He can already do that. 1st level is enough it covers Traits, and that's fine. And even if it wasn't he could just take back the minion just to use Dimensional travel and then give it back once he's there. The creatures given to Nimue aren't forever lost even without the class.
Also, how are you handling technology from other worlds? Does it work the same on Bet, does it function on exotic physical laws, or is it more of a case-by-case basis? I ask because I believe that one of the most beneficial things Alex could use Dimensional Travel for is to acquire resources and information. In theory, he could pave the way for colonizing the oceans if he went to Subnautica for example, assuming someone could decipher the data storage they use anyway.
Honestly, I just want to see how the world of Earth Bet would change in response to new concepts and technologies.
Case by case basis. In most case it should function just fine. The only exception are those that use unique materials like Dust from RWBY or Element Zero from Mass Effect.
Actually, regarding Mass Effect, when in the timeline would he show up if Alex used Dimensional Travel on his Rachni? The mission where Shepard finds the last Rachni Queen or prior to the start of the games? I suppose it could be interesting if there was no time differential to see what the Rachni were doing in 2011 but that does not seem like where you are going with this, no offense.
Actually, regarding Mass Effect, when in the timeline would he show up if Alex used Dimensional Travel on his Rachni? The mission where Shepard finds the last Rachni Queen or prior to the start of the games? I suppose it could be interesting if there was no time differential to see what the Rachni were doing in 2011 but that does not seem like where you are going with this, no offense.
That's my secret. I won't tell you "when" you'll land in a setting. You'll only know which creature will serve as the anchor.
For the Rachni it could as well be during the first Rachni war or Post Mass Effect 3 or anywhen in between.
It's a factor that you'll need to take into account during the vote.
That's my secret. I won't tell you "when" you'll land in a setting. You'll only know which creature will serve as the anchor.
For the Rachni it could as well be during the first Rachni war or Post Mass Effect 3 or anywhen in between.
It's a factor that you'll need to take into account during the vote.
So we might end up when Benzia shoelws up to torture the baby queen, or if that's already dead then the Frankenstein version the Reapers created in that cave, or during the war next to one infected with the Reapers sour yellow note?
Edit: I want the thieving space cow or the pyjak even more now. Though we may end up and a random planet with no knowledge of or access a space ship though...
Actually, Servants require a mana supply from their Master to maintain their existence, so if Alex jumped to a new Dimension it would immediately cut off Shadow's supply. Theoretically it could probably survive for some time after that, but using any of its abilities would dramatically decrease the amount of time it has left.
I feel awkward bringing this up but I feel it needs to be said. What does everyone think about Alex's potential relationships?
Personally, I suspect that Alex's attempts at dating Crystal are likely to sputter out into a kind of "I like you, but let's be friends for now until you're ready" situation. I admit I have little interest or experience in romance, or attraction honestly, but from what I can tell and what @zagan let slip, Alex is primarily trying to distract himself from a traumatic event by latching onto his therapist's advice. I am honestly not sure how well Crystal even knows Alex, at least compared to Compendium. It really doesn't seem, to me at least, that trying to form a new relationship and dealing with that stress is the best way to handle what happened with Nilbog's army. I think it might be better to fall back on existing relationships to seek comfort rather than gamble on something new.
I actually wonder if, considering Laserdream is a veteran Heroine, she wouldn't recognize at least some of what Alex is experiencing and try to help him. Of course, New Wave isn't really the most emotionally healthy team so I cannot truly say how she'll react. But I like to think she would shift gears from 'dating' to 'mentoring' if she realized why Alex sprang this date out of the blue.
Speaking of New Wave, how involved do you think they would try to become? I can't really imagine Carol Dallon not sticking her nose in the situation in some capacity.
Apologies for the grammar and syntax, I am really out of it right now.
Why would Carol even do that in the first place? One Crystal is not her daughter, two Alex is a renown hero that did plenty of good and even killed an Endbringer and brought down the E88, the gang that cause Fleur death through one its recruits, and three that sounds like fanon!carol not canon!carol, she wouldn't care she already has plenty to deal with both a job and her depressed husband to care of
Less mentoring and more being a friend that's willing to listen about Alex trouble, since Crystal has nothing much to mentored Alex about
Why would Carol even do that in the first place? One Crystal is not her daughter, two Alex is a renown hero that did plenty of good and even killed an Endbringer and brought down the E88, the gang that cause Fleur death through one its recruits, and three that sounds like fanon!carol not canon!carol, she wouldn't care she already has plenty to deal with both a job and her depressed husband to care of
That is interesting. I admit I have never read Worm and refuse to do so but I was of the impression Brandish micromanaged her team to at least some extent. In any case I thought that a team member getting involved with one of the most powerful Capes on the planet would prompt a discussion if nothing else. I suppose you might have a point with it being her niece and not a daughter but I cannot say I know her character well enough to make that call. How did she treat New Wave in cannon then?
