The sun was setting on Penmore City and an eventful week, but it was only the begin of strange times for everyone on Earth. Two days earlier, the 13th of April, a meteor struck the planet in the Pacific South without warning. As asteroids go, it was not that big, and the worst effect was a tsunami similar to the one who struck the Indian Ocean on December 2004. Like many disasters, the vent was soon the headline of every news channels. But soon another phenomenon began to attract their attentions.

It began with a video of a woman who send flying a group of would-be robbers without touching them. Similar videos began to appear on social medias, but they were at first dismissed by any serious medias. But in the last two days, more and more super-powered individuals appeared, and it began impossible to handwave the increasing amount of evidence of their existence.

As the media shifted their attention, government after government were holding crisis meeting and the world hold his breath, waiting to see who will move first.

For five individuals of Penmore City, this was especially true. All of them developed super-powers in the last two days and, by luck or skill, they managed to avoid attention. But this respite was over as they all received an anonymous invitation mentioning knowing something about their powers. For some it was a simple message on their phone, while other found a paper in their pocket.

As 7pm approached, the five of them were heading to the meeting places, a small deserted park in the Sunset District.

[OOC: Try to describe a little how was the last two days for you and how you received your invitation. Every one of you decide to go and when you arrive no one is yet in sight, except each other. You arrive in the order of your post.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:41, Mon 07 Mar 2022.

It started with a dream... of flames.  Justin was walking in some dream, the details he could not remember then he felt... something change, and all was flames.  The dream had changed and he walked naked across a sea of flames bathing his skin with searing heat, but his flesh did not burn.  He remembered how ... odd it all seemed more memorable more 'real' than any dream he had ever experienced.

He awakened in his room ~ feeling something like excited restlessness instantly fill his body, as though some great event he'd been waiting for was suddenly happening today.  He turned to his bedroom window and dawn was just about to break the sun-rising eminent.  An urge filled him and he had to get up to meet the dawn!

He dashed out of bed still in his pajamas and ran through his apartment barefoot, fumbling with the latch to the back patio and left the two bedroom to stand on the Complex back lawn as the sun peeked over the horizon and bathed him in its celestial glow.

Then EVERYTHING Changed!  How does it feel to have cosmic power fill one's every portion of their being?  It's literally indescribable!

Justin, exploded!

His body was burned into ash in a conflagration so searing in its intensity a glassed circle of fused earth was all that was left of his former self.  The backside of the Apartment complex stone facing was scorched in its intensity and most of the windows of the back of the build cracked from heat waves that washed across the structure in the breaking dawn. But no sooner did Justin's life end it was born in flames again as from his ashes just catching the wind he reformed from the celestial radiance of the sun's light reforged and renewed whole and a shriek of cosmic majesty shattered the early dawn as the Star Phoenix arose from the pyre!

Justin stood in the place of his rebirth engulfed in stellar plasma surround him the conflagration shaped as a bird composed of never lessening cosmic flames!  He stood briefly naked the attractive young Mixed-Black American man was in a stupor and filled with wonder!

Extending his will he wished he had not completely obliterated his pajamas as he noted; though On-Fire.. he was in no pain and his brown skin was now an almost inky black and only felt more and more filled with 'power' as the sun's light caressed his skin.  It was just a stray thought but instantly it was put to reality and he was suddenly clad in a garment that formed out of the flames a featureless jumpsuit at first but as his gamer imagination took fancy it reshaped into a colored and stylized garment of his choosing.

"WHAT THE HELL has happened to me?!?"

Then reality reasserted itself and he realized he was setting fire to the building if he stayed so close he needed to get away from here lest he cause a disaster... and instantly he took flight into the sky!  Trailing a bright streak in the skies as across the neighborhood any who looked to the skies that morning saw the bird of cosmic flames with the man at the center of it streak across the skies of the city morning!

---

Justin spent the last two days figuring out what powers were his to command ... it was every dream as a sci-fi nerd, comic collector, Dungeons and Dragons playing geek could have ever dreamed of and beyond his wildest fantasies or dreams!  His powers were nothing short of miraculous and defied what his physicist intern mind told him was possible!!  He could fly, hurl powerful blasts of what he could only figure was charged solar flaming plasma!  He was strong like no being had any right to be able to lift multiple tons as long as he was in direct sunlight.  He'd tried to figure out how fast he could fly and found himself in space... without a vacuum suit!  He could break Einstein's relativity laws in that he could fly, at least in space, faster than light and yet he never got lost! He could feel how far away the earth was and what direction.  He could 'taste' the difference of Sol's thermal signature from all the other stars of the heavens and knew he would always be able to find his way back to it.  He learned he could refrain from burning things very close to his skin like clothing and apparel but larger objects would need protection from his flames... which led him to discover he could solidify the energy he created into solid constructs of 'frozen' light/plasma?!? A fourth state of energy ~ that boggled his mind!!! In retrospect... its likely the same material his outfit he called into existence is made of.  That proved useful when he timed his space flight, with his wrist-watch encased in his solidified plasma to protect it from vaccuum exposure, to the sun which he did in only 5 minutes.. faster then light ~ though he knew he could have done it much faster if he'd put more effort than casual.  He did not breathe when he was in direct sunlight - biology being outside his scientific scope he assumed the direct sunlight he could absorb like a plant to sustain and heal himself and others.  Something he learned when he'd returned home after the first flight he'd charred burnt his grey & white tom-cat 'Smokey' ~ which mortified him greatly to tears with guilt and regret but his touch when he'd calmed himself restored the dead animal to healthy life with no scars what-so-ever! Though briefly it was painful to him as the cat's burns appeared upon him... but were quickly obliterated with his own regenerative abilities. It was nothing short of ... he shuddered to think ~ 'God-like'!

It all made no sense as to why it worked but it did.  Try as he might he could not remove the phoenix aura when he used his plasma powers though he could lessen it to be only a light effect but there was no hiding it.  Most of his practice he did in deserts around the world at various places.  After his first attempt at maximum flight speed sent him into orbit he decidedly refrained from trying to do so anywhere close earth high-speed flight lest he hurt someone.  So his world trips went with him going to space then extending his Star Wings to reach any place on the surface of the globe as he only approached the speed of light then flying back down at more conventional speeds.  He was certain his antics were driving the world space agencies and defense departments of nations monitoring the skies mad with frustration as he zipped back and forth across the globe trailing solar plasma in the skies.

