So it happened, one way or another, that each young member of this team found themselves here, at the brightly lit Frankie's Pizzeria. It was a popular hangout spot for kids in general, but most of the young folks from Phoenix Academy came here at least once in their time at the school.

It had been that way, in fact, since the early days, since the Phoenix Academy had first been established. Perhaps the owner would remember Sage...

...at any rate, the pizzeria and the arcade maintained in a side room both lay open for the team.

OOC: I spent a lot of time agonizing over how to write this opener, but in the end it made the most sense to just write it and let y'all tell me what's up.

And yes, Piper is here--after all, he was invited.

Hestia eyes Piper up and down before grinning toothily at him.

"Come on, let's test how skilled you are in a good ol' game of skeeball!"

Hestia will grab Pipers arm and drag him to the arcade, yelling her pizza order to Imp over her shoulder.

Piper enters the pizzeria and heads straight for the Primal Rage ™ cabinet to declare his (caliban’s) superiority over the rest of his newly assigned friends. In a flash piper is being dragged to the skeeball machine. Piper looks longingly at the Primal Rage ™ and resigns himself to a game of skeeball.

“Alright bugsy, if I win this we’re playing a game of Primal Rage ™. Alright dork?”

"Can Piper say that...?" Hunter thinks to himself. He takes a moment, and then turns to Piper, a look of concern on his face, not unlike a disappointed parent.

"Piper, I don't think you should say that... that nickname seems a little... I don't know..."

He pauses.

"I'm just not sure I like it."

Sage looks around at the multicolored arcade, taking note of only one game they recognize,

She sighs, she never was much of an arcade person so this reminder of her situation is easily brushed off.

He walks over to a table in the corner and sits down, resigning himself to sitting at the pizza side of things. Content with their sitting position and spot they crack open a TTRPG book and start reading completely unaware of what was unfolding…

Imp stalks over to the direction of the pizza counter, blissfully unaware of Piper’s macro-aggression to her sister. Before she reaches the line though, she sneaks over to Sage and peeks over their shoulder to look at his book.

…

She speaks quite loudly into Sage’s ear, probably unaware of her own volume.

“Hey, Wazzat?!”

Sage jumps up a bit in their seat, shoulders tense, and they quickly look over to imp. Their relaxing after seeing the imps familiar blue fur? And red hair

“Oh-h uhh”

They shuffle around in their seat trying to get themselves composed,

“H-hi Imp, I-uh umm hi I-I was just uhh r-reading a, this book”

Setting down a bit more she places the book on the table her thumb still holding her place,

“It’s erm, it’s a TTRPG book called umm Vampire the Masquerade, d-do you know what a TTRPG…?”

Sage pauses, noting that most people around them don’t know what a TTRPG is they decide it’s best they explain either way,

“O-oh well, L-letmejust explain anyways, even if you know, j-just bear with me. A-It a TTRPG is like… have you heard of D&D?”

They squint their eyes trying to gauge Imps response, but move on too quickly for Imp to interrupt,

“Well what a TTRPG is, it’s a roleplaying game. Which is a thing you do, it's pretty much a thing where you gather your friends and play pretend with rules. And in this game of pretend he says pointing to the book you’re a vampire in kind of a corrupt version of our world, ah well it’s kinda of its own setting to be honest…”

They open up the book and angle it slightly towards Imp

“Th-this is one of the clans you can be, they are called the Brujah, funnily enough I think this one would fit you quite well, if I had to assign our group clans that is…”

If Imp looks at the book on the page they can see a punk looking lady next to her is a list of words in white, The Learned Clan, Rabble, Punks, Hipsters, Prometheans, Rebels, Philosopher Kings, Hellens. The anarchy symbol is shown in bright red against the black background and underneath it the words Brujah.


OOC: I misunderstood the original prompt but had so much written that I decided to post it anyways. Sage info dumps about their interests at any given opportunity anyways.

OOC: Sorry for the wait folks, I've been busy trying to write my book. :D

So, the crew split apart, finding their own corners to inhabit. Hunter, Piper, and Hestia made their way to the arcade, settling in at the skeeball machine.

Meanwhile, Imp and Sage found themselves discussing the particularities of clan choice in Vampire: the Masquerade.

OOC: For skeeball, I think it's probably got to be a Mundane roll-off, right?

