Mutants & Masterminds: Lake City Universe - HoH: An Afternoon In The Country (IC)

[Heritage]

Friday, October 28th 2011, 10:42 am. Rusty's Ranch, Thirty Minutes outside Lake City.

,,

The last two weeks had been...interesting, to say the least. Finally given the chance to settle in properly, Lake City's new special deputies had clearly marked out their territory in the Clubhouse. Naomi and Sigil, freed from the constricting details of their earlier contract, were free to interact more peacefully, though it was unlikely they would ever truly be 'friends'. When he wasn't sneaking out with Val (capably covered for by Kiki, Bo and the two ECU detectives), Russ was visiting with Colby to work on his magical training; her deep knowledge of the occult and wry sense of humor made their sessions both pleasant and productive. As Halloween approached, colorful decorations appeared all over the city, and the team's HQ was no exception; with a designer's flair, Kiki made the sometimes drab old building into a homey place, complete with cardboard cut-outs of witches, vampires and skeletons, and glass bowls full of sugary treats.

,,

Once everyone felt like they were finally settling into a stable groove, it was decided a visit to the team's unofficial 'training camp' was in order, so Bo and as many Exceptionals as he could wrangle squeezed into the Beast and hit the road. After about a half an hour, they exited I-94 at Summit Avenue, passing several small farms and quaint Midwestern towns before turning off onto a private gravel road. There were lots of trees on both sides, mostly maples that were aglow with the golds and reds of autumn. The air was crisp and the sky visible between the leaves somewhat cloudy.

,,

At last they came to a high corrugated fence, topped with barbed wire, that disappeared off into the trees on either side; Bo pulled the Beast to a stop in front of a rolling gate covered in various 'Keep Out' and 'Private Property" signs, stopping next to a dull gray speaker mounted on a low pole.

,,

"Okay", said Bo as he powered down the window of the massive Land Rover. The affable Texan turned to his passengers, his leather jacket creaking. "Rusty is a friend, but he's also kind of...well, 'tetched' is what they used to call it in the old days." He twirled his finger next to his temple. "Not full-on crazy, but plenty eccentric and let's be honest, prone to drinkin'." Bo sighed and then pointed at the females present. "Rusty's not very good with women; you might catch him lookin' at you funny, but he's too scared to do anything. Once we get out in the field, he's mostly gonna stick to himself back in his trailer."

,,

The blonde mechanic reached out to press a button next to the speaker; somewhere beyond the fence, several hounds started to bay. "Just let me do all the talkin', okay?" After a few moments, a distorted voice comes out of the speaker. "-lo? Who is it?"

,,

Bo cleared his throat before holding down the 'Talk' button. "Hey hey, Randy!The Bo-master is here, and he brought some friends!"

,,

There was a short pause, and then the speaker blared again. "-ew XPs?"

,,

The Texan nodded. "Yep, you bet."

,,

There was a loud buzz, then the gate began to roll open; Bo cautiously nudged the Beast forward, following the windy gravel road into the depths of the compound. "Don't worry", he said as he shook his head. "You're gonna love this place."

[Superball]

Naomi opened her helmet on her suit. She's learned to be properly... prepared when riding in the Beast. Her suit has had modest cosmetic changes, mostly the front of her helmet was now transparent, in fact the HUD was still running lighting her face with a odd blue light.

"Really? At least it doesn't seem creepy... been getting a bit burned out on all the supernatural strangeness lately."

She sighed as she sat back. "Been feeling lately every step forward we take we take a step back. Samson and that new girl are gone, Starting to wonder if this is all we got..."

Then again, Naomi's been the 3rd wheel alot recently. Doesn't help she's just gotten over a concussion and had to deal with Sigil as well. If anything n Naomi's mind this has been a backslide into complete uselessness.

[Hellhound]

"Actually," Hellhound countered, twisting around in the front seat so he could see behind him and look at Naomi, "I was hoping this would be a chance to make some real headway as far as our team is concerned." Russell flashed his famous, confident smile at the girls in the back seat, "Just because, 'this is all we got' doesn't mean that we're settling. A small team means a close knit team that is capable of working extremely well together."

,,

Russell turned back around so he could gaze out at their new surroundings but continued speaking all the same, "I was hoping with the new tricks up my sleeve, and our newest member, we could stage a few exercises. Really stress test what we're capable of doing. But anything we learn out here will be phenomenally more useful if we can record and study it. That's where you come in, Naomi. Can you record our sessions for analysis and such? Then after the exercises are done, we can go back over them and really learn something."

,,

"I'm hoping that this means if the shit ever really hits the fan, we'll be able to rise to the challenge."

,,

After a few more glances out the window Russell remarked, "The lack of creepy is nice, but this is starting to get a little too Deliverance for my tastes."

[SalmonMax]

On seeing the size of the seats in the Beast, and noting how many people were going to be riding, Sigil had taken it on herself to change into a smaller form. It was like riding with a child-sized version of the fey, and it did nothing to help relieve 'the creepy' though she had at least changed into some garb that didn't look like it had fallen out of a truck full of Disney movie props. She sat and pouted there, with Blitz between her and Naomi.

,,

"This land is desolate," she complains, kicking her legs petulantly. "It's ugly and unpleasant." Her feet didn't reach the floormat. "If there is to be deliverance from it, the sooner the better I say."

[z-Blitz]

“It’s creepy,” Blitz opined from the back seat, lazily flipping through a fashion/gossip rag. She hadn’t even looked out the windows. “It’s way out away from the city, there are bound to be bugs and creatures of all kind like cockroaches and rats.”

,,

“Cockroaches are bugs,” Bo remarked without rancor, his voice bemused as he peered back at her. At least Val’s lack of enthusiasm was now explained – she was a city-slicker through and through.

