The Las Vegas strip is among the strangest places in the modern world.  Despite its postion in the middle of the Nevada desert, this strip is filled with verdant gardens and flowing fountains. Almost no one actually lives there, yet it is heavily populated, with people constantly coming and going.  The scenery is strange, with towering structures of conflicting design vying for the eye of travelers and a greater share of the tourist trade, like giant plants competing in an alien jungle of iron, neon, and concrete.

The strip is a study in contrasts. It is a vacation spot, and people come here from around the world to enjoy themselves, yet most leave with far less than they arrived with, and a current of manic desperation and despair underlies the entertainment.  The city is amoral and faithless, but yet there is an almost religious fervor in those that come here, with visitors showing a dedication to the dual faiths of Money and Decadence that they seldom if ever showed to their religiuos life back home.  Everything is for sale here, yet no one ever leaves with what they actually want... or need.

This is the place where T2M trainees from UtopiaNevada will spend their liesure hours.  The Bellagio has agreed to host the trainees on their weekends, in exchange for a few hours of public entertainment on the weekends... A non-proft show, the proceeds of which will go to several worthwhile charities of course.  With a reasonable hosting fee going to the hotel.  This also serves Utopia, by introducing their new team to the public in a postive and non-threatening manner, while allowing the new recruits to learn how to deal with their prestige and to gain public relations skills.

Transport is accomplished by a government owned shuttle reserved for this purpose.  The trip is a little under an hour.  Upon arrival you are showed to your rooms, and your few bags are taken up for you.  It appears people have been assigned adjoining suites, with people paired off... Frostburn explains that you will be on a buddy system of sorts during your first few visits, in hopes that if one person does something stupid or gets in over their head, their buddy will stop them.

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Prodigal & Zero
Phantasm & Solitaire
Comstock & Quinton
Impetus & Samual

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The suites are luxurious, with two small bedrooms opening onto a central living area.  Room service is only a call away, and at least on your first stay, you have few obligations (your shows will come later).  You are free to do as you will...

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At this point it looks like people are going to split up for their first forray into the city, which is fine.  I would prefer people to figure out what they are doing for the early evening, and then all meet at the nova club, just for plot purposes.  I will deal with the individual stuff first; so far we've got the art show, poker with the baselines, and clubing with the baselines.  If people would group however they want, I will address each of you.  Once all that is done, I will move on to the nova club.  There is hopefully fun stuff to be had there...

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This message was last edited by the GM at 21:09, Fri 30 Aug 2013.

Imp flops down on the bed, feels himself sink into the high quality mattress, chuckles.  he bounces back up and looks out the window, gazing out at the neon lights below, above and all around.  He looks over at Samuel, "Alright Sam, my lad, lets go paint the town red, or neon red.  He checks out the window again, "looks like someone beat us to it.  I'm gonna head across the street to Caesars, the management know who we are here and might take an unhealthy interest if we start doing well at the tables they might pull the plug on the frivolities.  You gonna go check out the art show?" While waiting for Sam's response Imp wandered around the room, poked his head into the bathroom, opened up the minifridge.  "Oh, hey, if I don't come back tonight don't be too worried, I'll be out experiencing the local culture, and will be back in the morning."

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if i'm holding people up by not posting at regular times, just assume that i head over to Caesars' with anybody else who wants to play some cards.

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"Wow, Doc, have you ever seen anything so amazing? All the lights...the different people, the women..oops..." David says looking away from the scantily clad women, blushing at them shyly.

Sameul stretches lazily on the bed, trying to get accustomed to it. "Yeah. I'm g-g-gonna hit the art show w-w-with David." He pauses for a moment. "I d-d-don't think I'll check out the c-c-casinos. G-G-G-otta keep th-th-this away f-f-f-f-f-f..." He takes a deep breath and tries again. "Gotta keep th-th-this away from the slot machines." His tendril slithers down his side in response. "And I'm n-n-not gonna worry. I know exactly where y-y-you'll be."

Solitaire whistles, impressed. "Nice place." She comments to Phantasm, "Wonder how much a night here costs. Glad I'm not paying it. What're your plans tonight? I was planning on playing cards with Impetus, your welcome to come, unless you have something you'd rather do." She wanders around the room, feeling the bed, admiring the view, examining anything of interest. It was good to be decadent sometimes, Solitaire decided.

Phantasm pauses at the door to look around the room, seeming to be a bit shocked by the level of luxury.  "Wow, they really spent a lot.  I knew that our life styles would change, but it just didn't hit me before... Huh."

After she looks around a bit, Phantasm goes to the bed and makes a nest out of the blankets before pulling out a couple of books to read, and turning on the TV.

"I don't know really.  I guess I wouldn't mind going with you guys.  I've never really been to Vegas, or even gambled, before. At least that I can remember that is. I might take a quick look at the art show downstairs, since its on the way out."

Zero turns around to appreciate the aesthetics of the female form. The doctor turns back and keeps walking next to David. After a moment, Z's head slumps down. "I want to go home..." the person under the mask confesses. Dr. Z straightens up and changes the subject. "Eh, I used to work in the Big Apple, Kiddo. I've seen a lot of this already, but I have to admit, not with the same sense of... shamelessness. It's impressive." Zero stops in a moment, gestures dramatically up to a big neon billboard. "Soon! Our names will be up on in these lights! Soon, my friend! What do you think? What do you think they will say about us? Remember us..."

Zero looks into a restaurant as they walk by. The doctor fumbles in empty pockets. "Crud. Hey, Kid. When do we get paid?" Zero pulls out forty bucks out of a back pocket it missed and looks at it hard. "I guess we're eating at the cheep place, if there is one around here." Z looks around until noticing something under its shoe and sees a flier for Caesars.