Seeing that Piper didn't seem to register what Hunter said, and that Hestia didn't seem to register what Piper said (or perhaps didn't care), he sighs and walks over to the skeeball machine.

"Skeeball, huh? I don't think I've ever played, but I'm familar."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:19, Tue 12 Sept 2023.

Trouble grins maniacally at Piper. "Let's see what you got!" Then proceeds to chuck the skeeball to score.

OOC: 19:15, Today: Secret Roll: Trouble rolled 3 using 2d6-2 with rolls of 2,3. – 3

Imp listens (uncharacteristically) patiently, looking over the pages. Her eyes, however, brighten and she crowds hard into Sage’s personal space, one of her claws pointing at the image of the brujah.

“That! Imp wanna do that!”

Her tail thrashes excitedly behind her, as she practically leans her weight into Sage. She turns to them, grinning toothily.

“Sage play with Imp? Please?? Play?!”

Piper turns his Burger Royalty ™ cardboard crown backwards as if it were a cap.
“You’re on!” And he throws his first ball

It’s a mundane roll right?

“I-I” Sage, as usual, begins to stutter and he brushes a piece of hair behind his ear (only to have it fall right back out of place)

“Sure I-I’d love to start up a campaign at school it's just…”

Their eyes dart around the room

“Well I…I don't have enough players”

“And I’m not sure if any of our friends could stick to a specific schedule…”

Her voice begins to trail off further

“Or if they’d be interested…”

This message was last edited by the player at 03:04, Mon 27 Nov 2023.

*** (Hestia, Hunter, Piper) ***

Out of nowhere, Noah appeared at the skeeball table near Hunter. "Playing skeeball? Let's do a tag team skeeball match!"

The smile on his face was broad, even infectious.

*** (Sage, Imp) ***

As Sage and Imp discussed roleplaying games, a fellow Phoenix Academy student approached. It was Big Booster--the crew doesn't know her real name--who played touch football with Imp and Trouble last night.

"Hey, Imp! Is this your, uhh, friend?"

Booster's powers had granted her what many would consider an overdeveloped athletic physique, strong shoulders and powerful arms. Tonight, however, she's attempting to hide her physique under a roomy jacket. She had pulled her blonde hair back into a ponytail.

She looked at the book, but didn't seem to recognize it for what it was.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 22:30, Mon 08 Jan.

Trouble jumps a bit at the appearance of Noah, but quickly grabs onto Piper.

With a feral grin, Trouble says viciously, "You're on!" Whispering to Piper, she asks, "You good if we're on the same team?"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 09:00, Mon 08 Jan.

Hunter jumps a lot at the appearance of Noah, but quickly composes himself.

"N-Noah! There you are!" He looks to Trouble and Piper, and then back to the froggy teen again.

"Guess it's you and me versus those two! Let's do our best!"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:06, Mon 08 Jan.

“Booooo-ster!”

Imp goes from practically perching herself on Sage to literally perching herself on her tall friend’s shoulder. Then again, this was probably not the first time the skittering hero had climbed someone outside of the team.

Whether the excitement was from seeing a friend or the possibility of another player in this game, it was unclear however. Maybe she was just always this hyper.

“Play! Play game! Imp be broo-ha. Friend Sage play vampire game, too!” She says it less like a request and more like a very enthusiastic demand.

Imp suddenly turns thoughtful, and motions her claws back and forth between the two students. It was almost as if she had just remembered her manners.

“Booster, this friend Sage. Sage, this friend Booster.”

“You’re on dork!”
Piper seems genuinely jazzed to be playing skeeball with these people. He whispers something to caliban. Piper never plays fair. He then speaks up,
“I think you guys should go first.”

Sage shakes of their initial deer in headlights look from Booster’s ‘sudden’ appearance
And lets out a meek

“h-hi”

She looks over to imp, then to Booster, then her book, then back at the floor

“O-oh  yea it-its uh it’s a book um, it’s a book for a-a TTRPG game called uh, Vampire th-the Masquerade…It’s uhh a roleplaying game like uhh l-like D&D? Umm…”

He clearly has no idea where to go from here, and is quite nervous from someone he doesn't know being in the mix, and begins to blabber on,

“I-I know it’s probably uhh little bit of a weird t-thing it's like, it’s like uhh, weird uh game…”


(OOC:I know this was probably really hard to read and I’m sorry but also like that was kinda the goal)

*** Sage, Imp ***

"Haha, hey, careful up there!" She reached up to put a hand on Imp's shoulder, more for her own psychological comfort than to actually steady Imp.