He could only conjecture somehow his personal imagination had been, some how, allowed to reshape himself into his "dreamself" in some fashion.  All through his youth and as a gamer he'd, read comics, played games and loved the imagery of the phoenix, heck even his e-mail address contained the word phoenix.  It ALL made him question the very nature of reality.  Of course, he saw on the news reports of superpowered beings and clearly he was one of them.. but if his dream-self  was actualized what about the others?  What about those who were unstably personalities?  What nightmare could be hatched from a realized sick or deranged human psyche?

Justin pondered the "Forbidden Planet" Vintage Scifi movie.. and the fictional alien race ~ The Krell.  Their 'dream machine' that could instantly actualize their very wishes with no restraint destroyed their race in one night!  Yes it was all fiction and fantasy.. but the point now was valid... what about the dark emotions and drives mankind possessed the potential for in every human heart on the planet?  What if those were unleash upon the Earth?

It made him think long and hard about what his powers could entail about other people who developed super powers.

---

It was really no surprise when he found the 'invitation' on his phone text messages... his powers were so flashy no matter HOW hard or cleaver he might think he was it was only a matter of time before he was discovered!  How many times can a bird of cosmic flames fly over a neighborhood before someone begins watching and tracking its flight patterns?

He was still trying to decide how to deal with what he saw a a great responsibility to use this power for mankind's benefit, but what about his family and friends... who should he tell and should he tell them at all?  But if hi identity had already been discovered the point was moot in fact... he really had no choice but to go to the meeting and see what was what.

So Justin rode the bus to the park and arrived in a loose fit pull-over top and jeans wearing battered sneakers, his normally wild hair tied back into a single puffy tail.



He found a park bench in the sunlight and sat down awaiting...
This message was last edited by the player at 01:53, Wed 09 Mar 2022.

Jeremy sat down again. Stood up again. Then sat down one more time.

The world sure had changed. What was going on? The news reports were talking about beings with amazing powers, something people only saw in movies and novels. It was strange to think of it, that it should all happen so fast and without notice.

Did the fallen meteor have anything to do with it? It was all speculation, all guess work.

But he could not help but notice the streak of fiery light coming and going through the sky, far faster than any aircraft he'd ever seen before. What ever could that be?

It would all come to be known, he supposed. It had been a quiet afternoon, but something was irking him. He could not tell. His thoughts had been strange lately, like something had changed in his mind, but he could not tell what. It was just... there. Like a presence, something that was trying to tell him it was there merely be being there, by making itself known as a sensation, as an 'atmosphere'.

It *was* odd. He dove again into his collection of novels, picked up his favorite title, Anne Rice's "Interview with the Vampire", and started at page one. But nothing. He simply could not get a single word to pass through his mind. And it was 3 o'clock in the morning. He'd think he'd be exhausted by now, but no, he wasn't even feeling groggy, or even mildly off. He felt like it was a pretty Saturday afternoon, after a walk with a fresh breeze. He felt energized. He just didn't get it. He simply could not get himself to sleep. And he had tried, but to no avail. So here he was, sitting around, waiting for time to pass so he could sleep, and perhaps not be a wreck the following morning.

A thought crossed his mind, something so utterly banal but he remembered wishing for it before and always laughing it off: what if I have become a creature of the night? Just the mere idea of it felt silly, and yet exhilarating. Sure, he loved the concept, the odd way the writers wrote of vampires and shadows with their amazing senses, being able to feel and see things no others could. Hey, it looked nice on paper, but he was now thinking it would make for really boring nights if he could not sleep. Anyways, too much thinking going on in his head. And he sure didn't want to have to kill anyone for their blood. That part he didn't really want to play with.

He now he really needed to focus on really getting his thoughts down and really back into bed. Ok, that was one too many reallys. Perhaps something at the local all-night market, like a sleeping pill, might help him out. He put on his clothes and got ready to drive there. He started looking for his car keys, but he could not find them. Where had he put them? Then he remembered, oh yes, the car is in the shop. He had taxied back. So, how was this going to work? He really wanted to stop by there and find something to knock him out. Really!

For a moment there was nothing but disorientation. Then he was standing in front of the 7-11 three miles away.

"What?!"

Jeremy stood there dumbfounded. A car parked and the driver, a woman, came out, looked at him, and asked,

"Are you ok?"

He just looked at her like she wasn't even there. She looked at him puzzled. Then it finally dawned on him. This was Mary Shepperd, the local junior high English teacher. She frequented the same bar he did, and they had a few beer fueled conversations before. But she turned around and walked away like she didn't know who he was. Odd.

His mind was still trying to figure out what had happened. He padded his body down, making sure it was real. Yup, it was him. And yup, he was standing by the convenience store. And nope, he never found his keys. And crap, he forgot his wallet. Ok, then. Guess he would have to... what... walk back? Maybe he could ask Mary to lend him a few bucks. He could pay her back next Friday, when they met again at the bar.

So he stepped in, started looking for her through the aisles. There she was, picking up ice cream and cookies. At 3 am. Guess he didn't really know her that well. He didn't really want to bother her, but then again, he was sure she would understand. He said hello, and she reacted in complete surprise. Like she hadn't seen him standing outside just a minute ago.

Ok, this is weird...

And just like that it started.

Two other patrons called out into the store.

"Everyone, this is a hold-up. Stay calm and no one gets hurt."

The one talking had a gun out, was pointing it at the cashier, and wore a ski mask. The other had a stocking over his face and a shotgun in his hands.

"You know, this is really bad timing", he whispered to Mary as they both ducked. She started to move away, hiding, aiming for the back door. But they saw her right away.

"Hey! I said STAY DOWN!"

He fired above her head, and hit one of the emergency light fixtures. There were sparks all over the ceiling and all the lights blew. The place was suddenly dark. Or at least it was supposed to be dark. Jeremy could tell that no lights were actually on anymore. Long shadows were cast over the floors from the street lamps outside. But everything looked clear to him. He could see the cashier flinching at the sound of the gun, and could hear Mary's screams as she struggled to get away on her hands and knees.

"Awh great. You! Get me the cash in the register. NOW!"

Jeremy was dumbstruck. How did he get himself into this situation? It didn't matter. He would have to help out somehow. He reached for his pocket, looking for his cell phone. Not there. That's right. He didn't drive here. He didn't have his keys, and he had left the phone charging in the kitchen. Well, this was just going swimmingly.

Mary's voice could be heard on the other side of the aisle. She was whimpering and scared. He could not stand that. He didn't think any of this was fair. Despite himself, he was beginning to feel ... what?... frustrated? angry? frightened? It didn't matter, he wanted to do something about it.

He ducked low and started to sneak around. The man with the shotgun stepped right around the corner of the aisle, looked straight in his direction, and... didn't see him? He kept on walking, searching for anyone else in the store. Jeremy wasn't about to question it. He realized this was maybe the only chance he had. He needed to get there, to the door.

