at automatically identifying things for them was soooo convenient.
Bah! She was both an idol and a countess! She could damn well do her own meet'n'greet! Hm-hm-hm…
She fiddled with the charm Deerlet provided her with, clawed finger scraping at the runes a little bit to dilute the effect. She hoped so, it would be inconvenient to just accidentally rip it and reveal her gloriously cute full form before debut. But she still needed to signal to the parahuman she wanted to talk business.
Eventually, however, the impromptu puppet show did end, the parahuman got paid, the crowd dispersed, either to patron the shop or go home and Elizabeth approached.
"Before you say anything." The parahuman opened the moment Liz was close enough for there to be no need to raise voice. "I am not taking costume commissions. No, this is not negotiable and no, you cannot convince me otherwise with exotic materials your power makes." She sounded really irritated too.
"Wow, ru-de." She shot accusingly right back, puffing her cheeks in a somewhat exaggerated pout. "I haven't even said a thing yet." The parahuman visibly flinched and Elizabeth patted herself mentally on the back for getting the accusatory tone juuuust right.
"Ah… Sorry, so many newbie capes think that just because my power lets me control cloth and I have some sense for fashion that I will be their personal tailor."
Elizabeth gave the parahuman a smug grin as she flipped her hair with a well practised, smooth gesture. "Forgiven. Now, while I am interested in you, I can promise you that I can handle my fashion needs all on my own." The parahuman made a sound a bit like she choked and Elizabeth had to hold back a smirk. Or the urge to laugh like a princess in a manga. "You see, I'm looking to go into showbiz and I could certainly use a hand from a skilled helper to set up some of the details of the events themselves."
"Parahuman performers… I don't think anyone has tried that with any particular success." The woman muttered, bringing a hand to her mask's chin in an obvious signalling of consideration. "I'm… not quite sure I am willing to sign up for anything long-term…"
"That's fine, that's fine~." Elizabeth waved the concern away, even as she turned around and motioned for the woman to follow. "We all have our passions and it's better to find out ours are incompatible at the planning stage before the fame and fortune makes us grit our teeth and force us to endure the drama for the bennies."
"Reasonable." Came the quiet reply from behind her and Elizabeth allowed herself to slowly, carefully unfurl her tail to caress the cape's side. Slowly. Wouldn't do to startle a potential employee. Hmmm, but she needed a name to introduce herself to the parahuman, it wouldn't do to just resort to 'hey you'-ing it the whole time. Not Elizabeth either, that would put the parahuman in that awkward spot of being obliged to respond in kind, kinda defeating the purpose of cape aliases, no?
"By the way, you can call me Bathory." Eh, it's not like those not in the know would believe her anyway. And she would rather die than use Carmilla.
"Parian. So… what do you have in mind?"
Bingo~.
The most time consuming part of every enterprise, in James' humble opinion, was always the set-up. All the variables to be discovered and accounted for, people to meet, information gathered on the local conditions etcetera. So much legwork going into it. Frankly, he had almost forgotten just how much hassle it was, so long it has been since he had to do such work himself. Shinjuku was a joint venture as well as a bit of an improv and then his time at Chaldea… Well, his expertise was, sadly, not in demand. It had been decades since James Moriarty had truly started from scratch.
Frankly speaking, he was feeling downright nostalgic! With the body of a Servant allowing him to enjoy all the benefits of his age with none of the downsides, he could even say he was young again!
"Dohohoho."
Brockton Bay was his kind of city too. Rotten and steeped in desperation, full of opportunities for a man who just knew where to look. Oh, it had plenty of established players as well, but was that not true of London of his teenage years too? It held up still, but James could tell, this was a city on the downward spiral. Abandoned industrial areas left to rot or vagrancy, the law enforcement unwilling or unable to push too hard against the crime, protests by irate and desperate workers only further digging the city's grave…
Truly, what kind of good deed did James do to be pulled to such a delightful buffet?
Still, even with information Young Lisa gave him providing him with leads as to where to direct his internet investigations, there was just so much to do. Normally, he would scout out the local players but… his Master, aware of it or not, has already began work on the Asians. This… Empire (quite presumptuous of them, limited to a single city, even with ties towards similar groups across the rest of the country, and with puppeteer's strings flowing back from Europe) was a no-go, ideologically motivated groups were volatile at the best of times, in James' opinion. And the exact ideology of the Empire made them more of an excellent focal point of an alliance effort, something to use as a glue to stick disparate parts together excising than someone to bring to the table. About the only good thing he had to say about them was the quality of their drugs, but then, every two bit dealer, monkey and wanna-be could manage something respectable with the kind of resources the Empire clearly had on hand.
Merchants were too decentralised to bring into the fold properly, and besides, their value lay mostly in their parahumans… Parahuman, really. While unfortunately named mister Skidmark had a decent brain for the whole thing, it was his lover that was valuable. Skilled labour was always more valuable than management, really, harder to replace, even if you didn't account for the exclusivity supernatural powers offered.
Which left smaller players. Young Lisa's little motley crew of upstarts, playing to the direction of a conductor hidden from public's view to the point Coil was half considered an urban legend. A dazzling array of independents seeking to strike it big on their own, failing more often than not. And, naturally, mercenaries. People after James' own heart. A person doing things for money, now you knew exactly where you stood with those, from start to finish. Excellent relationship to establish and cultivate.
There was, usually, just a problem of how to approach them casually. It was good to first get the measure of their characters. Sometimes, greed made people a little bit short sighted.
He was pondering that exact problem when he came upon the most interesting sight. A pair of young ladies near a police station, one a tall blonde and the other a slightly shorter brunette. Now, they didn't look unusual at first glance, but even with just his very short stay in the city and a dearth of interactions with them, James knew a parahuman when he saw one. Similar to magi back home and really, any person with powers, there was a certain air to them, a laundry list of subtle tells in their bearing that an attentive eye could spot.
And the two young ladies had that air. Admittedly, the blonde less so, appearing a bit less lucid than her companion. She could certainly pass as simply mentally unwell to an uneducated observer. But if James had any doubts about her powers, the fact the lady was most definitely perceiving the entrance to one of the mini-Singularities Master's power kept popping up would dispel them.
Well then, best to make sure she didn't do something foolish.
He crossed the distance between them quickly but without appearing to actually hurry, lest he be perceived as a threat. As an added benefit, it allowed him to catch a snippet of their conversation.
"...you sure about that? Don't see a thing here." The shorter one questioned her companion.
"There is." The blonde replied absent-mindedly, fingers already tracing the glyph marking the entrance.
"Ahem." James coughed to announce himself. No physical contact, old chap. "I would be careful with those if you can actually see them, young lady. They are a bit–"
It happened without really any warning. One moment, they were on a fairly quiet street. The next, they ended at the entrance of… was that one of those breaching shooting gallery training courses he had heard a bit about?
"–dangerous." He finished nonplussed. "These pockets are inhabited by hostile constructs my… comrade's power conjures." He offered an explanation to the brunette. The blonde, unfortunately, didn't seem to fully notice they shifted. What he wouldn't give for Master's presence right now, Da'at was an invaluable helper.
"Ellie?" The lucid one of the duo shook her companion with worry in her voice, to little effect. "You! Fix this!" She turned around pointing an accusing finger at James' face.
"As I said, this is not the result of my power, miss. I know there's a condition for it to release you, however I'm not sure it will work properly, given our… unusual method of entrance."
"I'm not going anywhere." She spat out, interposing herself more firmly between him and her blonde companion.
James sighed, rubbing his temple. Youth these days. Still, it did provide him with an opportunity. Improvisation may have been something he hated doing, but he could do it, and do it well if the situation necessitated, in his humble opinion. So he simply manifested his modified cane with a flourish and gave a bow.
He hoped, at least, that he would be able to save the materials gained in this excursion.
January 5th
"Hope you don't mind my plus one." Challenger greeted Outis when she arrived that afternoon at the Boat Graveyard. She motioned at [Lancer: Armsmaster] fiddling with a display attached to his arm. The man was tall, clad in dark blue power armour with silver highlights, its helm covering the upper portion of his face. Perhaps he was simply that proud of his finely kept beard. Either that or PR had gotten on his ass. "Armsy here wanted to test his field analysis equipment in somewhat controlled conditions."
"I will remain strictly an observer." The man stated gruffly. "It won't substitute for the data we would've gotten from proper full power testing at PRT HQ, but we cannot exactly force you into it."
"Fair nuff. I'll keep a few cards to my chest," Hehe. The card puns would get old at some point, but today was not it, "But I'm sure you'll still get some interesting data from what I brought to the party. Speaking of, rules for the rumble?"
Challenger gave her a wry grin as she pointed at her weapons resting comfortably at her bike. "Unarmed. I'm afraid even if you could walk it off and weren't vigorously working on seducing Panacea into your private nurse, PR would still have my head over blood loss and broken bones in what's supposed to be friendly spar."
"Well, so much for giving the big man something to sink his teeth into, but aight." Outis rolled her shoulders, Indigo Assassin sloughing off with the motion to be replaced by Berserker, "Red on red it is."
No Mad Enhancement if she could help it, either. She got worked up enough without it and they were trying for something that wouldn't send either of them to the hospital.
Challenger met her with a crack of the knuckles, her grin widening a little bit as she crouched low.
"She didn't fight the restriction very hard because that way she gets an excuse to keep coming for more." Armsmaster pointed out dryly. "And it is, in a way, power testing for her that way." The man added before he nodded to himself and retreated back towards the two government sanctioned heroes' bikes.
That was all the invitation Berserker needed, using that musclepower of hers to rush the whitehat. AGL was king when it came to mobility, but for linear acceleration? Strength mattered.
Challenger kept her grin up, and position, merely shifting her footing slightly for better balance as she spread her arms. Looking just about ready to receive Berserker's charge with a big ol hug.
Outis' heel dug into the stone of the yard at the last second, turning into the perfect pivot to transfer all the momentum of her charge into a leg sweep. It was a risky move, because even by using her legs Challenger still had reach advantage on her tiny ass, but this was a friendly spar. Exactly the sort of place to see what would and wouldn't work without any real danger.
Besides, being fun sized had its own advantages. A low hunch for the whole motion meant she was a pain in the ass to hit, while being so much lighter meant she had options. Challenger answered by springing forward, lunging head on into a tackle, thrusting her hands forward and, seemingly for fun, just miming a grabbing motion first.
Berserker couldn't help but laugh even as, in a motion that'd have wrecked her old body's shoulder and turned her spine into gravel, she flipped all her weight into the hand facing away from the cape. Her core muscles screamed at her as her back arched and her organs shifted in ways she was pretty sure a human wouldn't be able to get away with, but she managed. The only issue? She didn't have much momentum to work with. Thankfully, a flash of red smoke was enough to give the double kick enough spice as her shoes acquaintanced themselves with Challenger's hastily pulled down forearms, the woman grunting in pain as she was lifted further into the air.
She hit the ground on her feet a moment later, having twisted through her flight to stick the landing. She massaged each of her limbs slowly as she gave Berserker another look. "Definitely Brute rules. Brute married with Uber's skill, I want to say." She added a touch louder for the benefits of their audience.
"Eh, may as well give you a freebie. Not quite skill, I just have a lot of body control like this." Outis said as she dusted herself off, having followed with the kick's motion to spring back to her feet. She was being a little shit here, because the other Cards sure as hell gave her a bunch of lowercase-s skill, Berserker gave her instinct and control. But hey, all in good fun, right? "Kinesthetic sense, I think the term is?"
"Still a Combat Thinker." Challenger shrugged. "Which is a pretty sweet combo, not gonna lie. It's either one or the other, you don't really see both in the same package. I might actually get what Armsy's beef with Dauntless is, when put like that." She added under her breath.
"Now, HAVE AT YOU!" She shouted, springing forward with both first held close to the chest.
Berserker grinned, juking to the woman's blindspot. She wanted to see what sort of workarounds Challenger had trained up.
"You know." Panacea sighed as she worked, quite slowly for the parahuman healer's proficiency, on Outis' bruising. She'd gotten her ass beat like a drum, it was great! Very educational. "You're not even the first parahuman related case I've had today. Nor the only independent cape related."
"Aren't there like ninety independents crawling around the Bay at any given time?" Indigo Assassin asked with a chuckle, "I'm somehow unsurprised. But do spill the tea."
"Most of these independents have better things to do than 'terrorising' 'innocent' highschoolers." Panacea deadpanned. "And sure, the way Stalker tells it, Winslow is just a low simmer gang war all the time, but I have the hospital data on my side, you know?"
"Pft. So, how many gang tattoos did these poor, innocent souls have?" Outis snorted. "And what was the damage? Must've been more interesting than a few stab wounds and the odd bullet if it caught your eye."
"Ten Totally Not Hitlerjugend Boys, We Swear On Our Mums' Graves, all get rolled in with a generous serving of bee stingers still firmly lodged in them. Which, you know, compared to the few actual Carrie situations recorded is downright tame. Also let me pretty much nail the important bit of the new trigger's power. Pretty nice of them to tell their mind controlled tormentors turned victims to turn themselves to the hospital for treatment." Panacea recited in a completely dry tone. "Now, since they were Mastered, and their injuries were merely painful, not life threatening, I could have refused to treat them, but a few dogwhistly tattoos and questionable fashion choices does not yet constitute evidence of gang affiliation."
"Sounds like a panicked new trigger trying not to get deaths on their record, alright." Assassin grunted, parsing the slang well enough. Freshly minted parahuman. Also, man, Panacea was a much better person than Outis. She'd just have checked them over to make sure they wouldn't die and left them to enjoy the finding out part of fucking around. "Anything interesting about the venom or the stingers, or were they just vectors for the power?"
"Nothing in particular. I could afford a little bit of fucking around, given the circumstances, so I could tell that it was the venom that was the vector of the effect. Just the presence, in of itself. Otherwise, it was perfectly normal bee stuff." The healer sighed.
"Probably for the best. World has enough on its plate to add a side-dish of synthesizable mind-control venom." Assassin grunted as she relaxed into the chair, "Any volunteers for my exam so far?"
"There's always someone who would rather get out sooner rather than later." Panacea noted dryly. "The biggest time sink is assembling all the necessary equipment and documentation. PRT takes Healer Cards with maximal seriousness." She smiled thinly as she looked up at Outis' face. "If you're impatient, you can always take the theoretical side whenever you feel ready."
"Ugh, I'm getting flashbacks to my biotech courses already. Fucking pentanes and hexanes, bane of my existence." Outis whined theatrically. Truth was, even with Violet Caster giving her the equivalent of a passing grade in the Clock Tower for every magic discipline she could think of, trying to piece that together into mundane medical knowledge that'd get her through a no-shit medical licence exam would be a trial. If she was optimistic.
Asclepius, please come home.
"I have White because my power is bullshit." Panacea acquiesced. "They still expect me to pass the necessary medical exams within a few years or they will take it away and hand me out the next tier. So, y'know, both me and Vicky are studying higher-education courses while still in high school. If I wasn't an introvert, I would mourn the effects it would have on my social life."
"Instead, you got the perfect excuse to dodge extroverts." Assassin chuckled.
"Unfortunately, one of them decided on the cunning plan of taking on a similar workload to mine to deprive me of an excuse when she swings by." Panacea shook her head. "Well, your ouchies are gone, I got another decent look at your biology, we talked shop a little bit."
"All in a day's work." Outis nodded as she took the dismissal for what it was, "I'd say have a good day, but we both know you're dealing with thrice the amount of idiots than a retail worker. At least the pay's good."
Special thanks to my Patrons: Xanah, Unknown B, Penguino, JoJoDio, Shirou0Emiya, Bowchikabowow. MetaWorld42, nununu, Just Some Guy With A Mustage, Ermast, Helios, Joshua Littlesun and [TEE], who decided my writing is actually worth paying for.
AN: Huh, what do you know, I lied about there being no Moriarty PoV. A quick check--up confirms that this is, fortunately, the last time we have peek inside his head, so it's mostly just a consequence of it being a long time since i wrote that little segment.
"Mmmmm~... hmmm~." Elizabeth hummed cheerfully the tune of her ol' reliable under her nose as she skipped along the streets of the downtown Brockton Bay. The city was kinda dreary, in her honest opinion, but then, she did remember the flash and splendour of Millennium Capital and Mare Aurum, the almost overwhelming decadence of Vegas and even the sunny carefreeness of Hawai'i. Okay, so maybe that last part was really unfair, the island was tropics in the middle of a summer and Brockton Bay was… decidedly not.
Still, compared to the wild and fantastical locales Elizabeth's memories told her she had been allowed to be summoned to in the past… Future? The dates involved made her head hurt from thinking too hard on the details. The point being, Brockton Bay was dreadfully boooring in comparison. The Asian portion was, to the credit of the baron running the place, much better in that regard, even if portions of it did remind Elizabeth of that damnable vixen who so delighted in visiting utter humiliation upon Elizabeth in one of those sets of memories.
She flexed her fingers on instinct, the claw-like nails of her hands pinching gently into the skin of her palms as she imagined wrapping them around that neck and squeezing. Or, or, or maybe inviting her to Csejte's baths and... Nononono, bad thoughts, bad. You're supposed to be better nowadays, Elizabeth.
Shaking her head, Elizabeth stopped her happy spring and began a more normal walk. Her mood was a bit soured anyway. Best to stop thinking of the fox before she managed to ruin her day without even being present.
She felt her tail unwrap itself from around her waist, rustling the cloth of the dress and stopped it with an irritated click of the tongue. Deerlet's little magic item that hid her extra-cute features was… it was, she supposed. Elizabeth had never been summoned in a normal Grail War, both Moon Cell and Chaldea were unique in their operations so having a few extra bits wasn't the most eye catching thing. On Earth Bet, on the other hand, the extra bits were a feature of the stand out and she promised Deerlet she would keep low-key until her debut. Even if it grated to keep down.
Deerlet in general was… weird. Closer to Ritsuka, if she were to be honest, if not quite as open to cooperation with more… unstable cases, as Gilles' card had shown her. And yet, they were willing to entertain her.
She paused as another tune invaded her personal space. The cheery, kinda cheap stuff that typically accompanied adverts. Tilting her head, she focused on the other side of the street, a little bit ahead of her where some sort of small crowd, primarily parents with children, crowded around a shop, in front of which some woman seemed to be doing a puppet show using oversized animal plushies. Coming closer, it came apparent that the woman in question was an obvious cape, with a rather well done blonde wig and porcelain mask sculpted into an imitation of a face. Puffy, somewhat lacy white dress too. The movements of the plushies were quite fluid and the woman didn't seem to need gestures much. The owner of the store prattled on about this or that, Elizabeth didn't particularly care, her attention on the parahuman.
About Elizabeth's own height, skilled but with enough sense to make sure the show came first and not call undue attention to herself. Decent eye for the aesthetic side of things. Shame Deerlet wasn't here with her, Da'at automatically identifying things for them was soooo convenient.
Bah! She was both an idol and a countess! She could damn well do her own meet'n'greet! Hm-hm-hm…
She fiddled with the charm Deerlet provided her with, clawed finger scraping at the runes a little bit to dilute the effect. She hoped so, it would be inconvenient to just accidentally rip it and reveal her gloriously cute full form before debut. But she still needed to signal to the parahuman she wanted to talk business.
Eventually, however, the impromptu puppet show did end, the parahuman got paid, the crowd dispersed, either to patron the shop or go home and Elizabeth approached.
"Before you say anything." The parahuman opened the moment Liz was close enough for there to be no need to raise voice. "I am not taking costume commissions. No, this is not negotiable and no, you cannot convince me otherwise with exotic materials your power makes." She sounded really irritated too.
"Wow, ru-de." She shot accusingly right back, puffing her cheeks in a somewhat exaggerated pout. "I haven't even said a thing yet." The parahuman visibly flinched and Elizabeth patted herself mentally on the back for getting the accusatory tone juuuust right.
"Ah… Sorry, so many newbie capes think that just because my power lets me control cloth and I have some sense for fashion that I will be their personal tailor."
Elizabeth gave the parahuman a smug grin as she flipped her hair with a well practised, smooth gesture. "Forgiven. Now, while I am interested in you, I can promise you that I can handle my fashion needs all on my own." The parahuman made a sound a bit like she choked and Elizabeth had to hold back a smirk. Or the urge to laugh like a princess in a manga. "You see, I'm looking to go into showbiz and I could certainly use a hand from a skilled helper to set up some of the details of the events themselves."
"Parahuman performers… I don't think anyone has tried that with any particular success." The woman muttered, bringing a hand to her mask's chin in an obvious signalling of consideration. "I'm… not quite sure I am willing to sign up for anything long-term…"
"That's fine, that's fine~." Elizabeth waved the concern away, even as she turned around and motioned for the woman to follow. "We all have our passions and it's better to find out ours are incompatible at the planning stage before the fame and fortune makes us grit our teeth and force us to endure the drama for the bennies."
"Reasonable." Came the quiet reply from behind her and Elizabeth allowed herself to slowly, carefully unfurl her tail to caress the cape's side. Slowly. Wouldn't do to startle a potential employee. Hmmm, but she needed a name to introduce herself to the parahuman, it wouldn't do to just resort to 'hey you'-ing it the whole time. Not Elizabeth either, that would put the parahuman in that awkward spot of being obliged to respond in kind, kinda defeating the purpose of cape aliases, no?
