Aberrant: Stargate Universe - Girl's Night Out

[Aradia McConnell]

Dear Girls -

Too much serious shit lately. This place is a drag.

Let's go do something. Meet me in the garage, Friday night, 6:00 p.m.

I demand fun.

-Ari

Aradia knocked at Livy's door, tapping her foot impatiently. She was dressed in the same white dress she had purchased on her first trip out with Yseult and the others, but she'd thrown on a blue patterned shrug over it, and topped the outfit off with typical Aradia-like chunky accessories and blue streaks. She waited for a minute, then knocked again, hollering to the other specialist through the door.

"C'mon, we're gonna be late, Yseult and Kyria are probably waiting for us already!"

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"Coming, Ari!" the shapeshifter heard through the door. "I told you you'd make me late!" Olivia hissed to her boyfriend, buttoning her blouse up. She was still smiling, even when Vinny got up out of the chair and kneeled in front of her.

He smirked without remorse as he kissed her stomach through the triangle of skin, stalled only when she hid it behind her shirt. "Shouldn't be so sexy then," he informed her. When she tried to tuck her blouse into her skirt, he slipped his hands up her skirt, his fingers trying to find their way to delightful places.

"Stop that!" Olivia said, trying not to laugh. Giggling, she got her blouse situated, then dropped to her knees in front of Vinny. "You're such a pain," she said, kissing him.

"Ya love it," he said, his eyes gentle as he kissed her in return. They kissed for a long moment, then parted when Aradia knocked again.

"Coming!" Olivia called.

"Not yet," Vinny smirked. "Have to take care of that later." Reluctantly, he gave her one last kiss. "Have fun."

"I will," she promised, "and I'll meet you at your apartment after."

"Can't wait," he rumbled, nibbling at an ear.

"I know," she smiled, "'cause I'm going to sex you up."

Vinny snorted. "Update yer lingo first, darlin'."

"I'm more worried about getting my moves right," Olivia told him as she stood. She bent and gave him a quick kiss, then grabbed her purse and jacket. "Later," she told him with a promising smile. Before he could delay her more, she slipped out into the hall.

"Sorry," she told Aradia sheepishly, her cheeks burning. "I was getting ready."

"Uh huh," Aradia said, grinning, glancing over her black skirt and jacket with a blue top.

"You sound like you don't believe me," Olivia laughed.

"Oh, I'm sure you were getting dressed," Aradia teased. "Now come on, we're late!"

[Yseult Sierra]

Yseult stood in the car pool garage, waiting for the others to show. She had seen the message from Aradia and thought another outing off base - non mission related - was a grand idea. Despondency over her family and the changes she was still undergoing were taking a toll. Fun would be a soothing balm.

She was dressed in a tight pair of dark slacks and slinky, high-heeled pumps that emphasized her legs and a button-down blouse that matched her eyes. The undone buttons revealed a silver chain and a hint of cleavage. A leather longcoat and a few elegant, understated accessories finished her ensemble.

Her uncanny sense of time told her that the others were already running late, and she sighed in envy. Other than research and missions, there is little for me here, yes? The others, they are lucky to have someone. Oh, François...

Leaning against the SUV she had already signed out, she folded her arms and forced a smile, faint though it was, on her lips. She was here for some entertainment, not to wallow in self-pity, and she did not wish to drag the others down.

[z028 Riley]

Kyria was the first of the others to appear, though she didn't really seem dressed up for a night on the town in her basic grey sweater and dark blue jeans. She did have an accessory on, a pendant in the shape of the Earth point-of-origin symbol she'd taken to wearing lately, currently in gold on a black chain to accentuate the sweater. She grinned at Yseult and pushed herself onto the hood of one of SUV's to sit and wait for the others.

"So, any idea where we're headed tonight?" She stretched her arms and laid back on the windshield of the car, "So long as it's not a Western bar, and I am so there. I hardly ever leave the base without leaving the planet right now."

[Yseult Sierra]

"I am not knowing where we are going tonight, Kyrie," Yse said, smiling at the stunning redhead. "I too, simply wish time away from Montaigne Cheyenne. I would prefer we did not go to a Western bar, but as I had chosen where we went last few times we went out, I will leave the choice to Aradie and Olivie."

Yseult eyed what Kyria was wearing, recalling that she had to get around to studying her 'eufiber'. With her new capabilities, she was sure she could discover its secrets without too much difficulty.

[Aradia McConnell]

After a few minutes, Aradia and Olivia entered the garage, the tapping of Olivia's heels and the muted sound of Aradia's laughter heralding their arrival.

They walked up to the other two already-present Specialists, and Aradia began rummaging around in her purse.

"Hey guys! Thanks for coming.. Livy suggested this place in the city - it's called "Shaken", it's a dance club/martini bar. Probably lots of cute metro guys to oogle, right? Sound okay?"

[z028 Riley]

"Sounds good to me. Just so long as there are no horse shoes or cowboys, I'm fine." Her eufiber swirled as she spoke, curling into a tight black dress held together by a gold ring just below her bust and a lot of skin. The Earth-symbol pendant stayed, but also turned a warm gold color and was joined by gold bangles on each arm and knee-high black cloth boots.

