https://preview.redd.it/odecq4...8060337c3f21db952dc5

It's after school at the local arcade!  Kids of all ages are having a great time playing video games!  But today's a little different.  There's a cicada inside the arcade making a racket!  And nobody can find it to shoo it away.  Seems to be just as loud anywhere you stand.

The young man minding the business is on the phone with the exterminator, "Seriously?!  3 to 5 DAYS?  We're losing customers here!  This is an emergency!  Don't you guys have somekinda emergency thing for immediate urgent problems like a wasp nest inside someone's car?  The manager's gunna have my head if I don't have this dealt with ASAP."

Mittens arrives outside on roller skates, blowing a bubblegum bubble.  She's wearing a rocker girl outfit like this: https://images.esellerpro.com/.../692/85/FDSA9889.jpg and a denim jacket.  But unlike the typical rebel girl on roller skates, she's got knee pads, elbow pads, and a helmet, all very scuffed.  Which means the headphones are relegated to hanging from the neck along with all those silly beads.  Popular rock music plays through them at max volume, (which would be barely audible to someone standing next to her.)

"What. is. that. aweful. noise?" she asks of nobody in particular, hitting stop on her walkman, "One of the games having a cow?"

As she enters the arcade, the guy on the phone covers the mic with his hand and hollers, "Ah ah ah!" at Mittens in that authoritative adult tone.  He points at the forbidden things sign, and among them is roller skates.  "Yes?  Yes.  Well I...  TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS?!  I-I-I..."

Mittens clicks her tongue, rolls her eyes, sighs, and flops onto the floor to take off her skates.  Nearby nerdy girl explains, "Clearly the call of one of the species of the superfamily, Cicadoidea."
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:04, Fri 25 Feb 2022.

Lev arrived shortly after the roller-skater, wearing what looked to be more casual track attire, red in coloration today, with a grey backpack on his back. He had his headphones on, albeit one wasn't quite covering one of the ears, a little off to the side. The music played was at mid-volume, with the current selection being a mix of rock and electronic.

Upon getting to the arcade door, he'd lower the volume a little bit further, ear twitching just a bit at the odd noise. He'd give a somewhat confused look around, not expecting anything of the sort in an arcade. He'd lower the headphones down to around his neck, putting the music device on stop.

To Lev's ears it sounds like the big bug is hiding behind something that's muffling and spreading out the sound.  Because of this, it's really hard for normal ears to pinpoint where the sound is coming from, but bat ears can probably hone in on where it is pretty easy once inside the arcade.  Especially if the games weren't making such a racket.

Lev wiggled his ears a bit, trying to get the best angle for receiving the sound, looking to see if there was a quieter or not-as-active racket part of the Arcade. While he came here for purposes of gaming... finding hidden things had an entertainment value of its own! And, if this sound was what he -thought- it might be... and it's in an area out of sight, well. Crunchy snack!

He did try to keep from looking too suspicious roaming around, trying his best to play it off as if he's just looking at the arcade games. It wasn't entirely inaccurate!

Bethany was walking along and spotted the arcade. Figuring "why not?" she checked herself for change and saw she had a bit. Smiling, Beth walked into the arcade. First thing she spots, though, are a catgirl and a batboy. However, it is pretty obvious there is an OBNOXIOUS sound resounding in the area! She winces and looks to see the manager on the phone, having entered just as he yells about $200. Insect noise? And the manager in a bad mood about some costly thing?

A normal teen would have just turned around and left, but she wants to be helpful and immediately gets to looking around for the source of the sound. "If I was a noisy insect... where would I be hiding..." she mutters quietly to herself.

Lev took notice of the question, before thinking carefully, absent-mindedly responding while going towards some of the less noisy games for a bit of a clearer spot to listen for the insect, attempting to decipher out a direction.

".... If this is a Cicada, and it's being this loud, it's attempting to find more Cicada's. So wherever it is, it had to get there... and other Cicada's should probably also be able to get there. While also being out of sight and mind for most people looking." Lev mumbled.

"Mittens has super hearing!" the catgirl tells the guy on the phone before taking on a heroic pose, "If she rids thee of thy pesky monster, she shall only charge thee $190 in arcade credit."

The guy thinks about it and nods.  "Deal."

"Hot dog!"

Mittens joins the hunt by first approaching big ears boy.  "Got any noisy bug-finding superpowers?  Mittens will split the reward with you if you join her merry band of noise monster slayers."

It doesn't take Lev long to figure out why the bug noise is so omni-directional.  The floating ceiling is made of acoustic tile.  Which means there's a hollow bit between the tiles and the rafters where a bug could hide and chirp to its heart's content without any fear of being found by normal human ears.  But a quick glance around reveals no ladder for accessing the ceiling tiles.

Mits waves over at Beth.  "You look like a person who wishes to help.  Same offer.  Assist in slaying the monster and share in the reward."

The mention of large reward has many an arcade patron searching all over the place for the bug.

Lev raised a brow as Mittens approached, having heard of the reward and... looking surprised at the offer. He'd think for a moment, before nodding and extending a hand. "Noisy bug-fiding specifically? Kind've! Helps for more than just bugs... but helps plenty for bugs! And sure. Was gonna try and find it reward or not, sooo... adding a reward can't hurt."

Upon figuring an idea of why the sound was so omni-directional, and realizing what might be the next step in locating the bug, he'd look towards both Mittens and Beth. "... Soooo. If working together to hunt down the noisy bug, I think I got an idea?"

Bethany listens to Lev's mumblings, then ohs! at Mittens and says, "Uh-I... yes! Thanks! I'm trying to be helpful. I can shine light..?" she demonstrates by making a finger glow and points it at the dark backside of an arcade machine.

Then Lev offers an idea. "What's your idea?"

Mits grins, proud of herself for forming an adventuring team.  "Fantastic!  Mittens had a feeling you two might be superheroes!"

"Yes.  Let's hear this idea!"

Lev whispered as quietly as he could, giving the existing manhunt for the insect. With the reward offered, the amount of people searching, and where the insect might be, sudden chaos to get the bug from where it could be might run the risk of having an unfortunate clean-up for the store keep in question.