"By the way, you can call me Bathory." Eh, it's not like those not in the know would believe her anyway. And she would rather die than use Carmilla.
"Parian. So… what do you have in mind?"
Bingo~.
The most time consuming part of every enterprise, in James' humble opinion, was always the set-up. All the variables to be discovered and accounted for, people to meet, information gathered on the local conditions etcetera. So much legwork going into it. Frankly, he had almost forgotten just how much hassle it was, so long it has been since he had to do such work himself. Shinjuku was a joint venture as well as a bit of an improv and then his time at Chaldea… Well, his expertise was, sadly, not in demand. It had been decades since James Moriarty had truly started from scratch.
Frankly speaking, he was feeling downright nostalgic! With the body of a Servant allowing him to enjoy all the benefits of his age with none of the downsides, he could even say he was young again!
"Dohohoho."
Brockton Bay was his kind of city too. Rotten and steeped in desperation, full of opportunities for a man who just knew where to look. Oh, it had plenty of established players as well, but was that not true of London of his teenage years too? It held up still, but James could tell, this was a city on the downward spiral. Abandoned industrial areas left to rot or vagrancy, the law enforcement unwilling or unable to push too hard against the crime, protests by irate and desperate workers only further digging the city's grave…
Truly, what kind of good deed did James do to be pulled to such a delightful buffet?
Still, even with information Young Lisa gave him providing him with leads as to where to direct his internet investigations, there was just so much to do. Normally, he would scout out the local players but… his Master, aware of it or not, has already began work on the Asians. This… Empire (quite presumptuous of them, limited to a single city, even with ties towards similar groups across the rest of the country, and with puppeteer's strings flowing back from Europe) was a no-go, ideologically motivated groups were volatile at the best of times, in James' opinion. And the exact ideology of the Empire made them more of an excellent focal point of an alliance effort, something to use as a glue to stick disparate parts together excising than someone to bring to the table. About the only good thing he had to say about them was the quality of their drugs, but then, every two bit dealer, monkey and wanna-be could manage something respectable with the kind of resources the Empire clearly had on hand.
Merchants were too decentralised to bring into the fold properly, and besides, their value lay mostly in their parahumans… Parahuman, really. While unfortunately named mister Skidmark had a decent brain for the whole thing, it was his lover that was valuable. Skilled labour was always more valuable than management, really, harder to replace, even if you didn't account for the exclusivity supernatural powers offered.
Which left smaller players. Young Lisa's little motley crew of upstarts, playing to the direction of a conductor hidden from public's view to the point Coil was half considered an urban legend. A dazzling array of independents seeking to strike it big on their own, failing more often than not. And, naturally, mercenaries. People after James' own heart. A person doing things for money, now you knew exactly where you stood with those, from start to finish. Excellent relationship to establish and cultivate.
There was, usually, just a problem of how to approach them casually. It was good to first get the measure of their characters. Sometimes, greed made people a little bit short sighted.
He was pondering that exact problem when he came upon the most interesting sight. A pair of young ladies near a police station, one a tall blonde and the other a slightly shorter brunette. Now, they didn't look unusual at first glance, but even with just his very short stay in the city and a dearth of interactions with them, James knew a parahuman when he saw one. Similar to magi back home and really, any person with powers, there was a certain air to them, a laundry list of subtle tells in their bearing that an attentive eye could spot.
And the two young ladies had that air. Admittedly, the blonde less so, appearing a bit less lucid than her companion. She could certainly pass as simply mentally unwell to an uneducated observer. But if James had any doubts about her powers, the fact the lady was most definitely perceiving the entrance to one of the mini-Singularities Master's power kept popping up would dispel them.
Well then, best to make sure she didn't do something foolish.
He crossed the distance between them quickly but without appearing to actually hurry, lest he be perceived as a threat. As an added benefit, it allowed him to catch a snippet of their conversation.
"...you sure about that? Don't see a thing here." The shorter one questioned her companion.
"There is." The blonde replied absent-mindedly, fingers already tracing the glyph marking the entrance.
"Ahem." James coughed to announce himself. No physical contact, old chap. "I would be careful with those if you can actually see them, young lady. They are a bit–"
It happened without really any warning. One moment, they were on a fairly quiet street. The next, they ended at the entrance of… was that one of those breaching shooting gallery training courses he had heard a bit about?
"–dangerous." He finished nonplussed. "These pockets are inhabited by hostile constructs my… comrade's power conjures." He offered an explanation to the brunette. The blonde, unfortunately, didn't seem to fully notice they shifted. What he wouldn't give for Master's presence right now, Da'at was an invaluable helper.
"Ellie?" The lucid one of the duo shook her companion with worry in her voice, to little effect. "You! Fix this!" She turned around pointing an accusing finger at James' face.
"As I said, this is not the result of my power, miss. I know there's a condition for it to release you, however I'm not sure it will work properly, given our… unusual method of entrance."
"I'm not going anywhere." She spat out, interposing herself more firmly between him and her blonde companion.
James sighed, rubbing his temple. Youth these days. Still, it did provide him with an opportunity. Improvisation may have been something he hated doing, but he could do it, and do it well if the situation necessitated, in his humble opinion. So he simply manifested his modified cane with a flourish and gave a bow.
He hoped, at least, that he would be able to save the materials gained in this excursion.
January 5th
"Hope you don't mind my plus one." Challenger greeted Outis when she arrived that afternoon at the Boat Graveyard. She motioned at [Lancer: Armsmaster] fiddling with a display attached to his arm. The man was tall, clad in dark blue power armour with silver highlights, its helm covering the upper portion of his face. Perhaps he was simply that proud of his finely kept beard. Either that or PR had gotten on his ass. "Armsy here wanted to test his field analysis equipment in somewhat controlled conditions."
"I will remain strictly an observer." The man stated gruffly. "It won't substitute for the data we would've gotten from proper full power testing at PRT HQ, but we cannot exactly force you into it."
"Fair nuff. I'll keep a few cards to my chest," Hehe. The card puns would get old at some point, but today was not it, "But I'm sure you'll still get some interesting data from what I brought to the party. Speaking of, rules for the rumble?"
Challenger gave her a wry grin as she pointed at her weapons resting comfortably at her bike. "Unarmed. I'm afraid even if you could walk it off and weren't vigorously working on seducing Panacea into your private nurse, PR would still have my head over blood loss and broken bones in what's supposed to be friendly spar."
"Well, so much for giving the big man something to sink his teeth into, but aight." Outis rolled her shoulders, Indigo Assassin sloughing off with the motion to be replaced by Berserker, "Red on red it is."
No Mad Enhancement if she could help it, either. She got worked up enough without it and they were trying for something that wouldn't send either of them to the hospital.
Challenger met her with a crack of the knuckles, her grin widening a little bit as she crouched low.
"She didn't fight the restriction very hard because that way she gets an excuse to keep coming for more." Armsmaster pointed out dryly. "And it is, in a way, power testing for her that way." The man added before he nodded to himself and retreated back towards the two government sanctioned heroes' bikes.
That was all the invitation Berserker needed, using that musclepower of hers to rush the whitehat. AGL was king when it came to mobility, but for linear acceleration? Strength mattered.
Challenger kept her grin up, and position, merely shifting her footing slightly for better balance as she spread her arms. Looking just about ready to receive Berserker's charge with a big ol hug.
Outis' heel dug into the stone of the yard at the last second, turning into the perfect pivot to transfer all the momentum of her charge into a leg sweep. It was a risky move, because even by using her legs Challenger still had reach advantage on her tiny ass, but this was a friendly spar. Exactly the sort of place to see what would and wouldn't work without any real danger.
Besides, being fun sized had its own advantages. A low hunch for the whole motion meant she was a pain in the ass to hit, while being so much lighter meant she had options. Challenger answered by springing forward, lunging head on into a tackle, thrusting her hands forward and, seemingly for fun, just miming a grabbing motion first.
Berserker couldn't help but laugh even as, in a motion that'd have wrecked her old body's shoulder and turned her spine into gravel, she flipped all her weight into the hand facing away from the cape. Her core muscles screamed at her as her back arched and her organs shifted in ways she was pretty sure a human wouldn't be able to get away with, but she managed. The only issue? She didn't have much momentum to work with. Thankfully, a flash of red smoke was enough to give the double kick enough spice as her shoes acquaintanced themselves with Challenger's hastily pulled down forearms, the woman grunting in pain as she was lifted further into the air.
She hit the ground on her feet a moment later, having twisted through her flight to stick the landing. She massaged each of her limbs slowly as she gave Berserker another look. "Definitely Brute rules. Brute married with Uber's skill, I want to say." She added a touch louder for the benefits of their audience.
"Eh, may as well give you a freebie. Not quite skill, I just have a lot of body control like this." Outis said as she dusted herself off, having followed with the kick's motion to spring back to her feet. She was being a little shit here, because the other Cards sure as hell gave her a bunch of lowercase-s skill, Berserker gave her instinct and control. But hey, all in good fun, right? "Kinesthetic sense, I think the term is?"
"Still a Combat Thinker." Challenger shrugged. "Which is a pretty sweet combo, not gonna lie. It's either one or the other, you don't really see both in the same package. I might actually get what Armsy's beef with Dauntless is, when put like that." She added under her breath.
"Now, HAVE AT YOU!" She shouted, springing forward with both first held close to the chest.
Berserker grinned, juking to the woman's blindspot. She wanted to see what sort of workarounds Challenger had trained up.
"You know." Panacea sighed as she worked, quite slowly for the parahuman healer's proficiency, on Outis' bruising. She'd gotten her ass beat like a drum, it was great! Very educational. "You're not even the first parahuman related case I've had today. Nor the only independent cape related."
"Aren't there like ninety independents crawling around the Bay at any given time?" Indigo Assassin asked with a chuckle, "I'm somehow unsurprised. But do spill the tea."
"Most of these independents have better things to do than 'terrorising' 'innocent' highschoolers." Panacea deadpanned. "And sure, the way Stalker tells it, Winslow is just a low simmer gang war all the time, but I have the hospital data on my side, you know?"
"Pft. So, how many gang tattoos did these poor, innocent souls have?" Outis snorted. "And what was the damage? Must've been more interesting than a few stab wounds and the odd bullet if it caught your eye."
"Ten Totally Not Hitlerjugend Boys, We Swear On Our Mums' Graves, all get rolled in with a generous serving of bee stingers still firmly lodged in them. Which, you know, compared to the few actual Carrie situations recorded is downright tame. Also let me pretty much nail the important bit of the new trigger's power. Pretty nice of them to tell their mind controlled tormentors turned victims to turn themselves to the hospital for treatment." Panacea recited in a completely dry tone. "Now, since they were Mastered, and their injuries were merely painful, not life threatening, I could have refused to treat them, but a few dogwhistly tattoos and questionable fashion choices does not yet constitute evidence of gang affiliation."
"Sounds like a panicked new trigger trying not to get deaths on their record, alright." Assassin grunted, parsing the slang well enough. Freshly minted parahuman. Also, man, Panacea was a much better person than Outis. She'd just have checked them over to make sure they wouldn't die and left them to enjoy the finding out part of fucking around. "Anything interesting about the venom or the stingers, or were they just vectors for the power?"
"Nothing in particular. I could afford a little bit of fucking around, given the circumstances, so I could tell that it was the venom that was the vector of the effect. Just the presence, in of itself. Otherwise, it was perfectly normal bee stuff." The healer sighed.
"Probably for the best. World has enough on its plate to add a side-dish of synthesizable mind-control venom." Assassin grunted as she relaxed into the chair, "Any volunteers for my exam so far?"
"There's always someone who would rather get out sooner rather than later." Panacea noted dryly. "The biggest time sink is assembling all the necessary equipment and documentation. PRT takes Healer Cards with maximal seriousness." She smiled thinly as she looked up at Outis' face. "If you're impatient, you can always take the theoretical side whenever you feel ready."
"Ugh, I'm getting flashbacks to my biotech courses already. Fucking pentanes and hexanes, bane of my existence." Outis whined theatrically. Truth was, even with Violet Caster giving her the equivalent of a passing grade in the Clock Tower for every magic discipline she could think of, trying to piece that together into mundane medical knowledge that'd get her through a no-shit medical licence exam would be a trial. If she was optimistic.
Asclepius, please come home.
"I have White because my power is bullshit." Panacea acquiesced. "They still expect me to pass the necessary medical exams within a few years or they will take it away and hand me out the next tier. So, y'know, both me and Vicky are studying higher-education courses while still in high school. If I wasn't an introvert, I would mourn the effects it would have on my social life."
"Instead, you got the perfect excuse to dodge extroverts." Assassin chuckled.
"Unfortunately, one of them decided on the cunning plan of taking on a similar workload to mine to deprive me of an excuse when she swings by." Panacea shook her head. "Well, your ouchies are gone, I got another decent look at your biology, we talked shop a little bit."
"All in a day's work." Outis nodded as she took the dismissal for what it was, "I'd say have a good day, but we both know you're dealing with thrice the amount of idiots than a retail worker. At least the pay's good."
Special thanks to my Patrons: Xanah, Unknown B, Penguino, JoJoDio, Shirou0Emiya, Bowchikabowow. MetaWorld42, nununu, Just Some Guy With A Mustage, Ermast, Helios, Joshua Littlesun and [TEE], who decided my writing is actually worth paying for.
AN: Huh, what do you know, I lied about there being no Moriarty PoV. A quick check--up confirms that this is, fortunately, the last time we have peek inside his head, so it's mostly just a consequence of it being a long time since i wrote that little segment.
Last edited:
- Location
- England
Should be "lay". There are different verbs for "lie" which conjugate differently. This one is noted as 'c2' in the Cambridge dictionary page.
Do not taunt happy-fun glyph. (Also, "absent-mindedly" needs a hyphen).
if this is like canon and amy doesnt get paid there is gonna be quite a fuss about this i imagine
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
Amy was struggling to keep her poker face, trust me.
1-8 [Drill Plan]
- Location
- London
January 6th
"Explain to me why I should sign off on this… endeavour of yours, Brad?"
Because you're just as likely to suggest it openly at the next meeting. Because the Empire's image must be strong. One thing to retreat from Lung or PRT, another to get a black eye from a newcomer. Were all the things Hookwolf thought but didn't say. Working with Kaiser was… trying, sometimes. The whole song and dance of having the man be in control of the narrative the whole time, always in the lead, always dictating others their roles. Course, if he didn't work with Kaiser, Hookwolf knew what would await him. Didn't mean he had to like it.
Unfortunately, as he stared right back at the man sitting across the room on a comfortable sofa with twin, blonde beauties leaning into his sides, just because he was one of the strongest capes in Empire didn't mean he could wrestle the control of the script. Kaiser named himself well, he supposed. No way but to follow along.
"We need to show that the newbie, this… Epopeia, got lucky. There's already mockery coming from our enemies, we need to be seen doing something before doubts seeps into the ranks. And this way, even if I fail, it will reflect on me, not you." He added after a short moment.
Kaiser sat there in silence for a moment as he made a show of considering Hookwolf's argument. Eventually, he took a hand off of Fenja's shoulder and gestured at him.
"Very well. But the manpower comes from your people… And take Stormtiger with you, just in case someone decides to interfere."
"Storm is good, but one man might not be enough if the Protectorate decides to respond in force. This looks like it will be official, so they might show up just to monitor the situation."
"Don't worry, the issue will be raised again during the meeting. Just play along then, and I'm sure I will be able to wiggle you a volunteer or two." Kaiser shook his head with a pleasant smile on his face.
Hookwolf hated that smile. Ever since Purity left them and he became the next right hand, he had to see it way more often than he cared to. He could only imagine how much more unbearable being married to the man was. Which raised the question of the twins' sanity. Or intelligence.
Still, nothing to do but to follow the lead. So he nodded gruffly, gave the customary bow and walked out of Kaiser's office with as much hurry as he could without making it look like he was running away. He had an operation to plan. Maybe he should bring Cricket in on it too.
Emily grumbled quietly as she read the missive from the mayor's office in front of her. Normally, the communication between her and the mayor went the other way. Heroes giving talks at local schools, fundraisers, various PR events, parahuman merchandising (assuming, of course, the parahuman in question was a hero). All of that was typically managed and initiated by the PRT. The government typically didn't request PRT's assistance with parahuman matters, because it was generally assumed PRT had an active hand on the parahuman pulse of the events.
This time, apparently, a parahuman decided that 'official' channels meant regular authorities, instead of parahuman authorities. Emily wasn't wholly unfamiliar with the concept of rogues trying to strike it on their own, Parian operated in her town, even if mostly as relatively cheap PR prop for whichever business hired her. Besides, Elite used to be legitimately involved in media and business, before NEPEA-5. The bill which muddied the waters, in Emily's honest opinion.
No wonder Mayor Alcott was unsure as to whether he was supposed to greenlight the whole thing. An unknown parahuman, with unknown power, asking to get access to large numbers of people? In a world with mind control, that was too many unknowns for comfort. On the other hand, the willingness to do it the proper way spoke well of the parahuman's character.
On the other, other hand, going to the city's authorities instead of the PRT indicated a non-Bet native. Another one, or was Epopeia an artist at heart? Emily harrumphed. Unlikely to be her. From what Challenger shared with her, the woman was a bit too blase about proper procedure. Oh, she was willing to play ball, but more because it was convenient. Someone else, then.
The big question, now, would be whether the… Emily glanced down at the form again…
"Bloody Pure Idol, Eli… fucking hell, girl." Emily groaned as she massaged her temples. That was certainly a naming sense alright. One of them.
There was no reason to deny the girl outright. No matter the feelings Emily might have regarding the parahuman's naming sense. Still, she couldn't just rubber stamp that. Without any knowledge regarding the girl there was too much at risk. At the very least, there needed to be a confirmation as to whether or not the wannabe performer was Master or not.
Emily nodded to herself and started typing the response. 'Approval temporarily withheld, pending power testing.'
Sure, if the girl decided she wanted to perform anyway, they wouldn't be able to stop her, having not broken any laws, but it would, at the very least, give them a measure of her. Always paid to know just what kind of mess Emily would be dealing with in her city.
"All I am saying, Lady Elizabeth, the matter requires some consideration." Moriarty wrung his hands as the two Servants discussed the details of their ongoing effort to organise the Countess' concert.
"I know that." Elizabeth snapped as she raked fingers across the table. "I am not an idiot!"
"I didn't wish to insinuate that. Still, there's couple of angles to consider if you decide to acquiesce to PRT's request." The man held his hands up placatingly. "The recent… unpleasantness with a singer called Bad Canary means that the matter of your Charisma might be a sensitive topic."
"At least, between it being on the other side of the country and it being kept quiet for now, we have some breathing room." Outis sighed, shaking his head, "I do think going with the testing is the right call. I've dug around and Master powers that affect humans seem to be like curses, directly hijacking emotions and cognition. They should, by all rights, classify Charisma as a Social Thinker power, since it is skill and talent rather than a direct effect."
The fact that if they chose to classify her as a Master anyways would tell them a whole lot about what the PRT ENE was like went unspoken but not unheard.
[James Moriarty Bond Level 2 gained.]
"Ruin all the mystique, why won't you." The Englishman grumbled as he steepled his fingers. "At least you don't go ruining all the surprises."
[I am not a detective, thus it is not my job.]
"Still, while what Master has said is more or less correct, I would still advise thinking about how you wish to present yourself to the PRT. Ideally, by taking a good look at your eventual full repertoire and trying to angle what you reveal in such a way further developments won't rouse suspicion."
"I'm not gonna hide these, for one." Elizabeth sighed as she pulled attention to all of her inhuman bits. "While I appreciate the thought behind Deerlet's gift, I have grown accustomed to thinking of them as a proper part of me, now as a Servant. Besides, they would definitely add to my stage persona, no~?" She ended with a wink as her tail twisted behind her to form half a heart.
"Absolutely." Outis replied without missing a single beat, blasting her with his most earnest smile because he was a cruel, cruel Master. She was just too cute when caught between preening and melting. "They're part of the charm."
"Children." Moriarty chided with an exasperated sigh. "Can you, at the very least, save it for where an old man doesn't need to be an accomplice to these kinds of things?"
"Only because you asked so nicely, sir Moriarty." Elizabeth sighed theatrically, putting a hand to her forehead. "To pull discussion back on topic, the permanent physical alterations aside, I believe simply playing into the theme they provide should be enough. Between Charisma and my… extensive knowledge of how to make people hurt, alongside Sarkany's sonic breath…"
"A Brute/Blaster with some minor Thinker applications. Initially it may appear purely social, but Torture Techniques would fall under the aegis of Combat Thinker, I believe." Moriarty nodded along. "And, coincidentally, not something that would easily come out either in a controlled testing environment or come instinctively to one who seemingly wishes to focus on a career in entertainment."