There's no micromanaging, the only one should manage anything is Crystal mom, Sarah Pelham since she's the leader. Also tho New wave does occasionally patrol and is willing to give a hand in emergency the group isn't as active as it use to be since they only do hero activity when they have the time because the adults have jobs and the children schools. Carol iirc usually defers to Sarah and just treat new wave like any family member(except for Amy, she's a bit colder towards her) if a bit distant because again like I've explained she needs to take care of her depress husband and work at the law firm so she doesn't have as much time for much.
There's no micromanaging, the only one should manage anything is Crystal mom, Sarah Pelham since she's the leader. Also tho New wave does occasionally patrol and is willing to give a hand in emergency the group isn't as active as it use to be since they only do hero activity when they have the time because the adults have jobs and the children schools. Carol iirc usually defers to Sarah and just treat new wave like any family member(except for Amy, she's a bit colder towards her) if a bit distant because again like I've explained she needs to take care of her depress husband and work at the law firm so she doesn't have as much time for much.
I do not disagree with your assessment, it does make sense that her other priorities would take most of her time. And I did realize that public focus seems to have shifted towards the younger, more photogenic crowd since Fleur's death. But this is legitimately the first time I have ever heard that Brandish wasn't pushing for control over New Wave to some capacity.
So are you thinking the rest of Crystal's family will stay out of things entirely? It is not implausible but I would have thought that the vague celebrity status of open Capes meant any relationship needed to be looked over. Of course you did point out Alex has a strong reputation as a Protectorate Hero so perhaps that will smooth things over? I do not actually know what the relationship between New Wave and the PRT ENE is like in this quest.
Also, should I just drop this line of questioning and keep silent? I thought it would be interesting to discuss the psychology and character relationships but it seems like no one has anything to say. Is it just blatantly obvious to everyone else what is occurring? Am I bothering others?
[X] Power
Roll: (640 points)
Entry Roll D28=6
300 Invisible Summoning, 400 Sheep's Clothing Summoning, 300 Exchange Position
Sub-vote results: 300 Exchange Position
Banked: 340
I'll be honest I used ChatGTP for parts of the chapter, notably the date. I tried without but it was getting nowhere. Of course, I didn't have the AI write everything, only bits and pieces that I assembled together when I was stuck and I tried to add my own touch but if you note a difference with my usual style, that's why.
My first task upon returning home for lunch was announcing to Mom that I was going on a date. I decided to broach the subject when we sat down to eat Mom's specialty, roast chicken and fried potatoes, a simple but delicious meal that always brings back good memories.
After swallowing a juicy piece of chicken I spoke up. "Say Mom, I want to tell you that I won't be home this evening. I don't know when I will get back so don't wait for me."
She gave me an exasperated look that made me cringe. "Alex, you work too much. What you do is important, you save lives, but you can't neglect your personal life. it's Sunday and you've already worked this morning." She picked a potato with her fork more forcefully than usual, emphasizing her point.
Having Mom echo Doctor Yamada's words was a bit uncomfortable but I soldiered on. I shook my head. "Hum, no. I'm not working this evening."
She gave me a confused look.
I hesitated some more before taking the plunge. "I got a date."
Internally I grumbled a little at the shocked look she gave me. Come on Mom, it can't be that surprising. The motherly smile that followed made me relax a little.
"That's great news, Alex. I'm happy for you. It's been so long since…" Her phrase remained unfinished but I could fill in the gap myself. She changed the subject swiftly.
"Anyway, who's the lucky girl that will have the honor to date my son?" I let out a huff at her teasing.
"Her name is Crystal Pelham. You may know her as Laserdream."