"Roleplaying? Like, I  don't really understand any of that, but, uh, cool. You gonna get some pizza? I was gonna go order, actually!"

*** Trouble, Hunter, Piper ***

The teams settled in, ready to play!

"You're gonna regret it!"

OOC: Alright y'all, let's get some Savior rolls down to see who wins! Hunter, since your partner is an NPC, also drop a Superior roll on this. For Piper and Trouble, it's Savior only.

Hunter picks up a ball and, with determination on his face, rolls it forward with a resounding "ORA!!"

OOC: 11:31, Today: Ironforged Hunter Graves rolled 10 using 2d6+2 ((2,6)). Savior.
11:32, Today: Secret Roll: Ironforged Hunter Graves rolled 11 using 2d6 with rolls of 6,5.  Superior.

Trouble's a little intimidated by Hunter's yelling, stumbles a bit as she does her best to roll the ball.

OOC: 10:54, Today: Secret Roll: Trouble rolled 6 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 1,4. – 6

Piper attempts to seem nonchalant about the game but he’s actually trying quite hard



Today: Piper rolled 10 using 2d6-1 with rolls of 6,5.  skeee ball.

Sage has sunk into their seat a little but they perk up at the proposition of pizza

“Oh uh, yea. That's actually not a bad idea…”

He begins scooping up his book and starts to get up

“H-hey Imp do you wanna get some pizza?”
This message was last edited by the player at 05:43, Thu 18 Jan.

At the word “pizza” Imp begins chattering and clacking her very large, very sharp teeth- very close to dear booster’s ear.

A sound erupts deep in her throat- a cross between a cicada buzz and a bird trill and the furry tip of her tail sways back and forth.

Ergo, a typical response to the offer of food.

Needless to say, Imp would very much enjoy some pizza.

***Piper, Trouble, Hunter [and Noah]***

The end result was obvious: Piper got close to beating Hunter, but Noah crushed his score. As for Trouble...well, we don't need to talk about all of the group's failures. Suffice it to say that Trouble will not be coming out of this with many tickets.

Noah throws an arm around Hunter and jumps up and down, celebrating with a big cheer.

***Sage, Imp [and Big Booster]***

Big Booster kept her hand up to steady Imp, and nervously added (with a laugh), "Hey, easy, my ear is right there!"

Booster waited for Sage and started marching off to the line for pizza.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:23, Sun 21 Jan.

Hunter focuses on steadying himself as he's rocked back and forth by Noah's jumping, but he can't help but grin, too.

"Wow! You're a certified skeeball master, Noah!"

Turning to the other two, he adds: "And you two, well played!"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 09:45, Sun 21 Jan.

OOC: Hunter, plz roll to comfort/support *everybody* in this scene.

OOC: I'M NUTS!!! 04:36, Today: Ironforged Hunter Graves rolled 10 using 2d6 ((6,4)). On a 10+, I can clear a condition or add a team to the pool, as I don't have any conditions marked, I must add a team!
This message was last edited by the player at 09:44, Sun 21 Jan.

Sage manages to order a cheese pizza and once it arrives they begin to eat just the cheese off the top with a fork.

Trouble's wings droop, disappointed she let Piper down. Still, she offers a smile at Hunter.

"Thanks! You too!"

Turning towards Piper she whispers, "Sorry, you did a lot better than I did."

Piper looks miffed at his loss but then recuperates his cool demeanor.

“Whatever, everyone knows the true test of skill is primal rage™. Anyone wanna go get their shit rocked?”

"Language."

Imp is polite- therefore she has stoped using Booster as a perch and is now swallowing her slices of pizza whole.

With her cheeks stuffed, she takes a moment to pause her inhalation of pizza and point a crooked claw at Sage’s plate. She covers her maw with her other hand.

“Sage eat? Sage eat?? Imp eat???” She says slowly past her mouthful.

OOC: I hate to say it, but neither of the Imp/Sage posts can happen yet. :)

***Imp, Sage [Big Booster and an unwelcome visitor]***

Despite their most fervent hopes, neither of the two would make it to their pizzas without conflict. Big Booster, helping Imp jump down, settled into the line with the two of them, standing at the front.

But, of course, Imp and Sage would hear the clicking of two feet behind themselves...and a familiar voice.