,,

“Yes, and twice as disgusting so they get mentioned as bugs and as cockroaches.” Val still hadn’t looked up at the landscape. “And there’s spiders, centipedes – the non-human kind – and so on. They’re all out here, they all have too many legs or vile diseases or both.” She turned a page and finally looked up at her teammates. “If I see spider, I’m done, just so you know.” It wasn't entirely clear if she was joking.

[Hellhound]

On seeing the size of the seats in the Beast, and noting how many people were going to be riding, Sigil had taken it on herself to change into a smaller form. It was like riding with a child-sized version of the fey, and it did nothing to help relieve 'the creepy' though she had at least changed into some garb that didn't look like it had fallen out of a truck full of Disney movie props. She sat and pouted there, with Blitz between her and Naomi.

,,

"This land is desolate," she complains, kicking her legs petulantly. "It's ugly and unpleasant." Her feet didn't reach the floormat. "If there is to be deliverance from it, the sooner the better I say."

Russell chuckled at Sigil's response to his deliverance comment.

,,

Should we tell her?

Yes, I think so. We can't just leave her in the dark on the subject of cult classics!

,,

"Sigil," Russell sighed as he began to enlighten her, "When I said deliverance, I wasn't referring to the strict meaning of the word. Rather, there is a movie entitled 'Deliverance'; It takes place in a setting like this one, and there are a lot of creepy hillbillys. You know what a hillbilly is, don't you?"

,,

“It’s creepy,” Blitz opined from the back seat, lazily flipping through a fashion/gossip rag. She hadn’t even looked out the windows. “It’s way out away from the city, there are bound to be bugs and creatures of all kind like cockroaches and rats.”

,,

“Cockroaches are bugs,” Bo remarked without rancor, his voice bemused as he peered back at her. At least Val’s lack of enthusiasm was now explained – she was a city-slicker through and through.

,,

“Yes, and twice as disgusting so they get mentioned as bugs and as cockroaches.” Val still hadn’t looked up at the landscape. “And there’s spiders, centipedes – the non-human kind – and so on. They’re all out here, they all have too many legs or vile diseases or both.” She turned a page and finally looked up at her teammates. “If I see spider, I’m done, just so you know.” It wasn't entirely clear if she was joking.

,,

Russell was actually rather surprised. He hadn't expected Blitz to be one of the bug fearing types. Everything else about her spoke to the 'strong female lead' type. "Don't worry, babe, I'll protect you from all the bugs, and trees, and icky things," He smiled at her, clearly giving her a good-natured hard time about her phobias, "Guess every super hero needs a weakness, right?"

[SalmonMax]

"Some kind of goat, I suppose," Sigil replies, looking moodily out the window. "Goats that live in the hills. Scoungry, angry goats if they live here, I expect."

,,

She sighs. "If you just wanted a place to practice, I could have made a place from the Mist you know. That would have been fun. I haven't done anything like that in...a long time."

[z-Blitz]

Russell was actually rather surprised. He hadn't expected Blitz to be one of the bug fearing types. Everything else about her spoke to the 'strong female lead' type. "Don't worry, babe, I'll protect you from all the bugs, and trees, and icky things," He smiled at her, clearly giving her a good-natured hard time about her phobias, "Guess every super hero needs a weakness, right?"

,,

Val quirked her eyebrow upward as she smirked at her boyfriend. “I’m not afraid of bugs and spiders. They’re gross. I don’t want to be around them, but they have this terrible habit of being everywhere.” She shuddered so rapidly that she blurred for a second.

,,

"Some kind of goat, I suppose," Sigil replies, looking moodily out the window. "Goats that live in the hills. Scoungry, angry goats if they live here, I expect."

,,

She sighs. "If you just wanted a place to practice, I could have made a place from the Mist you know. That would have been fun. I haven't done anything like that in...a long time."

,,

“A what in the where?” Val tossed aside her magazine and leaned forward, resting her arm on the back of the seat and her chin on her arm. “Do tell me more.”

[SalmonMax]

"The Mist," Sigil says, giving Blitz a lifted eyebrow, as if not sure if she's being serious. "It's what separates the worlds. The ocean they float in. Raw, unformed..." she waves a hand vaguely. "Anyway, what's important is that there's spells that can shape it, make it stable...bind it to a portal or location. A tiny little world attached to this one, where we would have control over what was inside."

[Hellhound]

"Goats. Sure. We'll go with that. Remind me to show you this wonderful thing called Wikipedia on that plastic and glass talking box we like to call a cell phone that Mike got you." He gave Val a stern look as she began to taunt Sigil again, Be nice, it said to her silently, "Take this as a compliment, Sigil: That Mist stuff sounds like some pretty powerful magic. Due to the fact that I'm still getting a handle on the type of magic that I'm capable of manipulating, I'd rather do our first practice in as much of a controlled environment as possible. This way we don't have to worry about any funky interactions between our different magics. But we will definitely have to try that sometime."

[SalmonMax]

Sigil shakes her head. "The Mist isn't magic. Magic can shape it, give it temporary form, but the Mist just is."

,,

"So be it then. I suppose with as many untrained wills as there are among us, it would be too dangerous anyway."

[Heritage]

Bo laughed as the team addressed various issues and concerns. "For the record, an' I'm sorry to say this, Blitz, but the Ranch is crawlin' with wildlife; also feral cats and junkyard dogs, but the minute y'all start with the powers an' such, I expect they're gonna give you a wide berth." The trees began to thin out, and soon odd shapes were visible through the gaps; cars, trucks, at least two school buses, as well as old refrigerators, tubular pre-cast concrete sections and lots of other dangerous looking objects.