"That leaves the question of your second Noble Phantasm, but if we ever need to deploy it on the quick, we can blame it on a power synergy between us or… tinkertech, I believe it was called?" Outis proposed with a small frown, before pushing the matter of the name aside. Not important, he'd just done some skimming to make sure the ABB wouldn't freak out too much now that they knew he could enchant items. "Otherwise we just play out of sight, out of mind and let Occam's Razor work in our favour."
"A bit too complex and fast to deploy for tinkertech." Moriarty shook his head. "Best to just leave it to an 'anonymous' extra member of the group. Whether officially affiliated with you, Master, or attached to the little troupe the Young Lady seems to already be assembling for her career."
"Also, I don't know how it would interact with Csejte being solidly manifested here." Elizabeth piped up. "I would rather not risk my home suffering accidents on account of weird interactions between my abilities. A loss of amplifiers, admittedly, but ultimately, with the hand you've been dealt, Deerlet, I doubt much of an obstacle."
"Save for finding the right materials, that is." Moriarty ribbed gently under his nose.
"The grind is eternal." The Master of Guf grumbled. At least they had time to enjoy themselves, it'd be miserable if all they did was grind, eat, sleep and repeat.
January 7th
If not for the versatility offered by actually being a Changer, Colin would have decided Epopeia wasn't particularly impressive Brute. The demonstrated level of strength wasn't particularly great, at least when it came to feats of dealing damage. Shame there was no footage of any powerlifting, he hated formulating opinions from an incomplete data. The pain numbing was a double-edged sword, as always. Durability was, on the other hand, decent enough given the woman still had her arm to have it fixed instead of Panacea having to grow it back from scratch. Speed, Mover 1, most likely. The kind of acceleration resulting from raw force applied to movement. Of course, going over the footage of both Challenger's spar and Hookwolf's incident, Red Brawler (name pending) seemed to have some sort of way to temporarily upgrade. Two different ways. Could be used simultaneously, as the Hookwolf fight showed.
The other form, the purported Stranger… didn't seem to work on recording equipment. Challenger herself reported she didn't notice Indigo Stranger's approach until she was fighting. On one hand, Challenger was busy, on the other, Challenger wasn't a green cape, and her power demanded of the woman to be well conscious of the battlefield. Given the Stranger form seemed to be Epopeia's 'default' guise for interactions, the power itself was definitely toggleable. Given the footage was there… some kind of perception filter, most likely. Alas, the woman refused official testing, instead insisting on humouring Challenger.
The note the wild woman passed him this morning was a more pressing indicator of Epopeia's true power. A strange interaction with the mechanism of Challenger's own power indicated a well hidden, subtle Trump aspect. But why would a Trump power activate when losing a fight? Needed more data. Colin supposed working on a better sensor suite would be a nice change of pace from the ongoing nanothorn project.
He paused in reaching for his notes when his phone rang. Scoffing, he focused on his helmet's display and earpiece. Hm, PRT HQ. This specific number was from testing.
"Armsmaster here." He answered gruffly.
"Good day to you as well, Armsmaster." Came the deadpan voice from the other end. Colin didn't react, Brockton Bay HQ was well used to his bearing by now and as long as no one was being actually rude, there was no need to bring their attitude to attention. "We've got a parahuman coming for power testing, wondering if you could spare someone to babysit us."
Colin scratched his beard as he mulled over the request. Miss Militia was always an excellent choice for meeting new parahumans. Responsible and collected, serious but personable. Dauntless, as much as it galled to admit, would be a fine choice as well. Battery if Militia was unavailable. His gaze drifted back towards his notes on Epopeia's readings. There was something there, bothering him.
He shook his head. Maybe Clockblocker was right, for once in his life, and Colin really needed to get out more often if he allowed himself to get distracted like that. "I will be there shortly." He decided. Maybe getting another set of scans on his analysis software to compare with Epopeia's would take his mind off the matter. If not, he would at least get more data to fiddle with the finer details of it.
"Understood, Armsmaster. We'll warn the poor thing." With truly titanic effort, Colin waited until the call disconnected to audibly scoff. Between his social prediction software and the many, many PR lessons he sat through and absorbed, he knew how to interact with people. He just… preferred to leave it to people to whom it came more naturally. Gave him more time to tinker that way too.
Sometimes, Colin wondered why Brockton Bay's PRT HQ looked like any other regular office building. The theory that it's for secrecy held all the way until one of them was called in, at which point the pretence fell apart harder than a building hit by Behemoth. There were, he was aware, some plans for underground parking to be added at some point, extensive enough that it could be kept vague which of the few buildings around was PRT's office but, as with many things in Brockton Bay, it was an idea. The truth was, there was a shield with the letters 'P.R.T.' over the main doors, back when Colin first was stationed in the city. At some point, it fell off, or was knocked down and once again, as with great many things in Brockton Bay, it stayed in the realm of plans. Brockton Bay's Police Department took a small, smug sense of pride in making sure their building, literally across the street from PRT HQ, looked presentable in comparison.
Heading into the main lobby, Colin could see a few troopers giving the parahuman a respectable distance as they leaned against the walls, their containment foam sprayers held at rest. The parahuman in question, a visibly teenage girl, was unmasked, with obvious physical modifications, so he supposed the implied physical abilities warranted some level of response. She was currently chatting up one of the scientists responsible for power testing. Colin stopped his walk for a brief second to turn his social and field analysis programs on, before closing in.
"...thought about it for a bit, but with the extra bits, it's just pain, y'know? They already make me memorable, so outfits might as well be relegated to enhancing the stage persona." The girl prattled on, making the kind of small talk people did to be polite. The scientist, in turn, nodded his head in a clear display of someone out of his depth on subject matter but who listened… actually, he listened quite attentively. Colin focused for a bit.
Fascination. No, not fascination. Wonder? Finds the voice pleasant to listen to and is willing to engage in discussion to keep listening.
Something to ponder about during the testing. Clearing his throat, Colin finally approached the two.
"Miss Bathory, right? I'm Armsmaster, the leader of the local Protectorate. I was asked to be part of the team overseeing your testing." He introduced himself briskly. A bit of an odd cape name, he supposed, especially for a female and one who wished against breaking the law. Had heavily negative associations.
The young girl turned around, her tail swiping low over the floor in a smooth motion as she focused on him (movement natural, didn't get in the way, clearly not a fresh trigger). "I… had not considered how that would sound to me from others." She muttered, her cheery smile twitching for a moment (almost grimaced, feeling improperly addressed, aware the perceived disrespect wasn't deliberate, aware the fault lies with her, very deliberate in her public persona). She blinked and gave Colin a polite curtsy (very well practised motion, clear indicator of higher class social status, respectful). "Hello, sir Armsmaster. Since you're here, shall we be off to get the matters along the way?" She asked with a slight tilt of her head (gauging reaction but expecting a very specific sort of response).
Colin had the feeling her 'sir' and his didn't quite match, but he was willing to let it slide. Despite the obvious direction Bathory was taking her stage persona in, she was also clearly aware of and unwilling of wasting his time. He supposed he could give her the benefit of the doubt on that alone.
"You seem well used to that tail, at the very least." He started while they were still on the way to the testing area. Might as well see just how much she had figured out and how long has it been since her trigger.
"It had been rather surprising the first time, but I can't say I dislike it. Quite the opposite, really. Might be because it didn't really get in the way?" Interesting. An internal balancing factor which allowed to instinctively factor the additional appendage into movement. Although, the wording Bathory used was rather confusing. 'First time'? Was there some sort of memory retention problem? If she was a Case 53 (if particularly lucky in that regard), one who was misplaced multiple times, it would paint a worrying picture. "Still took me quite some time to figure out how to best work it into my routine."
Colin nodded along. At least she was forthcoming with the fact she wasn't quite a recent trigger. Probably spent some time figuring out what she could actually do. From what he had gleaned of information they had on her, she was most likely only doing this, then, as a positive PR move.
Once they arrived at the testing area, he settled in in the offered spot near the recording equipment while the team proceeded with the tests. The obvious things first, testing Bathory's horns and tail.
Tail's motions are expressive and flexible enough there's a degree of conscious control involved. Most likely can be treated as an additional appendage, although the precise degree of fine control is to be determined.
His hypothesis proved valid, as Bathory proved the appendage to, indeed, be capable of easily matching a decent Brute's performance in this regard. When she put her best effort into it, it easily dented metal and cracked concrete, but from what Colin could tell, such manoeuvres left Bathory dangerously exposed. Following that, there was a question of fine motor control of the tail. Here, Bathory showed that while she had a fair amount of control over the way her tail moved, the most she could manage was to wrap it around the target (a spare ballistic gel dummy) and squeeze. Which, granted, still yielded a respectably lethal result.
"I can understand why, but it feels so undignified." The girl whined (the most open with her emotions so far, Colin noted), when one of the scientists asked her to start headbutting and ramming various things to measure how her horns compared. If not for the need for thoroughness, Colin would agree with the sentiment. Her tail was already weapon enough for Bathory, any danger Bathory's horns would prove to a hypothetical PRT trooper could be mitigated by the same countermeasures taken against the tail. Perhaps if she really resisted arrest and wanted to ruin any chances for leniency.
Finally, they had Bathory run her… nails (claws? Colin noticed Bathory seemed to have absolutely no problems handling any task which would require normal fingers to accomplish despite the length of said… outgrowths. He stifled a growl of frustration at his own inability to properly classify the girl's anatomy) across a variety of surfaces.
"Aaaand, that concludes the physical tests." The man responsible for handling the data processing nodded along. "Respectable, but nothing extraordinary."
"Brute 4 at best." Colin agreed. Respectable was the right word. Not too crazy but definitely dangerous if unprepared for. "And with that level of enhanced strength which seems to come from an actually improved body, that means Mover 1 minimum as well. Madame Bathory." He called out loud enough to be heard from across the area, trying another way to address her to see if he got a different reaction. From the way her smile turned up, he guessed it did, but still lacked sufficient information to fully guess the precise reason. Didn't matter. "Do you have any means of enhanced mobility?"
"Do I… oh, right! Almost forgot!" The pinkette exclaimed, eyes widening as if she genuinely forgot. "Almost never use them…." She muttered before theatrically reaching with her hands back over her shoulders. With a flourish, she made a pulling motion, unfurling a pair of comparatively massive, bat-like wings, tip-toeing in place to balance the additional weight.
"Changer 1, sir?" The man… Carl, Colin thought his name was? Carl asked and Colin agreed with a nod, giving the ceiling and the length of the testing area a look before nodding at Bathory.
"If you would?"
Waiting a moment to allow the rest of the team to give her space, Bathory flapped her wings once, then twice before crouching and kicking off. She stayed there in the air before slowly moving around. It was… well, Colin could say that for someone who appeared as image conscious as Bathory, this was most definitely an ungracious method of movement. Not too slow to be impractical, but not particularly gracious. Granted, perhaps top speed in open air could change things but if she admitted to rarely using them, it might factor into not assuming optimal position.
"I'm thankful power classification is about threat response because this just doesn't make any sense if that's all regular human biology with extra bits." Carl muttered with a shake of his head. Colin agreed. Based on birds and bats, there was no way regular human biology would allow to support that. Alas, powers often didn't care.
"Mover 2."
In comparison, the final obvious part of the 'theme' was easy. A short to medium range sonic attack originating from the mouth, a veritable, venerable breath weapon. Quite strong from the way their equipment picked it, definitely the best part of Bathory's entire kit. A fair bit of wind up if her taking a deep breath before every use was any indication and… well, it just wasn't complex. Blaster 5, only because cover wouldn't work against a sonic attack and focusing on pressuring her would ensure she couldn't reliably use it.
"Sir." Carl spoke as they began to wind down, going over all the data while Colin kept an eye on Bathory mingling with the rest of the team and even a few troopers who wandered in to observe. She was all smiles and cutesy poses, laughing and gesticulating energetically and they seemed to be quite willing to listen to her. Colin frowned.
"Yes?"
"I have been thinking this entire time. The way she seems to know how to speak to get you to pay attention, to make her the centre of attention…" Ah, the question old as parahumans, all the more pressing ever since the Simurgh. Actual force of personality, Social Thinker or Master? That one required an actual, careful consideration, and usually it was recommended to err on the side of caution. Still, while true that Bathory knew how to get people to focus on her and her words and the pleasant to listen voice invited perhaps unwelcome comparisons to Bad Canary, none of Colin's equipment so much as hinted at any change in brain chemistry or nervous system activity when he was interacting with Bathory personally. True, the equipment was't fully tested against Control Masters, but given Bathory's cooperativeness and forthcoming with her abilities…
"Thinker 2. Social focused." Colin decided. "I would say we oughtn't bother, but this way even if we are wrong about it not being a Master power, we have a fig leaf of presenting something, at the very least."
"Got it. So, Brute/Blaster with very minor Changer and Thinker aspects. She truly has a theme of the devil, doesn't she?" Carl joked.
Dragon, more likely, given the thickness of the tail and the precise shape of the wings and horns, Colin corrected in the privacy of his mind. Not that anyone would particularly care.
All in all, a very pleasantly straightforward evaluation, and the readings did prod him towards some ideas for improvement in his sensors. Smiling slightly, Colin nodded to himself. In the end, it wasn't a waste of time after all.
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♦Topic: Brockton Bay Idol Scene Rebirth?
1, 2, 3… 10
► MuskyVixen (Original Poster) (Unverified Cape)
Alright, so the first part of the context. The last two, maybe three days, there have been a bunch of fliers being distributed around, mostly Docks and the more Empire-free areas of Downtown, advertising a concert happening soon at the beachfront. And yeah, I hear you, sane people, 'MuskyVixen, an open air concert at the start of January, on the beach?' What kind of idiot tries to do a concert off-season, in this city, for their debut?
A parahuman idiot, apparently. Like, unless this… Bloody Pure Idol Eli (incredible naming sense, girl, you do you, by the way) has managed to do what literally no other parahuman independent in Brockton Bay could and managed to somehow convince Parian to do her whole aesthetic, we're looking at either a Changer or another Kanabo situation and thus someone who doesn't get the option of hiding their identity.
Context part two, either for those unfamiliar with the history of Japanese immigration to the Bay or Japanese culture before Leviathan slammed his barbed, unlubed dick up our asses. First things first, idols are… pretty much just singers. They are singers. Cute girls looking cute and trying to sound good while making it big in the ruthless, cutthroat world of showbiz. We will leave the analysis of the darker aspects of the business model for another time, maybe. But the basic thing is that idols, as the name implies, were supposed to be successful female singers with legions of thirsty, desperate fans ready to gobble up any and all merch. The exact nature of the idol's relationship with her fans varied but at the time Leviathan paid Kyushu a visit, there was basically a transitional period between 'unapproachable ideal female' and 'interacting with the fans (purity still heavily implied)'.
Now, there have been a few attempts by the diaspora to drum up money that way a couple of times in the Bay. There was a gang by the name of Eight Precepts who tried to do the whole yakuza song and dance of wiggling their way into semi-official part of the life that way, sponsored a small group called Keihatsu. Got got by the Teeth, alongside Precepts. Maybe if they had a parahuman or two to their name they would've succeeded, I dunno.
There was BB99, a group of five plus their manager, they were making fairly good progress. And then, because no one in the US can have nice things, just as they were doing a show for the… was it kindergarten or primary school? For kiddies, anyway. Slaughterhouse paid us a visit and took that specific school for their base while in the city. Ouch.
The last push was literally just before Lung swung into town. Another gang sponsorship, this one by Ronins, a bunch of Black Kaze's simps who somehow made their way to the States. Now, Ronins had a pair of parahumans to act as the security detail for their girls so they really managed to last. Personally, I am of the opinion they did for so long because Slaughterhouse doesn't do repeated visits and the Teeth were kicked out of the city by the Slaughterhouse. So what went wrong this time? Well, a brilliant idea of trying to be famous in Nazi Central. That's right, we've got an Empire visit this time. Now, that particular Empire cape actually died shortly after doing the lynch, but yeah.
So there you have it folks. Three times was not a charm, but perhaps if the performer in question is a parahuman themselves it will go right this time, right? The fact the girl looks European might actually stay the Empire's hand, even!
Anyway, thank you for coming to my Bob Talk.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5… 10
►Nutty
This time it will be ABB that will murder the girl for appropriating their culture, lol.
►RickyRoll
Why does anyone want anything to do with this accursed town is my first question.
►Robby-G
Implicating we can afford to leave and get a house in some less shit city.
Lmao. Lol, even.
►Ball-chan
> This time it will be ABB that will murder the girl for appropriating their culture, lol.
Nah, Lung is a chill guy. Doesn't care as long as you don't actively poke him.
►Nutty
Lmao. Lung, chill? Mr 'my power is being roided rage dragon'?
►Hanabi
And how many raids does ABB do compared to Empire? Lung and his lieutenants are perfectly content to sit in Asia Town and not bother anyone.
►Robby-G
Except for any ABB cape that tries to be expansionist. Dragon Man might not care. He also doesn't give a shit if his capes go out and start shit, so long as he gets his cut. Remember that nutfuck Blemish?
►Hanabi
Blemish was bugfuck insane vigilante. That he was an Asian and that he kept going after heroes are two different facts.
►Nutty
>going after the heroes
That sounds like a villain to me, kin
4, 5, 6, 7, 8… 10
►Specific Protagonist (Cape Groupie) (Writer)
>Japanese culture before Leviathan slammed his barbed, unlubed dick up our asses
As the world's greatest hydrokinetic, Leviathan is, by the very definition, always lubed-up. Alas, we lack the data on the texture of the moby dick.
►Victim Girl
>always lubed-up.
Implicating that he wouldn't use his powers to go in bone dry to make us really scream.
►RickyRoll
…
What a day to have eyes.
♦Topic: The new Parahuman Idol, Bathory
1, 2, 3… 20
►Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Alright folks, you know the drill by now. New cape shows up, has an actually good idea of letting us know they aren't about to murder anyone, arranges a meeting. Now, this one is a little bit different from usual because of the reason behind her coming in for power testing. Parahuman performers have been a touchy subjects since Simurgh showed up, so this is basically PRT putting its approval mark on her career and as such, the thread is both official Bathory cape info thread and Bloody Pure Idol Eli (as many, many people undoubtedly commented by now, she definitely has a naming sense of all time) career discussion thread.
Now, onto your usual Officially Approved Leaks!
Basic info is that Bathory has permanent horns and lizard tail, some funky nails plus 'naturally' pink hair, so, y'know, no secret identity for her.
The official ratings are Brute 4, Blaster 5, Mover 2, Thinker 2, Changer 1.
►DesuVult
Good gods, that girl really fucking lucked out on the power, huh.
►SpiderSays
It does seem a bit egregious but could be chalked up to the precise details of how her powers work. Remember, the ratings are there to help PRT troopers know how to respond. Higher rated Blasters usually mean you shouldn't assume cover will do shit.
►BirdWatcher
Huh. I was kinda expecting a Master rating just like Bad Canary got when she started her career.
►Parian (Verified Cape) (Independent)
Because every Blaster out there has to deal with Behemoth comparisons, right? Seems she just lucked out on that.
1, 2, 3… 20
►C53_Lover (Writer) (Cape Groupie)
This is almost as bad of a tease as Kanabo has been. It's almost a good, proper monstergirl pussy as god intended only to chicken out at the last possible second.
►Specific Protagonist (Cape Groupie) (Writer)
Fuck you, all parahumans should be loved and lewded equally. She is cute, nuff said. The monster bits really just add options.
►Wedgie
>all parahumans
Hello, yes, Child Protection Services?
►Specific Protagonist (Cape Groupie) (Writer)
You know what I mean. Legally Aged Up AUs exist for a reason.
►PaleWarrior
You sick freaks, this girl cannot be possibly older than 14. How did anyone let her go out wearing that!?
►MuskyVixen (Unverified Cape)
Because women aren't considered adult unless they have tits the size of basketballs with hips and ass to match, eh?
►PaleWarrior
It definitely helps avoid awkward explanations! Add proper hair and eye colour and you just have an ideal woman.
►Specific Protagonist (Cape Groupie) (Writer)
…
Oh my god, you are a Fenja/Menja simp, aren't you? Like, one of the hardcore ones.
►MuskyVixen (Unverified Cape)
You can say 'Empire groupie', darling, no one will blame you.
►PaleWarrior
> you are a Fenja/Menja simp, aren't you?
Twins, they are!
►Specific Protagonist (Cape Groupie) (Writer)
You do you, buddy.
> You can say 'Empire groupie', darling, no one will blame you.
Unlike you, I'm not a parahuman, Foxxy, so I'd rather veer closer to caution.
►Nutty
I'm just impressed there's apparently parahumans Specific doesn't consider fuckable.
►Specific Protagonist (Cape Groupie) (Writer)
Oh no, Fenja and Menja are perfectly fine pieces of almost stereotypically Aryan ass. They are just a bit… basic? Sure giantess porn has its venues to explore and twins are a very popular fetish for a reason but it's just… they are kinda the white bread of the parahuman lusting?
Also, kinkshamers need dunking on at every occasion.
►TinMother (Moderator)
On-topic please. NSFW section of the forum, where this discussion belongs, is that way.
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"Explain to me why I should sign off on this… endeavour of yours, Brad?"