And there he was. At the door. Just like last time. No explanation, just there at the door. He was maybe five feet away from the guy with the pistol, watching as the cashier was emptying the register with a flashlight. And they still hadn't seen him. And then he finally lost his patience. He didn't understand why, or how, he simply knew he had to do something, and, for some reason he had yet to figure out, his instincts were telling him that he was the man to do it, and he was ready for it.

He stepped up to the man with the gun. And he barely made any noise. He grabbed the man's arm, aiming to wrestle the gun away from him, but his own arm was covered in something... black... inky... shadowy.

Holy crap... what the hell?...

The man screamed out in pain.

... what? how? ...

He dropped the gun, and looked around, finally drawing a bead on Jeremy. He swung and connected, straight at his jaw. The crunch was loud. He pulled his hand back, obviously in pain, his face a distorted grimace. His eyes looked terrified.

"What... what the hell are you?"

Jeremy took a step back, somewhat taken aback himself. He caught a glimpse of himself in the corner mirror by the door, and saw nothing but a mass of dark shadows and inky blackness.

... oh crap, he's right... what the hell am I?...

He would have to figure it out later.

"Look, this is a nice town. We respect others here. We don't hold up stores, understood?"

He swung back. His knuckles connected with the man's face, and he flew back into the aisle, knocking it over.

... holy crap... again...

He didn't really want to hurt the man, and he had only intended to scare him a bit. A loud thunder broke through the store. Jeremy felt a solid hit on his back. It made him take half a step forward to keep his balance. He didn't quite understand what had just happened, so he turned around, only to find the man with the shotgun aiming at him. His face was the definition of horrified. Then he fired again. Jeremy took the slug straight in the chest. He felt the hit, it was a good blow. Then he heard the remains of the bent piece of metal hit the floor where it had failed to pierce his flesh.

The man before him turned and ran, bursting through the front door, all thoughts of collecting the money tossed away. It took Jeremy just a moment longer to accept he hadn't been hurt, then one more moment to reappear right in front of the fleeing man's path. On instinct, he picked up his foot in a magnificently executed round-house kick, and smacked the man straight on the side of the head. He dropped like a sack of potatoes.

... HOLY CRAP!... how am I doing this?...  Mary!...

Suddenly, he was standing next to her in the store, reassuring her, calming her down. She embraced him, shivering from the shock.

"Mary, would you please call the police? They need to be here."

She didn't question the request. A few moments later, she had placed the call. They were already on their way. The cashier had pushed the silent alarm. You could hear the sirens approaching in the distance. They would be here any moment now.

... well, I suppose I am a witness, and I did try to do the right thing... I hope they don't keep for ever... but still, gotta try to sleep...

Jeremy picked up a bottle of sleeping pills, some juice, fruit, and a cookie. He walked over to the cashier, put the stuff down, and then remembered that he had indeed forgotten his wallet. He looked at the scared fellow... and smiled.

"Look, I forgot my wallet. Can you put it on my tab? Jeremy Preston. Just check the regis..."

The man immediately interrupted.

"Hey, no worries. I got you. It's on the house."

Jeremy felt surprised, but pleasantly so.

"Thanks. You take care now, alright?"

Suddenly, he didn't really feel like dealing with this situation anymore. He was still trying to get some sleep. He had done his part, and the two men were out. He really needed to be home right now. And there was work tomorrow.

Next thing he knew he was standing in his apartment's living room. It was exactly as he had left it, just three minutes ago.

... wow... I really gotta get that under control...

--------------------------------------------------

Two days later, he received a message on his phone from an anonymous number. How does that happen? No caller id? It was a bit of security cam footage looking over the parking lot, from two nights ago. It showed him standing stupid before the store, his first words with Mary, who hadn't recognized him, and the whole commotion afterwards, culminating in him kicking the snot out of the running man with one amazing well arched round-house kick. Was that him? He had never kicked anyone or anything like that in his life!

But there it was. A place and a time.

How odd.

He had learned quite a lot in the last two days. For one, he had become a creature of the dark. Yeah, weird, but fun at the same time. No drinking blood. It was like a wish had come true. Which was a scary thought after he considered it. What if he wasn't the only one? What if someone's nastiest wishes were coming true? Maybe he had gotten lucky. But some folks were sure going to get something nasty in their wish-fulfilment department.

But... how could anyone know of this? Or him? The police hadn't come to visit him. Mary clearly had seen him. She had looked right at him outside and in the store. And she didn't recognize him?

It was odd. And he wanted some answers.

He got ready. Dressed for the weather, black pants and long coat, scarf, and a light hat. Then, without even thinking about it, stepped "through the shadows" and found himself at the park. At least that part was becoming easier to do.

There was a kid there already. Waiting.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:50, Tue 08 Mar 2022.

Some awakenings are less obvious than others. In Naomi's case it started as an immense headache while she was chatting with the boss and the other staff at her maid cafe on Discord, bad enough that she had to excuse herself to lie down and take some Panadol before curling up on the sofa-bed in the small room that had been set aside for her.

The dreams which followed were strange ones; not because they didn't make sense - because dreams rarely did - but because they were far too mundane. In one she was a housewife worrying about her son and whether he would fit in at school, in another she was an old man annoyed about the ache in his joints and about how dim and muffled everything was, and then she even dreamed that she was her housemate David, peeking in through an ajar door at herself, muttering fitfully on her sofa-bed...

And then, when she realized things were getting far too recursive for her own liking, she shook her head and sat up groggily on her bed...

But the dream did not stop. She was still looking at herself through David's eyes, seeing herself raise her hands to touch her cheeks even as a flash of concern filled her heart -

And then she was back in her own body again, looking up at David's stout frame as he loomed over her, a worried look on his face.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I"m fine," she lied, her throat suddenly dry and her head dizzy as she dismissed him with a wave of her hand. Not that she found him distasteful - he WAS providing her with a place to stay completely free of charge, after all - but she needed time alone to figure out what was going on.

It was only when the deadbolt slid home that she realized she had just shut and locked the door without making contact with it. To Naomi's credit, she managed to keep herself from exclaiming out loud. Instead, she decided to try and see if she could repeat that feat of hers.

The bolt slid out, the handle turned, and the door swung open - all while she was three feet away covering her mouth as though she was afraid to let her voice escape. She turned to her table, at the old craptop David had lent her, and it slowly rose off the table as conversation and cat pictures from her maid cafe server scrolled across the screen.