,,

"Them boys from American Pickers keep askin' to come out here, but Rusty says naw, no way." Bo flicked his eyes towards Sigil, cleared his throat and took on his most polite tone. "Uh, your majesty, I have a question: This 'Mist' that you speak of, is it at all like, y'know, glamour? 'Cause we had a former teammate who was just a whiz at manipulatin' glamour; used to drop goddamn pianos on the bad guys' sport cars just to piss 'em off." The Texan chuckled and shook his head. "The shit she used to pull off...'course, she used to refer to the Ranch as 'Tetanus-land', so she might have agreed with you on a point or two."

,,

At last the Beast pulled into a large clearing, a muddy, grassy space outlined by several Airstream trailers in various stages of preservation; several large propane tanks were visible, as well as two enormous satellite dishes. There was also a fenced-in area, roughly fifty feet on a side, where three rangy hounds where barking up a storm; a low shed near the back corner loo0ked to be their primary residence.

,,

"Okay, here we are!" Bo killed the engine and stiffly climbed out, going into a number of stretches. The dogs began barking even louder.

[Superball]

Seems the more things happened on their arrival the more it seemed she had no place in the group as she stepped out. Hellhound and Blitz started off in their own conversation and Hellhound acted as if all he wanted her to do is record him and Blitz being useful. That and having the annoying Sigil around just made things absolutely worse.

Naomi crossed her arms. saying nothing, keeping a wary eye on the dogs.

[SalmonMax]

Sigil popped out of the truck and with a wave of her wand, was engulfed in little sparkly particles as she returned to her normal stature. She shook out her hair and gave Bo a look.

,,

"The Mist isn't glamour. I just said it wasn't magic." She waves a hand, and another Bo appears further into the clearing between the trailers. "This is glamour."

,,

Bo took off his cap and nodded. "Glammer's a trick," he said, nailing the real Bo's accent perfectly. "S'like, you fool the world inta thinkin' something that ain't, is. Do it good enough, and that thing shows up. Do it real good and you can even touch it."

,,

The phantasm evaporates.

,,

"Who was it that could make pianos that crush sports cars out of glamour?" Sigil asks. "Does she still visit?"

[z-Blitz]

“That was Grimalkin,” Blitz said helpfully as she dismounted the truck, shoving her sunglasses over her eyes as she sprayed insect repellant on her legs. “She’s now a wanted criminal.” Clearly, that didn’t sit well with Val as she began to layer the chemical spray like Scotchguard on her clothing and skin. Perhaps the distaste in her voice came from the hordes of bugs she imagined were approaching like a plague of Old Testament proportions. “She started to take the law into her own hands and that’s not allowed.”

,,

Turning to Superball, Blitz offered the can of spray. “Hey, you want some chemical defense against the spawn of hell?”

,,

“Uh…” Russ said, though he was clearly joking.

,,

“Two-legged spawn of hell who happen to have the name of Russ is always welcome.” Blitz told him with a grin. Her experience and previous dealings with demons were revealed in the number of qualifiers she put on a simple joke.

[Hellhound]

Russ shook his head and rolled his eyes in good natured dismissal of Val's comments. The amount of qualifiers she'd used weren't lost on him, though. One of these days he'd find out what she'd been through and what other demons were involved. But until she was ready to tell him, he was content to just let it go.

,,

"No thanks," Russell said, waiving away the spray can when Val offered him the bug repellant. "The last mosquito that tried to suck my blood, well... boiled. So I think the bugs usually know to stay away from me by now. Besides," he waved a hand in front of his face, "That stuff stinks!"

,,

"Grimalkin doesn't come to visit anymore," Russ said to Sigil, "She's been on the run for some time now. Though an individual with her powers would be impossible to identify if she were to conjure up a disguise made of glamor. So, no one really knows where she is or what she's doing anymore." Russ shrugged, "No one's even heard her side of the story, though. It's kind of tragic."

,,

"Ah well," Russell stretched his back and arms, "What do you say, Bo? Where do we go from here?" For once he wasn't dressed up. He'd known they were going to be rough housing, so he hadn't seen the point in getting polished if he'd just have to roll up his sleeves anyway as the saying goes. In this rare occasion, he'd opted for a Top Gear grey t-shirt which stuck closely to his fit form, a pair of camouflage shorts plenty of pockets, and a pair of Puma sneakers. He hadn't discarded the sunglasses, though. As he finished getting the kinks out after the car ride, he lifted the shades from where they were clipped to his shirt and placed them over his eyes.

[Heritage]

Naomi glanced over at the bug repellant Blitz offered to her, and then indicated her head-to-toe suit with a vague nod. "Thanks, but no thanks; I'm pretty well protected as is." From her tone, it was clear that the sour mood of the past few weeks had not really abated.

,,

Bo whistled in appreciation of Sigil's glamour-weaving as he hauled a very heavy-looking gym bag out of the Beast and dropped it on the ground. "My, my, you sure as hell got the talent, ma'am!" Then he gave Blitz a playful wink. "Say, who was that handsome devil?"

,,

"Grimalkin doesn't come to visit anymore," Russ said to Sigil, "She's been on the run for some time now. Though an individual with her powers would be impossible to identify if she were to conjure up a disguise made of glamor. So, no one really knows where she is or what she's doing anymore." Russ shrugged, "No one's even heard her side of the story, though. It's kind of tragic."

,,

Bo took a deep breath and hobbled over to the nearest trailer. "Yeah, it's damn shame, the way she betrayed us all and went over to the dark side, and nearly drove a man to suicide. A real shame." He pounded on the aluminum door. "Rusty, get you ass out here now!"

,,

After a few seconds, the door unbolted from within, and an overweight man in his early thirties stepped out, pulling on a blue bathrobe marked with cigarette burns. The red flannel shirt stretched across his massive torso looked like it had been through the wash so many times it was nearly translucent. His khaki shorts exposed pale white legs that ended in white socks and Birkenstock sandals. His hair and scraggly beard growth were a vivid red, a stark contrast with the Green Bay Packers trucker cap perched on top of his melon-like head. "Hey, Bo." Rusty sort of looked at you kind of sideways, like a crab; he could barely bring himself to even rest his eyes on any of the three women present. "Morning, ladies." He gave the brim of his cap a little tug.

