Our story continues on Sunday night, atop a high-rise apartment building, where Becca Gershwin and her friends have just flagged down Karl Brennan as he was flying home...

Karl is dark-haired, about 6'6" now and though wearing normal clothes it's clear there's a significant physique underneath, that was rather more on display in some of the airport videos. Though he is clothed he's not as warmly dressed as one might expect someone to be in Chicago in December, especially at rooftop level - no hat, no heavy coat, gloves or scarf, not even a sweater.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:02, Wed 04 Aug 2021.

Bex, meanwhile, had on a winter coat and some jeans.  The associated Figments waved with her towards Mr. Brennan.  The teen's blonde hair blew around a little in the wind.  A few things were notable about her--but mostly, people might call her dreamy.  Either way, her unbridled enthusiasm and utter lack of concern about the menagerie around her were perhaps more striking than anything else.

"Hi!  I saw you on TV!  You gave an interview!"

"Yeah, with Katie." He resisted the urge to ask so what did you think? It made enough of an impression for them to apparently come looking for him, unless they made a habit of hanging out on rooftops at night and this was just a coincidence. The bubbly enthusiasm as a little disarming, and Karl relaxed a bit despite the odd collection of characters.

"Oh, you already know, but I'm Karl, nice to meet you." I hope.

"So...how did you all find each other?"

"These are my friends," Becca explained.  "This is Jimmy the Fish--"  She gestured to the anthropomorphic cow, wearing a leather jacket, a fish buckle, various gadgets, and a jetpack.  "And this is Chef Rumblesteak," Bex turned to the monstrously large man who appeared to be made out of felt, with an oven instead of a stomach.  "And this is Wooly Jumper!"  Becca patted the bouncing spring-sheep.  "And he's Smeddly!"  The gnome doffed his woodland cap and bowed until his nose touched the top of the roof.

"And I'm Becca!"  Another wave, another big smile.  "I saw how cool you were with the airplane so I wanted to meet you and be your friend, too!"

“Hi everyone.”

“OK, nothing wrong with more friends.” Karl agreed. “Oh, and thanks, that’s nice to say. Do you all just hang out on roofs a lot, did you find each other on Craigslist, or what?” Odd that none of the others had said anything yet, not that he would normally expect a cow, a sheep, a...felt oven, or a garden gnome to be all that talkative.

Bex giggled and shook her head, before tapping her temple.  "No no, these are my imaginary friends!"  A duck wearing a bowtie walked out from behind Karl, flapping its wings very slowly.  The bowtie was quite fetching, as a matter of fact.  "Ah!  It's Roger Duckington!  He's another of my friends!"

She motioned for him to come closer, and Chef Rumblesteak let out a quiet "kerblerble" that carried tremendous meaning.  Karl could understand it, as anyone and everyone could--the kerblerble of I brought fried squash for you!  It's a pleasure to meet someone Rebecca holds in such high esteem, and we are all tremendously excited to meet you and learn more about how it is you can propel yourself through the sky.

"So you totally just... like, could suddenly fly, huh?  That's so cool.  Nothing like that ever happens to me."

Imaginary?

It was a good thing Karl was already flying as he would have jumped when the duck came out from behind him, walking on air/flying slowly. As it was he drifted a little away in surprise, floating back as the duck moved on.

"How...how did I understand that?" he asked, confused.

"Um, you're kidding right? You can pull out your...imaginary friends. That seems pretty amazing to me. But yeah, for me, just happened the other day, good timing. How about you, how long have you been able to..." Karl motioned with a slow gesture indicating the collection of friends Becca had with her. "...and have other people see and hear them, understand them?" It's not just me, right. Tell me it's not just me.

"Everybody understands Chef Rumblesteak!" Bex explained, failing to explain.  "And I've always seen them.  They're just out of sight most of the time, but the whole gang is waiting!"  She rubbed her hands and got closer to Chef Rumblesteak, on account of the cold.

"Sometimes people don't seem to see them.  I'm not sure!  But they've always been my pals.  They're the bestest, and now you're gonna be my friend, too!  Best winter break ever."

"Um, look." Karl started, rubbing his forehead. "You want to go somewhere warmer than a rooftop?" Not that he was sure where to go, especially if "Uh, are you trying to keep a low profile? That might affect where to go. And I might have someone else you could meet too if you're willing."

"But, well, even if we stay here, can it just be us? I'm sure the chef and the others are all fine" hallucinations "people, but this is all still really new, and" Karl slowly floated one direction, then back as he talked, as though pacing in mid-air "well, I've been questioning if any of this is real at all, and right now, well this isn't really helping my state of mind to be honest." He scratched the back of his head. "Sometime later maybe I can, uh, get to know them more but right now they're, well, they're kinda freaking me out. So can we acknowledge how cool they are but dial it back please?"