"Oh, my son is dating a Superhero! I should have expected it. It reminds me of my first date with your father. At the time parahumans were still a new thing you know. We were sitting at a terrasse, both of us awkwardly searching for what to say when this yellow blur raced by just next to us. Bravely your father jumped to cover me with his body. It was completely unnecessary of course, it was just a speedster passing by. One of the first, I think he was called Brave Bolt. Or was it Golden Flash? Something like that. Anyway, it broke the ice between us, I thanked him profusely, and we got talking…"
I let her voice wash over me as she recounted for the umptieth time a story I knew by heart.
Later after I finished cleaning the plates, Olky was only allowed to dry them and put them away, and while Mom watched her Soap I climbed into my room. It was much too early to start getting ready for my date so I needed to do something to distract myself.
I hesitated, I did say that I wouldn't be working anymore today but I could feel the anxiety building up. I need something to do, something that wouldn't really be work.
For a lack of better ideas, I pop up into the Orb's Dimension to check on my training partners. Not to participate, just to see how they were doing. That wasn't working, wasn't it?
Today it was Malcolm, Beta, Light, and Perfor. The Enforce Mint was in the center of the field, periodically sending out a surge of energy that shrunk and immobilized the others. While it was doing that the other three were sparing, Malcolm alone against Beta and Light. At first glance, this may seem like an imbalanced matchup, but despite it being two on one Malcolm was much more powerful than the other two, and one good Thunder blast could take out both at the same time. But the Fireworm drone and the Unown were much more agile than the slow Pektite. Beta couldn't deal much damage but could harass Malcom with Hidden Power and Light played as the distraction. All in all, it was good training for everyone. And obviously, it wasn't the only thing they did. They alternate with periods of rest and periods of individual exercises.
While I watched the Menagerie gave me yet another power. Absently I wondered if it would ever end. Receiving new partners forever I could understand, the multi/omniverse was vast, infinite even, so there was no risk of running out. But for the supporting powers, it should be different, at some point, the Menagerie itself or the Administrators must run out of ideas for powers to interact with my partners. Hopefully, I'll get an answer someday.
So this one is called Exchange Position./As the name indicated, it allows us to swap our position with that of any of our partners. Or to swap the position of two of our partners./There is some redundancy with Backward and Forward Teleport, particularly for us but when applied to our partners it's much more potent./If we had that against Leviathan we could have ended things much earlier by swapping Rex with one of the frontline fighters./I can already see a lot of nasty tricks to play with that power.
It was indeed a very nice tool to add to my arsenal.
Next, I visited Nimue, The Pioneers were currently delving. They too were progressing nicely, they should hit level five by the end of the day, and Nimue herself should be able to make her fifth floor at the same time. Obviously, I wouldn't delve today.
After that short stop, I turn my feet toward my lab. Not to Tinker, that would be too much like work but only to use Material Extraction. I didn't want to miss a day. It didn't take too long anyway and I got a nice surprise in the middle. The Gasha Nut gave me a Blue Ring, perhaps the most powerful ring I've ever gotten, even better than the Red Ring that doubled sword damage, this one halved the damage that the wearer received.
I didn't need it for myself that much, but I'm sure someone could make use of it. Perhaps a Ward? It was far too soon to give it to Crystal but it was something to consider if we got serious. Knowing that my Girlfriend was protected in some way would be very reassuring.
Then as I started wandering through the Orb, trying to find something to do, I came across Aylamon who was just walking around aimlessly. As soon as she spotted me, she rushed in my direction. Skidding to a halt right in front of me.
"Big Brother. I'm boooored. Entertain me."
I huffed in amusement at the whiny declaration. And so a few minutes later we were sitting at the dinner table at home with Mom and Gobimon. I used Copy Summoner on him so he could sit at the table, this meant that there were two Alex Crewser but it wasn't a problem. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing Cluedo Heroes & Villains edition. It took a little bit to explain the rules to them but the game was soon underway. Mom won the first game, it was the Thinker with the Laser Gun. I won the second one, fittingly it was the Master with the Monster. And Gobimon surprised us all by winning the last one, it was the Thinker with the Artificial Virus. We ended things there because it was time for me to get ready. Aylamon wasn't very happy about not winning even once but she forgot about it pretty fast when Mom put on the cartoon channel.
For my part the anxiety that I managed to put to the side while playing Cluedo came back with a vengeance while I took my shower and put on the clothes that Olky prepared for me. A pair of blue Jeans, a white shirt, the Compendium-themed sweatshirt that I agreed on with Crystal, and a pair of dark green sneakers, nothing extravagant. As I looked at myself in the mirror while trying to put some order in my hair, I couldn't help but ask myself if I was really going to go through with this.