She ventured a hands-free "hey guys?" on the keyboard, which dutifully showed up and triggered an "are you okay sweetie?" from Dana the owner before the dialogue resumed.

Then, there was a quiet knock on the door, and when she turned to it, she saw David there, with a mug of hot chocolate and a strip of Tylenol in hand.

"Thought you might need some of this," he smiled sheepishly. Naomi had enough presence of mind to not take them from him with her nascent abilities of mind over matter... but as she felt the concern radiate off him like a space heater, an idea crossed her mind; why was he doing all this - putting her up, paying for her food, that sort of thing - anyway?

His concern soon changed to confusion as she gave him a weird look, and then her expression suddenly turned to one of surprise, shock and then embarrassment. Naomi put the mug and the pills on the table, not daring to look him in the eye... and then she hopped off the ground and wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging tightly to him like a koala.

"Thank you for everything," she whispered into his ear. "I'll make it all up to you somehow."

After that, Naomi quickly closed the door behind him and sighed heavily as she put her back against it and slumped into a sitting position on her ground. She had thought David just wanted her body but was too much of a pussy to ask her for it, naturally, but the sheer intensity of the selfless love she had seen behind his eyes made her embarrassed to have even doubted his altruistic actions. As the saying went, "by questioning my generosity you prove yourself unworthy of it."

Naomi didn't know how reliable this ability to see inside people was, but she trusted it the way she trusted her ability to make things float in the air by thinking it.

In more ways than one, life would never be the same again.

---

Naomi took the next couple of days off work, claiming that she had terrible stomach cramps. Most of that time was spent experimenting with her powers, which she soon found fell into two main categories - telekinesis and telepathy. Simply put, she could read minds and move objects with her thoughts, the latter of which was quite versatile considering that she could lift up objects and carry herself around. Naomi chuckled to herself as she recalled the look of surprise on that fishing boat captain's face as she buzzed his bridge at breakneck speeds while reclining on a thrift sale armchair. That said, as she landed her Magical Wishing Chair (as she dubbed it) on the roof of her building, her phone went off, requesting that she attend a meeting at Sunset Park at 7pm.

And so, after a quick change of clothes, she pulls her hoodie up over her long black hair and rides a skateboard over to the park, keeping her eyes peeled for whoever might have called her. She notices a kid on a bench, but she tries not to stare at him...


This message was last edited by the player at 04:59, Wed 09 Mar 2022.

She was blue.  There was simply no hiding that fact.

Somehow, overnight, Sarah had been transformed into this monstrous... thing.   Her fingers had grown longer and had dramatically pronounced webbing; so did her feet.  Even her musculature seemed different: there were odd striations along her neck and under her arms.    She had hair, still, at least, but her eyes seemed bigger.  Still, she could see her own features underneath the weird vaguely-iridescent sheen of her flesh.

But that didn't take the edge off the ragged wave of hysteria that plagued her after waking up in someone--something--else's body.  "Oh, Ana." she whispered, an ancient plea to the sister she'd never met. "Please let this be a dream.  Just a bad dream."

-=-=-

Sukanna, one of the assistants to her coach, and probably the only one who might not freak out--once convinced that this wasn't actually a practical joke--had picked Sarah up and they'd returned to Suki's place in The Coast, where she proceeded to put Sarah through a small battery of tests--both in the pool and down at Gonzales Beach at high tide.

By the time they'd finished, Suki seemed almost eerily elated.  "This is crazy! The world's record for holding your breath underwater is 24 minutes and 37 seconds.  You beat Šobat by six minutes!  And you didn't even break a sweat!"  Sarah bit her lip.  The truth was that she could have gone almost indefinitely.  She hadn't actually needed to surface.  And there was a small part of her that hadn't wanted to.   Suki stopped.  "Wait.  Do you sweat?  I mean, fish are poikilothermic.  But, on the other hand, maybe you're more like a shark and you have two blood--"

Not thinking about becoming a damned fish.  "Focus. Suki" Sarah said.  "What else?"

Sarah blanched visibly. "Look, I've called Joanna.  Told her you're sick.  Covid protocols says to isolate, so you do that here and we'll work through things.  Okay?"

Sarah nodded.  But the deep fear hadn't left her eyes, and Suki noticed. "It'll be all right.  I've got friends I can call in.  Guys over at UCLA Marine Biology.   I've sent them a clip. I think George would give his left--well, he'd be really excited to help out."

Sarah nodded again. "Okay."

"Okay." Suki tapped a pen against her lips.  "There is something you did that I don't understand at all....  I have video."

Suki played a short clip showing a large water-spout erupting dock-side then, defying conventional physics, bending toward the dock and placing Sarah on it's surface, as if Sarah were an egg being placed on a plate, gentle and precise.  Then the water sluiced back into the pool, leaving Sarah dry.

"What I want to know is whether that is something you did?

-=-=-

Sarah slept that night only with aid of medication.  She dreamed of whale-song and a curiously distinct soundscape where everything felt inter-connected.  It felt right.

When Suki shook her awake frantically, Sarah was bleary-eyed and disoriented.  In the dark of the guest-house, Suki told her that there was a problem.   Video of her open-water tests had been posted to the internet.  It hadn't been her video--Suki went to some lengths to convince Sarah of that.  And the video was shot at such a distance that nobody could tell that it was Sarah leaping out of the water like a dolphin.

Except that, apparently, someone had told.  For the anonymous text-message that had found Sarah's unlisted number showed a clip of the video, then gave her an address and time.

And that just pissed Sarah off.

Nobody bullied her.  They think they could do this to her, then, what? blackmail her?    She'd show them!  If she had to beat the living hell out of them to get answers, she would.

Suki tried--god bless her--to talk sense into Sarah.  But Sarah wasn't in a rational frame of mind.  And when Sarah got pissed off she saw nothing but fury.

-=-=-

Suki had driven Sarah to a small park in the Sunset District.  They'd driven by it twice, just to be sure.  Suki had cautioned against Sarah going alone, but Sarah offered a small tight-lipped grimace and said she needed to do this alone.  But she wasn't defenseless.

She pulled her water-bottle out of her hoodie pocket and took the lid off.  The water inside sprung out of the bottle, floated in the air before them before becoming a small figure-eight shape that flowed back into the bottle.  "If they did this to me, I'll wring the answers out of them."

Suki sat mesmerized by the water-play, then she hit Sarah's arm, as she noticed a couple of other people entering the park.

Sarah got out of the car.  She wore black yoga tights and a dark blue hoodie, pulled up over her head.  White wires gave the appearance of simple jogger running the park near sunset...