Because you're just as likely to suggest it openly at the next meeting. Because the Empire's image must be strong. One thing to retreat from Lung or PRT, another to get a black eye from a newcomer. Were all the things Hookwolf thought but didn't say. Working with Kaiser was… trying, sometimes. The whole song and dance of having the man be in control of the narrative the whole time, always in the lead, always dictating others their roles. Course, if he didn't work with Kaiser, Hookwolf knew what would await him. Didn't mean he had to like it.
Unfortunately, as he stared right back at the man sitting across the room on a comfortable sofa with twin, blonde beauties leaning into his sides, just because he was one of the strongest capes in Empire didn't mean he could wrestle the control of the script. Kaiser named himself well, he supposed. No way but to follow along.
"We need to show that the newbie, this… Epopeia, got lucky. There's already mockery coming from our enemies, we need to be seen doing something before doubts seeps into the ranks. And this way, even if I fail, it will reflect on me, not you." He added after a short moment.
Kaiser sat there in silence for a moment as he made a show of considering Hookwolf's argument. Eventually, he took a hand off of Fenja's shoulder and gestured at him.
"Very well. But the manpower comes from your people… And take Stormtiger with you, just in case someone decides to interfere."
"Storm is good, but one man might not be enough if the Protectorate decides to respond in force. This looks like it will be official, so they might show up just to monitor the situation."
"Don't worry, the issue will be raised again during the meeting. Just play along then, and I'm sure I will be able to wiggle you a volunteer or two." Kaiser shook his head with a pleasant smile on his face.
Hookwolf hated that smile. Ever since Purity left them and he became the next right hand, he had to see it way more often than he cared to. He could only imagine how much more unbearable being married to the man was. Which raised the question of the twins' sanity. Or intelligence.
Still, nothing to do but to follow the lead. So he nodded gruffly, gave the customary bow and walked out of Kaiser's office with as much hurry as he could without making it look like he was running away. He had an operation to plan. Maybe he should bring Cricket in on it too.
Emily grumbled quietly as she read the missive from the mayor's office in front of her. Normally, the communication between her and the mayor went the other way. Heroes giving talks at local schools, fundraisers, various PR events, parahuman merchandising (assuming, of course, the parahuman in question was a hero). All of that was typically managed and initiated by the PRT. The government typically didn't request PRT's assistance with parahuman matters, because it was generally assumed PRT had an active hand on the parahuman pulse of the events.
This time, apparently, a parahuman decided that 'official' channels meant regular authorities, instead of parahuman authorities. Emily wasn't wholly unfamiliar with the concept of rogues trying to strike it on their own, Parian operated in her town, even if mostly as relatively cheap PR prop for whichever business hired her. Besides, Elite used to be legitimately involved in media and business, before NEPEA-5. The bill which muddied the waters, in Emily's honest opinion.
No wonder Mayor Alcott was unsure as to whether he was supposed to greenlight the whole thing. An unknown parahuman, with unknown power, asking to get access to large numbers of people? In a world with mind control, that was too many unknowns for comfort. On the other hand, the willingness to do it the proper way spoke well of the parahuman's character.
On the other, other hand, going to the city's authorities instead of the PRT indicated a non-Bet native. Another one, or was Epopeia an artist at heart? Emily harrumphed. Unlikely to be her. From what Challenger shared with her, the woman was a bit too blase about proper procedure. Oh, she was willing to play ball, but more because it was convenient. Someone else, then.
The big question, now, would be whether the… Emily glanced down at the form again…
"Bloody Pure Idol, Eli… fucking hell, girl." Emily groaned as she massaged her temples. That was certainly a naming sense alright. One of them.
There was no reason to deny the girl outright. No matter the feelings Emily might have regarding the parahuman's naming sense. Still, she couldn't just rubber stamp that. Without any knowledge regarding the girl there was too much at risk. At the very least, there needed to be a confirmation as to whether or not the wannabe performer was Master or not.
Emily nodded to herself and started typing the response. 'Approval temporarily withheld, pending power testing.'
Sure, if the girl decided she wanted to perform anyway, they wouldn't be able to stop her, having not broken any laws, but it would, at the very least, give them a measure of her. Always paid to know just what kind of mess Emily would be dealing with in her city.
"All I am saying, Lady Elizabeth, the matter requires some consideration." Moriarty wrung his hands as the two Servants discussed the details of their ongoing effort to organise the Countess' concert.
"I know that." Elizabeth snapped as she raked fingers across the table. "I am not an idiot!"
"I didn't wish to insinuate that. Still, there's couple of angles to consider if you decide to acquiesce to PRT's request." The man held his hands up placatingly. "The recent… unpleasantness with a singer called Bad Canary means that the matter of your Charisma might be a sensitive topic."
"At least, between it being on the other side of the country and it being kept quiet for now, we have some breathing room." Outis sighed, shaking his head, "I do think going with the testing is the right call. I've dug around and Master powers that affect humans seem to be like curses, directly hijacking emotions and cognition. They should, by all rights, classify Charisma as a Social Thinker power, since it is skill and talent rather than a direct effect."
The fact that if they chose to classify her as a Master anyways would tell them a whole lot about what the PRT ENE was like went unspoken but not unheard.
[James Moriarty Bond Level 2 gained.]
"Ruin all the mystique, why won't you." The Englishman grumbled as he steepled his fingers. "At least you don't go ruining all the surprises."
[I am not a detective, thus it is not my job.]
"Still, while what Master has said is more or less correct, I would still advise thinking about how you wish to present yourself to the PRT. Ideally, by taking a good look at your eventual full repertoire and trying to angle what you reveal in such a way further developments won't rouse suspicion."
"I'm not gonna hide these, for one." Elizabeth sighed as she pulled attention to all of her inhuman bits. "While I appreciate the thought behind Deerlet's gift, I have grown accustomed to thinking of them as a proper part of me, now as a Servant. Besides, they would definitely add to my stage persona, no~?" She ended with a wink as her tail twisted behind her to form half a heart.
"Absolutely." Outis replied without missing a single beat, blasting her with his most earnest smile because he was a cruel, cruel Master. She was just too cute when caught between preening and melting. "They're part of the charm."
"Children." Moriarty chided with an exasperated sigh. "Can you, at the very least, save it for where an old man doesn't need to be an accomplice to these kinds of things?"
"Only because you asked so nicely, sir Moriarty." Elizabeth sighed theatrically, putting a hand to her forehead. "To pull discussion back on topic, the permanent physical alterations aside, I believe simply playing into the theme they provide should be enough. Between Charisma and my… extensive knowledge of how to make people hurt, alongside Sarkany's sonic breath…"
"A Brute/Blaster with some minor Thinker applications. Initially it may appear purely social, but Torture Techniques would fall under the aegis of Combat Thinker, I believe." Moriarty nodded along. "And, coincidentally, not something that would easily come out either in a controlled testing environment or come instinctively to one who seemingly wishes to focus on a career in entertainment."
"That leaves the question of your second Noble Phantasm, but if we ever need to deploy it on the quick, we can blame it on a power synergy between us or… tinkertech, I believe it was called?" Outis proposed with a small frown, before pushing the matter of the name aside. Not important, he'd just done some skimming to make sure the ABB wouldn't freak out too much now that they knew he could enchant items. "Otherwise we just play out of sight, out of mind and let Occam's Razor work in our favour."
"A bit too complex and fast to deploy for tinkertech." Moriarty shook his head. "Best to just leave it to an 'anonymous' extra member of the group. Whether officially affiliated with you, Master, or attached to the little troupe the Young Lady seems to already be assembling for her career."
"Also, I don't know how it would interact with Csejte being solidly manifested here." Elizabeth piped up. "I would rather not risk my home suffering accidents on account of weird interactions between my abilities. A loss of amplifiers, admittedly, but ultimately, with the hand you've been dealt, Deerlet, I doubt much of an obstacle."
"Save for finding the right materials, that is." Moriarty ribbed gently under his nose.
"The grind is eternal." The Master of Guf grumbled. At least they had time to enjoy themselves, it'd be miserable if all they did was grind, eat, sleep and repeat.
January 7th
If not for the versatility offered by actually being a Changer, Colin would have decided Epopeia wasn't particularly impressive Brute. The demonstrated level of strength wasn't particularly great, at least when it came to feats of dealing damage. Shame there was no footage of any powerlifting, he hated formulating opinions from an incomplete data. The pain numbing was a double-edged sword, as always. Durability was, on the other hand, decent enough given the woman still had her arm to have it fixed instead of Panacea having to grow it back from scratch. Speed, Mover 1, most likely. The kind of acceleration resulting from raw force applied to movement. Of course, going over the footage of both Challenger's spar and Hookwolf's incident, Red Brawler (name pending) seemed to have some sort of way to temporarily upgrade. Two different ways. Could be used simultaneously, as the Hookwolf fight showed.
The other form, the purported Stranger… didn't seem to work on recording equipment. Challenger herself reported she didn't notice Indigo Stranger's approach until she was fighting. On one hand, Challenger was busy, on the other, Challenger wasn't a green cape, and her power demanded of the woman to be well conscious of the battlefield. Given the Stranger form seemed to be Epopeia's 'default' guise for interactions, the power itself was definitely toggleable. Given the footage was there… some kind of perception filter, most likely. Alas, the woman refused official testing, instead insisting on humouring Challenger.
The note the wild woman passed him this morning was a more pressing indicator of Epopeia's true power. A strange interaction with the mechanism of Challenger's own power indicated a well hidden, subtle Trump aspect. But why would a Trump power activate when losing a fight? Needed more data. Colin supposed working on a better sensor suite would be a nice change of pace from the ongoing nanothorn project.
He paused in reaching for his notes when his phone rang. Scoffing, he focused on his helmet's display and earpiece. Hm, PRT HQ. This specific number was from testing.
"Armsmaster here." He answered gruffly.
"Good day to you as well, Armsmaster." Came the deadpan voice from the other end. Colin didn't react, Brockton Bay HQ was well used to his bearing by now and as long as no one was being actually rude, there was no need to bring their attitude to attention. "We've got a parahuman coming for power testing, wondering if you could spare someone to babysit us."
Colin scratched his beard as he mulled over the request. Miss Militia was always an excellent choice for meeting new parahumans. Responsible and collected, serious but personable. Dauntless, as much as it galled to admit, would be a fine choice as well. Battery if Militia was unavailable. His gaze drifted back towards his notes on Epopeia's readings. There was something there, bothering him.
He shook his head. Maybe Clockblocker was right, for once in his life, and Colin really needed to get out more often if he allowed himself to get distracted like that. "I will be there shortly." He decided. Maybe getting another set of scans on his analysis software to compare with Epopeia's would take his mind off the matter. If not, he would at least get more data to fiddle with the finer details of it.
"Understood, Armsmaster. We'll warn the poor thing." With truly titanic effort, Colin waited until the call disconnected to audibly scoff. Between his social prediction software and the many, many PR lessons he sat through and absorbed, he knew how to interact with people. He just… preferred to leave it to people to whom it came more naturally. Gave him more time to tinker that way too.
Sometimes, Colin wondered why Brockton Bay's PRT HQ looked like any other regular office building. The theory that it's for secrecy held all the way until one of them was called in, at which point the pretence fell apart harder than a building hit by Behemoth. There were, he was aware, some plans for underground parking to be added at some point, extensive enough that it could be kept vague which of the few buildings around was PRT's office but, as with many things in Brockton Bay, it was an idea. The truth was, there was a shield with the letters 'P.R.T.' over the main doors, back when Colin first was stationed in the city. At some point, it fell off, or was knocked down and once again, as with great many things in Brockton Bay, it stayed in the realm of plans. Brockton Bay's Police Department took a small, smug sense of pride in making sure their building, literally across the street from PRT HQ, looked presentable in comparison.
Heading into the main lobby, Colin could see a few troopers giving the parahuman a respectable distance as they leaned against the walls, their containment foam sprayers held at rest. The parahuman in question, a visibly teenage girl, was unmasked, with obvious physical modifications, so he supposed the implied physical abilities warranted some level of response. She was currently chatting up one of the scientists responsible for power testing. Colin stopped his walk for a brief second to turn his social and field analysis programs on, before closing in.
"...thought about it for a bit, but with the extra bits, it's just pain, y'know? They already make me memorable, so outfits might as well be relegated to enhancing the stage persona." The girl prattled on, making the kind of small talk people did to be polite. The scientist, in turn, nodded his head in a clear display of someone out of his depth on subject matter but who listened… actually, he listened quite attentively. Colin focused for a bit.
Fascination. No, not fascination. Wonder? Finds the voice pleasant to listen to and is willing to engage in discussion to keep listening.
Something to ponder about during the testing. Clearing his throat, Colin finally approached the two.
"Miss Bathory, right? I'm Armsmaster, the leader of the local Protectorate. I was asked to be part of the team overseeing your testing." He introduced himself briskly. A bit of an odd cape name, he supposed, especially for a female and one who wished against breaking the law. Had heavily negative associations.
The young girl turned around, her tail swiping low over the floor in a smooth motion as she focused on him (movement natural, didn't get in the way, clearly not a fresh trigger). "I… had not considered how that would sound to me from others." She muttered, her cheery smile twitching for a moment (almost grimaced, feeling improperly addressed, aware the perceived disrespect wasn't deliberate, aware the fault lies with her, very deliberate in her public persona). She blinked and gave Colin a polite curtsy (very well practised motion, clear indicator of higher class social status, respectful). "Hello, sir Armsmaster. Since you're here, shall we be off to get the matters along the way?" She asked with a slight tilt of her head (gauging reaction but expecting a very specific sort of response).
Colin had the feeling her 'sir' and his didn't quite match, but he was willing to let it slide. Despite the obvious direction Bathory was taking her stage persona in, she was also clearly aware of and unwilling of wasting his time. He supposed he could give her the benefit of the doubt on that alone.
"You seem well used to that tail, at the very least." He started while they were still on the way to the testing area. Might as well see just how much she had figured out and how long has it been since her trigger.
"It had been rather surprising the first time, but I can't say I dislike it. Quite the opposite, really. Might be because it didn't really get in the way?" Interesting. An internal balancing factor which allowed to instinctively factor the additional appendage into movement. Although, the wording Bathory used was rather confusing. 'First time'? Was there some sort of memory retention problem? If she was a Case 53 (if particularly lucky in that regard), one who was misplaced multiple times, it would paint a worrying picture. "Still took me quite some time to figure out how to best work it into my routine."
Colin nodded along. At least she was forthcoming with the fact she wasn't quite a recent trigger. Probably spent some time figuring out what she could actually do. From what he had gleaned of information they had on her, she was most likely only doing this, then, as a positive PR move.
Once they arrived at the testing area, he settled in in the offered spot near the recording equipment while the team proceeded with the tests. The obvious things first, testing Bathory's horns and tail.
Tail's motions are expressive and flexible enough there's a degree of conscious control involved. Most likely can be treated as an additional appendage, although the precise degree of fine control is to be determined.
His hypothesis proved valid, as Bathory proved the appendage to, indeed, be capable of easily matching a decent Brute's performance in this regard. When she put her best effort into it, it easily dented metal and cracked concrete, but from what Colin could tell, such manoeuvres left Bathory dangerously exposed. Following that, there was a question of fine motor control of the tail. Here, Bathory showed that while she had a fair amount of control over the way her tail moved, the most she could manage was to wrap it around the target (a spare ballistic gel dummy) and squeeze. Which, granted, still yielded a respectably lethal result.
"I can understand why, but it feels so undignified." The girl whined (the most open with her emotions so far, Colin noted), when one of the scientists asked her to start headbutting and ramming various things to measure how her horns compared. If not for the need for thoroughness, Colin would agree with the sentiment. Her tail was already weapon enough for Bathory, any danger Bathory's horns would prove to a hypothetical PRT trooper could be mitigated by the same countermeasures taken against the tail. Perhaps if she really resisted arrest and wanted to ruin any chances for leniency.
Finally, they had Bathory run her… nails (claws? Colin noticed Bathory seemed to have absolutely no problems handling any task which would require normal fingers to accomplish despite the length of said… outgrowths. He stifled a growl of frustration at his own inability to properly classify the girl's anatomy) across a variety of surfaces.
"Aaaand, that concludes the physical tests." The man responsible for handling the data processing nodded along. "Respectable, but nothing extraordinary."
"Brute 4 at best." Colin agreed. Respectable was the right word. Not too crazy but definitely dangerous if unprepared for. "And with that level of enhanced strength which seems to come from an actually improved body, that means Mover 1 minimum as well. Madame Bathory." He called out loud enough to be heard from across the area, trying another way to address her to see if he got a different reaction. From the way her smile turned up, he guessed it did, but still lacked sufficient information to fully guess the precise reason. Didn't matter. "Do you have any means of enhanced mobility?"
"Do I… oh, right! Almost forgot!" The pinkette exclaimed, eyes widening as if she genuinely forgot. "Almost never use them…." She muttered before theatrically reaching with her hands back over her shoulders. With a flourish, she made a pulling motion, unfurling a pair of comparatively massive, bat-like wings, tip-toeing in place to balance the additional weight.
"Changer 1, sir?" The man… Carl, Colin thought his name was? Carl asked and Colin agreed with a nod, giving the ceiling and the length of the testing area a look before nodding at Bathory.
"If you would?"
Waiting a moment to allow the rest of the team to give her space, Bathory flapped her wings once, then twice before crouching and kicking off. She stayed there in the air before slowly moving around. It was… well, Colin could say that for someone who appeared as image conscious as Bathory, this was most definitely an ungracious method of movement. Not too slow to be impractical, but not particularly gracious. Granted, perhaps top speed in open air could change things but if she admitted to rarely using them, it might factor into not assuming optimal position.
"I'm thankful power classification is about threat response because this just doesn't make any sense if that's all regular human biology with extra bits." Carl muttered with a shake of his head. Colin agreed. Based on birds and bats, there was no way regular human biology would allow to support that. Alas, powers often didn't care.
"Mover 2."
In comparison, the final obvious part of the 'theme' was easy. A short to medium range sonic attack originating from the mouth, a veritable, venerable breath weapon. Quite strong from the way their equipment picked it, definitely the best part of Bathory's entire kit. A fair bit of wind up if her taking a deep breath before every use was any indication and… well, it just wasn't complex. Blaster 5, only because cover wouldn't work against a sonic attack and focusing on pressuring her would ensure she couldn't reliably use it.
"Sir." Carl spoke as they began to wind down, going over all the data while Colin kept an eye on Bathory mingling with the rest of the team and even a few troopers who wandered in to observe. She was all smiles and cutesy poses, laughing and gesticulating energetically and they seemed to be quite willing to listen to her. Colin frowned.
"Yes?"
"I have been thinking this entire time. The way she seems to know how to speak to get you to pay attention, to make her the centre of attention…" Ah, the question old as parahumans, all the more pressing ever since the Simurgh. Actual force of personality, Social Thinker or Master? That one required an actual, careful consideration, and usually it was recommended to err on the side of caution. Still, while true that Bathory knew how to get people to focus on her and her words and the pleasant to listen voice invited perhaps unwelcome comparisons to Bad Canary, none of Colin's equipment so much as hinted at any change in brain chemistry or nervous system activity when he was interacting with Bathory personally. True, the equipment was't fully tested against Control Masters, but given Bathory's cooperativeness and forthcoming with her abilities…
"Thinker 2. Social focused." Colin decided. "I would say we oughtn't bother, but this way even if we are wrong about it not being a Master power, we have a fig leaf of presenting something, at the very least."
"Got it. So, Brute/Blaster with very minor Changer and Thinker aspects. She truly has a theme of the devil, doesn't she?" Carl joked.
Dragon, more likely, given the thickness of the tail and the precise shape of the wings and horns, Colin corrected in the privacy of his mind. Not that anyone would particularly care.
All in all, a very pleasantly straightforward evaluation, and the readings did prod him towards some ideas for improvement in his sensors. Smiling slightly, Colin nodded to himself. In the end, it wasn't a waste of time after all.
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♦Topic: Brockton Bay Idol Scene Rebirth?
1, 2, 3… 10
► MuskyVixen (Original Poster) (Unverified Cape)
Alright, so the first part of the context. The last two, maybe three days, there have been a bunch of fliers being distributed around, mostly Docks and the more Empire-free areas of Downtown, advertising a concert happening soon at the beachfront. And yeah, I hear you, sane people, 'MuskyVixen, an open air concert at the start of January, on the beach?' What kind of idiot tries to do a concert off-season, in this city, for their debut?
A parahuman idiot, apparently. Like, unless this… Bloody Pure Idol Eli (incredible naming sense, girl, you do you, by the way) has managed to do what literally no other parahuman independent in Brockton Bay could and managed to somehow convince Parian to do her whole aesthetic, we're looking at either a Changer or another Kanabo situation and thus someone who doesn't get the option of hiding their identity.