"There's a hollow space above us in the ceiling. If the bug has been making noise up there, it'd be very difficult to pinpoint 'cause it's.... -up-. If we could carefully get up there, we might be able to find the bug. But uhm... probably shouldn't let a lot of people know. Everyone trying to get to the ceiling would be a big-big mess."

He'd look between the two. "A ladder could help... but there's no ladder I can see. Could ask or look for one?"

There was a side-glance towards Mittens, tilting his head aside a bit, giving a slightly nervous but more quiet chuckle. "Naaah? Just a friendly bug-seeker who wants to help. And... if okay, I'd like the bug once we catch it."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:10, Fri 25 Feb 2022.

Bethany says, "Oh? What do you want the bug for? You a collector?"

She hardly gives Lev a chance to answer before heading to the manager. In a quiet tone, she asks, "Hi... um... you have a ladder we can borrow?"

"Mittens appreciates both the tactical smartness of the white fur boy and also the motivation of the white hair girl.  No, Mittens has no objection to the boy keeping the bug.  Though...  Once we corner the bug.  How to catch?  Mittens has reflexes enough to possibly smack it outta the air if it takes flight, but... eeeeew.  Would rather have a butterfly net or something."

The desk guy with the name tag "Ken" on his shirt slowly shakes his head at Beth, as if wracking his brains for anything.  "Nothing more than a small stool for dusting off the higher shelves from time to time.  Got a vacuum and various cleaning supplies.  Mop and bucket for the bathroom.  That's 'bout all we've got in the back."

By now Lev will have pinpointed about which tile the bug is sitting on.  It's right in the middle of the arcade above a big circle of arcade machines that are very much in the way of accessing it.

Mits addresses Ken.  "Mittens' new partner in crime makes a good point.  It would behoove thee to clarify that the deal is with Mittens alone and not an open bounty lest thou wind up with a wild rampage on thy hands."

Ken thinks on it and nods before addressing the arcade customers.  "Thanks, kids.  These three already found it and they get first crack at catching it.  The deal was made with the rocker girl, so don't go messing things up trying to get a reward that's not yours to claim, ok?"

There's some reluctant groans, but nobody pitches a fit.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:33, Fri 25 Feb 2022.

Lev had a few ideas in mind, smiling just a tad bit before whispering. "Net might be difficult.... and moving too much in the ceiling might mean we fall down. But! Would you happen to uhm... have a paper clip or tack?"

On the mention of paper clips and tacks, he'd shift around in his backpack a bit after pulling it to the front of him, before pulling out two rubber-bands, putting the backpack away. "If you do, or anything like it that... isn't too big, so the bug isn't too -splat-, I might have a way to... kind've smack it?"

He'd pause for a moment, before quietly clearing his throat. "Sorry... you said your name and I sort've forgot mine! Lev, pleased to bug-hunt with you and... friend?" He'd gesture to Beth, before waving. "Uhm... you can call me Lev too! Ma'am?" His ear would do another wiggle, before looking to the other two. "Two ideas... one... person ladder to near where the bug is. Then bap it with the right thingamajig. Two. Manager may not approve. Climbing an arcade machine?" He'd give an in-advance apologetic tone towards the Manager, as if the second idea already sounded sort of dumb.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:40, Fri 25 Feb 2022.

Bethany says, "My name's Bethany. Nice t'meetchya, Lev!"

She then holds two hands out. One has a tack and a paperclip. The other has a butterfly net. Who in the world carries around a butterfly net when going to the arcade...? "Umm... whatchya need 'em for?"

It wasn't lost on her that Lev purposefully didn't answer her question about what he needed the bug for, but she figures all will be made known in time.

Mits was gunna climb up on the arcades without asking...

"No way, José," Ken answers, "The owner would have a conniption if we let anyone climb up on the consoles.  They're not built to hold any weight, let alone a whole person's weight."

He points at the forbidden things sign, and among the things forbidden is putting anything on the consoles.

Mittens pretends like she wasn't going to get into huge trouble by ignoring that and making a huge mess.

"I see that human pyramid isn't on that sign of forbidden things.  Mittens has much experience with it in cheerleading, and holding up this kid would be a cinch.  Especially with Beth here joining in."

Ken looks unsure.  "If you guys fall and get hurt, I said hell no.  But I gotta use the bathroom, so don't blame me if y'all did something dangerous behind my back."

He heads for the bathroom.

Lev gave a small giggle at the manager's departure, before giving a half-mischevious, half-excited smile towards Mittens.

".... Sooo, person-ladder! And..." He'd point out to one of the tiles close to but not within the -immediate- vicinity of where the bug'd be. Need to keep some distance so as to not scare the bug off. "That is... I -think- the best bet for tile choice." He'd give a point to which tile the bug was likely on or over. "If we approach carefully... and don't spook it, the distance shouldn't be -too- far to make a solid thwap? Which, that is what the paper clip or tack are for. 'cause a marble would kinda... splat it." On that note, he'd give a grateful head nod before taking the tack and paper clip. "If all are of course in favor of this plan?" He'd look towards both, not wanting to over-step on the bug-hunting efforts.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:10, Fri 25 Feb 2022.

Bethany says, "I'm game! Let's turn this boy into a cheerleader."

She goes to get into position and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Mittens. "Er... how to we get him on our shoulders, though? I've never done this before."

Mits uses the mop handle to move the indicated tile out of the way so Lev won't have to deal with that part of the equation while balancing on shoulders.  Downside is that the buzzing sound gets REAL loud and customers immediately gripe.  Some at least get some satisfaction in finally knowing where that doggon bug was hiding.

"Pretty simple.  Mittens squats like so."

Mittens does a half squat.

"Lev uses Mittens' hips as ladder for feet.  Mittens holds his hands to steady him while he climbs up from behind.  Once he's on the shoulders, I stand.  Tada.  If you can step up a staircase two steps at a time, you can climb a Mittens no problem.  Once he's up there, you hand him the things.  Oh.  And Lev.  Keep your feet as close to my neck as possible.  A wide stance will hurt."

Lev's nose showed a small tinge of a darker shade at the mention of being a cheerleader amidst the arcade. No pressure at all... just, don't fall off a person. What's the worst that could happen.

"Uhm... ya! No problems at all!" He'd give a slightly nervous chuckle before walking over. Step one. Ladder. He'd make his best attempt to follow said instruction, stepping lightly, taking very careful breaths. It's like the first time climbing a tree! That didn't end horribly... this shouldn't either!