"Show Time." Sarah said, turning toward the park.  "Keep your Google Hangout open.   If this goes ugly, get to the police.  Might as well use my fame for something.  Not like I'll see the olympics again anytime soon."  The bitterness was obvious.

--
Things introduced:

• Sukanna "Suki" Kaur, University student, wealthy family with a home in The Coast, friends at UCLA, acts as an assistant to the university swim coach.
• Gonzales Beach - coastal beach in/near The Coast district

This message was last edited by the player at 05:58, Wed 09 Mar 2022.

The first night had been terrifying.

A nameless entity had roused itself from an abyss of nothingness. No memory. No direction. No food, cold and alone, peering out at an unfamiliar world from a thousand vantage points. The spinning, rippling view of a falling drop of water. The careful cleanliness of a bathroom mirror. The disgusting and warped close-up view of a human mouth from the back of a spoon. Half-remembered concepts, all of them, from whatever the nameless entity had been before. Even learning that she had a physical body was a hard-fought journey of discovery.

She (for her corporeal vessel possessed feminine features) had struggled to survive. She had stolen things. Clothes. Food. She might have hurt some people. It was difficult to remember at this point. A thousand screaming consciousnesses all working in their own way to ensure their survival had taken some time to organize themselves into something resembling an identity. This world was anathema to her, and she to it, with its weird pink and brown fleshy things and their linear, singly-instanced existences. She was Anathema.

Anathema knew some things about the world. She had seen images and heard voices from electronic moving picture boxes. Stories of death and destruction and corruption and intrigue, of people superpowered and superimpovished. The world was so chaotic and noisy and run by so many conflicting selfish interests. As much fear and pain and helpless as Anathema felt, she knew that many others were having it so much worse. She knew she wanted to help. But first she had to help herself.

---

Even now, two nights later, her thoughts remained disorganized. Some part of her -- Omicron? Theta? She was not certain -- had perceived an invitation for a meeting. Maybe they knew what she was. Could put some order to the chaos.

Anathema would answer that invitation. She traveled swiftly upon chariots of glass, water, and chrome, her core identity jumping from reflection to reflection whenever her current instance was no longer of service to her. She wondered if each image she left behind died when she did, if she was killing herself and being born anew with every new figment. In the end, it didn't really matter.

Anathema watched the meeting location from a thousand angles, in the way that only she could. She was in every shard of glass, every glimmer of metal. If one looked closely, maybe they would see a pair of glowing cyan eyes looking back.

... hmmm... just a kid on the bench, and that girl with skates... odd...

Jeremy decided to take it easy. There was no actual danger here. At least not for him. He could disappear and reappear at home anytime he wanted, and if they tried to blackmail him, he would probably have something to say. After learning about his powers, he realized that the possibilities for his life had changed... drastically. So, right now he needed to get this "meeting" over with, and then he would have to make decisions for himself as to what to do next.

The kid on the bench seemed to be waiting as well. And the girl was... what?... meandering? Where they in on it? They seemed young, bit younger than him, but not so much out of place.

Time passed.

What were the chances that he was not the only one with an invitation? His newspaper lines were ringing off the hook with new "super powers" sighting calls, and everyone wanted to get paid for pictures. It was good it wasn't his problem. He didn't think the budget was there. But if it was, maybe he should carry a camera around to take pictures of himself. If Spiderman could do it, so could he. And it would make for a nice bonus. Maybe he could afford that nice new apartment Downtown.

More time passed.

Jeremy picked another bench close-by, sat down, yawned, and stretched out all over it.

... ok... now what...

He could not shake the feeling that he was being watched. After all, they would be observing him as he came close. They knew what he looked like, or at least they might know. He wasn't recognizable when his powers were on, so...

oh yeah... I should turn that power on...

Justin looked around at those who arrived. He was not sure what to expect... honestly he was expecting men in suits and black vans, or maybe some Sweet looking but VERY Scary 'Amanda Waller' type to walk up sit on his bench and make him an offer he 'couldn't' refuse..supposedly.  But these folks looked at out of odds here as he did.

He looked for snipers or innocuous joggers who seemed to linger too long making stretches for a run there were not there to actually run. But Justin was no 'xXx' Vin Diesel Agent to notice the minutia details like that out of place... he was no detective.

22:20, Today: Star Phoenix rolled 20 using 1d20+4.  Star Phoenix - Perception check studying surroundings and 'loiterers' [+4]. – 20

But what he did notice, sitting in the sunlight on the park bench was the pair of luminous eyes gazing at him from the shiny metal frame of the bench he was sitting on.  At first he thought it was just his anxious mind playing tricks on him.. but when he looked back they were still there.  He looked away wondering what it meant was he getting spooked by graffiti?  So he looked around to reassure himself that it was just graffiti... seeking more  of the eyes as likely it was some kind of gang tagging sign of turf or somesuch.  And too his horror he did indeed see more of them ... and they blinked on occasion!

'Ok, I'm clearly being over anxious here that can't be what I'm seeing... but I'm tired of this, might as well ~ time to change this tune...'

He stood up and walked over to a place equidistant to the pacing young hoodie woman trying very hard to conceal her features, the skater who was not skating, and the ... loiterer man who finally sat on a nearby bench and tried to look like he wanted to fade into the scenery...

"Ah, hi! I know you all don't know me.. I don't know you either so.. this will sound a little crazy, but did any of you receive an anonymous text to show up here at this time... cause you have a 'secret'?"

"Well I received a text to be here, and if what I think is going to go down... you all need to leave cause trouble may be coming or may already be here because of Me. Because I DO have a secret, and I don't want any of you hurt if your just... y'know innocent bystanders."

"I say 'may already be here', because .. there are a bunch of really spooky and animated eyes watching us in all the reflective surfaces here in the park.  It's really freaking me the hell out so.. you may want to leave."

"And whoever is watching.. please, don't hurt these people if it's just me your here for! Show yourself and let's... talk ~ at least first. What do you want?"
This message was last edited by the player at 03:08, Thu 10 Mar 2022.

In the golden hour, everything was cast in cheerful, warm orange hues and the western sky was laced with  a low-line of red clouds.   Red sky at night, sailor's delight! Sarah thought.

The park was fairly small: a little blip on the landscape, abutted by a community center on one side and a set of apartment buildings on the other.   It was a hillside park with a looping path that overlooked the ocean.  There was a small promontory near water-level, with a looking glass and a statue of some sort, a commemorative plaque. Further up, near the community center, a children's climbing gym and a water-fountain. a cement and metal structure painted green.  Public washrooms.