"You know, I've had some pretty bad luck all my life, Kid, but ever since I met this one woman, my luck's been quite unbelievable." Zero carefully picks up the flier, staring at it thoughtfully. "She must be Lady Luck's favorite daughter. Hmmm... the Good Book says 'God favors those who help themselves,' right Kid? I think I'm going to go to Caesar's latter tonight."

"I think I'll 'give Caesar his due.'"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:30, Thu 16 Apr 2009.

"Lady? Are you married Doc? I've never heard you talk about your wife, do you have any kids? Actually..now that I think of it...how old are you?" David asked, surprising himself with his influx of questions. "Er...sorry Doc, that's not something I normally do"

"Well, now that you ask, I am 23. I am married to the most fascinating woman by the name of Selina Wayne. My birth name is Bruce Wayne, and I decided to join crime-fighting when my parents where shot. It was a tragic event, and though I do blame the shooter, I do acknowledge that my parents where pretty damn dumb to go walking in a back alley, filled with vagrants, in their finest jewelry."

"All right, I'm kidding. I've actually been a Nova before the Fireman erupted. Decades before. I'm joining Project Utopia to find out the real reason for Novas." Zero laughs to itself.

"Dear Lord, kid! Do you see this mask? It means 'Mysterious,' with a capital 'M.' Dang, chatty kids. Now, did you spot a place to eat that looked like shit, because I think that is all we can afford for the night."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:27, Thu 16 Apr 2009.

Dillon got his keycard from Quentin and stashed his things.  Hesitation.  He peeked out the window at brightly lit canyon of lights, full of gridlock and herds of grazing tourists.  The whole strip was a lot brighter than he remembered.  Radiant.  It was giving him a headache.  He concentrated a bit and started discerning more shapes.

"Did you figure out anything you wanted to do?" he asked Quentin.  "I'm probably just going to walk a bit, hit the Nova Club, get some new clothes, find a poker table, y'know?"  And figure out what Phantasm's deal is.  "Frostburn probably has spending money for us."

Playing around with his sight, he pulled a bit of Quantum out of his node.  His vision acquired dozens of extra, indescribable tones and colors.  Skeletons and metal stood out through skin.  "Hey ... Quentin ... have you been developing any new powers?"  He turned this way and that, got a sense of the sheer density of the hotel-casino, and did his best to shut down his new senses.  "Like, looking through walls or seeing gravity?"

Imp tosses a pillow at Sam.  "I'm that predictable, am i?"  He smirks.  "I suppose I am, god knows I have years of not getting any to make up for..." He sighs  "Alright, bud, lets go give Vegas our best shot..." Imp grabs his wallet and heads out the door into the hall where he waits for the others, looking idly through the pictures in his wallet.

Quentin had also gone to the room and was mostly piddling about, checking out the accomidations, briefly flipping through channels before leaving it on the hotel's "Learn how to gamble!" station.

"Yeah, sort of. I've been able to feel gravity since my eruption. Well, more than just the general sense of 'down' that everyone has," he pointed down. "All things have their own gravity, every atom in every object, and I can sense all of that, all the time. Its basically impossible to actually filter it all, though." He shrugged, "I can see with my eyes shut, though - if that makes any sense - just by feeling the gravity of objects so I don't run into them. I'd like to train to expand what I can do. Like, I can fly, by creating and manipulating gravity to pull myself up, but its hard. Also, gravity is related to a lot of things very tightly, mostly space. The best example is a black hole, so much gravity that it warps space around it. I've never really pushed to see how much gravity I can create, but I'd like to try. I just need a safe environment to do that sort of experiementation in."

"Sorry, I get kind of wordy, probably comes from having to teach lab classes."
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:27, Thu 16 Apr 2009.

"Well, keep out of trouble. Imp mentioned Caesars earlier, I expect thats where we'll be, otherwise it'll probably be the club." Solitaire gives Phantasm a wave before pocketing the keycard and stepping out into the hall. She spots imp waiting outside his room and strides over to him.

"So, anybody else show an interest? Or will it be just us?"

Phantasm stands still for a moment, as though considering, then follows Solitaire out the door.

"I'll just go with you guys.  I'd rather stay with people, since I don't really know my way around here.  Do you think we could stop by the art show on the way down to the exit though?  It won't take me very long, I just wanted to see some of it up close.  I've seen books full of art, but it's supposed to be totally different up close.  And didn't some of the other say they were going to be going there?"

"No problem."  Quentin's talk was dizzying.  Dillon rubbed his eyes.  "I think I'm seeing things." he said, stepping out of his room to meet the other.  "Worry about it later.  Come on."

He peeked his head out the suite door into the hallway, noticing Solitaire and the others.  "Want to head with the others?  Or head somewhere else?"

Quentin could only shrug, "Whichever. I don't really know the city, and we're supposed to vaguely stay together, so I'll opt for sticking with the others."

As they continued to walk down the hall he spoke again, "What sort of things are you seeing? It could be a new manifestation of your power. It isn't unheard of for us to be able to extend things that we can do."

"Lights are way to bright.  Extra colors.  Skeletons.  Building frames.  I'll try it again later, right now my head's killing me."  He laughed.  "Superman never got hang-overs from this kind of thing."

They neared the larger group.  "Hey guys.  Did Zero and David already head out?"

"No idea, they might've, or not, haven't seen them. I don't mind waiting if they want to come as well. More people, more for me to win." Solitaire grins and looks around, tapping a toe on the floor as she does so."Should we check their room?"