She glanced around the motorpool, "Are we ready to go?"

Click to reveal..

[Aradia McConnell]

"Absolutely."

Yseult pushed the alarm button on the government-issue SUV's keybob, and it made a double-beep noise to indicate that it was unlocked. The other three specialists started to move towards it, but Aradia shook her head, and grinned a little sheepishly.

"Oh, no.. we're not going in that."

She pulled out her own keys, which she had been digging around in her purse for before. She turned on her heel and started heading in the other direction, towards the section of the parking garage where military employees' personal cars were parked. As they approached the rows of cars, Aradia pushed a button on her own keybob, and not only did her car's alarm shut off, but the V8 engine roared to life with the impatience of a caged animal, guiding the girls' attention to the sleek blue Jaguar sitting about halfway down the front row.

Click to reveal..

She bit her lip and glanced at the other three, waiting to see their reactions.

[Yseult Sierra]

Yseult arched a brow at the luxury sports car, an amused curve to her lips at she looked at Aradia. Her husband was a mechanic, so she knew a quality car when she saw one, and the cobalt Jaguar was a prime example, though François favoured classic muscle cars. The instant Yseult asked herself how the young acrobat could afford such a vehicle, her enhanced reasoning faculties provided an answer: a precognitive grandfather would have been able to choose the perfect stocks to let appreciate as an inheritance for his granddaughter.

As Yseult walked around the car, admiring the sleek lines, she wondered just how much Maxwell Mercer had left his granddaughter, though it was only an idle curiosity - if Aradia wished to speak of it, she would let her bring it up in her own time.

The curve of her lips deepened into a playful grin and Yseult hopped into the front passenger seat, claiming it while the other two were still looking at the car. She figured it was only right, as she was the tallest among the women, if only by a few centimeters.

"L'auto, c'est très belle , Aradie, it is very nice," Yseult said honestly, running a run along the plush interior. It occurred to her that, though she couldn't afford a car such as this, other than that first shopping spree the day after she was released from isolation, she had spent very little of her pay and, due to her unique circumstances, had few in the way of expenses. She couldn't even send it to her family. Perhaps, I should treat myself, yes? "When did you arrange to purchase this, if I may ask?"

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia felt her eyebrows rise. "Wow, Ari, you went straight to the expensive stuff, didn't you?" There was no insult in the statement, just good humor and a touch of admiration. She looked at her friend again. "So," she said, jumping at the chance to tease her sister, "does the hair match the car intentionally? Are we being a little vain, hmm?" She giggled at Ari's expression.

Getting in behind Yseult, Olivia admired the interior of the car before asking, "So what does Wakiki think of the wheels?"

[Aradia McConnell]

Aradia climbed in with Yseult, hesitating for a moment as she glanced at the dash as if she was searching for something. Finally she shook her head, looking a bit embarrassed, and placed the keys in her purse before placing her foot on the brake and shifting into gear.

"I got it last weekend, actually. After I got the call from Jason, the financial adviser Livy referred me to telling me everything was arranged and in order. I asked him what people buy when they get a lot of money, and he told me houses and cars. And.. I don't really need a house, so I figured I might as well buy something, I guess."

She shrugged a little sheepishly, and pulled out of the parking garage, easing her way onto the nearby highway that led into Colorado Springs. She had been hoping Livy wouldn't notice that she had tried to skip the question, but one look at her best friend's arched brow in the rearview mirror told her otherwise. She sighed, and Yseult could see her cheeks flush slightly pink.

"He hasn't seen them yet."

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"I... see," Olivia said simply, but those two words held a world of connotation. "You just going to show up in it and wait for him to stop asking about the car? And whatever else you decide to buy?" The words could have been biting, but they were teasing instead. "I'm sure that the first few cars and hundred dollar pedicures won't even catch his eye."

Actually, that might be true, Olivia mused to herself as she studied Aradia's new appearance. Her horndog of a brother might not notice the stuff pouring in if he couldn't take his eyes off his girlfriend.

"You could give to charity," Olivia added. "I know your financial adviser wouldn't recommend that, save as a tax dodge, but still. It's an option."

[Aradia McConnell]

"Yeah, that's a good idea! But.. you might have to help me pick what charities are legit, you know? People scam that crap all the time, right?"

Aradia drove like she performed, dodging cars and merging through traffic the way she swung and flipped around a set of parallel bars, all the time maintaining a speed of approximately nine miles an hour over the speed limit - as fast as she could go without getting pulled over by most highway patrol officers, other than perhaps as an excuse to check out both the car and the driver.

"And it's not like I wasn't gonna tell him! It's just, I've only had the chance to see him once since I found out, and I kind of wanted to just hang out and be normal for once, you know? I figured I'd spring the 'Oh yeah, Grandpa left me a shit ton of money and I'm like the Paris Hilton of the fuckin' circus world' right now' conversation for the next time I saw him. Except now I've got that to tell him about, plus deal with all.. this."