,,

Bo nodded in satisfaction as he surveyed the new team. "Whaddya think, Rusty? Not to shabby, eh?" Noticing Naomi's obvious discomfort, the affable Texan cleared his throat. "Hey, uh, Rusty? Can you show this young lady your A/V - surveillance set-up? She might need to patch into it for recording purposes."

,,

The big fellow nodded as his cheeks went bright pink, still unable to look at her directly . "Sure, Bo, sure." He indicated a nearby trailer that bristled with a wide variety of antennae. "This way, miss." The young genius didn't look super-thrilled, but the chance to look over some equipment was probably more tolerable that Sigil's presence.

,,

The former Special Deputy indicated several tall poles that dotted the landscape. "See up there? This whole place is covered with high-end video surveillance gear. I'm talking HD, low-light, infrared, you name it." He chuckled. "A paranoid weirdo he may be, at at least he lets other folks play with his toys."

[SalmonMax]

Sigil watched Rusty and Naomi head off to wherever they were going and gave Bo a skeptical look. "Paranoid, but sharing... Is he a troll?" she says in a low voice. "The only one I've ever met who was that short was a little sensitive about his height."

,,

Bo had to rub his mouth with his hand to keep from busting a gut, as it was apparent that Sigil was being quite earnest in her question. "No, ma'am, he's a hundred percent human. Just done up country-style."

,,

She glanced at Rusty again, then back at Bo, trying to decide if he was having her on...then appeared to dismiss the question as momentarily irrelevant.

,,

"As for this Grimalkin...from what I've heard, and read, her power draws from the Winter Court. Hurting people...isn't something she will be able to avoid. Not for long at least. The best she can hope for is to try to direct it to those who deserve it." Her tone softened as she said it, became a little sad. "And over time, if she doesn't protect herself, even that hope will fade."

[Hellhound]

Bo took a deep breath and hobbled over to the nearest trailer. "Yeah, it's damn shame, the way she betrayed us all and went over to the dark side, and nearly drove a man to suicide. A real shame." He pounded on the aluminum door. "Rusty, get you ass out here now!"

,,

Before Rusty had a chance to open the door, Russ cut in with the last word, "Bo, don't get me wrong. I wasn't saying that the tragedy was based on Grimalkin's perspective."

,,

Sigil watched Rusty and Naomi head off to wherever they were going and gave Bo a skeptical look. "Paranoid, but sharing... Is he a troll?" she says in a low voice. "The only one I've ever met who was that short was a little sensitive about his height."

,,

Bo had to rub his mouth with his hand to keep from busting a gut, as it was apparent that Sigil was being quite earnest in her question. "No, ma'am, he's a hundred percent human. Just done up country-style."

,,

She glanced at Rusty again, then back at Bo, trying to decide if he was having her on...then appeared to dismiss the question as momentarily irrelevant.

,,

"As for this Grimalkin...from what I've heard, and read, her power draws from the Winter Court. Hurting people...isn't something she will be able to avoid. Not for long at least. The best she can hope for is to try to direct it to those who deserve it." Her tone softened as she said it, became a little sad. "And over time, if she doesn't protect herself, even that hope will fade."

,,

"As far as I understand it, Sigil," Russ tried helping, "If someone's a troll you'll know it straight away. These days, many of the creatures you're familiar with dealing with don't bother disguising their appearance. They stick out like a sore thumb, which now that I think about it is an idiom likely lost on you, but It's meaning should be pretty evident if you think about it."

,,

"The White Court idea makes some sense given what little I've read lately. It would explain why someone so good was suddenly capable of doing so much bad." Russ crossed his arms and looked off towards the yard full of junked cars, away from the group, "Yeesh, I hope I never get like that."

[SalmonMax]

Sigil's emerald eyes rest on Russell for a moment.

,,

"Power is like a river," she says. "And you the rock that changes its path. But the river wears you down, shapes you as well. In the end, who can say which is really in control?"

,,

She turns away abruptly and indicates the 'yard' with a sweep of her hand.

,,

"So this is where we will be practicing? What are your customs for this? Is there a form to follow? Tournament rules?"

[z-Blitz]

Blitz moved to stand near Russ as Sigil swept away dramatically. "Don't worry," she murmured, her battle against the six-legged pests of the countryside forgotten, "we'll keep you on the straight and narrow." Considering that the statement came from someone who had helped Russ commit breaking and entering, it wasn't exactly reassuring.

[Hellhound]

"That's so true..." Russ breathed as Sigil left him deep in thought. "Guess I know not to count on Sigil for those choice reassuring words, heh!"

,,

Blitz moved to stand near Russ as Sigil swept away dramatically. "Don't worry," she murmured, her battle against the six-legged pests of the countryside forgotten, "we'll keep you on the straight and narrow." Considering that the statement came from someone who had helped Russ commit breaking and entering, it wasn't exactly reassuring.

,,

"Hmm, thanks," Russel smiled at her, he laced his fingers in with hers as the two followed Sigil out to the yard. "We've never done anything like this before. Unless Bo has something in the way of exercises cooked up from the team that came before us, it's probably going to be up to us to make up the workout schedule. I was thinking of giving you a chance to shake out the cobwebs a little. The both of you." He glanced a Val as well, "You know, a good old fashioned sparring match." He gestured to Sigil, "You try to hex me or something, and I'll try to either shake it off, or dodge it, or whatever. Nothing permanent, you know. Don't think Val would be too happy if you turned me into a newt or something slimy. We start off on opposite ends of the yard, and if I can reach you before you lay the hocus pocus on me, I win the match. But if you play keep away long enough, you take the cake. Which... is another idiom... It means you win." Russell shrugged and looked between the two girls, "Then, I don't know, a foot race or something?" He asked Val, "I'm not really sure about the best ways to put each of our powers to the test, but that's part of why we're here."