"Oh, that's just great."

OOC: Let me know if you need help to figure out who that is. :)

***Trouble, Piper, Hunter [and Noah]***

Noah laughs with the others. "Ha, yeah, I'm pretty good. It's part of the powers, I guess!" He scratches the back of his head and, when everyone is done talking, he takes his chance to say this: "Hey, uh, sorry for falling on you before. And, like, everything else. We cool, Hunter?"

He smiles disarmingly, and nervously reaches a hand out to shake Hunter's hand.

OOC: The others are visible from here, but you'll need to roll with Mundane to spot the unwanted guest at the line for pizza.

Hunter was surprised, he hadn't expected this, much less think he was owed an apology. Still, he appreciated the gesture. Reaching out and shaking Noah's hand, he says, "Yeah, we're cool Noah."

Smiling warmly, he adds: "Friends."

OOC: I'm gonna *not* have Hunter roll to spot the unwelcome guest muahaha.

Almost like it was a subconscious response to that particular voice, Imp’s shoulders hunch up and the various quills on her body begin to flare out as well. The happy trill has now petered out into a displeased croaking click.

Imp turns around slowly, body wound up like a spring. She sniffs deeply, her nostrils flaring.

Trouble tilts her head at Piper. "Their shit rocked?"

Distractedly, she looks back to Imp to see if she's doing okay.

OOC: I have no idea if Trouble can see if Imp is wound up or not from so far away, but I will Mundane roll.

13:06, Today: Secret Roll: Trouble rolled 6 using 2d6-2 with rolls of 2,6.  Mundane for unwelcome guest. – 6

OOC: With a 6, you don't notice who it is or pick up on any unpleasantness. Imp looks...excited, maybe?

“I’m just asking you if you wanna play the game doofus. You played a fighting game before?”

Sage jolts a bit, surprised to hear a teacher's voice outside of school, and begins to look back.

“H-hi Miss.Princess Arizella, w-what are you doing here?”

(OOC: I imagine this happening in sync with Imp)

***Imp, Sage [Big Booster and Princess Arizella, daughter of King Panthalassa, the ruler of Atlantis]***

It was Princess Arizella, all but glaring at Imp and Sage, hands on either hip. It was an imposing stance--especially since her swords were on her belt at this particular time. "I'm getting a pizza. What does it look like I'm doing?"

Arizella looked down at Imp, who seemed about ready to attack her, and just smirked.

OOC: Arizella doesn't think you're dangerous Imp, and her casual dismissal of your threatening stance threatens to shift your labels: Danger down, Freak up. Please refer to your Basic Moves sheet if you would like to avoid marking a condition

***Trouble, Piper, Hunter [and Noah]***

Noah excitedly hops, bounding overhead effortlessly before landing nimbly back in the same spot.

"Hey, I'll play you if you're looking for a challenge! I'm pretty good at Primal Rage."

Noah does not notice anything amiss with Imp or Sage.

Piper's phone goes off--he's received a text message.

“Yeah shore, go get some quarters and I’ll beat your shit nerd”

piper hands Noah a crumpled up dollar. Piper starts to head to the primal rage machine so he can answer this text in relative solitude.

Trouble feels a tinge of jealousy that Imp is looking excited, presumably with someone else before reminding herself that that is a good thing. Turning towards Hunter, she offers a hesitant smile.

"Should we join Noah and Piper?"

Hunter was standing, arms crossed. It looked as if he was thinking about something. He realizes he's being addressed, and looks up to Trouble.

"Hm? Oh!" His gaze falls on Piper at the Primal Rage machine.

"Well, I'm not much for fighting games. Besides, that's just for two players." Then, he spots another machine near Primal Rage.

"Oh, hey! Time Crisis! Have you ever played Time Crisis, Hestia? It's a fun one."

Whatever snarky remark that Imp was about to snarl out dies in her throat when Arizella smirks at her. Even without the blades on her hip, the look of casual dismissal is enough to make Imp wither. Now feeling extra self conscious, Imp lowers her gaze to the floor and hunches further into herself. She bashfully turns around, hoping for something to interrupt this interaction, whether it is a friend or a freak villain attack.

OOC: 11:26, Today: Imp rolled 5 using 2d6 ((3,2)). It ees what it ees. Imp takes guilty and hopeless, shift Imps labels!

Sage looks behind them then back at Princess Arizella quizzically

“You eat pizza?"