The bat boy was, luckily, was far from being the heaviest person to balance. He'd go a great length to follow Mitten's instructions and guidance in the process though, keeping a solid balance despite what may have been a big case of the nerves.

Beth quickly offers aid in making sure the boy doesn't fall and offers her shoulder to help Mittens bear the burden. Then carefully holds up the requested items. "Careful.." she says quietly, worried for poor Lev.

She is glad to have summoned the items in question, but wishes there was something she could summon that would help with balance.

Some of the kids do indeed chuckle at Beth's tease.  When Mits squats, one of the teen boys catcalls and whistles, but very quickly shuts up from the "what's wrong with you?" looks he gets.  "What?  I was just playin'"

Getting on the shoulders is kinda scary.  But when she stands up straight, Lev discovers that the human ladder is a tiny bit too tall!  Fortunately he's agile enough to lower his head and arch his back in time to keep from hitting his head on the hard ceiling above the floating one.  Beth helping steady things keeps Mits from wobbling from that sudden unexpected shift in weight.

"Oopsie daisy!  Thanks Beth!"

Some of the kids in the arcade gasp from the close call.  Lev discovers a dilemma.  The cicada is visible.  Right where he expected it to be.  But letting go of his handholds means the nerve-racking trial of balancing without any handholds.  But he has to let go in order to make the shot!  And as if that weren't enough, the bug is pretty close to the wiring of a lighting fixture.  Would an off shot damage it?

Lev took a few breaths to calm and steady himself. The shot would be in jeopardy if he tried to make it without support, but needed to let go of the hand-holds to even do so. He took a moment of thought before an idea came to mind.

He'd give a shakey attempt at balancing up, carefully letting go of the handhold, and moving to - very lightly- use the framing that held the tiles up as a means of balance, cautious not to put any weight that'd cause it to fall, and carefully maneuvering the rubber band around to be in both hands, and fiddling with the paper clip to bend it into a more V-like shape. Given the need for balance, he couldn't use his other hand to draw the rubber bands back with the paper clip.... but there was one idea in mind, maybe a dumb one.

"No-tack.... wires. Gotta-clip." Lev said carefully as if he had something in his mouth... which wasn't all too off, as, to compensate for being unable to drawback with his other hand, he used both hands to keep hold of the frame balancing, pinching the ends of the rubber bands between thumb and the joint of the index finger, very carefully bring his head back to draw the rubber-bands with the paper clip v-dart back.... taking aim to, if luck or skill was in his favor, nail the Cicada.

[For context: Think of it like how a ballista fires in terms of launching mechanics?]
This message was last edited by the player at 08:30, Fri 25 Feb 2022.

While Lev is lining up his shot, Mits is showing signs of fatigue.  And with everyone focused on the kid with his head in the ceiling, nobody notices the grade school age kid sneaking up on Mits with an impish look on his face, eyes focused on her tail, and hand reaching out to grab it...

Bethany reaches out to take the boy's hand to shake it. "Nice t'meetchya! But we're kinda busy! Please don't startle the balancing people or they will fall and get hurt. You wouldn't wanna hurt the nice kitty and fluffbat who are trying to get rid of the annoying noise, would you? I'm sure she'll let you play with her tail when this is over if you're a good boy." she gives the boy a bright smile.

Beth says, "Put a foot on my shoulder, Lev... it was supposed to be both of us holding you so Mittens wouldn't get tired quickly..."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:01, Sat 26 Feb 2022.

SMACK!  The paperclip takes out a wing and a couple legs!  The annoying noise is immediately silenced!  Cheers erupt from gamers of all ages!  Now all that's left is to retrieve the bug.

The boy is completely defused by Beth.  He's not sure if he's in trouble or just made a friend, so he runs to hide behind his adolescent big brother.

Mittens wobbles, but maintains her death grip on Lev's ankles.  "Thanks, Beth.  I normally should be able to keep going for several minutes.  But Mittens underestimated how much she'd exerted herself today."
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:13, Sat 26 Feb 2022.

Lev gave a somewhat nervous silent cheer at the shot hitting its mark. There'd be no room for error though if he wanted the bug out from the ceiling. Following Beth's advice, attempting to -very- carefully move his other foot to Beth's shoulder, not going any faster than the death grip on his ankle.

"Successful hit! Now to -get- the bug... which, may I have the bug net? And sorry, forgot to balance out weight to both!" His tone was a mix of nerves and excitement. Bug beat!

To Mittens, Bethany says, "No pro-blaim-o, Mittens. And underestimations aside, you did suggest we be a triangle, not a pillar. So it's not that you didn't think to have help, you just got caught up in the moment once it was go-time!"

Bethany handed Lev the bug net with one hand while holding his freshly-placed foot with her other hand. "Good shot!" she cheers, managing to resist the urge to bounce.

"'sall good, Deadeye!" Mits answers, "Just get 'er done!"

Beth is 2" taller than Mits, so the shoulders aren't perfectly even.  Good news is that retrieving a dead bug with a net is way easier than hitting it with a slingshot.

"Just leave the stupid bug up there!" a worried girl asserts, "C'mon down!"

"Nah then it'll rot and stink up the whole place," an indelicate guy contradicts, "Those are some really BIG bugs."

"Eeeew!" several girls object.

Lev retrieved the net with caution, and was careful with the bug net, retrieving the hit Cicada slowly with the net, before bringing it over to himself.

"Got-it-got-it! Can go down now." He'd refrain from adding a slightly scared 'please' at the end, trying to adjust his tone to something a bit more triumphant... lotsa people present, and sounding like a scaredy bat wasn't the best option.

Beth ewes with the other girls at the idea of a rotting bug leaving a stink, wrinkling her nose and sticking her tongue out between her teeth and lower lip.

Bethany reaches up to take the net off Lev's hands, then helps Mittens help Lev down with her other hand. "WOOOO!" then adds quietly, "And you didn't see any others up there, right?"

Mits expertly matches Beth's half squat when it's time to make a human ladder for Lev to descend.

"Sweet!  Yay teamwork!  And gaming can happen minus annoying noise!"

She offers high fives to her teammates with a big grin.  Ken returns from the bathroom and looks relieved at the absence of insect noise.  He claps for the heroes and several others join in the applause.  Mits takes several actor-like bows.