[SalmonMax]

"A newt...something slimy. Doable, if unimaginative." Sigil eyes Russell and smiles a little. "So am I to concede immediately if you arrive within reach of me? Or would you prefer to wrestle me to the ground before claiming victory?"

,,

She gives Blitz a teasing grin, then turns to go to the other end of the yard, producing her wand from her handbag, which she then tosses aside.

,,

"To make this a fairer test of skill, I will additionally add that neither of us is to leave the circle defined by..." she gestured with the wand at the various debris ringing the practice area, "this trash. Doing so concedes defeat. If there's no other conditions you wish to impose..."

,,

Sigil touches the tip of her wand to her forehead, then flicks it out to point at Hellhound.

,,

"On count of three?"

[Hellhound]

"A newt...something slimy. Doable, if unimaginative." Sigil eyes Russell and smiles a little. "So am I to concede immediately if you arrive within reach of me? Or would you prefer to wrestle me to the ground before claiming victory?"

,,

She gives Blitz a teasing grin, then turns to go to the other end of the yard, producing her wand from her handbag, which she then tosses aside.

,,

"Hmmm, I don't know. I'm not really a fan of hitting girls." Russell bantered with Sigil, "How about this, I don't just have to reach you, I've got to... Oh, you won't know what 'two hand touch' means. I need to be able to simultaneously touch with with both of my hands for it to count."

,,

"To make this a fairer test of skill, I will additionally add that neither of us is to leave the circle defined by..." she gestured with the wand at the various debris ringing the practice area, "this trash. Doing so concedes defeat. If there's no other conditions you wish to impose..." ,,

Sigil touches the tip of her wand to her forehead, then flicks it out to point at Hellhound.

,,

"On count of three?"

,,

Russell strolled to the other side of their makeshift arena after leaving his phone, keys, and sunglasses with Val. "I'm ready when you are!"

,,

Russell half crouched, looking almost like a dog ready to pounce. He awaited the count down, ready to launch himself at Sigil like a bat out of hell.

,,

"One!" Bo's voice rang out across the green grass of the junk yard, "Two!... Three!"

[Heritage]

All the talk of Grim was clearly starting to get to the retired crimefighter, as his body langauge became increasingly restless and agitated, but once the talk veered over into training, Bo was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. This was the kind of thing he loved to see; once again, this wonderful, rusted-out deathtrap was being put to good use. He slipped a communicator into his ear and checked in with Rusty.

,,

"Tell me you're gettin' all of this, you fat bastard."

,,

"Ah, yep, yep. Rolling HD all the way."

,,

"Sweeeeet."

[Hellhound]

With the exception of the few minutes preceding their encounter with Strick's ghost, and their debut at the bank robbery no one had ever seen Russell truly open up the throttle on his powers. But even those moments were either over very quickly, or no one was around to see him. Sigil hadn't even been a part of them for the most part, having shown up just near the end of their encounter with Strick.

,,

No one expected Russell to move as fast as he did. When Bo's count down hit zero, there was a split second when Russell didn't move, but flames began to lick at his feet, hands, and eyes. Then with a sound like the crack of thunder, he was gone. By the time Rusty's cameras caught up with him, he was halfway down the field. When he got within 100 feet or so of Sigil, he cut to the side and dove for one of the broken down cars in the area. He rolled, and came up with his back against the old junker, and looked over the hood at where his opponent stood. The whole dash had taken mere seconds, and Val's eyes were the only ones able to follow it without the assistance of technological aids.

,,

With the bulk of his powers still warming up, Russ didn't want to commit to a full frontal assault just yet. He crouched behind the car and waited to see what trickery Sigil would conjure. Even while he waited, the air around him grew hotter, and the rest of his body began changing into his fully powered demonic form. The miniature horns began to prick through the skin of his forehead, the black material that was a strange mixture of fur and scales began to stretch over the exposed sections of his arms and legs.

,,

Within a few moments his transformation would be complete. Then he would strike.

[SalmonMax]

Sigil blinked, taken aback by Russell's speed...and in that moment, if he'd pressed his attack, it was very likely he would

have won immediately. Of course, since the match was to test skills and abilities, it wouldn't have been very successful at

the true purpose...but he'd have won.

,,

"Impressive," she said. "In a real fight, I trust you won't hold back though."

,, ,,

The erstwhile queen did not come looking for him, nor take a fruitless 'shot' at him behind the rusted hulk. Instead she

hummed a clear, bright note...and something changed. The air gusted briefly and was suddenly warmer and carried the heavy scents of grass and flowers. The sun seemed to grow somehow brighter, and the thin, desultory grass at Sigil's feet began to perk up and turn healthier shades of green.

,,

Music swelled behind her...sourceless, it seemed to come out of the very earth, or the breeze, or both. Bright piping

woodwinds with a heavier bass string that combined to give the music a frantic sort of energy, overlaid with a sense of

'pregnancy' or oncoming gravitas.

,,

And then Sigil lifted her voice and sang.

,,

To say that someone has the 'voice of an angel' is high praise, but on hearing Sigil he realized he'd never really thought

what it would be like if someone actually DID have that...until now. Listening to her made him feel...young again.

Everything but the moment melted away; all cares and concerns and uncertainties. He couldn't understand the words, but he felt what the song was saying in his bones.

,,

Come...come and dance...

,,

The area around Sigil blurred and shifted and doubled up for a second. Then it was clear. Sigil, clad now in the simple

dress of a peasant girl, stood in an island of green, lush grass, standing near a stout oak pole that was adorned with

flowers at its base, and at the top. She held a garland of flowers as well, and beckoned to him, still singing. Breaking

into a grin nearly as bright as the sun overhead, she broke into skipping sort of dance around the pole, holding out a hand

for Russell.