After taking a deep breath I decided that the answer was yes. Crystal was funny, smart, and beautiful. Just hanging out with her could be fun. If it leads to something more, well that would be great. If not, well I still got to spend time with a cute girl.
Then I endured some pampering from Mom as she checked my outfit under the amused eyes of Aylamon and Gobimon. Finally, I was allowed to go with one last wish of good luck.
To get to the Boardwalk I opted to take the bus. At this hour it was filled with teenagers and young adults going to parties, tourists going back to their hotels, and workers going home after a hard day's work. I stood, holding onto a pole awkwardly in between a teenage girl gossiping on her phone and a couple too busy looking into each other's eyes to pay attention to the world around them. Thankfully, it was a short journey.
Even with my stop at a florist to grab the flower bouquet it didn't take long to reach the Bowling alley. I was twenty minutes early but that was fine, better early than late, I could be patient.
I positioned myself against the wall of the bowling alley not far from the door. As I lay against the wall, I looked around trying to relax while waiting for Crystal, I realized that it was the first time in a while that I was in public as Alex Crewser instead of Compendium. It was a weird feeling. Here on the boardwalk, I was in the middle of a crowd and nobody was paying any attention to me apart from a few glances and a few amused smiles from those who noticed the bouquet in my hand. If Compendium was there I would've been swarmed with demand for attention. I decided that being anonymous was nice.
In an effort to give Crystal my full attention, I dismissed the majority of my partners. Apart from those busy elsewhere, with me I only had Olky nearby, Babel was in my ear because I couldn't risk being without protections against Master, and Harvest was keeping watch in the neighborhood. I wasn't exactly alone, but compared to what I've become accustomed to, the contrast was stark. For similar reasons, I dismissed all powers on myself, no enhanced senses, no boosts, and no traits. I could always call on those at a moment's notice if a catastrophe happen but for now, I want to meet Crystal as equals. Or as close to it as possible.
I didn't have to wait long, Crystal arrived early too. I saw her turn the corner and I gulped at the sight. She was beautiful, I knew that before, but now she was on another level. Clearly, she put some effort into her outfit and makeup today. Starting from the top I could see that her blonde locks were held back by a thin red headband, a light dusting of shimmering eyeshadow and a pop of red lipstick perfectly complemented her heart-shaped face, a stylish off-the-shoulder white top accentuated her voluptuous chest, a red belt with a golden buckle hold her high-waisted black jeans and a pair of fashionable white flat adorned her feet.
If she was trying to impress me she succeeded magnificently.
I saw her looking around so I stood up from the wall. My movements must have caught her eyes because she turned in my direction. She paused to analyze my outfit and relaxed when she recognized my sweatshirt. To confirm my identity I briefly turned around to show her my back where the image of Rainbow stood, the action itself was perhaps even more of a confirmation than the design itself.
When I turned back she was already walking toward me determinedly. The sway of her hips was more than a little enticing. The wicked smile she sported proved that she saw me looking. I couldn't help but gulp again. I may have bitten off more than I could chew.
When she reached my position I couldn't help but say the first thing that came to mind. "God, you're beautiful."
The rosy blush that covered her cheeks at my honest compliment showed me that she wasn't as confident as she was trying to portray. There was an awkward silence that was broken when she spoke. "Thanks. You're not bad yourself! It's great to see you. I must admit, I'm feeling a little nervous, but I'm also really looking forward to getting to know you..."
I did my best to appear confident, though I'm not sure how successful I was. "Good evening, It's good to see you. I'm really glad that you agreed to come. I'm nervous too." There was another awkward pause until I remembered the bouquet of flowers in my hand. Hastily I offered it to her. "This is for you. I hope you like them. I didn't know what type of flower you prefer."
She accepts the flowers gracefully. "Thank you, they're very pretty. Lilac?"
"Yes, that's right."
Putting the bouquet close to her nose she inhaled the flower's perfume. "They smell nice." She looks me in the eyes. "For your information, my favorite flowers are roses and poppies."
"I will remember that."
"Already planning the next date even though this one has barely started?" She shot me an impish smile, seemingly having found some of her confidence back.
"A man can hope." She let out a peal of laughter.
I gestured toward the building. "Should we enter?"
She nodded happily. "Let's."