Context part two, either for those unfamiliar with the history of Japanese immigration to the Bay or Japanese culture before Leviathan slammed his barbed, unlubed dick up our asses. First things first, idols are… pretty much just singers. They are singers. Cute girls looking cute and trying to sound good while making it big in the ruthless, cutthroat world of showbiz. We will leave the analysis of the darker aspects of the business model for another time, maybe. But the basic thing is that idols, as the name implies, were supposed to be successful female singers with legions of thirsty, desperate fans ready to gobble up any and all merch. The exact nature of the idol's relationship with her fans varied but at the time Leviathan paid Kyushu a visit, there was basically a transitional period between 'unapproachable ideal female' and 'interacting with the fans (purity still heavily implied)'.
Now, there have been a few attempts by the diaspora to drum up money that way a couple of times in the Bay. There was a gang by the name of Eight Precepts who tried to do the whole yakuza song and dance of wiggling their way into semi-official part of the life that way, sponsored a small group called Keihatsu. Got got by the Teeth, alongside Precepts. Maybe if they had a parahuman or two to their name they would've succeeded, I dunno.
There was BB99, a group of five plus their manager, they were making fairly good progress. And then, because no one in the US can have nice things, just as they were doing a show for the… was it kindergarten or primary school? For kiddies, anyway. Slaughterhouse paid us a visit and took that specific school for their base while in the city. Ouch.
The last push was literally just before Lung swung into town. Another gang sponsorship, this one by Ronins, a bunch of Black Kaze's simps who somehow made their way to the States. Now, Ronins had a pair of parahumans to act as the security detail for their girls so they really managed to last. Personally, I am of the opinion they did for so long because Slaughterhouse doesn't do repeated visits and the Teeth were kicked out of the city by the Slaughterhouse. So what went wrong this time? Well, a brilliant idea of trying to be famous in Nazi Central. That's right, we've got an Empire visit this time. Now, that particular Empire cape actually died shortly after doing the lynch, but yeah.
So there you have it folks. Three times was not a charm, but perhaps if the performer in question is a parahuman themselves it will go right this time, right? The fact the girl looks European might actually stay the Empire's hand, even!
Anyway, thank you for coming to my Bob Talk.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5… 10
►Nutty
This time it will be ABB that will murder the girl for appropriating their culture, lol.
►RickyRoll
Why does anyone want anything to do with this accursed town is my first question.
►Robby-G
Implicating we can afford to leave and get a house in some less shit city.
Lmao. Lol, even.
►Ball-chan
> This time it will be ABB that will murder the girl for appropriating their culture, lol.
Nah, Lung is a chill guy. Doesn't care as long as you don't actively poke him.
►Nutty
Lmao. Lung, chill? Mr 'my power is being roided rage dragon'?
►Hanabi
And how many raids does ABB do compared to Empire? Lung and his lieutenants are perfectly content to sit in Asia Town and not bother anyone.
►Robby-G
Except for any ABB cape that tries to be expansionist. Dragon Man might not care. He also doesn't give a shit if his capes go out and start shit, so long as he gets his cut. Remember that nutfuck Blemish?
►Hanabi
Blemish was bugfuck insane vigilante. That he was an Asian and that he kept going after heroes are two different facts.
►Nutty
>going after the heroes
That sounds like a villain to me, kin
4, 5, 6, 7, 8… 10
►Specific Protagonist (Cape Groupie) (Writer)
>Japanese culture before Leviathan slammed his barbed, unlubed dick up our asses
As the world's greatest hydrokinetic, Leviathan is, by the very definition, always lubed-up. Alas, we lack the data on the texture of the moby dick.
►Victim Girl
>always lubed-up.
Implicating that he wouldn't use his powers to go in bone dry to make us really scream.
►RickyRoll
…
What a day to have eyes.
♦Topic: The new Parahuman Idol, Bathory
1, 2, 3… 20
►Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Alright folks, you know the drill by now. New cape shows up, has an actually good idea of letting us know they aren't about to murder anyone, arranges a meeting. Now, this one is a little bit different from usual because of the reason behind her coming in for power testing. Parahuman performers have been a touchy subjects since Simurgh showed up, so this is basically PRT putting its approval mark on her career and as such, the thread is both official Bathory cape info thread and Bloody Pure Idol Eli (as many, many people undoubtedly commented by now, she definitely has a naming sense of all time) career discussion thread.
Now, onto your usual Officially Approved Leaks!
Basic info is that Bathory has permanent horns and lizard tail, some funky nails plus 'naturally' pink hair, so, y'know, no secret identity for her.
The official ratings are Brute 4, Blaster 5, Mover 2, Thinker 2, Changer 1.
►DesuVult
Good gods, that girl really fucking lucked out on the power, huh.
►SpiderSays
It does seem a bit egregious but could be chalked up to the precise details of how her powers work. Remember, the ratings are there to help PRT troopers know how to respond. Higher rated Blasters usually mean you shouldn't assume cover will do shit.
►BirdWatcher
Huh. I was kinda expecting a Master rating just like Bad Canary got when she started her career.
►Parian (Verified Cape) (Independent)
Because every Blaster out there has to deal with Behemoth comparisons, right? Seems she just lucked out on that.
1, 2, 3… 20
►C53_Lover (Writer) (Cape Groupie)
This is almost as bad of a tease as Kanabo has been. It's almost a good, proper monstergirl pussy as god intended only to chicken out at the last possible second.
►Specific Protagonist (Cape Groupie) (Writer)
Fuck you, all parahumans should be loved and lewded equally. She is cute, nuff said. The monster bits really just add options.
►Wedgie
>all parahumans
Hello, yes, Child Protection Services?
►Specific Protagonist (Cape Groupie) (Writer)
You know what I mean. Legally Aged Up AUs exist for a reason.
►PaleWarrior
You sick freaks, this girl cannot be possibly older than 14. How did anyone let her go out wearing that!?
►MuskyVixen (Unverified Cape)
Because women aren't considered adult unless they have tits the size of basketballs with hips and ass to match, eh?
►PaleWarrior
It definitely helps avoid awkward explanations! Add proper hair and eye colour and you just have an ideal woman.
►Specific Protagonist (Cape Groupie) (Writer)
…
Oh my god, you are a Fenja/Menja simp, aren't you? Like, one of the hardcore ones.
►MuskyVixen (Unverified Cape)
You can say 'Empire groupie', darling, no one will blame you.
►PaleWarrior
> you are a Fenja/Menja simp, aren't you?
Twins, they are!
►Specific Protagonist (Cape Groupie) (Writer)
You do you, buddy.
> You can say 'Empire groupie', darling, no one will blame you.
Unlike you, I'm not a parahuman, Foxxy, so I'd rather veer closer to caution.
►Nutty
I'm just impressed there's apparently parahumans Specific doesn't consider fuckable.
►Specific Protagonist (Cape Groupie) (Writer)
Oh no, Fenja and Menja are perfectly fine pieces of almost stereotypically Aryan ass. They are just a bit… basic? Sure giantess porn has its venues to explore and twins are a very popular fetish for a reason but it's just… they are kinda the white bread of the parahuman lusting?
Also, kinkshamers need dunking on at every occasion.
►TinMother (Moderator)
On-topic please. NSFW section of the forum, where this discussion belongs, is that way.
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KillerFish
Grumpy Owl, Bird Lawyer
Oddly, the neurotic paperwork and testing makes this more realistic.
Of course Piggot's not going to just let an unknown parahuman perform to a wide audience without testing, it runs counter to her job of protecting the public from paragumans.
Even then, Emily probably still has a headache over the fact that this will be a tempting target by the villains, and is spewing a constant mental barrage of curses towards a certain Dragonic Idol.
Of course Piggot's not going to just let an unknown parahuman perform to a wide audience without testing, it runs counter to her job of protecting the public from paragumans.
Even then, Emily probably still has a headache over the fact that this will be a tempting target by the villains, and is spewing a constant mental barrage of curses towards a certain Dragonic Idol.
Ah SpecificProtagonist. Avatar of the horny on the internet.
Lung: So I heard theres another dragon in town...
- Location
- London
The greatest piece of relevance fanon gave Mads, one I can actually respect.
Alas, Kenta doesn't have the best singing voice for a proper challenge to be issued
- Location
- America
That's an assumption given a lot of powers tend to come with their own instructions, like, if you had a power to shapeshift into animals ala 'Beastboy', you wouldn't have to spend weeks upon weeks getting used to every individual form, with Victors power explicitly being an example of a power granting 'experience' and the fact that taylors power over bugs doesn't require her to learn how to fly or multitask.
Also every power that involves a capability that humanity simply doesn't have, such as shooting energy blasts or turning into mist.
Not that this matters since he goes on to confirm this later, but it is an assumption at the time, even if it's correct.
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
Armsmaster is one of the most veteran parahumans in all of America, so I would say it isn't out of line for him to look at someone and go "that's practice, not just power instincts"
- Location
- London
Fair that there'd b some instinctive understandings of 'how to shoot web' with parahumans, tho I will profess I don't know just how many capes with additional, permanent physical appendages there are out there in canon and their (possible) struggles on having to reinvent their body's balance, especially in everyday life when you don't really think about what your limbs do.
Chapter 10: 1-9 [Stage]
- Location
- London
January 9th
"Why am I here again?" Amy grouched, slumped as she was in one of the cheap plastic chairs the cafe overseeing the beach hauled out in great numbers to capitalise on the surprise event.
"Because your date wanted to check out a concert put up by a cute lizard girl." Vicky teased her sister while sipping on her latte. "Which, hey, whatever else happens Ames, silver lining. Now you know she likes girls."
Amy turned a truly spectacular shade of red and flipped Vicky off but otherwise didn't deny anything. She also ducked her head, which allowed Vicky to give Epopeia a wink and a very pleased grin. She was the best matchmaker. Ha, suck it Dean! Even if it sucked that Dean couldn't come. Piggy decided to hold the Wards back home for today, for some reason. Probably expecting trouble if Miss Militia stationed on a roof with a clear view of the entire venue was any indication.
"Girls… pretty. Science fact." The Changer quoted in her best sage-like tone from behind a cup of mocha, using the same sorcery as the aforementioned cape to smile with her eyes. She had Militia beat with how she could drink the damn thing without moving or staining her bandana, though.
"If you say so." Vicky acquiesced with a shrug. Not her deal, honestly. She could gauge and compare but actually tell another girl's attractiveness? Might as well ask her to make tinkertech. "So, my nerdy friend, how did you get roped into helping set this all up?" Parian was rather obvious. Indigo, whom Vicky ran into on a patrol with an entire stack of posters, plastering on the walls absolutely everywhere? There was a story.
"I just have all the luck with open capes, it looks like." Epopeia chuckled, shaking her head before sobering up, "I can't say much because it gets into my civvie ID, but she helped me out and I'm all too happy to return the favour."
"Now I just need to find a way to get you onto family dinner and then for you to get a date with Kanabo and you will have a PHO worthy achievement right there." Vicky giggled at the thought. Really, having Indigo over might even make the atmosphere more bearable for her side of the New Wave.
Alas, first the girl would need to trust her enough with her civilian identity. She supposed not everyone was into gorgeous blondes. Some people preferred shorter brunettes. Who were girls. Cute, healer girls with a respectable build. Hmmm… was it Nightingale Syndrome or was too much PHO rotting her brain?
"Augh, my greatest weakness, free food." The Stranger wailed in a deadpan, before breaking into giggles. "But seriously, I'm game. So long as they don't mind me technically being a merc who's worked with villains."
"I don't think 'I prioritised Hookwolf over a bunch of temporary ABB capes' quite qualifies as 'working with'." Ames deadpanned right back and Vicky nodded along.
"Yeah, fuck'em. I suppose as long as you don't make a habit out of it and don't quite word it like that when explaining it to mom." Vicky tapped her chin.
"Well, I did distract Challenger so they could get away, but that was mostly to deescalate since the place was torn up enough as-is. Even if some kind soul that I am certain had no ABB connections saw fit to slip a generous donation into my bag while I was getting patched up." Epopeia chuckled, leaning back in her rickety chair and taking a long drag of her coffee before perking up with a laugh. "I also got hired by Bitch within the hour of getting to the Bay! If you count a stranger I had zero idea about offering my broke ass backup and all the loot from busting a nazi dog fighting ring as me being a big bad mercenary working with known villains."
Vicky grimaced at the explanation. "Bitch is… okay, you must have found her on a really good day. Girl is a gruff, well, bitch on a good day, prone to violence too. And, of course, she has a few deaths on her sheet, so, y'know, really risky. She might've genuinely not cared about you save as a source of help or she might have wanted an extra body to throw between a potential Empire cape and her dogs."
"Huh, weird. She was antisocial but plenty nice. Gave me a ride and a rundown of the players in the Bay after the gig and everything." The Stranger blinked owlishly before shrugging, completely unconcerned, "Eh, I'll just play it by the ear if I meet her again."
Vicky shook her head. Unfuckingbelievable. "I will just chalk that up to your power having hidden Trump 0 making you irresistible to antisocial parahuman girls."
"Thank you." Ames shot her a seething glare. "For lumping me in the same category as Hellhound."
Oh. Oops. Vicky held her hands up. "Sorry, Ames, spoke without thinking, not intended?"
"Right, change of topic time." Indigo chimed with a crisp snap of her fingers, "What do you two do for fun that isn't cape business? I used to write, myself, but lately I've dusted off my calligraphy and ink painting."
"Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, it's very bold of you to assume Ames does 'fun stuff outside cape business'." Vicky lamented theatrically, leaning back in her chair in mock-faint. "Honestly, her deciding to hang out with you, even for the purposes of using her power to meticulously study you." She just couldn't help herself from teasing Ames more, her sister finally was showing interest in anyone. "Is already the most not-work related stuff she does in her free time that I didn't force on her."
"My hospital work is important." Ames hissed indignantly. Vicky waved her off, thoroughly familiar with the argument she would use if pressed.
"I, on the other hand, am just your average popular girl at highschool. Used to play basketball but… cape shit means you stop making things sporting for others." Vicky sighed. And what a shame it was, she missed the court, sometimes. Not even other Brutes scattered across the Bay were enough to sate that longing. Most were way weaker than Vicky and those that weren't… mostly gangers.
"Right, in the interest of not pissing off my doctor, let's focus on that." Epopeia chuckled, draining the last of her mocha. Still not a single glimpse of her face or stain on the bandana. "Unable to turn off the super-strength, I'm guessing? You don't seem to have issues with subconsciously shifting to flying, so that shouldn't be a factor."
"Powers can be weird." Ames grouched. "There's a degree of control, yes, but then, the way it expresses can change things."
"Yeah, my toughness is automatic, my flight and aura have a switch but the strength… I can, passively, lift sixteen tonnes without seriously straining myself. That part is always on." She bragged slightly, raising up her arm and flexing as she shot Indigo a grin. "I can somewhat regulate my punches, though. To a degree. I have yet to liquify a ganger's organs from punching'em, but if I am not careful, I can still easily break bones in a hit."
"Rough. Berserker has and doesn't have that issue. Technically I have body control that'd make martial artists green with envy, in practice it also puts me in gorilla mode like you overheard during my checkup." The Stranger groused with a little waggle of her fingers, her empty cup having disappeared to parts unknown in between eyeblinks. "Although the issue is more dislocating joints and leaving hairline fractures if I get a bit too excited, instead of having to hold back more horsepower than a mainline tank. Hmm… I assume you mostly go for limb shots, then? Torso is dangerous to hit with that much bang juice and the whole head and neck is just asking for Amy to get palpitations."
Vicky chose to remain silent on the fact that even with precautions, she may have had to request Amy's services on… a few too many occasions. Particularly with the Empire's goons. The look Ames shot her, flat and exasperated and judging, only confirmed her decision.
"There have been a few close calls in the past." Was what she chose to say diplomatically. "Red sounds kinda like if Uber actually got a physical boost whenever he opted to go for the martial arts option.."
Indigo's eyes crinkled as she watched the byplay go down, but mercifully let it pass without comment, "Kinda sorta. Like I told Challenger, I don't actually know any martial arts, I can only sort of fake it with a combination of body hyperawareness, control and instinct. More like a gym nut who's done a bunch of kinasthenic exercises then chased it down with several years of street brawling… Huh. Wonder if there's any dojos around the Docks who'd take me, should have an easy time picking up moves and putting them to work. Plus, hey, some kata may help me relax when hammering out three dozen calligraphy sets doesn't help with the nervous energy."
Vicky shook her head. First calligraphy and now this. Ruefully, she grabbed Ames' hand in her own and looked at her sorrowfully. "It's no good, Ames. It looks like we befriended an honorary ABB cape yet again."
"Please regale me with your wisdom, honoured senior, who is my predecessor?" Epopeia asked with a thick as mud Chinese accent, barely restraining giggles. Worst part was? It sounded authentic, she'd fought enough ABB goons to know what someone slurring through English as a fifth language sounded like.
"Don't you fucking dare." Ames hissed as she squeezed Vicky's hand with all her strength. Which, unfortunately for her, wasn't much.
"Maybe if she likes you enough she will tell you herself." She settled on throwing Ames to the proverbial wolves instead. What a good sister she was, making sure her little sister was properly socialised.
Kaoru had to admit she came to the concert on a whim. Unlike many other Japanese expats in Brockton Bay, she wasn't particularly interested in the attempts at cultural revival the community kept insisting on. Admittedly, mostly because she just wasn't interested in that particular period of their homeland's history. On the other, she also just wasn't a music person. Loud noises tended to irritate her and crowds… she could live without crowds. And yet, here she was, having secured herself a spot particularly close to the stage, where she was guaranteed to have a good look at Bloody Pure Eli(-chan). Why?
If anyone in the know asked, Kaoru would reply with perfect honesty. She envied capes like Kanabo and Bathory, capes who got to have powers and stand out, clearly marked as different from the masses. More beautiful than the boring baseline. Speaking of Kanabo, the oni woman was off somewhere in the crowd too, the blue skinned parahuman acting as something of a beacon for a crowd of younger Japanese audience. Kaoru rubbed the side of her neck where a spider tattoo hid under her scarf. She supposed that made three of them keeping an eye on the event, just in case. Well, two-and-half. Big Brother was pretty much just a baseline, but that power…
Kaoru shook her head. She was here to largely have fun. Out of all the Asia Town capes, she had the loosest connection to Lóng's gathering. She paid the man fealty and tribute, answered when he had the need for her talents, but otherwise, if she wanted, she could ditch the ABB without much trouble. Big Brother and that kid, Terracotta, would probably be the most bothered by her leaving, compared to Lóng.
Soon enough, Bathory took to the stage and Kaoru felt herself wincing. Sure, the girl managed to make the pastel aesthetic look good but… The tail and the horns were purpose made for goth-lolita! And now there was a light blue ribbon with a rose on it wrapped around the tip of the tail. And that ridiculous top hat covered her horns! Sacrilege!
The girl better be a damn good singer because her extra bits and name clashed terribly with her stage aesthetic. Ignorant to Kaoru's turmoil, the demonic(?) cape on the stage pranced right to the edge of the platform, mike in hand and looked at the gathered crowd before giving them all a wide, beaming smile. Kaoru had to admit, it was a very pretty smile, especially with how Bathory's crystal blue eyes seemed to sparkle with happiness and excitement. From where Kaoru stood, with her improved senses, she could also notice that Bathory's canines were also more bestial than a normal human. (So… was the theme actually a vampire and not a demon? The tail didn't match though.)
"EVERYOOOONE!" Bathory shouted, loud and clear, and with such a cheer Kaoru couldn't help but smile along. The cape performer waved her left hand towards the crowd. "I KNOW IT HAS BEEN A BIT OF A SHORT NOTICE, BUT THAT MAKES ME LOOOOOVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU ALL THE MORE FOR SHOWING UP~!"
Kaoru swallowed as she felt her face heat up and her heart pound. Calm down girl, it's just a very pretty inhuman girl being so obviously, ridiculously happy it's infectious. Judging by the shouts and cheers all around her, thankfully she wasn't the only one getting swept in the girl's energy.
"ALRIIIIGHT~! THE WEATHER IS NICE BUT IT IS JANUARY SO WE'RE JUST GONNA GO STRAIGHT FOR THE MAIN EVENT, KAAAAAY~?" Bathory continued with the same cheer she seemed to have for everything. Snapping her fingers, the inhuman cape raised her hand straight up, causing the stage lights to come to life, a mix of reds, yellows and pure white. The massive plushies at the back came to life at the same time, shuffling with grace forward, even if still giving Bathory the front and centre.
Huh. So Parian is part of this.
Then, Bathory started to sing.
"Like the sun…"
"You know, gotta wonder. Why did PR never decide to have us organise a concert?" Dumbass asked from where he sat in Junior League's quarters. They were all grounded and confined to the place for today which grated, especially having to bear the presence of her… less tolerable teammates.
"Because they are good at their job." Vista snarked back at Dumbass, shrugging off the disapproving look Loud Fuck shot her. Around the common room, Dumbass found little support however. They all had, at one point or another, had the misfortune of listening to his attempts at singing.
Whose idea it was to tune in to the concert that new cape was putting on, Sophia had no idea. The aesthetic made it certain she wouldn't look at the TV until they switched channels or the thing ended, whichever came first and the lyrics were entirely too damn peppy.