Becca considered it for a moment.  "Okay," she finally decided.  One by one, the Figments disappeared.  Some of them were gone when Karl blinked, some simply moved out of sight and disappeared from view.  Some even tickled at the corners of his eyes, waiting to be let out again.

And then it was just her.  A little bit chilly, blonde, but smiley all the same.  "There're so many of them for you to meet," Becca explained, "but the cops asked me to leave the park recently, so... I guess I understand.  Not everybody wants to be friends as fast as I do.  Oh!  Maybe I should get Smeddly back here--he can take us wherever you'd like to go."

Oh good she didn't have a discussion with them about it. Still almost seeing them especially felt-chef was disturbing.

Still a little unsure about the state of Becca's or his own mind Karl decided to go forward for now. "Ok, thank you. I appreciate your understanding, really."

"Uh, that's OK, I can make it on my own. Maybe next time? How about..." Karl thought of where to go. Outdoor places would be safer, but still cold. Take what appeared to be maybe a teenaged girl with the ability to create reality and who might have a tenuous grasp on it (although to be fair, given what she demonstrated maybe she had an exceptionally good grasp on reality, even a stranglehold) back to his apartment? No, that seemed like a bad idea. "...how about, there's a coffee place at (address) not too far from here. Meet you there? I'll see if I can get another friend - of mine - to meet us there too. It's kind of dimly lit, but if you want to maintain some kind of cover or something you still might want to you know, pull a hood up or something if you wouldn't want to be seen in public." he suggested.

There was a Certain Look in her eyes bordering on manic glee at the thought of being incognito.  "Okay!  I'll meet you there, and I'll be very stealthy.  Super casual.  You got it!"

"OK, great. And you're cool getting down safe right?" Karl double-checked, whether it was on her own somehow or through her rainbow-gnome.

Satisfied she would be safe getting down and to their meeting place, Karl waved and flew off, pausing behind another building to text to the person he had just come from:



Ok, easy joke.



Oh, that might be taken the wrong way.

Ok, that still sounds off.



Messages sent, Karl flew back down to the coffee shop, ordering a coffee, doctoring it up a little and finding a darker booth away from the front window to settle into while he waited for his company.

He took a long initial pull of the coffee, having a feeling it was going to be a long night. Not that he was sure the coffee had any real effect on him anymore.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:39, Thu 05 Aug 2021.

It wasn't too long after Karl had seated himself that a young Filipina walked through the door. She was wearing warm black leggings and a big baggy knit wool cream sweater that fell to mid-thigh in a way that was both decent and yet still chic. Her black hair, which spilled down from a matching wool toque, had honey-blonde highlights and she had a cream-coloured purse slung at her hip that admittedly was more bag than purse. It was made of cloth and decorated with several enameled pins of black and white honey bees along the strap. A pair of fur-lined winter boots matched and completed the ensemble. Over all this she wore a cozy wool coat that she opened and began to peel off, now too warm for the inside of the establishment. Anyone aware of when he'd sent the texts might assume she either lived nearby or had made very good time.

Steph swept a glance across the establishment and waved to Karl, fingers twinkling from the holes of mittens who's coverings could fold back and away from them, making them as functional as they were fashionable. The slender sometimes-waitress padded over to the counter and ordered herself a green tea before sliding into the seat next to Karl and giving him a kiss on the cheek. For someone seeing her for the first time, Steph was perhaps best described as pretty. Not a true heart-breaking beauty, but a good match for Karl in a lot of ways.

"Hey!" she beamed, glancing around. "Where's your new friend?"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:42, Thu 05 Aug 2021.

And lo, from the bathroom came Cap'n Gershwin.

She was genuinely wearing a buccaneer's costume, complete with tricorne hat.  Brown puffy sleeves, a black corset, with black pants leading down into boots.  Her belt was probably three or four inches wide, and was cinched around her stomach in a way that really didn't seem to interact with where her pants were.  One thing that was definitely the same as when Karl first saw Becca was her friendship bracelet.

With an exaggerated wink to Karl, Becca beamed brightly to Stephanie.

"Hi!  I'm B---bbbuccaneer Shoecannon."  Another wink.  "I'm actually Becca, but I'm undercover, so don't give it away."  Her costume was a Figment, same as the rest of her friends, but at least this one wasn't overtly challenging Karl's conception of the universe.  "Ahoy and avast, these landlubbers have quite the caffeinated grog.  Ahar."