In what was perhaps an excess of gallantry I opened the door for her but she didn't seem to mind. The entrance of the bowling alley was a mix between a bar and a cafe. We ordered some snacks and some drinks. I took note that Crystal likes spicy food. We took our bowling shoes and soon we were seated on a semicircular couch in front of the lane I reserved. We weren't seated right next to each other, we weren't comfortable enough for that yet, but still close enough that I could smell her perfume. It was something pleasant with a lemony undertone.
In total there were a total of ten lanes, and half appeared to be occupied by various groups. Ours was flush against the left wall, so there was less chance to be bothered.
It was Crystal that spoke up first once we were settled down. "So what should I call you?"
I looked around with all my enhanced senses and through the eyes of the Harvest's units that I snuck into the building. Nobody was paying any specific attention to us and the background music covered our voices well. I leaned toward her. "My name is Alex Crewser. Nice to meet you, Miss Pelham."
"Woah. I didn't expect to learn your full name on the first date. Thank you, for your trust."
I shrugged. "I think some honesty is required if I want to make this work."
"I appreciate it." She appears to hesitate for an instant before speaking again. "I have little doubt regarding your identity but Mom would scold me if I didn't ask. Do you have any way to prove who you are?"
I nodded. "That's perfectly reasonable. Strangers do exist." I put my hand against the back of the couch in such a way that only Crystal could see behind it and I summoned a half-size Ears in between my hand and the back of the couch. And to further prove my point I gave him wings and applied the Fur Theme, making it the fluffiest bunny that ever existed.
"It's so cute." Gingerly Crystal approached her hand to pet the little guy who responded with obvious delight by leaning into her hand. She laughed and gave me a radiant smile as she petted the bunny. I let her enjoy it for a minute before dismissing Ears.
"Thank you. I'm sure that someone somewhere could fake that but for now, I'm satisfied. Do you mind if we talk a little before playing?"
"Of course not."
What followed was something akin to twenty questions. Some were serious, such as when she asked what I prioritize the most outside of work? I didn't hesitate to answer that it was family. Some were innocuous, like when I asked what she was studying in College? I learned that she was learning communication with a minor in art, with an aim to work in advertising. Some were funny when I asked if she had any weird hobbies? She said that she was an avid collector of cape memorabilia.
And some were flirty. I hesitate when she asks what physical attribute I look at first in women. I considered lying, saying something innocuous, like the eyes, but ultimately decided that it would be pointless so I gave her an honest answer. Thankfully she wasn't offended and only laughed before emphasizing with her hands her own assets, making me blush, and redoubling her laughter.
When we finally got around to playing Bowling the atmosphere between us was much more relaxed. We played for something like an hour and Crystal crushed me. Not that she was that good, she wasn't a bad player by any means but she didn't make ten strikes in a row, it was mostly that I was really bad at it. In part because the last time I played it was during a birthday party organized by a friend when I was twelve and in part because hiding my enhanced strength while doing an unfamiliar activity was troublesome.
My poor results made Crystal laugh so I took that as a win anyway. And watching her play was enjoyable in itself, so I had nothing to complain about.
After the games, we stopped to eat and to talk some more.
Crystal uses the opportunity to ask a piercing question. As she spoke she looked into my eyes, looking vulnerable and inquisitive. "Why me? Why did you ask out Crystal Pelham? You're…you. You could have anyone."
It was a fair question. I took my time formulating my answer. I also checked around for any eavesdroppers, thankfully there were none. "I need to give you some context first."
She nodded her assent.
"You were there during Yesterday's ceremony. So you know that something happened, a number of heroes, including myself were called away."
"Yes, I read the official statement. It said that there was an attempted breach in Elisburg and that you contained it successfully. That it was a victory for the Protectorate." She looked rightfully doubtful as she spoke.
I let out a bark of laughter. "Yes, I suppose you could say that. It's not even wrong, just exaggerate. I won't go into details. I'm sorry but you're not cleared to know."
She shook her head. "Perfectly understandable. Go on."
"Anyway, it was a harrowing experience. The worst one in my short career by far. So I sought out my therapist the very same day. She helped me deal with what happened and how to accept my feelings about what happened. But during our exchange she also made me realize that I didn't have much of a personal life. That I was focusing too much on my work."
As Crystal was still listening attentively I continued. "This realization shocked me, something fierce. I decided that I needed to remedy that state of matter. I couldn't afford to let myself be consumed by my work. If I did that I may lose sight of what I was fighting for. With that decision made, I decided that the first step to recreate a personal life was to find someone to share that personal life with."