Even hooded and masked, Sarah made reasonable time.    She didn't push herself, just moved enough to keep herself limber.   But it felt good to be doing something physical, something familiar.  The first loop around the park gave her a sense of the place.   The second time she looped near the boy with the hair, he spoke up.  Young kid.  Claimed he had a secret that could hurt them all.

Yeah, that's what she needed.  Get caught in some weird-ass terrorist thing two days after turning blue and growing gills.  It was a mistake to come, Sarah thought.  Her anger was already cooling to wary caution.  Exercise did that to her.  It was the answer to everything: channel aggression into physical activity.  Swim, fight, dance.  It didn't matter. Hell, it had gotten her the gold.

Too late to back out now, though.  Even with the boy-with-the-hair's words.  She was here already.  If whoever-did-this-to-her could reverse it and giver Sarah her life back, she'd see it through.

Sarah stopped a couple of meters away from the boy.  Acknowledged the others with a casual wave.  Sarah readjusted her mask and repositioned her glasses, though much of her hair--also blue now--had come out from the side of the hoodie.

Sarah pulled out her water bottle and took a small sip as her eyes constantly scanned the area.  "Might not just be you." she said.  "I mean, everyone's got secrets."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:13, Thu 10 Mar 2022.

There is a hiss of distaste, like a rush of insects that echos throughout the park, seemingly sourceless. Near Justin a voice echoes, feminine, indignant, with a strangely metallic or robotic quality. "We are not creepy."

"By most objective metrics, We kind of are," a second voice argues, very similar, though the way it enunciates is different. Softer, more contemplative.

"We are now known to them," says a third iteration, filled with aggression and fear. "We should flee from this place."

"Silence!" barks a forth instance, though this one sounds somehow more real, less on-the-far-end-of-a-tunnel. The buzz of voices through the park almost instantly quiets. "We are sorry if we have unnerved you. We are not the one you have come to meet, and have no intention of hurting you or anyone else." The voice almost pointedly fails to identify itself, its wants, or to show itself.

In reply to Anathema (msg # 10):

Justin turns to the closer voice and his expression ... softens to one of sympathy..."...I, forgive me.. I did not mean to infer or call you creepy, I was merely trying to communicate how uneasy your...manifestation made me feel as it was outside what I have ever experienced.  It... was unkind of me and misworded.  I am deeply sorry, I mean no harm or insult to anyone here either."

Turning to meet the eyes of blue-haired jogger woman, "..I see, so is all your skin blue besides your hair and eyelids?  That ... must be a difficult adjustment. But, appearance is only the surface not who you are.  My... secret is one I can hide.. the powers I possess."

He regarded al present, "I can conjecture you all possess meta-human powers, like those on the news?  I too have experienced such.  My... abilities seem to reflect my idealized self-imagination of myself.  Perhaps all of your abilities reflect an inner wish of yourself as well?  Whatever has granted us the abilities we now possess has given us something of our heart's desire, even if we had not realized it?"

"These past two days I have pondered that if such things are our actualized imaginary self, what that says about the actual nature of reality?  And I have shuddered to think what would happen if the mentally unstable or mentally ill had their wishes of self-realization made reality... troubling thoughts indeed!  Not all minds or moralities would use such abilities to socially constructive goals."

"I assumed with how flashy and powerful my abilities are someone would eventually track me down it was inevitable, but I think whoever has coerced us all here has made a mistake if they are thinking to compel our unresisted cooperation."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:38, Fri 11 Mar 2022.

Psyche looks over to the black kid, grateful that he's broken the ice, but then somewhat alarmed when he mentions that someone else is watching... because it immediately occurs to her that this might be a trap and that this person knows about the powers she's been using.

Wait, does this mean the others have powers too?

While she's doing this, the jogger doing laps around the park has come to a halt close to them. Psyche finds her eyes drawn to her blue hair... and more importantly, her blue skin. Of course, she immediately tries to avert her eyes, because staring is rude, but... well, if it's cosplay, it's really good cosplay.

Then the strange voice speaks, which is... rather alarming, to say the least. But at least there are two people who claim they don't mean harm, starting with the black kid and the spooky voice... Well, maybe it doesn't mean to be.

Then the kid from the beginning speaks again, making quite a few good points about their situation. She lets him finish, and then she kicks up her board into her hand and pulls her hood back, as a nonverbal gesture of (symbolically) opening up.

"Alright, first things first. My name is Psyche. Well, it's not really Psyche, but building trust on everyone's part is going to take time, and I doubt you'd really believe me if I gave my real name right off the bat, so... Psyche. Yes, I seem to have developed supernatural powers. Yes, I received a message to meet here. No, I did not expect to encounter you here, and no, I do not mean you any harm."

She glances briefly to the blue girl - maybe it's not cosplay? - and then to Justin. She holds up her phone, showing them the message she received - clearly showing that it was received, and not sent, in case anyone is mistaken.

"For better or worse, we are here. And for better or worse, we are all in the same boat. I think, with this power stuff. And I would just like to say I feel a lot better knowing that I'm not alone in this."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:06, Sat 12 Mar 2022.

Justin regards the skater...Psyche, and smiles nodding he slowly pulls out his own phone to show a similar text message as hers and says, "I'm... Star Phoenix... or to my friends, which I do so hope we can be, I'm 'Justy'."

He takes a deep breath a looks at all present openly, his expression... becoming somewhat somber and he Continues, "... I know none of you 'asked', for these powers and or changes to your bodies, but they are our new reality. I know some of you might like to go back to the lives you had before, but you will eventually have to accept no matter how much you may want to 'return to normal'... that will be very hard if not impossible to do so ~ THIS may be our new normal; as receiving this text most certainly infers. You can resist it or you can face it but you can't deny it. This is now your reality."

"I, however, will tell you I can empathize with your desire to live your life on your terms...and if it's possible, I will try in whatever way I can to help you achieve some personal acceptance with however you decide to deal with this change in your life. Your secret is safe with me and I will respect your choice and privacy. Though to do believe that freedom is at risk by our simply being here."

"In short, I'm willing to help each of you in anyway I can or as much or as little as your willing to let me help to protect your freedom to choose. I Promise!"

He pauses and lowers his gaze then declares, "..for my part, I have no desire to give up my powers or return to 'normal'! I want to use my powers to help and heal if I'm allowed ~ as much as I can... y'know, 'Great Power, Great Responsibility'.  That cliche' adage has a far greater meaning to me now.  But I'm firmly determined to NOT allow ANYONE to intimidate or try to coerce me to use my powers in ANY way I find morally corrupt or unethical!  I'd rather die... which ... in my case, would be rather difficult.. but I'm deadly serious about that!"