Lev gave a sigh of relief as he was finally on -ground-, shaking his head in response to Beth about seeing any others. "None seen or heard ma-, uhm, Beth!" He'd return the high five, before imitating the actor-like bow.

"No more loud noise, so we can now enjoy the games... -aaaand lotsa cheering." He'd give a slightly nervous chuckle, whispering to what seemed to be fellow bug-hunting allies! "Thank you both by the way... and sorry for the slight bit of risk with the person-ladder idea."

Bethany says, "All's well that ends well. Why don't you two sit down to take a load off your clearly now-tense bodies and Mittens, I'll give you a shoulder rub."

She ushers them over to a place to sit in order to do so. As she does, though, she takes note if this is the kind of arcade that serves snacks, or even pizza.

"Go team Frogger!" one guy cheers.

Various laughs are had at the moniker, but it really fits.  Customers return to gaming and chat up about how easy mutants have it with their superpowers.  Some take umbrage and counter with, "Superpowers?  Whatever.  Anyone coulda done that."

Mits smiles and winks at Lev.  "You betcha!  And thanks for your contribution.  If it helps, nobody was ever in any real danger.  I can feel danger before it happens.  Annoyances like a kid yoinking my tail while I'm focused notsomuch, so Beth you're still my hero.  For that and the rub."

She sits where indicated for Beth.  No food or drink is prominently displayed on the forbidden things sign.  Ken takes out a calculator and punches in some numbers.  "190 split three ways is $63.33 each."  With that he starts making out some store credit gift cards for the heroes.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:53, Sat 26 Feb 2022.

Lev snickered a bit at the moniker, but nodded, giving a small cheer in return.

He did raise his ears a bit at some of the conversing but otherwise kept his focus towards the two that he worked with for the bug hunt. He'd give a enthused smile and thumbs up towards Mittens. "Uhm... good-to-hear! I was a little worried... but good to hear it wasn't too bad an idea then!"

He'd take a seat as well, glancing towards the bug caught. He'd put it in a jacket pocket quietly, not wanting to cause his new hopefully friends any 'ews' about the bug.

Upon hearing about the $63.33 though... he'd give a beaming grin towards Mittens and Bethany, whispering another ecstatic 'thank you!', given he had -not- thought to ask for any reward out of it.

Bethany hadn't though to ask about a reward either and is wowing at the idea of sixty-three dollars worth of credit. She rubs Mittens' shoulders as she listens to people talking about mutants having it easy. "Powers are nice!" she calls out to the objectors. "But friendship is nicer! I'm glad you all have the super power of gaining friends! And I'll be friends with anyone that wants a friend!"

She grins over to the hiding kid. Then turns to Lev. "So. What did you want the bug for? You never answered me about that..."

Mits gives Lev a smiley thumbs-up.  And a confused look for putting a dead bug in his pocket.  Boys!

Beth gets lots of weird looks.  Nobody her age says stuff like that.

Mits laughs, though.  "Whatareya, a Care Bear?  Ultimate cute!  Thanks for the massage, Rubsalot Bear."

Ken heads over and hands the gift cards over.  "Thanks again.  Just...  Nevermind.  Oh and no gum."

He points at the sign again.  Mits rolls her eyes and tosses her gum across the room into a wastebasket.

Lev looked towards Bethany, doing an internal 'drat' at the question being asked a second time given she is very much not leaving to go find a ladder, and it would be undoubtedly rude to try and just side-step it a second time....

Collecting bugs as an excuse doesn't exactly work if you just pinged a wing and legs off of said bug. He'd very quietly respond, careful to make sure only the two could hear. "... If I say, promise not to tell anyone?"

Bethany giggles and unzips her jacket to show a carebear shirt underneath that says "Hug Dealer" with Cheer Bear at the center.*

"Yup. Guilty as charged. Total carebears fan."

* https://i.etsystatic.com/29398....3255973225_dek7.jpg

She then looks curious at Lev and says, "HmmmmOK!" she leans closer to listen.

"Oooh.  Top Secret Agent Man.  Mittens must know!"

Mits busts out laughing at Beth's shirt!  "Hug dealer!  That's beyond awesome!"

She pops a pez from her Spider Man dispenser into her mouth and offers one to Lev and Beth.

"... Sooo, I may or may not catch bugs for... erm.. snacking-purposes. "

Lev's nose turned a significantly darker shade, the batboy's facial expression very much that of embarrassment. He looked down, very deliberately avoiding direct eye contact at that. Something else was whispered as well, though it was much more quietly said, Lev, speaking to himself sort of in this case. Though, the keen of hearing might still catch it.

"Please don't laugh...."

Mittens smiles brightly at Mittens. "Thanks!"

To Lev, Bethany widens her eyes and says in a hushed tone, "...oooOOOOooo.... wow..."

She is silent a few seconds before says, "I can honestly say I've never tried that before. But I was always curious since people overseas-" she stops herself lest she give away the secret by accident. "Well you know. Anyway! Thanks, Mittens, for working out a reward for us... oh!"

Bethany calls out to Ken, "Thanks, Ken! You're a cool guy!"

Mittens' brain flatlines for a few moments upon hearing Lev's answer.  If she had a nickel for every time someone asked her if she eats mice...  Never mind the times she made the mistake of admitting to eating mickey mouse shaped cookies.

"And here Mittens thought blurting out embarrassing things about one's self was a Mittens only thing.

"No.  No laughing from Mittens.  Just... 

Oooo  Kaaaay.  Beth says she's always been curious.  Is she part bug-eating animal too?

"Since they what?  Eat chocolate covered crickets?  Or no it was grasshoppers, wasn't it?  You're welcome.  Boy.  Team Frogger is sounding more and more fitting."

Kevin smiles back at Beth and gives her a nod.

Lev's inner ears began to match the same shade as his nose, the silence not quite helping... at least it was better than laughter?

".... I was sort of asked. Twice. And... lying to people who just helped wasn't a good idea. And refusing to answer would've been rude..." Lev fidgeted a bit. "S-sorry. Didn't mean for the weirdness."

He'd glance towards Mittens, careful not to make direct eye-contact at the current moment. "Team Frogger?"