"Still nice to see a new parahuman in a more relaxed environment." Chewtoy made an attempt at the idle talk. She had no idea why, Vista was actually glued to the screen, and even Disaster Boy was paying attention - apparently in hopes that analysing a teen singer on live tv will fix his uselessness somehow. Feels Punch was actually trying to drum his fingers to the Lizard's songs' rhythms and it was only the fact Sophia couldn't hear his attempts that saved his face from her own attempts at following a beat.
At least Lizard's voice was pleasant to listen to. She would never admit it aloud, of course, Lizard seemed determined to pretend to be an empty headed pretty face, but the voice was good. Maybe she could try and see if she could commission her to do this Aleph voice thing… ASMR, she thought some Asian kids at Winslow called it? Just some white noise to put on while she trained.
God, she hoped something exciting would happen and they could have an intelligent conversation, at least.
"The translation is somewhat decent." Kenta rumbled from his favourite chair in Lee's coffee house. He nodded along even as he took the stock of his inventory.
"To a trained ear, it's obvious most of the songs are meant to be sung in Japanese." He voiced the conclusion both of them reached after only three of Bathory's songs. This was how they most often spent their time, Kenta lazing in his big, fluffy chair, Lee carefully curating his singular passion in life and both of them talking about the most inane of things. Separating private life and business was important, even for Kenta. As much as the man claimed he was above petty concerns of double life, Lee at least knew him well enough to tell that being just Kenta soothed the man.
"At least if the tip proves false, we will have an excuse to keep supporting the venture." It would keep the Japanese quarter a little bit happier and compliant with Kenta's rule, beyond just grudgingly following him on merit of strength alone.
A little fly flew into Yamada's web to tell them that the Empire was planning something for the attempt at rebuilding another bit of Asia's identity in the world after Leviathan. Obviously meant to get ABB into open conflict with the Empire. Arranging for their loosest members to be present to keep an eye on things would show them if they needed to worry about the information broker interested in sparking a gang war in the city. Lee wouldn't quite say he hoped for it to pass, but it would certainly show the mettle of the latest bunch of parahumans who gathered at his and Kenta's table looking for scraps of power and authority to garb themselves with.
And if they had to sit in Lee's coffee house and listen to some teenage gaijin sing with some measure of skill to do that… there were worse ways to spend a day.
Melody ground her teeth as she forced herself to keep looking up at the little freak up at the stage, doing dumb poses, braindead gestures and singing about dumbass things. Brad would probably rib her about getting pissed off at the dumbest things while Will would tell her to shut up and focus. But she just couldn't help it. Her power made Melody's hearing tuned up to the subtlest nuances in every sound she came across and, while on the surface, the pink freak's voice might have sounded good, to her it was just…
There was something in it, hidden and controlled, a promise of rumbling cacophony held back by the whim of its owner. It gave her goosebumps and made her hair stand up just a little bit and that pissed Melody off. She was no fucking coward, getting intimidated by some brat's voice.
The other issue she had with the bitch was… When you had a name like Melody, people tended to assume stuff about your interests. And while violence would always be Melody's first and foremost love in life, she refused to be subpar at something everyone assumed she would be good at. So she learned how to sing, and how to do it well. And then her throat got slashed and that was it for any plans of a musical career. All the better, it gave her an excuse to no longer bother with wasting her time outside the ring.
The fact it made her incapable of doing something she knew she was good at, however, pissed her right off. So the freak getting to enjoy singing her heart out while Melody was reduced to unpleasant rasp drove a very green stake into her.
She would honestly love nothing more to let loose, to ruin the non-human's little venture with the subtler applications of her power, to ruin her reputation and drag her name through the mud before she got anywhere off the ground. But then, Brad and Will's part would be harder. So she had to wait. Wait and listen to some dumb bitch take Melody's place.
She clenched and unclenched her fists as she waited, near the edge of the crowd by the stage, using the dumbfuck's music to rile herself up while she waited. Then, finally, the phone in her breast pocket vibrated. Once. Twice. Thrice. In that very specific pattern.
Melody grinned and reached into the bag on her waist, ducking her head.
Cricket looked up, the cage-like mask covering her lower face doing little to disguise her grin.
Her power activated, and she forced herself to keep grinning through the fucking pain the freak's singing had become.
Showtime.
The very first sign that something was wrong was when the crowd close to the stage quieted down and started swaying drunkenly. Not the most obvious sign and to be fair, Bathory was kinda intense in her own way. Then, the unmistakable sound of metal grinding against metal audible from a good block or two away and even then only because Bathory actually stopped singing to check on people behaving oddly.
Then Vicky's phone, the 'work' one, the one she kept to keep a hand on the pulse of PRT and police dispatches, started going off like crazy. Smile vanishing from her face she stood up from the table, giving Epopeia and Ames a serious look.
"Seems like Hookwolf is coming to cause trouble again, and he brought friends this time." She declared grimly, already starting to hover a few inches off the ground, ready for take off. Still, she had to make sure everything was in order. "Ames, stay here, or hide in one of the shops at least. Epo, your choice what to do."
"Lovely." The Changer ground out, already out of her seat and starting to feel… honestly, like an inverse of her aura. A quiet blanket of 'don't look at me' which only didn't make her slide out of perception thanks to a pair of indigo eyes boring into her, "Liz has Cricket on lock, I have some stuff to protect the crowd while they evac so I'll handle that, do me a favour and herd Hook and whoever else to the beach so I can give them a swirly once the splash zone is clear."
"I can try hitting him with a car a few times but I can't promise the doggy will run precisely where you will want him to." Victoria allowed herself to joke weakly. She could do this, she could goad the Empire… She just wasn't sure she was crazy enough to really tango solo with Hookwolf.
Looking up towards the concert, she noticed a cloud of light purple smoke rising somewhere close to the stage, with that section of the crowd seemingly calming down. So, Xiangliu decided to pay a visit. Between her, Kanabo and Bathory, they ought to have Cricket dealt with. Parian too. She couldn't quite see the detail but it seemed the plushie mistress managed to cordon a decent area while Bathory… held some sort of a pose towards the interloper? She shook her head. No time to wonder. If Hook got a straight line towards the venue they were looking at absolute fucking bloodbath.
She spared one more look at Ames and Epo-aaaand the Stranger was gone. She spared her sister one last glance, shooting her a confident grin - more confident than she honestly felt. Random gangoons were one thing. Hookwolf was another.
She shot into the sky, wind blowing in her ears, almost as loud as the rush of blood and beat of her heart. In no time at all, she was four stories above street level where an already-transformed Hookwolf was leading an entire raid of Empire's men.
"HEY!" She shouted, even as she cranked up her aura to the maximum. To her satisfaction, all of them, giant wolf made of angry woodchippers included, stopped in their tracks. Sure, in her casuals she didn't exactly cut the most imposing or majestic figure but, well. Her aura let her cheat like a bitch. "SOMETHING TELLS ME YOU BOYS ARE NOT HERE TO SUPPORT THE LOCAL ECONOMY!"
Hookwolf just growled something she supposed could be banter if the existence of his vocal chords wasn't currently up to a serious debate. Instead, it came across as a mix of screeches and clangs. Could mean anything, really. He did, however, make his point clearer by picking up the speed again.
Victoria dove towards where she could spot a nice, somewhat beaten-up family car. She was sure the owner wouldn't mind too hard having it used to flatt–
Something slammed into her and she careened into the wall of the nearby building - thankfully not hard enough for her forcefield to break, or to seriously crater the building. It did, however, allow Hookwolf to keep moving. Victoria shook her head and looked in the direction from which she got blown- aaaaand that was Stormtiger.
Three goddamn Empire capes? This was fucking planned.
She pulled herself out of the dent in the wall, sending the masked Nazi a glare. Most of the gangoons kept moving after Hookwolf, giving her a wide breadth. Keeping an eye on the aerokinetic, Victoria dove again, only to pivot out of the way of another claw shaped air blast. She clicked her tongue. So that's how it was.
"I was hoping for a date with your friend." She grunted as she took in the street below her and around Stormtiger.
"He's spoken for. You will have to settle for me." Victoria grimaced as she darted to the side, avoiding the cutting air sent her way.
She dove, not in Stormtiger's direction but directly below. She was stronger and more durable than the Nazi cape, but that didn't account for much if she couldn't get to him. Gliding behind a car, she did a quick look around and sighed. Nothing that would be both a convenient improvised weapon and wouldn't put Stormtiger in need of immediate medical attention if she actually hit him. She grunted as her opponent hit the car she was hiding behind, pushing it onto her.
...
Well, she would have to give Stormtiger a gift basket for giving her the idea. Grinning, she turned around, grabbed the car, the metal groaning as her fingers found purchase, and lifted slightly off the ground to circumvent the brakes. Then, she accelerated towards the Nazi, barely getting jostled by the following air blasts.
Calm down, Liz. Control yourself. It's just some spotlight stealight little bug in need of squa–
Elizabeth shook her head as she glared at this… Cricket who messed up her concert. With Master, and thus Da'at, fairly close to her, she had the benefit of their ability to just… know a cape just by looking at them, and there were a fair few in the crowd, so she didn't really think about letting them listen. Her concert was going well. Excellent, even! The audience responded well to her, they hung onto her lyrics, their eyes followed her motions… Everything she had dreamed of, all those summonings ago when she made the choice to reinvent herself. Just her, her genuinely captive audience and no other Servants to steal her thunder.
It felt good. She even managed to avoid messing up and going louder than necessary!
And then this bitch ruined that.
Lucky her, it seemed another cape was taking care of calming the crowd, but still, a lesson needed to be taught, she decided as she gripped her microphone.
"Parian, darling." She called her wonderful stagehand-slash-backup. Lovely voice, knew her place in the band. "Be a dear and make sure our lovely audience is safe, will you?"
She could see the ugly, in both meanings of the word, grin on Cricket's face widening just slightly bit more. Of course. Rabble without honour or code worth a damn. Without waiting to see what Parian had planned, she kicked off the stage, aiming for the lovely empty space people made trying to get away from Cricket. She will have to do something extra nice for them for being smart and getting away.
Her mike swung, only met with empty air as Cricket jumped back before the blow could connect. Not too far, they were still at the edge of the crowd, there wasn't much space for manoeuvring yet.
"Tsk." This close, she could see the vicious scarring on the other woman's throat. Not gonna get an explanation, then. "That was very uncalled for, you know. If you have a problem with me, I'm more than willing to get you on the stage." So everyone could see properly what happened when you messed with her conc–
Wow, she was so much angrier about this than she thought she would be! With how it went until now, one would think she would be used to it.
Cricket's answer was to draw a pair of scythes with chains attached to them, kamas, if she recalled some Japanese Servants discussing weapons correctly? Really, chains aside, the weapons clashed terribly with punk cage fighter apocalypse flick reject aesthetic the bitch went for. Girl, pick a direction and stick to it.
Elizabeth charged forward, mic held like a spear, only for Cricket to pivot away, lunging for Elizabeth with a wide swipe of one of her kamas. Smirking, Elizabeth twirled her makeshift polearm for a low sweep for the cape's legs.
Cricket had to abandon her attack to focus on jumping over the strike. The exchange led to them swapping their starting positions. It also told Elizabeth a few things. For one, Cricket was fast, at least defensively. To be completely fair, Elizabeth knew she was pretty slow for a Servant, but Cricket was really good at reacting to danger. On the attack, she was still just an athletic baseline. Elizabeth would bet she had durability of one too.
Cricket adjusted the grip on her weapons, loosening them until she held them by chains. Her wrist twisted…
"LAAAAAAA!" Elizabeth suppressed a wince at how her lovely audience reacted to her 'usual' loud. At least it seemed to really hurt Cricket. She sent the woman a vicious smile as she propped her mic upright. "Sorry sweetheart, but I am your duet partner. So. Eyes. On. Me."
Cricket snarled, a really ugly sound given her throat, but obliged, her grip on one of the kamas shifting again as she observed Elizabeth. Strangely content to just stand there and wait, letting Liz seize the initiative. Twirling her mic, she made to move forward… and stopped a few steps in. That walk was really wobbly. Like she got drunk, which was impossible because Deerlet didn't buy any and a star really shouldn't get intoxicated before a performance anyway.
Cricket charged her again, scythes held close to the chest and Liz brought her mic up. She managed the block, fairly easily, but it was not as good as she could do, and her follow up went wide off. Then Cricket spun around her and Liz could feel the blade cut through her back. She almost fell on her butt as she twisted around, almost falling over her tail. Cricket stood over there, grinning as she showed off the trail of red on her blade. Elizabeth rolled her shoulders, grimacing at the feeling of the shallow wound.
Shallow? But… given the maneuver and the opportunity, Cricket could have really fucked her up, especially since her Battle Continuation was sealed.
…
Oh. Oh. She knew what this was. She knew deeply, uncomfortably well what Cricket's game was. After all, Elizabeth herself got a Skill as a Servant based on this. She snarled, openly, showing her teeth. This was going to be extra therapeutic, then. Her tail lashed out, snapping at the sand and blasting it up in the air before it slapped Elizabeth across her ankle.
The sting of that made her pause. This was… how was she this sloppy with her tail? She was supposed to be a natural with it as a Servant!
She didn't get time to ponder as Cricket charged her again, staying just outside the reach of her mic while she swung one of her scythes on its chain, low. Elizabeth simply brought the mic down, impaling it like a pole in the path of the weapon, which bounced off with a loud 'CLANG!'. For a second, her body didn't feel as dizzy as it was for the last few mome…
"Interesting trick you've got." Cricket. Cricket. Cricket. Of course there was a clue to the bitch's power right in the name. Lancers used polearms, Casters did magic, Archers threw swords at you. And crickets chirped. Sure, they were usually loud as hell, but then, it's not like there wasn't always some sort of trick or exception to the rule with these things. Challenging her to a sing-off with such a shitty voice it made people sick? Even the Rose Emperor wasn't that bad. "Alright, you want to sing? Let's sing."
Katsumi frowned grimly as she carefully stepped over the mangled corpse of the parahuman. She didn't know the boy's name, either civilian or cape identity, or if he even had one. All she knew was that he had the power to conjure silvery yet translucent screens of force the size of a door in relatively close proximity to himself. The Protectorate would've loved to have him. Clearly defensive powers were easy to market for the masses as heroic.
The same heroic drive led the boy to interpose himself between charging Hookwolf and the fleeing crowd… with expected results. The boy managed to conjure two more barriers before the wolf devoured him and spat mangled remains. At the very least, the effort bled his momentum.
"Baseball girl." Katsumi clicked her tongue, feigning nonchalance by resting her bat on her shoulder. Get hired by a themed bar and be passionate about said theming yourself, and suddenly that's your entire personality. Especially when you refused to get involved in the whole spandex circus. Not that there was much spandex to be seen with the Empire. "Didn't think you had dreams of becoming ragu."
Katsumi shrugged. Bravery in front of a lynch mob of Nazis was easy when you didn't need to worry about bullets. Which meant just her and Hookwolf. She wasn't sure why the goons weren't going after the crowd herded around by Parian's dolls and Xianglu's gas, but she was sure the reason was dumb.
"I had a fairly good time listening to some decent music before some rude jackass decided to show up. Thought even the dumbest of you didn't want to fuck around Boardwalk."
"Run, Kanabo, there's no money for you to make." Hookwolf snorted as his body slowly started becoming more blades than flesh again. "Or don't. No difference here. Always wondered how tough you are."
She should take the out offered. She really should. She was just part timer in a themed bar put into maid dress for pure 'fetish sells' reasons. She knocked the heads of rowdy customers and dumbass kids trying to start shit with their new powers. Didn't care about any of that great responsibility bull, or power trips of flaunting the law. She really should take Hookwolf on his offer and run along.
Except…
Except, as she gripped her bat a little tighter, there was another girl here who didn't care about all this clown car of a cape scene, whose power denied her an easy private identity and who decided to take that hand and go all in anyway, And when Hookwolf and his buddies came in to ruin this for her? Well, she could hear Bathory sing her heart out even as she and Cricket clashed somewhere behind her.
Besides, if Hookwolf could come to ruin someone's dream because they decided to borrow one thing from Japan, who's to say he won't show up another day to do it to someone else. Someone who had more than one thing the Nazis didn't approve of.
"Or." She spat, silently congratulating herself on managing to suppress the tremble in her voice. "You can go fuck yourself and let people have their fun."
Hookwolf grinned, before his face turned into a whirling, screeching mass of metal and thus lost all capacity for expression. Then he jumped at her and Katsumi reflexively thrust her bat into the jaws of certain death, bracing her footing and grabbing her bat with her other hand at halfway point. His jaws closed in on the wooden bat… and the rotating blades ground to a halt with horrific screech as Kanabo buckled before the man-wolf's weight, the sudden stop pushing her back a little just as it lifted Hookwolf up. This close, she could see Hookwolf's still human eyes widen up in surprise. Then, he landed back on the pavement and brought his paw up. Before he could swipe it down, Katsumi flexed her muscles, took a heaving step forward and shoved her bat deeper down Hookwolf's throat. It didn't go deeper, but it did unbalance Hookwolf and pushed him back, freeing her bat.
She looked down on the piece of wood in her hands, looking none the worse for wear for how it just stopped Hookwolf from just turning it into sawdust, then at the full metal Nazi righting himself for undoubtedly another charge, then back at her bat again. Her heart was hammering in her chest.
She felt a grin form on her face.
Fight Hookwolf and hope to win? Nope, she was no fighter, despite many, many scraps she got as part of Boardwalk's security. Slam a fool across the face like she tried for a homerun for daring to start shit in her sight? Yeah, yeah, she could do that. She did that nine to five for a living, really.
Cape Roulette @Indie_Statistics_Suck
Glory Girl and Stormtiger are playing car catch behind my window. WTF is PRT?! #BrocktonBayThings #CollateralDamageBarbieReport #CapeOnCapeViolence
Rooftop Korean @2nd_Amendment_Enthusiast
Cricket and Hookwolf crashed @Bloody_Pure_Idol's concert. No PRT in sight, ofc. #BrocktonBayThings #VigilanteJusticeTheOnlyJustice
Keep Winning Russian Roulette @I_Live_In_BB
Bathory doesn't seem to need help. There's already vids of her smacking Cricket to some weeb tune. #BrocktonBayThings #CapeOnCapeViolence #AlephGaming
Villainy Archivist ✔ @PHO_Wiki_Archivist_3
And that's another murder to Hookwolf's rapsheet. Least Kanabo seems to be doing okay~ish? Somehow? #CapeOnCapeViolence
Cape Roulette @Indie_Statistics_Suck
Aaaand now Stormtiger got shot by… something? Distracted him enough for GG to nail him with that car. #CapeOnCapeViolence #CollateralDamageBarbieReport #BrocktonBayThings
Rooftop Korean @2nd_Amendment_Enthusiast
3 nazis are getting beaten back by 3 indies. What's teh point of Protectorate again? #BrocktonBayThings #VigilanteJusticeTheOnlyJustice
Very Lost Italian @The_Last_Marche_Stan
Indeed. All gang/villain takedowns in BB's history have been on independents or even villains. #BrocktonBayThings #VigilanteJusticeTheOnlyJustice #PRTSucks
Keep Winning Russian Roulette @I_Live_In_BB
Hey, there's another indie getting in on that metal furry action… Wow… That's a lot of lights. #BrocktonBayThings #CapeOnCapeViolence #RogueWatch
"Aaaaallllright! Let's take this from the top for our surprise guests!" Caster chirruped, saccharine sweet like rat poison as she twirled her wand and raised her hands over her head. Her mask said it all, two hollow pools of violet light and a crescent for a mouth so sharp it could cut. Suddenly, the goofy outfit looked anything but, its embroidery burning dully and seeming to writhe in slow motion while the shadows deepened unnaturally.
Paper streamed from her right sleeve. Slips of yellow parchment no bigger than a hand, violet ink standing out in sharp contrast as it curled in complex ideograms. They came by the dozens, floating to the tune of her wand like a school of fish.
A flick. That was all it took. They shot like arrows, streaking for the E88 horde. Hookwolf was protected by the need to avoid friendly-fire, deadlocked with Kanabo as he was, but his underlings enjoyed none of that protection. Some seized as talismans adhered to their faces, falling like unattended brooms in ones and twos as their bodies betrayed them. Not all of them were so lucky. Tangling branches wrenching joints out of sockets, crushing bands of iron slamming limbs together, blasts of heat so intense as to shut down brains, blocks of ice and stone engulfing bodies to the chest. In a single barrage, the unpowered Empire contingent was decimated.
Five more slips, arranged in a lazily rotating star behind her, pitch black and dense with script. For all that Hookwolf might've wanted to do about them, he was in no position as Glory Girl finally came through with that car toss she had promised earlier, Kanabo barely managing to dive out of the way. The vehicular missile hurled metal wolf Nazi off the street and into the sand, at which point he also had to contend with munitions slamming into him from the nearby rooftop.
"從水中長出木頭" <From water grows wood.> Caster intoned, a violet line forming between two of the slips, the sea swelling behind her and rising up in great tangles of kelp and bramble.