,,

(Will DC 14 to resist the Song; Entranced/Compelled/Controlled)

,, ,,

(OOC - Okay, little wiggy, but here's what's going on. Correct me if this doesn't work this way too, cuz I'm a little fuzzy on how Extra Effort works. Basically, I'm spending Extra Effort for a 'surge' action this round. One action to activate the Song of Spring, which is a Hearing Perception Area affliction against Will. The other is to start up the illusion, which has a hidden element to it. The Sigil in the illusion is fake...the real Sigil is invisible standing behind and just to one side of it. The transition to that was during the blurry moment where she looked doubled for a second. Turning invisible is a free action if I recall right.

,,

The Song takes an action to maintain, and it starts fairly weak but is Cumulative, but the illusion (due to Independent)

does not, so assuming he doesn't find her, she can maintain this state of affairs from round to round.)

[Hellhound]

Russell...Russell... Don't go into the light!

I know, dumbass. She's trying to hex me, or something. Girl's got great pipes...

She'll need more than a beautiful singing voice to pull a fast one on us.

Damn straight.

,,

Russell shook his head, clearing his mind of the enchanting melody sung by his opponent. The rest of his body momentarily erupted in the dark flames granted by his powers. The flames were quenched once the strange scaly fur covered what used to be his skin. The miniature horns that marked his forehead now more pronounced, and his eyes were a glowing, hungry, red. He'd once more adopted the form of the demon that gave him his moniker, Hellhound.

,,

One moment, Hellhound was crouched behind the broken car, then next moment he wasn't. Vanishing in a puff of logic amidst a smoky sulfur cloud, Hellhound appeared behind the dancing form of Sigil. "Sorry, but the Devil's Dance is decidedly more metal than the tune you're drumming." Hellhound's gave a wide toothy grin and reached out toward the girl's shoulders with both hands. He hesitated, halfway through the motion.

,,

Damn!

What? What's wrong? Grab her!

No. She pulled a fast one after all. This isn't her. It must be another spell or something.

How can you tell?

It doesn't smell like her. There's no woodsy earthy hippie smell. It's just nothing. Watch.

,,

Hellhound lightly swiped one of his clawed hands through the midsection of the image of the fey queen in a summer dress. His arm passed right through, and he straightened from his attacking crouch and began to gaze around the field, "Nice try, princess. But I'm not so easily fooled by your tricks. You must still be here somewhere, but where? I know you wouldn't have left the field. You should know better than trying to cheat the devil..."

,,

A moment later, Hellhound's keen sense of smell told him that he hadn't been far off. Sigil was standing only a few feet from the image she'd conjured. Her plan must have been to draw him out, and he'd just sprung one hell of a trap. Though, if she didn't know he could sense her, he might still be able to capture the element of surprise. Maybe he could trick her into toying with him some more. He'd read that the fey were prone to bouts of trickery and confusion. He'd have to capitalize on that, "Come out, come out, wherever you are..."

[SalmonMax]

"Here."

,,

Something flickered through the air, narrowly missing Hellhound. Sigil swore under her breath, and the illusion exploded into a storm of rose petals that howled and swirled around him as the sky overhead turned dark and stormy, and thunder boomed.

,,

Of course, the storm was fairly small...confined to a space immediately around Hellhound, which robbed it of some gravitas.

,,

At the same moment Hellhound realized he'd lost track of her...she'd vanished from his smell. A gust of wind brought her back though; she'd moved to the opposite end of the field. Not far enough to keep him from reaching her, it turned out, but at least she wasn't just going to sit there and let him grab her.

,,

(OOC - Trying to hit him with sleep dart...rolled a 2, so FAIL. Then teleport as far as I can without forfeiting. Illusion altered to obscure sight and vision, because...why not? )

,,

[salmonMax] 10:50 am: Hello all
[salmonMax] 10:50 am: Gotta make a roll...
SalmonMax *rolls* 1d20: 2+8: 10
[salmonMax] 10:50 am: Hahaha...unfortunate.

[Hellhound]

It was only because Hellhound was lucky enough to already know where Sigil was that he was able to duck under her attack. If his sense of smell hadn't given her away, if she'd gotten the jump on him, he didn't want to think about what that spell might have done to him.

,,

He attempted to swipe at Sigil as he came out of the dodge, but she was no longer there. Hellhound growled angrily as he lost track of her scent. For a moment, he feared she'd found some way to hide it entirely and that he wouldn't be able to find her.

,,

Should have jumped her when you had the chance.

Yea, maybe. Still, if she doesn't know I've been sniffing her out she might not know she's got to hide her scent yet.

God forbid she makes an educated guess. You'd think she'd never seen a bloodhound at work.

Hey, just because I act like a dog doesn't mean I am one. Correlation does not imply cau...THERE!

,,

Hellhound's head whipped around toward the other end of the field with another snarl as Sigil's distinctive scent popped back up on his olfactory radar. He didn't miss a beat, he rocketed toward her, bounding over wrecked cars and the occasional odd piece of scrap metal that decorated their exercise field. It took him only seconds to close the distance between them before vaulting off the chassis of an old broken down farm tractor and throwing himself at the now visible Sigil.

,,

Hellhound realized at the last moment that he'd miscalculated. He'd let himself believe his eyes rather than his nose again. Sigil's form that he could see was shifted slightly out of phase. There was a gap of a few inches between where she was standing and where it looked like she was standing. If his attack hadn't been so reckless, he might have had the time to realize and adjust for his mistake. As it was, he simply went flying over Sigil's head. He hit the ground behind her, and rolled. He ended up half crouched and resting on one knee facing her.

,,

"Hope you got a few more tricks up your sleeve, because I'm catching up with you." Hellhound sneered at the fey princess. It was only then that he realized his reckless attack had left him way off balance...