Bethany nods. "While you were concentrated on shooting the cicada, one of the people here in the arcade called us Team Frogger, probably because of hopping onto Mitts' shoulder to get to where you need to go."

Beth headshakes at Mittens. "I cut myself off because someone overhearing might figure out Lev's secret from what I was gonna say. So nope. Not finishing that sentence until we're not near prying ears."

Mits shrugs.  "Mittens loves weirdness.  Usually.  No apology needed.  I thank thee for thine honesty, Ser Lev."

She ohs at Beth then starts strapping on her roller skates.  "Then let's make tracks.  Mittens needs to blow more bubbles anyway."

Lev nodded to Bethany concerning the clarification of team frogger, whispering a 'Thank you' in response to the keeping of the secret. At the thanking for honesty, Lev gave a relieved nod.

"... Y-yeah. Can always come back to play games tomorrow or... the day after!" He'd nod in agreement with going where bubbles are allowed.

Bethany says, "Aww... I came in here to play an arcade game." she sighs. "But if it means getting to know my new friends... well did you have a place in mind?"

"Far be it from Mittens to delay another person's fun!  But to answer your question...  Mittens-bot!  Transform and roll out!"

Roller kitty hops to her wheeled feet and scoots outside.  She then does a roller-spin, pointing finger extended.  When she runs out of momentum, her finger is pointed diagonally across the street.

"That way!  This technique has served Mittens well for finding adventure!  _{(Also occasionally detecting and warning authorities of impending busted water mains.)}"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 17:41, Sat 26 Feb 2022.

Lev snickered at the 'Mittens-Bot' rolling out, following suit. Upon the roller-spin, he'd tilt his head aside a bit. Once the finger landed on its target, he'd look across the street to where it was pointed.

"Hm? Oh! You spin and go the direction you end up pointing. Random chance, meaning no dull repeats! Or, well, many fewer repeats." Lev commented, hoping the observation wasn't to off the mark.

Bethany gives an oooh... kinda look and shrugs. "Alright." and follows along. As soon as they were not in earshot (mostly being drowned out by traffic noise anyway), Bethany says, "To answer your question, I was gonna mention that people in the orient oft eat bugs. Even sell them as treats in the marketplace like we sell hot dogs. So eating bugs? Only weird to us because we're not used to it."

Mittens ohs.  "Yeah that's what I thought you were getting at."

(Retcon: Mits was pointing to the North, through the strip mall.  So the group will have to travel a little East to get to whatever it is.)

"Doesn't always work, sadly.  Sometimes I get led nowhere in particular.  This time, though...  I sense a disturbance in The Force.  Some small excitement in that direction will happen not far from here in aroooound... ten minutes?  Will it be a fender bender?  Or perhaps a purse thief.  Time will tell!"

https://www.google.com/maps/@4...g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

Lev perked an ear up just a bit at the mention of places where insects are sold like hot dogs are. "That sounds coool! Though... buying them would take out the fun of catching them, it would be good for tired days!" Lev paused, before clearing his throat. "Though... yeah, it's... still kinda very weird here."

He'd look towards the direction, ears going into alert as a just in-case. "Waiiit. You... can do that? Like, force-force, or do you mean like a gut feeling that's usually right? Well, okay the force can kinda be like that too, but... not the actual -force-, right?"

Bethany says, "Well either way, we get to have a nice walk together, right?"

She then looks at Lev. "Well... OK so people sell dead animals for food, sure, but often because they also cook them, season them, and all that. Most don't eat raw pig, for example."

She then double-takes. "The Force?! Is it real?"

Mittens laughs as she leads the way.  "Why yes!  The Force IS real!  Especially when you add the word 'of' after it.  The Force of Gravity, for example.  Nah.  Much as she'd looove to have all the superpowers of a Jedi, Mittens is a far cry from all that.

"Still.  Quite happy with the superpower she does have.  Get into so much mischief, and the cops can't stop it!"

She stops at a corner and wiggles her pigtails like their divining rods.  "Beep beep beep...  beepbeepbeepbeep!"

Mits starts heading for the Post Office to the left.

Lev gave an awe-struck look for all of the time between 'The Force IS real!' and 'When you add the word 'of' after it', before attempting to very rapidly rescind the expression as if falling for the ceiling saying gullible, and trying to play it off. This would very likely be unsuccessful.

"Cooked bug tastes good too... just sometimes the raw ones are perfectly fine as is." Lev looked towards Bethany, nodding.

At the pigtail wiggle, there'd be a quiet snort-snicker, Lev following. "So. How does your... got it! How does your 'Force of Adventure!' work?"

To Mittens, Beth is following her words in the same way Lev did. Though when the bomb is dropped, she doesn't play off like she wasn't fooled. She gets a WOAH! expression and says, "So the Force... always was real. It was right in front of everyone. Just like the flatness of the Earth..."

Bethany wrinkles her nose at the bug mention and says, "Must be a you thing then. I think people only ever eat bugs raw when they have no other choice but starvation..."

She jogs in the direction of the Post Office. "That many beeps, we best not keep them waiting or we'll be late!"

Mittens is deliberately avoiding the bug eating conversation.  She grins at the reactions of the other two.

"Proximity, severity, and soon-ness all register.  Like...  You'd be able to tell all that of an approaching wasp just from the sound.  Haven't missed anything.  Yet."

SCREEECH!  CRASH!  A car smashes into a Postal Drop-off Box, scattering letters everywhere!  Various other cars screech and swerve to avoid hitting the kitty crossing the street, but no other accidents happen.

"Wowzers.  Looks like things happened a little sooner than Mittens estimated!"

Lev took the nose-wrinkle reaction as the sign to 'buzz it' about the things that buzz, before jumping in alarm at the car smashing into the postal box. Lev would follow after Mittens once the traffic cleared or stopped, very much afraid of trying to play actual frogger against real vehicles.

"No! You're- car equals DANGEROUS!" Lev called out with a bit of panic in his voice.

Bethany screams and cringes from the sudden car crashes! She hugs a wall, ready to jump if need be. But when the cars stop crashing, she looks around for the source of the crashing. If nothing immediate is obvious, she will then look into checking on car passengers.

(To clarify: One car crashed.  All other cars did not.)

Kitty does not heed Lev's warnings, but makes it safely to the other side of the street and disappears into an alley.