Hookwolf tore his way from underneath the car wreck in a screech of twisting, torn metal, the sound his howling battle cry. He stood atop the wreckage like a monster out of myth.
"從木頭點燃火" <From wood ignites fire.> The little witch continued unabated, a second line forming as the plant matter burst into an inferno behind her.
A swipe of his arm batted a thrown dumpster aside. He ignored Miss Militia's covering fire as he turned around to face Epopeia, eyes shining with mad glee.
"火使大地崩塌" <From fire crumbles earth.> She gritted out, a third line forming as ash and sand spiralled into an imposing tower at her back. Come on, come on.
He knelt low, ready to pounce. Then, he had to twist and jump aside to avoid a street sign swung by Kanabo to his side. Still, the oni woman accomplished her objective of stalling him.
"來自地球的金屬" <From earth comes metal.> She chanted feverishly, a fourth line forming as the cocoon of silica and soot exploded to reveal an ever greater mountain of blades.
Landing on the sand, Hookwolf took advantage of the cover provided by the car and charged, the street sign thrown by Kanabo getting shredded as it made contact with him. Still, it slowed him down.
"從金屬的聚集我們回到水" <From metal's gathering we return to water.> Caster called like a priest facing the wrong end of a shotgun, the fifth line closing the pentagram. Violet light raced clockwise through it, building ever brighter. Behind her, iron churned, a million paddles scooping and lifting the sea into a veritable typhoon.
Still, the monster gained speed, a wolf-shaped missile of death, razor focused on what his instinct must've told him was the biggest threat.
"LAAAAAA~!" A voice like thunder slammed into him from above, burying the man into the sand, spraying it all around him as it effectively arrested all his progress. In the sky above, Elizabeth floated with her wings unfurled, mic held in one hand like a spear, Cricket's limp body held in the other.
"五元素之星，在生成循環下統一； 反轉，顛倒" <Star of the Five Elements, united under the Generating Cycle; reverse, invert.> Epopeia all but screamed, barely heard over the roar of the sea which had come to her call. The talismans burned away under the weight of the cycling light, too much for them to bear, twisting and compressing into a single burning point that shot into the maelstrom's heart. <I call upon the Weakening Cycle; water rusts metal.> "我呼籲弱化週期； 水使金屬生鏽"
Hookwolf could only think of his battles against Leviathan as a titanic hand of violet seawater crashed down on him.
Keep Winning Russian Roulette @I_Live_In_BB
Hey, @PHO_Wiki_Archivist_2, I think you guys missed Myrddin's campier cousin. #BrocktonBayThings #CapeOnCapeViolence #RogueWatch #ChicagoMagic
Indie Slut ✔ @PHO_Wiki_Archivist_2
…That might as well happen. Fucking capes. #BrocktonBayThings #CapeOnCapeViolence #RogueWatch
Rooftop Korean @2nd_Amendment_Enthusiast
…I think I finally get what monsterfuckers get at. #BrocktonBayThings #CapeOnCapeViolence #RogueWatch #Bathory #MonsterCapeLoversUnite
Specific Plot Provider @Specific_Protagonist_Writes
That's hot, oh, that's very hot. Good thing I already had my bi awakening or that would do it. #BrocktonBayThings #CapeOnCapeViolence #Bathory #MonsterCapeLoversUnite #CapePron
Very Lost Italian @The_Last_Marche_Stan
Another Protectorate L. Truly, Independents are the last heroic quality. #BrocktonBayThings #VigilanteJusticeTheOnlyJustice #PRTSucks #Bathory
2nd Amendment Simp @Militia's_Unofficial_Greatest_Simp
Take that back, @The_Last_Marche_Stan, Miss Militia was vital in beating Stormtiger and Hookwolf today! #MissMilitiaMinutemen
Very Lost Italian @The_Last_Marche_Stan
Drove one back and made the smallest amount of assistance against another from all 5 capes involved. #PRTSucks
Purse Mouse ✔ @BB_PRT_Unofficial
…I do not envy Bagrat over at PHO. At least Bathory remained consistent with her demonstrated rankings.
Blatant Throwaway @36O6942
That was a lot of capes present for one concert. Even when one of them was a performer at it. #RogueWatch #Bathory
Winged Two @Winged_One_Pun
Interesting #BrocktonBayThings #CapeOnCapeViolence
Special thanks to my Patrons: Xanah, Unknown B, Penguino, JoJoDio, Shirou0Emiya, Bowchikabowow. MetaWorld42, nununu, Just Some Guy With A Mustage, Ermast, Helios, Joshua Littlesun, [TEE],PlatiNom and Jose Matos who decided my writing is actually worth paying for.
"Why am I here again?" Amy grouched, slumped as she was in one of the cheap plastic chairs the cafe overseeing the beach hauled out in great numbers to capitalise on the surprise event.
"Because your date wanted to check out a concert put up by a cute lizard girl." Vicky teased her sister while sipping on her latte. "Which, hey, whatever else happens Ames, silver lining. Now you know she likes girls."
Amy turned a truly spectacular shade of red and flipped Vicky off but otherwise didn't deny anything. She also ducked her head, which allowed Vicky to give Epopeia a wink and a very pleased grin. She was the best matchmaker. Ha, suck it Dean! Even if it sucked that Dean couldn't come. Piggy decided to hold the Wards back home for today, for some reason. Probably expecting trouble if Miss Militia stationed on a roof with a clear view of the entire venue was any indication.
"Girls… pretty. Science fact." The Changer quoted in her best sage-like tone from behind a cup of mocha, using the same sorcery as the aforementioned cape to smile with her eyes. She had Militia beat with how she could drink the damn thing without moving or staining her bandana, though.
"If you say so." Vicky acquiesced with a shrug. Not her deal, honestly. She could gauge and compare but actually tell another girl's attractiveness? Might as well ask her to make tinkertech. "So, my nerdy friend, how did you get roped into helping set this all up?" Parian was rather obvious. Indigo, whom Vicky ran into on a patrol with an entire stack of posters, plastering on the walls absolutely everywhere? There was a story.
"I just have all the luck with open capes, it looks like." Epopeia chuckled, shaking her head before sobering up, "I can't say much because it gets into my civvie ID, but she helped me out and I'm all too happy to return the favour."
"Now I just need to find a way to get you onto family dinner and then for you to get a date with Kanabo and you will have a PHO worthy achievement right there." Vicky giggled at the thought. Really, having Indigo over might even make the atmosphere more bearable for her side of the New Wave.
Alas, first the girl would need to trust her enough with her civilian identity. She supposed not everyone was into gorgeous blondes. Some people preferred shorter brunettes. Who were girls. Cute, healer girls with a respectable build. Hmmm… was it Nightingale Syndrome or was too much PHO rotting her brain?
"Augh, my greatest weakness, free food." The Stranger wailed in a deadpan, before breaking into giggles. "But seriously, I'm game. So long as they don't mind me technically being a merc who's worked with villains."
"I don't think 'I prioritised Hookwolf over a bunch of temporary ABB capes' quite qualifies as 'working with'." Ames deadpanned right back and Vicky nodded along.
"Yeah, fuck'em. I suppose as long as you don't make a habit out of it and don't quite word it like that when explaining it to mom." Vicky tapped her chin.
"Well, I did distract Challenger so they could get away, but that was mostly to deescalate since the place was torn up enough as-is. Even if some kind soul that I am certain had no ABB connections saw fit to slip a generous donation into my bag while I was getting patched up." Epopeia chuckled, leaning back in her rickety chair and taking a long drag of her coffee before perking up with a laugh. "I also got hired by Bitch within the hour of getting to the Bay! If you count a stranger I had zero idea about offering my broke ass backup and all the loot from busting a nazi dog fighting ring as me being a big bad mercenary working with known villains."
Vicky grimaced at the explanation. "Bitch is… okay, you must have found her on a really good day. Girl is a gruff, well, bitch on a good day, prone to violence too. And, of course, she has a few deaths on her sheet, so, y'know, really risky. She might've genuinely not cared about you save as a source of help or she might have wanted an extra body to throw between a potential Empire cape and her dogs."
"Huh, weird. She was antisocial but plenty nice. Gave me a ride and a rundown of the players in the Bay after the gig and everything." The Stranger blinked owlishly before shrugging, completely unconcerned, "Eh, I'll just play it by the ear if I meet her again."
Vicky shook her head. Unfuckingbelievable. "I will just chalk that up to your power having hidden Trump 0 making you irresistible to antisocial parahuman girls."
"Thank you." Ames shot her a seething glare. "For lumping me in the same category as Hellhound."
Oh. Oops. Vicky held her hands up. "Sorry, Ames, spoke without thinking, not intended?"
"Right, change of topic time." Indigo chimed with a crisp snap of her fingers, "What do you two do for fun that isn't cape business? I used to write, myself, but lately I've dusted off my calligraphy and ink painting."
"Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, it's very bold of you to assume Ames does 'fun stuff outside cape business'." Vicky lamented theatrically, leaning back in her chair in mock-faint. "Honestly, her deciding to hang out with you, even for the purposes of using her power to meticulously study you." She just couldn't help herself from teasing Ames more, her sister finally was showing interest in anyone. "Is already the most not-work related stuff she does in her free time that I didn't force on her."
"My hospital work is important." Ames hissed indignantly. Vicky waved her off, thoroughly familiar with the argument she would use if pressed.
"I, on the other hand, am just your average popular girl at highschool. Used to play basketball but… cape shit means you stop making things sporting for others." Vicky sighed. And what a shame it was, she missed the court, sometimes. Not even other Brutes scattered across the Bay were enough to sate that longing. Most were way weaker than Vicky and those that weren't… mostly gangers.
"Right, in the interest of not pissing off my doctor, let's focus on that." Epopeia chuckled, draining the last of her mocha. Still not a single glimpse of her face or stain on the bandana. "Unable to turn off the super-strength, I'm guessing? You don't seem to have issues with subconsciously shifting to flying, so that shouldn't be a factor."
"Powers can be weird." Ames grouched. "There's a degree of control, yes, but then, the way it expresses can change things."
"Yeah, my toughness is automatic, my flight and aura have a switch but the strength… I can, passively, lift sixteen tonnes without seriously straining myself. That part is always on." She bragged slightly, raising up her arm and flexing as she shot Indigo a grin. "I can somewhat regulate my punches, though. To a degree. I have yet to liquify a ganger's organs from punching'em, but if I am not careful, I can still easily break bones in a hit."
"Rough. Berserker has and doesn't have that issue. Technically I have body control that'd make martial artists green with envy, in practice it also puts me in gorilla mode like you overheard during my checkup." The Stranger groused with a little waggle of her fingers, her empty cup having disappeared to parts unknown in between eyeblinks. "Although the issue is more dislocating joints and leaving hairline fractures if I get a bit too excited, instead of having to hold back more horsepower than a mainline tank. Hmm… I assume you mostly go for limb shots, then? Torso is dangerous to hit with that much bang juice and the whole head and neck is just asking for Amy to get palpitations."
Vicky chose to remain silent on the fact that even with precautions, she may have had to request Amy's services on… a few too many occasions. Particularly with the Empire's goons. The look Ames shot her, flat and exasperated and judging, only confirmed her decision.
"There have been a few close calls in the past." Was what she chose to say diplomatically. "Red sounds kinda like if Uber actually got a physical boost whenever he opted to go for the martial arts option.."
Indigo's eyes crinkled as she watched the byplay go down, but mercifully let it pass without comment, "Kinda sorta. Like I told Challenger, I don't actually know any martial arts, I can only sort of fake it with a combination of body hyperawareness, control and instinct. More like a gym nut who's done a bunch of kinasthenic exercises then chased it down with several years of street brawling… Huh. Wonder if there's any dojos around the Docks who'd take me, should have an easy time picking up moves and putting them to work. Plus, hey, some kata may help me relax when hammering out three dozen calligraphy sets doesn't help with the nervous energy."
Vicky shook her head. First calligraphy and now this. Ruefully, she grabbed Ames' hand in her own and looked at her sorrowfully. "It's no good, Ames. It looks like we befriended an honorary ABB cape yet again."
"Please regale me with your wisdom, honoured senior, who is my predecessor?" Epopeia asked with a thick as mud Chinese accent, barely restraining giggles. Worst part was? It sounded authentic, she'd fought enough ABB goons to know what someone slurring through English as a fifth language sounded like.
"Don't you fucking dare." Ames hissed as she squeezed Vicky's hand with all her strength. Which, unfortunately for her, wasn't much.
"Maybe if she likes you enough she will tell you herself." She settled on throwing Ames to the proverbial wolves instead. What a good sister she was, making sure her little sister was properly socialised.
Kaoru had to admit she came to the concert on a whim. Unlike many other Japanese expats in Brockton Bay, she wasn't particularly interested in the attempts at cultural revival the community kept insisting on. Admittedly, mostly because she just wasn't interested in that particular period of their homeland's history. On the other, she also just wasn't a music person. Loud noises tended to irritate her and crowds… she could live without crowds. And yet, here she was, having secured herself a spot particularly close to the stage, where she was guaranteed to have a good look at Bloody Pure Eli(-chan). Why?
If anyone in the know asked, Kaoru would reply with perfect honesty. She envied capes like Kanabo and Bathory, capes who got to have powers and stand out, clearly marked as different from the masses. More beautiful than the boring baseline. Speaking of Kanabo, the oni woman was off somewhere in the crowd too, the blue skinned parahuman acting as something of a beacon for a crowd of younger Japanese audience. Kaoru rubbed the side of her neck where a spider tattoo hid under her scarf. She supposed that made three of them keeping an eye on the event, just in case. Well, two-and-half. Big Brother was pretty much just a baseline, but that power…
Kaoru shook her head. She was here to largely have fun. Out of all the Asia Town capes, she had the loosest connection to Lóng's gathering. She paid the man fealty and tribute, answered when he had the need for her talents, but otherwise, if she wanted, she could ditch the ABB without much trouble. Big Brother and that kid, Terracotta, would probably be the most bothered by her leaving, compared to Lóng.
Soon enough, Bathory took to the stage and Kaoru felt herself wincing. Sure, the girl managed to make the pastel aesthetic look good but… The tail and the horns were purpose made for goth-lolita! And now there was a light blue ribbon with a rose on it wrapped around the tip of the tail. And that ridiculous top hat covered her horns! Sacrilege!
The girl better be a damn good singer because her extra bits and name clashed terribly with her stage aesthetic. Ignorant to Kaoru's turmoil, the demonic(?) cape on the stage pranced right to the edge of the platform, mike in hand and looked at the gathered crowd before giving them all a wide, beaming smile. Kaoru had to admit, it was a very pretty smile, especially with how Bathory's crystal blue eyes seemed to sparkle with happiness and excitement. From where Kaoru stood, with her improved senses, she could also notice that Bathory's canines were also more bestial than a normal human. (So… was the theme actually a vampire and not a demon? The tail didn't match though.)
"EVERYOOOONE!" Bathory shouted, loud and clear, and with such a cheer Kaoru couldn't help but smile along. The cape performer waved her left hand towards the crowd. "I KNOW IT HAS BEEN A BIT OF A SHORT NOTICE, BUT THAT MAKES ME LOOOOOVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU ALL THE MORE FOR SHOWING UP~!"
Kaoru swallowed as she felt her face heat up and her heart pound. Calm down girl, it's just a very pretty inhuman girl being so obviously, ridiculously happy it's infectious. Judging by the shouts and cheers all around her, thankfully she wasn't the only one getting swept in the girl's energy.
"ALRIIIIGHT~! THE WEATHER IS NICE BUT IT IS JANUARY SO WE'RE JUST GONNA GO STRAIGHT FOR THE MAIN EVENT, KAAAAAY~?" Bathory continued with the same cheer she seemed to have for everything. Snapping her fingers, the inhuman cape raised her hand straight up, causing the stage lights to come to life, a mix of reds, yellows and pure white. The massive plushies at the back came to life at the same time, shuffling with grace forward, even if still giving Bathory the front and centre.
Huh. So Parian is part of this.
Then, Bathory started to sing.
"Like the sun…"
"You know, gotta wonder. Why did PR never decide to have us organise a concert?" Dumbass asked from where he sat in Junior League's quarters. They were all grounded and confined to the place for today which grated, especially having to bear the presence of her… less tolerable teammates.
"Because they are good at their job." Vista snarked back at Dumbass, shrugging off the disapproving look Loud Fuck shot her. Around the common room, Dumbass found little support however. They all had, at one point or another, had the misfortune of listening to his attempts at singing.
Whose idea it was to tune in to the concert that new cape was putting on, Sophia had no idea. The aesthetic made it certain she wouldn't look at the TV until they switched channels or the thing ended, whichever came first and the lyrics were entirely too damn peppy.
"Still nice to see a new parahuman in a more relaxed environment." Chewtoy made an attempt at the idle talk. She had no idea why, Vista was actually glued to the screen, and even Disaster Boy was paying attention - apparently in hopes that analysing a teen singer on live tv will fix his uselessness somehow. Feels Punch was actually trying to drum his fingers to the Lizard's songs' rhythms and it was only the fact Sophia couldn't hear his attempts that saved his face from her own attempts at following a beat.
At least Lizard's voice was pleasant to listen to. She would never admit it aloud, of course, Lizard seemed determined to pretend to be an empty headed pretty face, but the voice was good. Maybe she could try and see if she could commission her to do this Aleph voice thing… ASMR, she thought some Asian kids at Winslow called it? Just some white noise to put on while she trained.
God, she hoped something exciting would happen and they could have an intelligent conversation, at least.
"The translation is somewhat decent." Kenta rumbled from his favourite chair in Lee's coffee house. He nodded along even as he took the stock of his inventory.
"To a trained ear, it's obvious most of the songs are meant to be sung in Japanese." He voiced the conclusion both of them reached after only three of Bathory's songs. This was how they most often spent their time, Kenta lazing in his big, fluffy chair, Lee carefully curating his singular passion in life and both of them talking about the most inane of things. Separating private life and business was important, even for Kenta. As much as the man claimed he was above petty concerns of double life, Lee at least knew him well enough to tell that being just Kenta soothed the man.
"At least if the tip proves false, we will have an excuse to keep supporting the venture." It would keep the Japanese quarter a little bit happier and compliant with Kenta's rule, beyond just grudgingly following him on merit of strength alone.
A little fly flew into Yamada's web to tell them that the Empire was planning something for the attempt at rebuilding another bit of Asia's identity in the world after Leviathan. Obviously meant to get ABB into open conflict with the Empire. Arranging for their loosest members to be present to keep an eye on things would show them if they needed to worry about the information broker interested in sparking a gang war in the city. Lee wouldn't quite say he hoped for it to pass, but it would certainly show the mettle of the latest bunch of parahumans who gathered at his and Kenta's table looking for scraps of power and authority to garb themselves with.
And if they had to sit in Lee's coffee house and listen to some teenage gaijin sing with some measure of skill to do that… there were worse ways to spend a day.
Melody ground her teeth as she forced herself to keep looking up at the little freak up at the stage, doing dumb poses, braindead gestures and singing about dumbass things. Brad would probably rib her about getting pissed off at the dumbest things while Will would tell her to shut up and focus. But she just couldn't help it. Her power made Melody's hearing tuned up to the subtlest nuances in every sound she came across and, while on the surface, the pink freak's voice might have sounded good, to her it was just…
There was something in it, hidden and controlled, a promise of rumbling cacophony held back by the whim of its owner. It gave her goosebumps and made her hair stand up just a little bit and that pissed Melody off. She was no fucking coward, getting intimidated by some brat's voice.
The other issue she had with the bitch was… When you had a name like Melody, people tended to assume stuff about your interests. And while violence would always be Melody's first and foremost love in life, she refused to be subpar at something everyone assumed she would be good at. So she learned how to sing, and how to do it well. And then her throat got slashed and that was it for any plans of a musical career. All the better, it gave her an excuse to no longer bother with wasting her time outside the ring.
The fact it made her incapable of doing something she knew she was good at, however, pissed her right off. So the freak getting to enjoy singing her heart out while Melody was reduced to unpleasant rasp drove a very green stake into her.
She would honestly love nothing more to let loose, to ruin the non-human's little venture with the subtler applications of her power, to ruin her reputation and drag her name through the mud before she got anywhere off the ground. But then, Brad and Will's part would be harder. So she had to wait. Wait and listen to some dumb bitch take Melody's place.
She clenched and unclenched her fists as she waited, near the edge of the crowd by the stage, using the dumbfuck's music to rile herself up while she waited. Then, finally, the phone in her breast pocket vibrated. Once. Twice. Thrice. In that very specific pattern.
Melody grinned and reached into the bag on her waist, ducking her head.
Cricket looked up, the cage-like mask covering her lower face doing little to disguise her grin.
Her power activated, and she forced herself to keep grinning through the fucking pain the freak's singing had become.
Showtime.
The very first sign that something was wrong was when the crowd close to the stage quieted down and started swaying drunkenly. Not the most obvious sign and to be fair, Bathory was kinda intense in her own way. Then, the unmistakable sound of metal grinding against metal audible from a good block or two away and even then only because Bathory actually stopped singing to check on people behaving oddly.