[SalmonMax]

Sigil kept her face impassive as she turned to follow Hellhound, but inside her heart was racing. He was incredibly fast, and her illusions were not taking the pressure off in the slightest. It had been sheer luck that he'd overshot her, but luck like that never lasted. As for how he was finding her, it didn't take much to guess that the demonic hound was probably guiding him, but that didn't give her what she needed to solve the problem. Her powers were still relatively weak from being stripped of Queendom, and the long traverse through the Mists. Adjusting her spells to work on smell in addition to everything else would weaken them further...the more senses a glamour affected, the more diffuse its power.

,,

Of course...she'd been on the edge of the allowed area. He'd been careful to come in at an angle, but he was still right there, just a footstep away.

,,

Russell was not a weak man by the look of him, but strip away that demonic power and he was just a man. And like most men, he did not think much of the strength of a woman...which was probably why he'd not bothered to move farther from the edge.

,,

It was a tough decision. Keep trying to affect him with the Song, and hope it worked before he managed to pin her down? Or risk everything on a last-ditch gambit?

,,

"More than I can conveniently count," she replied. "But one should suffice."

,,

She gestured violently with her wand, as if slashing at something before her. "Shya'tah!"

,,

Something tore at Hellhound, a thunderous wind that stormed not over his body, but over the weave of power that his demonic familiar had tattooed into his flesh and soul!

,,

Either the demon was too strong though, or she was still too weak. His strength remained strong, and she doubted her ability to push him even a step while it remained. Russell's will was also strong, but she perceived a possible weakness in his strategy of letting the 'hound' guide him.

,,

If he could not be distracted from her, perhaps it could be. Would he follow it still?

,,

She lifted her voice again, this time singing not to the man, but to the demon.

,,

Again, she sang in the language she knew best...not the English she'd learned over the long years from other fey. Demons would know the words, as they knew any and all languages, even if Russell did not. The song was strained and frantic, filled not with the tempting allure of her previous one but rather with fear and desperation to escape. The image conjured was of a girl, beautiful in her purity and innocence, stumbling as she fled away and looking back with terror over her shoulder.

,,

It was not a literal image, not an illusion like glamour, but rather an emotional resonance. The song had a demand coded into it. Not an invitation to merriment and revelry, but a predatory signal to attack. Leap outside the circle and PURSUE. HUNT. KILL.

,,

The energy required to spin the spells so quickly left Sigil not much better off though. She stayed where she was, trying to catch her breath. It was so much harder to work magic here! And she was so very weak, yet.

,, ,,

(OOC - Need to make a couple of rolls. The second is contingent on the success or failure of the first.

Trying to nullify Hellhound's enhanced Strength. My nullify is 6 ranks, versus the 5 of your strength. Annnd yeah. The dice roller really does hate me. Rolled a 6, so my Nullify total is 12. Beat that. Anyway, if you DO beat it, then I'll just do another Song with Extra Effort (exhausting Sigil), so that'd be another DC 14 will defense. If you do NOT beat it, and I strip away your Strength, then I will attempt to shove Russ over the line with her wand's Move Object power. That's the second roll, the 18. So if you fail versus the nullify, roll a Str check (sans Enhancement) versus 18 or get pushed outta bounds.) ,,

[salmonMax] 11:59 am: Don't mind me, just making a couple of rolls.
SalmonMax *rolls* 1d20: 6+6: 12
[salmonMax] 12:00 pm: ...yeah. So. Dice roller bad.

,,

[salmonMax] 12:02 pm: Aw what the heck, one more. Same mod, different roll.
SalmonMax *rolls* 1d20: 12+6: 18
[salmonMax] 12:03 pm: Better. Hee.

[Hellhound]

As the spell struck Russell in the chest, it very nearly ripped the demon from him. The blast tore the Demon Dog from him and pushed it out his back. However, the spectral chain that bound the two suddenly pulled taught. It strained, but held, the tension very nearly caused Russell to lose his balance. Reaching behind him, he grasped the chain with one hand and gave it a yank, pulling it toward him and sending the demon back into it's body.

,,

By the time he recovered from her first assault, Sigil was already spinning another spell, another song. Strangely, this time, Russell felt none of the effects, the hound, however was more than receptive to them. He turned toward the outside of the circle as he fought with his own inner demons.

,,

Prey! Chase! Kill! Die! Die! Die!

No!

*whine*

Down boy! It's another one of her tricks. We finish this now!

,,

Russell wrested back control of himself and turned toward Sigil, his face twisted in a snarl. It was clear that the hound was not fond of being fleeced. Once more he evaporated into thin air and appeared behind her. In an instant, he could tell the fight had run out of her. She'd exhausted herself trying to take him down. For them to continue the fight, would benefit no one, and would likely cause injury. That type of competition wasn't useful between teammates. They'd prove nothing, and they'd learn nothing.

,,

"Nice try, Sigil, but I think we're done here." Russell said softly. As he laid his hands on her each of her shoulders, the flames wreathing his body evaporated, and with them his hellish appearance. "It was a good match, but you look tired. Time we took a break, eh?"

[SalmonMax]

"It was not a good match," Sigil replies, closing her eyes. "You do not need to cushion the truth, or spare my feelings."

,,

She took a deep breath, resuming at least an outward appearance of calm, and opened her eyes again.

,,

"This is...humiliating. And frustrating beyond my ability to say it. But you fought well. If nothing else, at least I can still choose allies."

,,

Sigil backed away, pulling out of his hands on her shoulders, and went to where Bo and the others were watching.

,,

"Is there water?" she asked. "I could use some."

[Heritage]

Bo had been reclining in a lounge chair he'd unpacked from the Beast, happily sipping a beer out of a cooler at his side. Once the match was over and he saw how wilted Sigil was, he quickly rose and brought her a clear glass bottle of water, hobbling over to her side.