A postal guy gasps at all the letters scattered.  "Oh no!  People's personal information are in those!  Checks to pay important bills!"

He immediately gets to gathering up as much as he can, but chances are some will get away.

The worst off is the driver of the car that now has a wheel tangled up in a postal box.  She's not hurt outwardly, but is gripping the steering wheel with a death grip and is hyperventilating in terror.

Mittens hurries to a phone booth and dials 911.  "Car accident right in front of the Post Office.  Doesn't look like anyone was hurt, but the lookie-loos are already holding up traffic and a postal worker might do something stupid to save the letters."

She starts digging through her backpack while cradling the phone between her shoulder and cheek.

Lev looked shocked at the daring crossing between traffic, only doing so once the traffic looked to be slowed or stopped.

"Please be careful not to get hit by a vehicle!" Lev caught up once he heard the voice of the phone call. He was careful not to talk over her or the potential phone response, exclaiming in a quieter fashion.

Once the initial chaos of 'car wreck, the cat plays froggers, vehicles swerve', he'd take a glance around at the situation. No other crashes at least, and nobody looked to be badly hurt! The downside is there's now mail everywhere, and the risk of traffic danger for the mailman if he decides to hunt after the mail while it's in the street. Lev looked to Mittens. "Uhm... should one of us try and keep traffic from bumping into the mailman?"

For clarification:

https://imgur.com/a/RtnykhQ

Group rounded the NE corner of the block (travel indicated by green arrow on right).  Then they witnessed crash.  (Smashed yellow car)  Letters are strewn halfway across the street.  (Currently there's no traffic on south side of street where letters are because crashed car is partly blocking south side traffic.  Believe it or not that IS a 2-way street.)  Cat (actual felis domesticus small animal NOT Mittens) crossed the North side traffic unharmed.  Traffic is backing up in both directions.  Both because car blocking south side (east bound) lane, and because rubberneckers in north side (west bound) lane.  All 3 characters should be on the South side of the street (unless for some reason chasing after perfectly unharmed cat who's now no longer part of the scene).
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:25, Mon 28 Feb 2022.

Posting this here so I don't interrupt game / forget to later:  Shall we retcon?  Go back to Post 60 or so?

In reply to OOC (msg # 66):

(OOC: I am fine with a retcon if needed. Apologies on not reading that right the first time TwT)

Bethany says, "The driver seems OK, but in shock." She looks around at the letters. "Oh dear..." she spots Mittens at the phone booth and looks relieved. Someone is already calling emergency responders.

"Oh geez... what'll I do?" she asks of nobody in particular. She tries to open the car door to make absolute sure there aren't any hidden wounds like maybe the driver being impaled by something. She ohs! And summons a basket. "Hey! Here!" she offers the basket to the postal worker.

(Had typed this and then saw the request for retcon...) XD

[Rolling back a few things: Lev would not have crossed the street given, Mittens is on the safe side of it. That said, most of the things he said halfway apply, just, it's like telling a dog 'GET OUTTA THE ROAD PLEEEEAAAAASE!', rather than telling your friend the same thing. In this case, applies to the kitten.]

[Lev looked shocked at the daring crossing between traffic, only doing so once the traffic looked to be slowed or stopped.] (Essentially, for the last post, remove that, and most of it still applies, for recent post clarification, since the question would still be applicable and such.]

Mits nods to Lev and pulls a reflective vest and whistle out of her backpack.  "Yeah.  I've got an idea.  But I'll need your help and a second vest like this."

Horns honk and impatient motorists start to shout.

Mits repeats to the 911 operator what she heard from Beth.  "The biggest problem is the traffic.  It's already backing up past the light.  And that means it'll take longer for EA to get here.  I'm a trained crossing guard and I know how to untangle the traffic.  And I've got a buddy here willing to help.  But I need your go-ahead to legally do that since I'm not an actual traffic cop and this isn't a school.  OK!  You got it!"

She hangs up.  Very distant sirens begins to blare.

Mits gives Lev a grin and thumbs-up.  "I'll take the intersection.  I'll need you to hold off the eastbound traffic behind the crash.  It's pretty simple.  Look like you know what your doing, and hold up a hand in a firm 'STOP' gesture like this.  Some idiot's sure to try and sneak past and cause another crash if you don't.  See if Beth can poof you a vest.  A hand-held stop sign or two would be great as well."

Upon second glance, Beth notices a bruise forming on the lady's forehead.  Notably, the steering wheel is not dented where her head hit it, so the injury is very likely minor.  The postal worker is relieved from Beth's handy offer.  "That's perfect!  Thanks!  Is that gas I smell?"

He gets to working on gathering up the letters.  Bank, Post Office, and various other curious workers and customers step outside to see what the commotion is.  One happens to have a camcorder and starts filming.

This is the 80's. This was the decade that really introduced the idea of everything being volatile and the smell of gas meant explosion incoming. So programmed by the movies, Bethany says, "G-gas?!" and panicked, she looks around for any signs of a gas leak. Starting with the crashed car. But even if she finds a gas leak, what could she do about it?

On one hand, she was told people with traumas shouldn't be moved suddenly. On the other hand, if the car is about to EXPLODE, alive and dizzy/comatose is better than crispy and dead. She materializes a knife and gets to cutting the seat belt so she can help the lady out of the car.

Lev nodded to Mittens, looking at the reflective vest and wondering where one would normally get those. As well, where does one learn to be a crossing guard? Said thoughts occupied Lev's mind for all of two seconds before he went over towards Beth at the mention of asking for the correct stuff.

"... Hey! Apologies for asking but- wait, gas?" Lev tilted his head. ".... Like the 'this is flammable' gas? Right?" There was a significant sense of concern in his voice. "That's... that's bad. Uhm..." He'd look towards the Eastbound side of things, heading over. If there is gas or a chance of flames, vehicles with -more- gas do not need to be getting near it. No vest, no sign, but being very much in the way and taking Mitten's advice on a firm hand held out hopefully would do the trick. "If you need a spare hand, let us know! I'll try and keep any vehicles from doing... vehicle things?"

( LMAO "vehicle things!" XD )

There is the usual smell of city road.  No gas in the air or on the road.  Just a panicked mailman imagining things.  He finishes up gathering the mail and hurries inside with it.  But talk of gas leak and girl cutting seatbelt snaps the lady out of her shock.  She hurries out of the car.