Then Vicky's phone, the 'work' one, the one she kept to keep a hand on the pulse of PRT and police dispatches, started going off like crazy. Smile vanishing from her face she stood up from the table, giving Epopeia and Ames a serious look.
"Seems like Hookwolf is coming to cause trouble again, and he brought friends this time." She declared grimly, already starting to hover a few inches off the ground, ready for take off. Still, she had to make sure everything was in order. "Ames, stay here, or hide in one of the shops at least. Epo, your choice what to do."
"Lovely." The Changer ground out, already out of her seat and starting to feel… honestly, like an inverse of her aura. A quiet blanket of 'don't look at me' which only didn't make her slide out of perception thanks to a pair of indigo eyes boring into her, "Liz has Cricket on lock, I have some stuff to protect the crowd while they evac so I'll handle that, do me a favour and herd Hook and whoever else to the beach so I can give them a swirly once the splash zone is clear."
"I can try hitting him with a car a few times but I can't promise the doggy will run precisely where you will want him to." Victoria allowed herself to joke weakly. She could do this, she could goad the Empire… She just wasn't sure she was crazy enough to really tango solo with Hookwolf.
Looking up towards the concert, she noticed a cloud of light purple smoke rising somewhere close to the stage, with that section of the crowd seemingly calming down. So, Xiangliu decided to pay a visit. Between her, Kanabo and Bathory, they ought to have Cricket dealt with. Parian too. She couldn't quite see the detail but it seemed the plushie mistress managed to cordon a decent area while Bathory… held some sort of a pose towards the interloper? She shook her head. No time to wonder. If Hook got a straight line towards the venue they were looking at absolute fucking bloodbath.
She spared one more look at Ames and Epo-aaaand the Stranger was gone. She spared her sister one last glance, shooting her a confident grin - more confident than she honestly felt. Random gangoons were one thing. Hookwolf was another.
She shot into the sky, wind blowing in her ears, almost as loud as the rush of blood and beat of her heart. In no time at all, she was four stories above street level where an already-transformed Hookwolf was leading an entire raid of Empire's men.
"HEY!" She shouted, even as she cranked up her aura to the maximum. To her satisfaction, all of them, giant wolf made of angry woodchippers included, stopped in their tracks. Sure, in her casuals she didn't exactly cut the most imposing or majestic figure but, well. Her aura let her cheat like a bitch. "SOMETHING TELLS ME YOU BOYS ARE NOT HERE TO SUPPORT THE LOCAL ECONOMY!"
Hookwolf just growled something she supposed could be banter if the existence of his vocal chords wasn't currently up to a serious debate. Instead, it came across as a mix of screeches and clangs. Could mean anything, really. He did, however, make his point clearer by picking up the speed again.
Victoria dove towards where she could spot a nice, somewhat beaten-up family car. She was sure the owner wouldn't mind too hard having it used to flatt–
Something slammed into her and she careened into the wall of the nearby building - thankfully not hard enough for her forcefield to break, or to seriously crater the building. It did, however, allow Hookwolf to keep moving. Victoria shook her head and looked in the direction from which she got blown- aaaaand that was Stormtiger.
Three goddamn Empire capes? This was fucking planned.
She pulled herself out of the dent in the wall, sending the masked Nazi a glare. Most of the gangoons kept moving after Hookwolf, giving her a wide breadth. Keeping an eye on the aerokinetic, Victoria dove again, only to pivot out of the way of another claw shaped air blast. She clicked her tongue. So that's how it was.
"I was hoping for a date with your friend." She grunted as she took in the street below her and around Stormtiger.
"He's spoken for. You will have to settle for me." Victoria grimaced as she darted to the side, avoiding the cutting air sent her way.
She dove, not in Stormtiger's direction but directly below. She was stronger and more durable than the Nazi cape, but that didn't account for much if she couldn't get to him. Gliding behind a car, she did a quick look around and sighed. Nothing that would be both a convenient improvised weapon and wouldn't put Stormtiger in need of immediate medical attention if she actually hit him. She grunted as her opponent hit the car she was hiding behind, pushing it onto her.
...
Well, she would have to give Stormtiger a gift basket for giving her the idea. Grinning, she turned around, grabbed the car, the metal groaning as her fingers found purchase, and lifted slightly off the ground to circumvent the brakes. Then, she accelerated towards the Nazi, barely getting jostled by the following air blasts.
Calm down, Liz. Control yourself. It's just some spotlight stealight little bug in need of squa–
Elizabeth shook her head as she glared at this… Cricket who messed up her concert. With Master, and thus Da'at, fairly close to her, she had the benefit of their ability to just… know a cape just by looking at them, and there were a fair few in the crowd, so she didn't really think about letting them listen. Her concert was going well. Excellent, even! The audience responded well to her, they hung onto her lyrics, their eyes followed her motions… Everything she had dreamed of, all those summonings ago when she made the choice to reinvent herself. Just her, her genuinely captive audience and no other Servants to steal her thunder.
It felt good. She even managed to avoid messing up and going louder than necessary!
And then this bitch ruined that.
Lucky her, it seemed another cape was taking care of calming the crowd, but still, a lesson needed to be taught, she decided as she gripped her microphone.
"Parian, darling." She called her wonderful stagehand-slash-backup. Lovely voice, knew her place in the band. "Be a dear and make sure our lovely audience is safe, will you?"
She could see the ugly, in both meanings of the word, grin on Cricket's face widening just slightly bit more. Of course. Rabble without honour or code worth a damn. Without waiting to see what Parian had planned, she kicked off the stage, aiming for the lovely empty space people made trying to get away from Cricket. She will have to do something extra nice for them for being smart and getting away.
Her mike swung, only met with empty air as Cricket jumped back before the blow could connect. Not too far, they were still at the edge of the crowd, there wasn't much space for manoeuvring yet.
"Tsk." This close, she could see the vicious scarring on the other woman's throat. Not gonna get an explanation, then. "That was very uncalled for, you know. If you have a problem with me, I'm more than willing to get you on the stage." So everyone could see properly what happened when you messed with her conc–
Wow, she was so much angrier about this than she thought she would be! With how it went until now, one would think she would be used to it.
Cricket's answer was to draw a pair of scythes with chains attached to them, kamas, if she recalled some Japanese Servants discussing weapons correctly? Really, chains aside, the weapons clashed terribly with punk cage fighter apocalypse flick reject aesthetic the bitch went for. Girl, pick a direction and stick to it.
Elizabeth charged forward, mic held like a spear, only for Cricket to pivot away, lunging for Elizabeth with a wide swipe of one of her kamas. Smirking, Elizabeth twirled her makeshift polearm for a low sweep for the cape's legs.
Cricket had to abandon her attack to focus on jumping over the strike. The exchange led to them swapping their starting positions. It also told Elizabeth a few things. For one, Cricket was fast, at least defensively. To be completely fair, Elizabeth knew she was pretty slow for a Servant, but Cricket was really good at reacting to danger. On the attack, she was still just an athletic baseline. Elizabeth would bet she had durability of one too.
Cricket adjusted the grip on her weapons, loosening them until she held them by chains. Her wrist twisted…
"LAAAAAAA!" Elizabeth suppressed a wince at how her lovely audience reacted to her 'usual' loud. At least it seemed to really hurt Cricket. She sent the woman a vicious smile as she propped her mic upright. "Sorry sweetheart, but I am your duet partner. So. Eyes. On. Me."
Cricket snarled, a really ugly sound given her throat, but obliged, her grip on one of the kamas shifting again as she observed Elizabeth. Strangely content to just stand there and wait, letting Liz seize the initiative. Twirling her mic, she made to move forward… and stopped a few steps in. That walk was really wobbly. Like she got drunk, which was impossible because Deerlet didn't buy any and a star really shouldn't get intoxicated before a performance anyway.
Cricket charged her again, scythes held close to the chest and Liz brought her mic up. She managed the block, fairly easily, but it was not as good as she could do, and her follow up went wide off. Then Cricket spun around her and Liz could feel the blade cut through her back. She almost fell on her butt as she twisted around, almost falling over her tail. Cricket stood over there, grinning as she showed off the trail of red on her blade. Elizabeth rolled her shoulders, grimacing at the feeling of the shallow wound.
Shallow? But… given the maneuver and the opportunity, Cricket could have really fucked her up, especially since her Battle Continuation was sealed.
…
Oh. Oh. She knew what this was. She knew deeply, uncomfortably well what Cricket's game was. After all, Elizabeth herself got a Skill as a Servant based on this. She snarled, openly, showing her teeth. This was going to be extra therapeutic, then. Her tail lashed out, snapping at the sand and blasting it up in the air before it slapped Elizabeth across her ankle.
The sting of that made her pause. This was… how was she this sloppy with her tail? She was supposed to be a natural with it as a Servant!
She didn't get time to ponder as Cricket charged her again, staying just outside the reach of her mic while she swung one of her scythes on its chain, low. Elizabeth simply brought the mic down, impaling it like a pole in the path of the weapon, which bounced off with a loud 'CLANG!'. For a second, her body didn't feel as dizzy as it was for the last few mome…
"Interesting trick you've got." Cricket. Cricket. Cricket. Of course there was a clue to the bitch's power right in the name. Lancers used polearms, Casters did magic, Archers threw swords at you. And crickets chirped. Sure, they were usually loud as hell, but then, it's not like there wasn't always some sort of trick or exception to the rule with these things. Challenging her to a sing-off with such a shitty voice it made people sick? Even the Rose Emperor wasn't that bad. "Alright, you want to sing? Let's sing."
Katsumi frowned grimly as she carefully stepped over the mangled corpse of the parahuman. She didn't know the boy's name, either civilian or cape identity, or if he even had one. All she knew was that he had the power to conjure silvery yet translucent screens of force the size of a door in relatively close proximity to himself. The Protectorate would've loved to have him. Clearly defensive powers were easy to market for the masses as heroic.
The same heroic drive led the boy to interpose himself between charging Hookwolf and the fleeing crowd… with expected results. The boy managed to conjure two more barriers before the wolf devoured him and spat mangled remains. At the very least, the effort bled his momentum.
"Baseball girl." Katsumi clicked her tongue, feigning nonchalance by resting her bat on her shoulder. Get hired by a themed bar and be passionate about said theming yourself, and suddenly that's your entire personality. Especially when you refused to get involved in the whole spandex circus. Not that there was much spandex to be seen with the Empire. "Didn't think you had dreams of becoming ragu."
Katsumi shrugged. Bravery in front of a lynch mob of Nazis was easy when you didn't need to worry about bullets. Which meant just her and Hookwolf. She wasn't sure why the goons weren't going after the crowd herded around by Parian's dolls and Xianglu's gas, but she was sure the reason was dumb.
"I had a fairly good time listening to some decent music before some rude jackass decided to show up. Thought even the dumbest of you didn't want to fuck around Boardwalk."
"Run, Kanabo, there's no money for you to make." Hookwolf snorted as his body slowly started becoming more blades than flesh again. "Or don't. No difference here. Always wondered how tough you are."
She should take the out offered. She really should. She was just part timer in a themed bar put into maid dress for pure 'fetish sells' reasons. She knocked the heads of rowdy customers and dumbass kids trying to start shit with their new powers. Didn't care about any of that great responsibility bull, or power trips of flaunting the law. She really should take Hookwolf on his offer and run along.
Except…
Except, as she gripped her bat a little tighter, there was another girl here who didn't care about all this clown car of a cape scene, whose power denied her an easy private identity and who decided to take that hand and go all in anyway, And when Hookwolf and his buddies came in to ruin this for her? Well, she could hear Bathory sing her heart out even as she and Cricket clashed somewhere behind her.
Besides, if Hookwolf could come to ruin someone's dream because they decided to borrow one thing from Japan, who's to say he won't show up another day to do it to someone else. Someone who had more than one thing the Nazis didn't approve of.
"Or." She spat, silently congratulating herself on managing to suppress the tremble in her voice. "You can go fuck yourself and let people have their fun."
Hookwolf grinned, before his face turned into a whirling, screeching mass of metal and thus lost all capacity for expression. Then he jumped at her and Katsumi reflexively thrust her bat into the jaws of certain death, bracing her footing and grabbing her bat with her other hand at halfway point. His jaws closed in on the wooden bat… and the rotating blades ground to a halt with horrific screech as Kanabo buckled before the man-wolf's weight, the sudden stop pushing her back a little just as it lifted Hookwolf up. This close, she could see Hookwolf's still human eyes widen up in surprise. Then, he landed back on the pavement and brought his paw up. Before he could swipe it down, Katsumi flexed her muscles, took a heaving step forward and shoved her bat deeper down Hookwolf's throat. It didn't go deeper, but it did unbalance Hookwolf and pushed him back, freeing her bat.
She looked down on the piece of wood in her hands, looking none the worse for wear for how it just stopped Hookwolf from just turning it into sawdust, then at the full metal Nazi righting himself for undoubtedly another charge, then back at her bat again. Her heart was hammering in her chest.
She felt a grin form on her face.
Fight Hookwolf and hope to win? Nope, she was no fighter, despite many, many scraps she got as part of Boardwalk's security. Slam a fool across the face like she tried for a homerun for daring to start shit in her sight? Yeah, yeah, she could do that. She did that nine to five for a living, really.
Cape Roulette @Indie_Statistics_Suck
Glory Girl and Stormtiger are playing car catch behind my window. WTF is PRT?! #BrocktonBayThings #CollateralDamageBarbieReport #CapeOnCapeViolence
Rooftop Korean @2nd_Amendment_Enthusiast
Cricket and Hookwolf crashed @Bloody_Pure_Idol's concert. No PRT in sight, ofc. #BrocktonBayThings #VigilanteJusticeTheOnlyJustice
Keep Winning Russian Roulette @I_Live_In_BB
Bathory doesn't seem to need help. There's already vids of her smacking Cricket to some weeb tune. #BrocktonBayThings #CapeOnCapeViolence #AlephGaming
Villainy Archivist ✔ @PHO_Wiki_Archivist_3
And that's another murder to Hookwolf's rapsheet. Least Kanabo seems to be doing okay~ish? Somehow? #CapeOnCapeViolence
Cape Roulette @Indie_Statistics_Suck
Aaaand now Stormtiger got shot by… something? Distracted him enough for GG to nail him with that car. #CapeOnCapeViolence #CollateralDamageBarbieReport #BrocktonBayThings
Rooftop Korean @2nd_Amendment_Enthusiast
3 nazis are getting beaten back by 3 indies. What's teh point of Protectorate again? #BrocktonBayThings #VigilanteJusticeTheOnlyJustice
Very Lost Italian @The_Last_Marche_Stan
Indeed. All gang/villain takedowns in BB's history have been on independents or even villains. #BrocktonBayThings #VigilanteJusticeTheOnlyJustice #PRTSucks
Keep Winning Russian Roulette @I_Live_In_BB
Hey, there's another indie getting in on that metal furry action… Wow… That's a lot of lights. #BrocktonBayThings #CapeOnCapeViolence #RogueWatch
"Aaaaallllright! Let's take this from the top for our surprise guests!" Caster chirruped, saccharine sweet like rat poison as she twirled her wand and raised her hands over her head. Her mask said it all, two hollow pools of violet light and a crescent for a mouth so sharp it could cut. Suddenly, the goofy outfit looked anything but, its embroidery burning dully and seeming to writhe in slow motion while the shadows deepened unnaturally.
Paper streamed from her right sleeve. Slips of yellow parchment no bigger than a hand, violet ink standing out in sharp contrast as it curled in complex ideograms. They came by the dozens, floating to the tune of her wand like a school of fish.
A flick. That was all it took. They shot like arrows, streaking for the E88 horde. Hookwolf was protected by the need to avoid friendly-fire, deadlocked with Kanabo as he was, but his underlings enjoyed none of that protection. Some seized as talismans adhered to their faces, falling like unattended brooms in ones and twos as their bodies betrayed them. Not all of them were so lucky. Tangling branches wrenching joints out of sockets, crushing bands of iron slamming limbs together, blasts of heat so intense as to shut down brains, blocks of ice and stone engulfing bodies to the chest. In a single barrage, the unpowered Empire contingent was decimated.
Five more slips, arranged in a lazily rotating star behind her, pitch black and dense with script. For all that Hookwolf might've wanted to do about them, he was in no position as Glory Girl finally came through with that car toss she had promised earlier, Kanabo barely managing to dive out of the way. The vehicular missile hurled metal wolf Nazi off the street and into the sand, at which point he also had to contend with munitions slamming into him from the nearby rooftop.
"從水中長出木頭" <From water grows wood.> Caster intoned, a violet line forming between two of the slips, the sea swelling behind her and rising up in great tangles of kelp and bramble.
Hookwolf tore his way from underneath the car wreck in a screech of twisting, torn metal, the sound his howling battle cry. He stood atop the wreckage like a monster out of myth.
"從木頭點燃火" <From wood ignites fire.> The little witch continued unabated, a second line forming as the plant matter burst into an inferno behind her.
A swipe of his arm batted a thrown dumpster aside. He ignored Miss Militia's covering fire as he turned around to face Epopeia, eyes shining with mad glee.
"火使大地崩塌" <From fire crumbles earth.> She gritted out, a third line forming as ash and sand spiralled into an imposing tower at her back. Come on, come on.
He knelt low, ready to pounce. Then, he had to twist and jump aside to avoid a street sign swung by Kanabo to his side. Still, the oni woman accomplished her objective of stalling him.
"來自地球的金屬" <From earth comes metal.> She chanted feverishly, a fourth line forming as the cocoon of silica and soot exploded to reveal an ever greater mountain of blades.
Landing on the sand, Hookwolf took advantage of the cover provided by the car and charged, the street sign thrown by Kanabo getting shredded as it made contact with him. Still, it slowed him down.
"從金屬的聚集我們回到水" <From metal's gathering we return to water.> Caster called like a priest facing the wrong end of a shotgun, the fifth line closing the pentagram. Violet light raced clockwise through it, building ever brighter. Behind her, iron churned, a million paddles scooping and lifting the sea into a veritable typhoon.
Still, the monster gained speed, a wolf-shaped missile of death, razor focused on what his instinct must've told him was the biggest threat.
"LAAAAAA~!" A voice like thunder slammed into him from above, burying the man into the sand, spraying it all around him as it effectively arrested all his progress. In the sky above, Elizabeth floated with her wings unfurled, mic held in one hand like a spear, Cricket's limp body held in the other.
"五元素之星，在生成循環下統一； 反轉，顛倒" <Star of the Five Elements, united under the Generating Cycle; reverse, invert.> Epopeia all but screamed, barely heard over the roar of the sea which had come to her call. The talismans burned away under the weight of the cycling light, too much for them to bear, twisting and compressing into a single burning point that shot into the maelstrom's heart. <I call upon the Weakening Cycle; water rusts metal.> "我呼籲弱化週期； 水使金屬生鏽"
Hookwolf could only think of his battles against Leviathan as a titanic hand of violet seawater crashed down on him.
Keep Winning Russian Roulette @I_Live_In_BB
Hey, @PHO_Wiki_Archivist_2, I think you guys missed Myrddin's campier cousin. #BrocktonBayThings #CapeOnCapeViolence #RogueWatch #ChicagoMagic
Indie Slut ✔ @PHO_Wiki_Archivist_2
…That might as well happen. Fucking capes. #BrocktonBayThings #CapeOnCapeViolence #RogueWatch
Rooftop Korean @2nd_Amendment_Enthusiast
…I think I finally get what monsterfuckers get at. #BrocktonBayThings #CapeOnCapeViolence #RogueWatch #Bathory #MonsterCapeLoversUnite
Specific Plot Provider @Specific_Protagonist_Writes
That's hot, oh, that's very hot. Good thing I already had my bi awakening or that would do it. #BrocktonBayThings #CapeOnCapeViolence #Bathory #MonsterCapeLoversUnite #CapePron
Very Lost Italian @The_Last_Marche_Stan
Another Protectorate L. Truly, Independents are the last heroic quality. #BrocktonBayThings #VigilanteJusticeTheOnlyJustice #PRTSucks #Bathory
2nd Amendment Simp @Militia's_Unofficial_Greatest_Simp
Take that back, @The_Last_Marche_Stan, Miss Militia was vital in beating Stormtiger and Hookwolf today! #MissMilitiaMinutemen
Very Lost Italian @The_Last_Marche_Stan
Drove one back and made the smallest amount of assistance against another from all 5 capes involved. #PRTSucks
Purse Mouse ✔ @BB_PRT_Unofficial
…I do not envy Bagrat over at PHO. At least Bathory remained consistent with her demonstrated rankings.
Blatant Throwaway @36O6942
That was a lot of capes present for one concert. Even when one of them was a performer at it. #RogueWatch #Bathory
Winged Two @Winged_One_Pun
Interesting #BrocktonBayThings #CapeOnCapeViolence
Special thanks to my Patrons: Xanah, Unknown B, Penguino, JoJoDio, Shirou0Emiya, Bowchikabowow. MetaWorld42, nununu, Just Some Guy With A Mustage, Ermast, Helios, Joshua Littlesun, [TEE],PlatiNom and Jose Matos who decided my writing is actually worth paying for.
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