With a cup of vanilla frappuccino in hand, which was not a drink this coffee shop served, Becca settled in at the table with just the most genuine smile across her lips.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:11, Thu 05 Aug 2021.

Karl smiled spotting Stephanie. Had she already scouted out Becca somehow? He hadn't seen her himself yet. Maybe she would wait by the counter or grab another table to observe before coming over...

...nope. She came straight over from the counter and sat down next to him and pecked him on the cheek, part greeting, perhaps part territory-marking.

"Hi, good to see you again. It's been too long" Karl started with a grin, truly pleased to see her again so soon. "I'm not sure. I told them they might want to come incognito too. I wasn't sure how 'out' either of you might want to be with each other. Do you want to..." he stopped, the question moot with the arrival of the Dread Pirate Becca.

"Ah. Welcome, join us in our inconspicuous impromptu gathering Captain. This is..." he turned to introduce Stephanie "...ah, this is, shall we say, the Queen?" he half-stated, half-asked with a questioning raised eyebrow.

"The Captain saw my interview and has some interesting abilities of her own. Including apparently an interesting wardrobe." He briefly imagined Stephanie in a similar getup, thinking being boarded on the high seas might not be that bad. "It seems we have things in common." Karl didn't specify if he meant just him and Becca or all three of them.

"Some initial questions Captain...how long ago did this all start for you? How did you find out?"

"Hhhhheyyy..." Stephanie said at the candid captain's cordial greeting. "I like your outfit."" She added, recovering. And she was sincere. It was quite the look.

Tough to say if it was territorial or tender but Steph sought out Karl's hand so she could slip her fingers between his.

"I'm his Queen anyway" she grinned, laughing in a way that was fond and good-natured. Steph didn't feel threatened yet, but then the queen bee wasn't prone to insecurity or possessiveness. If anything that was the business of her drones, all vying for her attention. "I'm Karl's girlfriend. It's really nice to meet you. Aren't you the girl from tik tok?" she asked, her smile broadening. "Right?? I'm a big fan!" which was in fact true. "Oh my gosh. Are you a super like Karl?" Steph asked, absolutely glossing over her own status with an easy grace.

"Her tik toks are fantastic. I always wondered how she does them, she doesn't use filters! But that makes sense if you have... abilities." Steph suggested, studying the girl as she talked with her hands. The disguise was good. But it mostly looked like Bex in a pirate costume. Which would be confusing to someone who wasn't a 24yr old girl with a cellphone and a tik tok. Tik Tok appealed to Steph because she had very little truly free time and it's content was all bite-sized micro videos. Even now with the new 3 minute format (which she hated) it was still a short investment.

Steph settled in against Karl's powerful arm though, resting her head there, to let him question their new comrade-captain because ultimately she wanted to know too. Steph smiled though to show she was friendly and interested.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:41, Fri 06 Aug 2021.

Meanwhile, Becca clearly had the situational awareness of a grape, so she didn't react to Stephanie's or Karl's PDAs.  When Stephanie recognized Bex from TikTok, her pirate costume gently detached from her and shimmied into the booth beside her.  She was once again in her jeans, with a blue shirt on underneath--her winter coat was not visible at the present moment.

"You found me out," she confirmed with a nod.  "I am not, in fact, Buccaneer Shoecannon."  She gestured to the figment sitting next to her, which appeared to be a suit of living clothing.  It tipped its hat--which, presumably, was part of it?  There was a lot going on with everything, but the semi-amorphous living clothing probably was a violation of Karl's earlier request.

However, he'd said "if we stay here, can it just be us?"  And they were no longer "here," because "here" was now "there."  Therefore, there was no violation.  Besides, Buccaneer Shoecannon hadn't been around to meet Karl earlier, and Becca felt bad not letting all of her many, many friends meet all of these lovely people!

"Yeah!  I'm also on YouTube, if you ever watch there."  She beamed brightly and nodded to Karl.  "I've always had these guys in my head.  Um... I don't know when they started being visible to everyone else, but they've always been with me."  Bex shrugged and looked between the two.  She definitely had a Quality about her physical appearance, but her earnestness and openness didn't come off as insincerity.

If anything, she was too sincere.

Buccaneer Shoecannon took a packet of sugar from the little container and started to play with it while Bex looked from Stephanie to Karl and back to Stefanie.  "So do you fly?  Can you lift planes and stuff?  Karl mentioned he was gonna invite a friend to meet me, and he was talking about how he was questioning if anything was real or not.  If you don't have any sorta powers, that's totally okay, my mom doesn't have any power 'cept that she's the best vegan cook in the world, and also she's super radical.  She taught me all about crystals when I was growing up."