,,

"Here you go, ma'am; I filtered and bottled this stuff m'self. I figure with how sensitive you are to modern stuff, it'd be best to avoid the plastic, know what I mean?" He grinned as he waved at the cooler. "All a y'all can help yourselves; we got water, Gatorade, Coke and beer. I also packed some leftover fried chicken, and me and Rusty were talkin' about deep fryin' a turkey he's got all thawed out. Y'know, fer later."

,,

Once everyone had the appropriate liquid refreshment, the Texan smiled and shook his head. "That was jus'...a hell of a showdown. Y'all take as much time to rest up as you need." He turned to speak to Blitz with a wink. "Seems to me it'll be your turn next, little lady!"

[z-Blitz]

As Russell rejoined the spectators, she gave him a wink, but was quick to get to business when it mattered. Blitz smirked at Bo's statement.. "No problem," she said, then noticed a fly buzz by her nose. Quick as a... well, as a Blitz, her hand holding the repellent shot out and sprayed the fly directly. As the insect dropped dead, she said, "Ready when you are."

[Hellhound]

"It was a fine match, Sigil. If you're not happy with it, then it was still useful. It shows you exactly what you need to work on. Now, chin up. You'll get to watch my girlfriend knock me flat on my ass in a second, I'll bet." Russell ribbed at her, trying to keep the fairy in good spirits.

,,

"Oh man, fried turkey? Just like you to want to counteract all this great exercise with death by clogged arteries." Russell smirked as he rejoined the group, "Toss me a Gatorade in a sec?"

,,

Russell watched the fly spiral toward the ground, "Woh there, killer." He motioned to Bo, who tossed him a Gatorade. Unscrewing the top, he chugged the first half of the bottle straight away, looking like something out of the brand's commercials.

,,

"I'm good." Russell said, now that his thirst was quenched. "What type of match do you want? You're hands down faster than I am, so if it's a foot race, I won't even have to let you win," It was Russell's turn to wink. "But if you've got something else in mind that would prove to be more competitive, I'm game."

[z-Blitz]

“That match was mostly about you going on the offense against Sigil,” Blitz observed, leaning to the side and hiking a leg so she could scratch her calf. “So maybe you can just try to be defensive against my attacks. It doesn’t rely on my speed but in surviving my missiles.”

,,

“Have you two been fightin’ or sumthin’?” Bo asked. He was grinning, but there was a note of worry in his voice. “Sumthin’ goes wrong, and you’ll really hurt him, Blitz.”

,,

“True. I can pull my punches.” Blitz replied after less than a second of consideration. “It’d be good practice because I’ve never done that in a fight. So I’ll work on that now, no pressure.” She glanced at Russ. “I’ll start with minimal force, one missile at a time, and we’ll see where your pain threshold is.” There was a bemused look in her eye that Russ wasn’t sure he liked…

[Hellhound]

"See where my pain threshold is, huh? Val," Russ taunted her sarcastically, "I didn't know you were into that sort of thing," He punctuated his innuendo with a wink.

,,

"Hmm. Actually, I like this idea." Russell took another swig from the Gatorade bottle. He finished off the drink and gave a refreshed gasp, "I'll admit. I do punch things a lot. I don't usually practice staying out of harm's way. This would be good practice for a time when I have to provide a diversion, or draw attention away from some civilians that need saving. Martyr's don't really make good distractions. They tend to have a low reusability." Russell smirked, "Not my style. This is also a good lesson for those times when my punching isn't going to do the trick." He tossed the empty Gatorade bottle into a nearby trash bin that Bo had brandished at him.

,,

Russell started rolling his right shoulder in it's socket, then stretched his back and legs as well, "And you learning to pull your punches is a good idea. I've seen those missiles of yours. Explosions can be tough to control, but a shaped charge can be massively useful."

,,

"So," He raised an eyebrow, "When's the game end? When I'm all beat up? 12 Rounds? Or just until I can dodge your best attack?"

[Heritage]

Bo takes a leisurely sip off his beer. "The important thing is we get to watch her wail on you, which oughta be damn funny-" He was interrupted by his cellphone playing No Doubt's "I'm Just A Girl'. "Hold that thought; what up, Keek?...Yeah...wait a sec, I thought you told him?...oh shit." The Texan eyes Sigil nervously. "So what, is he havin' a major league freak-out?...Well I thought it was funny...okay...No shit? Alright, damn...yeah, alright...I'll let 'em all know...yeah...peace out, Keek."

,,

Bo carefully set aside his beer, stood up and tucked his phone back into in his jeans. then he rubbed his face vigorously. "Folks, we got ourselves a situation here; can you all gather 'round?' Once the rest of the team was present, he cleared his throat. "So I'm not exactly sure how this happened...well, I take that back, I know how it happened, me and Keek screwed up." He steepled his fingers. "As you know, our distinguished leader, Mr Mike Kolansky, has been outta town on business for the last two weeks, and hasn't gotten a chance to meet our new friend Miss Sigil."

,,

He took a deep breath. "The thing of it is, turns out he didn't even know she was here; both Kiki and I thought the other one'd mentioned it to the Boss Man at some point, but bein' the highly-trained professionals we are, we neglected to do so." He jerks a thumb over his shoulder in the vague direction of the city. "The Keekmeister just called to let me know that Mike is on his way over here now, straight from the airport; he just got in after a two hour flight that was delayed twice and was bouncin' up and down like a trampoline due to turbulence over Kansas City."

,,

The former special deputy bent over and took a deep breath. "The long and short of it is, he's mad, he's on his way, and he bringin' his fryin' pan."

[SalmonMax]

Sigil arches an eyebrow at Bo's reaction.

,,

"He means to cook us breakfast?" she asks dryly. "It's a bit late in the day, isn't it?"