And as if on cue, a vehicle just behind hers was about to swerve.  Would have been perfectly timed to pin a panicked lady between a bumper and a car door, and hit two teens as well.  But a firm STOP hand gesture from Lev has the car screech to a halt just in time!

"Hey!  Get outta the road, kid!  I'm in a hurry!" the startled man behind the wheel demands with a few honks.  Then he starts noticing what could have happened.  "N..nevermind."

He backs up his car.

Mits blows on her whistle nice and loud at the intersection.  Before long, she's directing traffic like a boss.

"Way to go, Lev!" she shouts, "In a bit I'll stop this lane so your lane can get through."
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:56, Wed 02 Mar 2022.

Beth helps the lady over to the side of the road and says, "Just sit tight... emergency folk are on the way, OK?"

Bethany sees how Mittens and Lev are handling things. But Lev asked for a vest. POOF! Bethany makes a vest appear and hurries over to Lev, "You wanted a reflective vest?"

She then says, "I.. uh... have an idea? I hope it will help..." she sqints her eyes, concentrating and a sparkly, translucent, tight bodysuit appears on her!

The backside of the suit is red, but the front side is green. She takes a deep breath and faces the oncoming traffic. "Mittens! Look! I'm a living traffic light!"

She lights up brightly and becomes a human-sized light. Bright red in the rear, bright green in the front. "I dunno how else to help, but I figure this could help you and Lev, right?"


This kind of material, but sparkly:
https://tinyurl.com/4ce4rk8j

Tight like so:
https://tinyurl.com/2p8njkmh
This message was last edited by the player at 00:08, Thu 03 Mar 2022.

Lev winced a bit at the incoming vehicle, sincerely hoping that hand gesture would work, and much to his relief, it did! "Sorry sir! Can't go any further! We've had a car wreck! Please uhm... choose a different road until the emergency is resolved!" He'd try his best to keep a confident and knowledgeable tone. Whether this is what you're actually supposed to say or not is beyond him, but shots in the dark versus no shots at all!

Lev nodded, an expression of amazement, even if he's seen the manifesting of objects, the trick never ceased to be amazing! He'd gratefully take the vest, quickly putting it on. When the translucent bodysuit however came into being, and the red-green living stop light appeared, Lev gave a small cheer, before quickly facing back to the traffic as a just in case, ready to invoke the power of the mighty 'hold the hand out'!

[Edit: Read in the last sentence was corrected to Ready]
This message was last edited by the player at 01:07, Thu 03 Mar 2022.

Mittens busts out laughing at the human traffic light idea!  "That's fantastic, Beth!"

The sight is enough to cheer up even the driver of the crashed car some and she giggles.  Motorists chuckle and smile.  The video guy is sure to get plenty of shots of Beth as Mits teaches her basic crossing guard stuff.  With Lev's keen hearing he can hear Mits hollering at him to let his lane through even over the distance between them and the noise of traffic.

Firefighters arrive first, park their truck in front of the Post Office, take over the traffic stuff, check the lady for injuries and shock, check the vehicle for a gas leak, the whole nine.

"Wow," one of them says, "You kids are amazing!  Well done!"

"I got the whole thing on tape!" camcorder guy brags.

"Great.  I'll bet the news'll love a copy.  Get a shot of me so my kids can see me on TV!"

Mittens gives the firefighter bunny ears and makes a silly face at the camera.

Bethany is super pleased she was able to not only help, but impress her new friends! She turns out her light once the officials arrive and gladly joins in getting a picture with the firemen. "Thanks!" she says in response to the kudos they gave.

Bethany grabs Lev and Mittens with side hugs to pull them into the picture. Then looks at Mitts and says, "So... do your senses usually lead to annoying bug chirps? Or car crashes?"

Lev did not quite expect the picture taking but did his best smile anyways, a toothy grin to the camera, as well as a thumbs up.

"Wait... news?" He'd tilt his head aside a bit, before looking to the others, whispering exclamatorily, "We're going to be on the news?!" He sounded both excited and slightly nervous about the notion. " Is this a common thing when your... uhm... I am going to call it 'Force of Adventure'... wait! Venture-sense! Does this stuff happen a lot with your 'Venture-sense'?"
This message was last edited by the player at 02:01, Thu 03 Mar 2022.

"Yup.  Usually small time stuff.  Rarely is it something big."

"No guarantee," camera guy says, "They're fickle.  Some story about pigeon poo or construction noise might wind up taking a bigger spot."

Mits nods.  "I've been in the news a couple times.  Oddly enough, not once for the big things.  '12 year old girl predicts massive gas explosion and averts catastrophic disaster by warning authorities!'  Not even a blip in the paper.  But the time everyone wound up drenched by fire sprinklers at a school play, made it to national news."

"YOU'RE the sprinkler girl?!" camera guy asks.  "Groovy!"

Mits nods.  "Yup.  Famous.  For a silly little thing that happened in middle school.  Not for saving dozens of lives and millions of dollars in damage."

Bethany says, "Probably because predicting a disaster like that... well... the disaster didn't happen thanks to the warning. If the gas explosion happened, probably would have made the news. They ALWAYS report explosions... wha- bird poo? Either way, you'll wanna edit out criticism of the news in the copy you give them or they'll definitely not report it."

Bethany then does a tada pose and her normal 80's girl outfit returns in place of the human traffic light outfit. "Sprinklers? What happened? I must have missed that one..."

Lev gave a small applause at the 'ta-da', before raising an ear in curiosity at the mention of a sprinkler event. "Weird priority of report... big boom stopped, versus... sprinklers? And, same curiosity, what happened with the sprinklers?"

"Was only a 30 second clip," camera guy says, "So yeah.  I'd like to know the real story too."

Mittens rolls her eyes.  "Mittens was new to her superpower.  Was also in drama club.  I was sensing what I thought was a big danger on the night of the play.  Big?  Yes.  Danger?  Possibly?  So when I saw a trashcan on fire, I overreacted and set off the sprinklers.  To the whole auditorium.  'Brought the house down' in a not-so-pleasant sense of the term."

"If the trashcan wasn't at least half a football field away from anything flammable, you made the right call," a fireman assures, "Better would be for an adult to properly use a fire extinguisher.  But you'd be amazed at how badly they mess that up."