Then he looks up his eyes glowing red with flickering inner flames, his voice crackled with power, "And I'm Just as determined to make sure no one tries to do that to ANY of you either! I Promise!"

He takes a deep breath and the flames in his eyes flicker and fade his voice returns to normal, "So.. I'm waiting for whoever sent this text to arrive... none of you need stay if you do not want to. I intend to confront whoever did this and find out their intentions."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:57, Sat 12 Mar 2022.

The boy with the hair and the skater-girl introduced themselves  and the disembodied voice--wait, was the voice coming from the puddle?  Or the bench?  Sarah wasn't clear on it.  And it sounded like there were more than one, there, too. 

"Do you normally speak in monologues?"  Sarah cocked her head to one side, glanced at the boy-with-the-hair. "Oh god, you were a toast-master, weren't you?"

Sarah squared herself off against Star Phoenix and continued before he could answer, "You can tell yourself I wanted this if it helps you sleep better.    But it neatly undermines absolutely everything I've ever worked for."

She paused for a moment, then took her pandemic-mask off, letting it dangle from one ear.   Her entire flesh was uniformly blue with swirls of purple and green striations contoured with the lines of her features.  Her lips were darker blue almost bordering on purple.  Her eyes were still covered by the mirror glasses, so weren't visible.   I just want to find who did this to me, and get them to change it back.  'Cause this is some twisted shit.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:29, Sat 12 Mar 2022.

In reply to Fathom (msg # 14):

Star Phoenix regards the blue-skinned woman, his expression somber, "Are you put off by the fact I'm articulate and wish to accurately convey my thoughts and feelings to perfect strangers so there is no confusion about what I stand for and am willing to do?  That seems an... odd sentiment to me but I'm not judging anyone here.  I just want no misunderstanding between us is all."

He grimaces at her inference of her accusation about her interpretation of his postulations and calmly replies, "... it was not my intention to accuse anyone of 'wanting' these changes to their bodies and lives.. I'm sorry you got that impression.  My theorization may have been misworded. I only meant to postulate on a potential form of the manifestation our individual powers may have been shaped by.  It's pure speculation I have no proof of such only in my case it seemed to me likely part of my powers manifestation may have been some form of wish fulfillment simply because of the form my powers have thus far manifest in.  It is likely Far more complicated than that!"

His expression saddens, "..I have these past days come to an acceptance of my powers.. of course that, I'm sorry to say, is easy when my powers can be hidden so easily.  I'm truly sorry your powers have not given you that freedom and have been a source of turmoil in your life."

Then his expression brightens slightly, "But.. if I'm correct about the powers being some kind of sub-conscious 'wish-fulfillment', then perhaps for you.. there is some hope in that?  If your powers are shaped by your wishes.. have you pondered not rejecting your powers but accepting them and then shaping them to your desires?  Meaning have you 'tried' focusing your desires and will upon changing back to a more human appearance ~ Will it to be so? My powers seem to obey my will in some of my effects... save one which is annoying but, honestly, I like ~ if it was not all the time!  So not enough 'desire' to change the annoyance on my part... but perhaps not so with you?"

"I know this is a stretch, but hear me out.  The Fantastic Four comic books.. Ben Grimm was always so sad about his cursed appearance, he hated himself in many ways for his 'hideous' appearance... but in one story arc he found out he could change back at any point he just had to accept himself and will the change.  In other words the appearance was all in his head he always could change back, and Reed Richards knew this but he could not tell Ben this as it would always be Ben's own psyche holding himself back.. he had to accept he could do it."

"Its just a comic book of course, but we are witness to the fantastic here so.. it couldn't hurt to try to 'Will' yourself back to your human appearance?  Its something to ponder at the very least."

He sighs sadly, "...but as for who did this too you.. I really don't think its that simple.  Look at us all.. there is nothing that links us all we have never seen each other or even have the same ethnicity.  The chances that someone DID this to us purposely is highly unlikely.. more likely something in our environment has altered us.  Think about it.. if someone could give superpowers to anyone.. why would they randomly insert it into an uncontrolled group of strangers?  If it were a science experiment.. it would be in a secret lab someplace if it were a military experiment.. it would only be in soldiers... and again in some secret lab.  No world power or corporate agency would Ever want random people gifted with such power that they could not control.  It's not under control or profitable to do such a thing."

He smiles for her, "And personally.. I see nothing wrong with you... I see a lovely young woman with blue skin and hair ~ I see an amazing human. I'm Certainly Not going to judge someone by their skin color.. and you should not judge yourself that way either ma'am. So, how do you wish to be addressed ma'am?"
This message was last edited by the player at 08:42, Sat 12 Mar 2022.

"... This one talks too much," that ethereal metallic voice comments from the glass of a nearby lamp post.

"And this one protests too much," another voice says from directly behind Sarah. Fingertips delicately brush her shoulder and hair, almost playfully.

The owner of the voice shimmers into view, rippling and fading in as if water is draining away. They are a tall woman, about six-foot-two, with a slender build, blue-gray metallic skin and silver-black metallic hair. Her unclad form is covered in tattooed resembling printed circuit boards which glow with an eerie cyan light, as do her eyes, lips, and a bit of her cheeks, shoulders, and areola.

"Is it not clear that you have been blessed?" the statuesque woman asks. "T'was the sacred meteor two days ago that visited this fate upon thee; your moving picture boxes of glass and light say it is so!"
This message was last edited by the player at 10:02, Sat 12 Mar 2022.

In reply to Anathema (msg # 16):

Star Phoenix gets that 'deer in the headlights' wide-eyed gawk as the ethereal metallic woman coalesces behind the Blue-skinned woman, and then a full on sunrise blush brightens his face as he gazes upon her.. mostly naked feminine form.  Its actually quite cute despite the situation.

He pivots to the side and pointedly tries to keep his gaze at some point above here head... which is amusing considering she is just a inch shorter then him.

"Uhm, ah hi... m-ma'am.  I..didn't realize you actually were here and not just y'know..er remote viewing us..er."

He tries to regain some composure looking anywhere then at her, "...I saw the news about the meteor, but didn't make the connection meteors fall all the time... but perhaps your .. perspective within the ..data-streams of media give you a more complete picture?"

"T-thank you for your observation, I'll investigate that meteor fall as soon as ...er whatever happens here.. is resolved.."

He asks again looking above her head, "...so you can turn into a electrical wave and interface physically with the communications systems  or its it just you can read wireless devices with your mind like a wireless router hub?"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:56, Sat 12 Mar 2022.

Jeremy observed and listened from a distance. He thought he would just walk up to them, but after listening to the kid, what did he call himself?, Star Phoenix?, he hesitated.