I paused to let her digest that. She looked thoughtful but not angry so I continued. "As for why you in particular. I'll be frank. I can't say that I've been harboring a secret crush on you for years or that it was love at first sight when we met the first time. Of course, you've figured among my teenage fantasies. A beautiful girl around my own age who was also a superheroine? I'm sure that I wasn't the only one."
Her quiet laughter proved that she wasn't offended.
"It's just that I liked talking with you last time. You're smart and funny. And you're beautiful, that didn't hurt any. So I decided to try my luck."
She blushed, visibly flattered.
"As for the fact that I could have anyone. You're probably right. But would it be me they're interested in? Or would it be Compendium? I think you would be able to see beyond the mask." I paused before concluding and waiting for the verdict. "I'm sorry if this was a little too heavy for a first date but I want to be honest with you."
"No, it's fine. I'm flattered that I was the first girl you thought of." She took my hand. "I'll be honest in turn. I may have harbored a tiny bit of a crush on you since we worked together during the Empire's attack. But talking with you today, learning that underneath the most powerful hero of the planet, there's a shy antisocial nerd, I think like that part too. I'm willing to give a chance to Alex Crewser" The shy smile she gave me sent my heart fluttering.
We turned to lighter subjects after that heavy moment. Now there's an understanding between us, a subtle difference in the way we interact. We weren't suddenly madly in love. There were no wedding bells in my head. Maybe this burgeoning relationship would fall through after our third date but right now, in this Bowling alley, we were enjoying ourselves, talking and learning about each other. It was enough.
As our latest topic of discussion wind down, a rant from Crystal about her brother, I noticed that there was a pool table in a corner and that it was free at the moment.
Gesturing toward the table I addressed Crystal. "Would you like to play a few games?"
She turned around to see what I was pointing at before turning back toward me with another gigawatt smile. "With pleasure."
This time I won more than I lost. Crystal wasn't very good at it, and that was despite the fact that she occasionally used tiny lasers as pointers to help her aim. Her casual use of her power almost caught me off guard but then I remembered that she was an open cape, she could afford to do so as long as she didn't mind being recognized. And it was just us at the pool table anyway.
When it was my turn she tried to distract me with some suggestive poses. And I must admit that it worked more often than not. I mean when she bent over at just the right angle to be in my field of view right as I was about to strike the ball nobody can blame me for not striking the ball the way I intended. Her tinkling laughter each time her tricks worked was a fair compensation for missing a point.
All in all, we had a lot of fun and that's what matters.
We left the Bowling alley around nine and a half in a high mood. It was a little early but Crystal did need to go to College the next day. As we walked toward the boardwalk she grabbed my hand. Glancing at her, she gave me a shy smile that I promptly returned, and then I squeezed her hand lightly.
Our aimless wandering eventually led us to an isolated corner of the pier. The scenery was nothing to write home about but it didn't matter because we were both looking at each other instead.
We spoke at the same time "So…"/"So…" We shared an awkward laugh and I gestured for her to go on.
"I had a lot of fun this evening. Thank you."
"Me too." I licked my lips. "Would you like to do it again?"
"Yes! I would love that." She paused. "I'll call you tomorrow?"
"I'll be waiting."
There was another moment of silence.
"It's getting late, I should go. So, hm, good night I guess." She let me go out of my hand and I realized that I was already missing the warmth it provided.
"Good night. See you soon."
Before I could react she planted a butterfly kiss on my lips and flew away in a hurry. I watched her go bemused before a small smile crept on my face. Yes, this had been a good evening.
Wordcount: 4113
Excess words: 302
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weirdly despite the difficulty I encountered and despite the research I need to do for this chapter, I enjoyed writing it. I'm not sure I managed to have natural-sounding dialogue, in fact I doubt it, but despite that upon rereading I'm pretty happy with the results. I hope you enjoyed it too.
That said, in the next chapter we're going to our superhero/powers fantasy story in a grimdark world. We'll be seeing Crystal again of course, but her relationship with Alex will grow in the background with only occasional mention of what happened between them, unless of course, something significant happens.
For the roll, 340 (Banked) + 480 (Chapter) + 0 (Excess words) = 820 points.
Oh, is that how dating works? How interesting. I thought this chapter was well written anyway; clear and open communication without overindulgence in romance tropes.
[X] Power
Once again, I vote for power given Debt is still active.