The camera guy ohs.  "I just remember you doing the 'Singing in the Rain' number with altered lyrics about how nobody takes your warnings seriously."
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:31, Thu 03 Mar 2022.

Bethany says, "So... your power is actually Cassandra's curse? You know the future, but nobody takes you seriously? Still, I agree with the fireman. Better to overact and save the day than to not act and catch a building on fire." (Changing Beth's color to Aqua to tell her apart from Tim/Rai)

A pair of kids who look suspiciously like Mittens round a corner and then pick up the pace to rush over to Mittens! They are both wearing backpacks as if returning from school and look to be around Lev's age. They both are 5' even and both have wide eyes at the scene, but go to glomp Mittens. "Mittens!" they say in unison.

Lev raised a brow at the mention of Cassandra's curse, looking between Mittens and Bethany. "Cassandra's Curse? Which Cassandra...?" He'd nod in agreement with the fireman though. Under reaction can get people hurt when it comes to danger. Overreaction can just get people sprinkled with water.

At the arrival of two new people, Lev waved, albeit he refrained from greetings, at least until they greeted Mittens properly since they seemed to know the adventure-sensing cat.

Mits smiles and gives her sibs a big hug.  "Hey hey!  Good to seeya!  Lemme introduce my two new friends!  This is Bethany and Lev.  Guys these are my sibs, Raichel and Timothius."

To Lev she explains, "Cassandra was a mortal from Greek mythology whom some god fell for.  Blessed her with prophesy.  When she refused to date him, he cursed her such that nobody would ever believe her predictions.  And no.  People tend to believe Mittens now that she's got a near perfect track record.  Thanks for the affirmation, everyone!"

Bethany says, "Nice to meet you, Timothius and Raichel! Are you twins?"

Timothius smiles at the new friends and shakes hands with whoever shakes hands. "Hi. Pleased t'meetchya. And yes, we're twins." he then looks around. "What'd we miss? Everyone OK?"

Bethany says, "The lady who was in the accident got a bruise on her head, but is amazingly otherwise fine."

Raichel says, "What caused the accident?"

Lev looked around to see if he could spot the kitty crossing the street, but figured given the commotion they'd have bolted by now. He'd give a happy hand-shake. "Pleased to meet! And... I think it was a cat? Dunno where it went."

He'd give a quieter 'thank you' towards Mittens for the explanation of who Cassandra was.

"Little kitty is nowhere to be found, but at least it looked alive and well when last spotted making it across the north side of the street.  Unsung hero of all this is the injured lady who swerved to save a critter's life.  Who wants a roller-piggyback?!"

Mits does her roller-pirouette then winds up pointing at herself.

Bethany and Raichel both say, "Me!" and then look at each other, giggling.

Timothius mews, looking nervous about the idea. It sounds fun, but...

Bethany then says, "But wait... didn't you just hold Lev's weight back at the arcade? And then immediately direct traffic? Shouldn't you give those shoulders a longer rest?"

Timothius huhs? and looks at Bethany. Then to Mittens. Then to Lev. "Why was he on your shoulders...?"

Lev gave a slightly nervous chuckle, before looking towards Mittens and then Bethany, then towards Timothious. "... It sort of happened at the arcade. There was a bug, it was loud, someone had to get it and it was in the ceiling... no ladder.... become cheerleader for a day, and use rubber bands and paper clips to deal with the bug. Group effort to deal with a noisy bug." Lev very much left out what was to be done with said bug. New people, probably not a good idea to bring it up.

He did look towards Mittens. "It is a good idea to rest your shoulders though... busy day!"

Mits smiles at all the concern directed at her.  "Mittens will be fine.  Especially with Rai riding on Mits' back, and not her shoulders."

Adventure girl wedges her skates on the curb to make sure they're nice and stable and squats to make it easy for Rai to hop on.  "Preference for li'l sis going first.  But don't worry, Beth.  You'll get your turn!"

Roller piggybacks are kept short and simple so the worry warts present don't spaz.

"We should exchange numbers 'n stuff!"

((OOC: Wrapping up this scene after next round of posts.  Next scene will be where the X-Men organization analog is officially created.))

Timothius ohs at Lev. "Gosh... musta been ear-splitting to be loud enough to bother an arcade... arcades are already loud."

Bethany says to Mitts, "But carrying people requires shoulder strength. If your shoulders were injured, you'd notice real fast. But hey! You know you, so I'm game!"

"Weeeeheeheeheeeee!" Raichel says as she gets the fun ride. Seeing his twin sister have so much fun and seeing Mittens being careful/safe, boosts Timothius's desire to ride to where he says, "I wanna ride after Beth..."

When Bethany rides on Mittens, she giggles. "You're far out, Mittens!" She creates a sticker and puts it on Mittens' cheek. Then creates a mirror so Mitts can see it is a sticker of a rocket rounding a planet and reads 'far out'.

When Beth gets off, Timothius makes grabby hands at Mittens to get a rollerblade piggyback ride.

Lev nodded at the mention of the insect in question being loud. "Cicada! Really loud bug that doesn't like to shush. Does t-... taaaaake a bit to find when they're stuck up in the ceilings." Lev caught and corrected the sentence fast.

Lev watched as the piggyback rides went around. He'd opt to refrain, a bit nervous that he's already caused enough tiredness for the roller-skater. But he will give a thumbs up in regards to skate-cat being far out! "Far out and the cool cat of adventure!" He'd give a slightly nervous snicker, hoping the thought-up nickname didn't sound quite as weird as he thought it sounded after he said it.

Mits eyes Lev knowingly when he nearly let slip about how the bug tastes, but manages to not comment.

"Speaking of arcade, Mittens got paid $60 in store credit for being a human ladder in that bug hunt.  It really was that loud!"

She's super happy that her short piggybacks provide so much fun!  "You all make Mittens wish she could piggyback herself!  Thanks Beth!"

Lev's nickname makes Mits grin proudly.  "You ain't seen nothin' yet!  Stick with Mittens and a BIG adventure's sure to come along!  Like the time she wound up arrested by Communist Germans!  True story."

The tow truck whisks away the crashed vehicle, and the fire truck drives off as well.  The street returns to normal and the scene fades out to commercial break.  https://youtu.be/e-Cns18mfIo?t=185