Then the voices resounded all around them. It was unmistakable. Odd. Very odd. Still, he's read stranger things.

Then the blue woman, and the woman on the skateboard. This was getting crowded.

It occurred to Jeremy that whoever had contacted him may have also contacted all these others. But how? How was this person tracking them all? Something didn't quite fit. He would have to find out. After all, no one really knew about him, could have known about him so quickly. A deliberate intention or plot came to mind. But he needed more information. And his thoughts were turning a bit pessimistic. He didn't like that.

"Is it not clear that you have been blessed?" the statuesque woman asked. "T'was the sacred meteor two days ago that visited this fate upon thee; your moving picture boxes of glass and light say it is so!"

That's an interesting interpretation. She was pulling a religious angle into this. Hmm... that would bear observation. He really didn't want to have to deal with a zealot. All kinds of bad things happened around them. He would have to keep his eyes open for any of her "conversion" attempts. Hope this would not have to be as awkward as needing to shoo Jehovah's Witnesses away.

But it was time.

An inky black cloud of darkness enveloped him, and then reduced itself to nothing, in an instant. He was no longer at the bench. The next moment, the cloud of black ink reappeared next to the kid calling himself Phoenix, deposited his form a bit abruptly, and faded out into nothing moments later.

He gathered his composure after the unceremonious entrance, and said,

"Hi everyone. Looks like there is one more: Me. My name is... "

He thought it over. There was a bit of reason behind all their words. He wasn't sure what was going on yet. He was about to say Jeremy, but he wanted to keep things in the open for the moment.

"... Shadow. Looks like I am not the only one with new and interesting... abilities?"

He made a sweeping gesture from top to bottom aimed at himself. Then he stopped himself and realized he was being theatrically grand. When did that start?

He nodded at the kid, the woman in blue, the skater, and the odd looking lady with semi-glowing circuit board skin. To her he added,

"Nice get-up. Did you create that yourself? Or is that a part of your nature?"

Star Phoenix?

Yes, yes, it's rude to make fun of people and she doesn't intend to, but... yeah. Definitely a comic book name.

Then again, I DID give mine as Psyche, so I guess I started the trend.

Psyche sighs quietly, and then listens to Star Phoenix's (or Justy's?) spiel, which is interspersed by glances at Fathom, mainly because... well, she's blue. She has to banish the pulsing beats of Eiffel 65 out of her mind.

Just as she's about to speak, however, the tall naked woman appears out of nowhere, followed by a (fortunately) non-naked man calling himself Shadow. That brings their numbers up to... what is it, five now?

"Uh. Hello, Shadow. And I believe being able to appear out of nowhere qualifies as a very interesting ability indeed."

Psyche tries to keep her eyes off the strange tall naked woman who looks like circuitry and Miss... what did she call herself? Fathom?

She winces a little as she realizes she's doing that unconscious picking-up-on-stray thoughts thing that keeps happening because she's not focused enough, probably because she was paying too much to Fathom (she'll call her that for now). In an effort to avoid learning even more things that she shouldn't, she decides to stare at the ground instead and try to keep track of people by their feet.

"I think there should be at least one more person, the one who called us here. And, uh, Miss Tall Lady who appeared out of nowhere... you mentioned a meteor or something? You sound like you're familiar with it. Is there a purpose to giving us these powers, do you know who sent it, will our powers go away if the meteor goes far enough away... that sort of thing?"

Star Phoenix takes the arrival of Shadow in stride apparently inured to sudden arrivals by the Circuitry nude woman.

He smiles, "Nice to meet you Shadow, welcome, and you too Psyche.  It's a relief to know that others have received powers and are relatively sane and able to converse with!  Er.. my powers are... flashy and .. can be kind of destructive so.. I'm not manifesting them.  I would probably frighten the rest of the park goers and Definitely get their attention ~ something I think we'd all like to avoid."

He ... shyly looks at 'Miss Tall Lady'-Circuitry nude woman, in conjunction with Psyche, "I share Psyche's sentiment do you sense or conjecture something about this meteor that we have not?  I'm not sure if its a blessing from some divine source as yet.. though I do believe in God.  I 'seem' to be able to 'feel' cosmic occurrences.. like supernovae and quasar explosions.. its weird and hard to describe... and not entirely under my control.  Of course, I did not sense the arrival of the meteor as I did not have powers at that time but I'd bet it qualifies as a Cosmic event.  I do intent to investigate this meteor strike... I.. can fly VERY fast, like faster than light ~ but only in space at those speeds.  I would want to goggle the telemetry of the meteor and find out what trajectory it had before impacting earth... I might be able to find it's origin, unless its been traveling for a VERY long time, well I guess that might be a given."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:12, Sat 12 Mar 2022.

19:23, Today: Star Phoenix rolled 16 using 1d20+7.  Star Phoenix - Initiative [+7 {Dex '+3', Imp Init '+4'}]. – 16
This message was last edited by the player at 23:24, Sat 12 Mar 2022.

Psyche thinks back to her own experiments with telekinetic flight and raises an eyebrow. She was worried enough about being noticed that she limited her attempts to low level excursions  in areas with lots of ground clutter, or at least that's what David told her when she asked if he knew how to fly a plane so it wouldn't be detected by radar.

But faster than the speed of light?

She knows it's kind of bad to think of Phoenix that way, especially when he seems to be as earnest as he is, but he seems to be designed to attract attention.

OOC: 08:10, Today: Psyche rolled 13 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 9.  Psyche Init.

Sarah stood back, silent, arms crossed in front of her, water-bottle dangling loosely from one hand.  She tuned Star Phoenix out, dismissing his half-baked solutions to how she should deal with her problems.  Like she hadn't tried to will this all away.  It was always easier for men to blame the victim.  Because, naturally, she must have wanted it.

The disembodied voices made another round, "And this one protests too much."  One of the voices said.  One of them even brushed against her, forcing her to shiver and step to the side to avoid whoever--whatever--it was.   

When the Gertrude manifested, a tall woman with stunning features, Sarah stood dumbfounded.  Another followed quickly on the heels of the naked lady--another guy.  He appeared in a cloud of... mist? of darkness?   Yeah, this was getting too weird. 

Reflexively, Sarah started scanning the area again, measuring distances, gauging escape routes.  There were too many factors beyond her control, here.  Sarah decided she was going to need to put some distance between her and them real soon.   Coming here was a mistake.  But, damn, Sarah hoped that Suki was recording the Google Hangouts.

Fathom rolled 24 using 1d20+6.  Initiative.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:49, Sun 13 Mar 2022.