Karl blinked twice when the outfit morphed off of Becca and became its own entity. Was she just showing off here? Or did she do this sort of thing all the time? If so how in the world had she kept anything like a low profile in real life? It's one thing to do it in online videos, another to do it in the corner market.

Steph wasn't technically wrong, though maybe jumping the gun a bit as they had been on all of one date so far, such as it was. Combined with everything else it was part of too much too fast.

But Becca being a TikTok and YouTube star did plant the idea that maybe he should do something similar, get some kind of social media presence going, once he figured out what he might want to put on it. Another way to get out there, maybe even a way to get notified of things he might help with, if he could find a way to filter fakes out.

"Oh, I somehow missed that. Send me one of her things sometime so I can start following. How long have you been making the TikToks with your friends?" Maybe that would give a better timeline. In any event she was bound to have had her powers longer than Karl, at least months most likely, maybe longer. Doubtless though the answer would be something like "a while now", but he could figure it out online later.

Whether some sort of psychotic break or something was part of it or not, or if her mom really existed or was one of those friends, well...

It was hard to tell if she was just crazy in a Hollywood blood vial/Scientology way or hardcore disturbed. She didn't seem dangerous, just odd. If she had a depressive side to this sort of manic state, ooo boy. And how could you keep distinguishing fiction from reality if you could make your fiction seem real to others as well? Maybe there was something underlying, or some incident triggered her powers and mentality, like his and Steph's sudden accidents triggered their abilities, or maybe her abilities triggered a slow change in perspective.

The dark-haired darling nodded slowly as she followed along with Bex's animated explanation of  her own powers. That made some sort of sense. And then it all went out the windows as her pirate clothes sashayed into the seat next to the blonde with all the ease and elegance of a snake or a dancer. Steph immediately glanced around, before glancing back, squinting at the hat-tipping pirate garb. Then she tilted her head to the side in what must have been her best impression of an owl.

"Subtle..." she drawled, more confused that offended. This was... hard to compute. "That's way weirder to watch in person..." she admitted, looking back to Bex and absolutely careening through the possibility of answering her own questions about if Stephanie had powers and if so then what they might be. "You what, make things out of thin air then?" she asked, reaching out across the table to touch the moving clothing with her free hand, her other remaining anchored to Karl's bicep.

"He's alive? Can he talk? Or is he just... a puppet?" she wondered, glancing Bex's way. The questions were limiting and implied a binary that might not be true but Stephanie's eyes were alive with a desire to understand. She was certainly not as shocked or frightened by the idea of living clothing or imaginary figment conjurations as maybe she should be. In some ways she was a terrible liar and in others a profoundly skilled one.

"Oh!  Uh... like two months, I think?  Maybe three?"  She shrugged!  "They've always been around.  People at school started noticing me more before holiday break, so... I don't know, maybe they started to see my daydreams while I was in class.  I try really hard to pay attention, but I just..."

Buccaneer Shoecannon took Stephanie's hand in his(?).  "Yahar, m'lassie, 'tis a brillig and slithy day wot don't permit a salty sea scalliwag as meself t' express... meself."  The voice seemed muffled, as if coming from within the costume.  Despite being a woman's costume, Shoecannon's voice definitely had Geoffrey Rush qualities to it.  Somebody had watched Pirates of the Caribbean once.

"I don't think I do anything," Bex explained.  "All of my friends just wanna come out, and they like to play games with me and stuff.  But they're not puppets. Not even Chef Rumblesteak, but he sort of looks like a puppet because of the felt.  But he's a four star Michelin chef!"  Rebecca was earnest in her assessment.  Guile was not one of her talents.

"The Burblemeister'll be right persnicked that he weren't invited to such a hallowed assemblage of personages."  Becca nodded to the tricorne hat.

"But you aren't answering me," Bex observed.  "Sometimes when I don't wanna talk, I try to ask questions.  And then my teachers get mad.  Is it because you're shy?"  There was nothing even broaching accusation in her tone.  Just the simple, chipper, slightly Out There timbre and lilt that she always had.  The person on TikTok was exactly the person before Stephanie and Karl--sunshine, rainbows, yoga, and crystals!  And smiles, of course.

Right?

Karl was surprised again by Steph apparently being able to touch the outfit. He had thought the friends were just holograms or something similar, not anything with actual substance. The bit with the sugar packet he thought was part of it, an illusory prop.

But Michelin only goes to three...no, stay focused that’s not one of the weirder parts of all that.

Karl rested his hand on Steph’s leg under the table, trying to be comforting. “No I don’t think she lifts planes or anything like that. Teachers huh? I’d guess that’s frustrating, keeping things bottled up at school.”