She motioned to her face, glancing at herself briefly in the mirror as she swung around a semi-truck, coming close to cutting him off. The truck driver didn't seem to mind, though whether it was because of the car or the four beautiful women in it, there was no way of knowing unless Kyria went prying.

"I mean, not that I'll have to tell him about this, he's gonna notice I'm sure, but.. I have to figure out how to deal with it. Somehow."

Livy of course knew that Waki would realize what happened, even if he didn't completely understand it. Ari hoped that Yseult at least would assume she meant she'd lie to him somehow - tell him she got plastic surgery or something. The acrobat had a sneaking suspicion that Kyria wouldn't give a shit that Wakiki knew, and wasn't nearly as worried about her running and telling any government officials. Besides, it's not like she could hide it from Kyria anyway, even if she wanted to.

[z028 Riley]

Kyria enjoyed the smooth and sleek vehicle as it made it's darting way towards Colorado Springs, listening to her friends talk. "Well, since you were a baseline once, you could always try learning how to dorm. You'ld go back to looking like you did before and wouldn't have access to your powers that way, but it'd avoid having to figure out what to say to Wakiki. At least for now."

[Yseult Sierra]

Yseult glanced out off the right side of the vehicle, not wanting Aradia to see the slight tightening around her lips and eyes, betraying the sudden pang of anger and envy she felt. She would find it most unfair if Aradia told Wakiki anything while she had lost her entire family to keep the IOA's secrets. Yet, at the same time, Yseult wished she had someone to whom she wished to tell all their secrets, someone she loved.

While Kyris detailed the effects of 'dormancy', Yseult calmed herself, her face smooth once more when she turned back to Aradia. Once again, she was amazed at the flawless profile of her face, so similar, and yet, not, to the one Aradia possessed mere days ago.

"If about the charities, you are concerned about their legitimacy, there is another option, Aradie," Yseult said with honest fervor. "It would take more research, but you would have a more definite idea where your funds were being used. You could provide grants to specific research organizations yourself, government or privately sponsored ones, as you prefer." Yseult smiled faintly. "Charities, they may be non-profit organizations, true, but they must still pay their staff and the benefits they run, those cost as well, yes?"

[Aradia McConnell]

Aradia nodded faintly at Yseult, but she could tell the idea of providing grants and sponsoring research organizations was a little overwhelming to the young acrobat. She seemed, for now, more intrigued by Kyria's mention of dormancy, and she glanced briefly over her shoulder to look at her before focusing back on the road, looking thoughtful.

"So how do you 'dorm'? I've never heard it mentioned before, I don't think."

This dorming thing could certainly be her answer for if the brass came sniffing around wondering how she was able to keep seeing Waki without him asking too many questions - she could tell them she was "dorming" when she went to visit him. Whether she would was another question, and one she was kind of torn on. Either way, she would have to learn how to do it.

[z028 Riley]

"Hmmmn, I don't really know, from personal experience. Since I was born a nova I don't have a baseline form to dorm to. From what I was taught, it just takes some time for novas that erupted to learn to control their node enough to turn it off." Her lips pressed in thought, "Then again, you all don't have nodes. You're more like second generation novas, so you might not be able to dorm. I don't think any of the Specialists so far have shown a natural aptitude for it. Just like with your appearance and shapechanging, it would take some time and effort to see if your quantum signature could be taught that ability."

"You should try talking to Omar about it; he'd have more experience with it than I." She shrugged and then grinned, "Or you could just tell Wakiki you got cosmetic surgery and let him oogle you."

[Aradia McConnell]

"Yeah, I guess that's an option too."

She grinned at Kyria in the rear view mirror, and they kept up the banter long enough to make it to Colorado Springs. Ari pulled up outside of the building. It looked to be on the cutting edge of contemporary, with sleek black furniture and a lit bar top, as well as subtle Asian accents. The bar itself was half martini-bar and half dance floor, and tonight the crowd was hopping with what looked to be mostly business-types taking the time to let loose during their office-free hours.

Click to reveal..

There was a band playing tonight on the stage in the corner, and they were circled in pretty well by the dance floor. Aradia and the rest wove their way inside, making their way to one of the few tables that were open, with just enough seats for the four of them and a table big enough to hold their drinks and perhaps an appetizer. Clearly this place was meant for a certain kind of socializing (at least at night), and most of it was done one well-dressed body pressed against another on the dance floor. A waitress motioned that she'd be over to them in a moment, and Aradia waved an acknowledgment before she glanced at Livy with an amused look on her face and shouted to be heard over the music and dancing.

"Where do you come up with these places - it's like the R-rated business version of one of those 'Girls Gone Wild' videos or something - 'Lawyers Let Loose'!!!"

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"Uh, let's drink!" Olivia shouted back, not wanting to admit that she'd heard about the place on a local historian's web forum. That seemed to validate Aradia's opinion, which was somewhat unfair. She thought it was a pretty cool place - she was even dressed about right for it, once she stripped the jacket off and draped it over the chair. Hopping to her feet, she headed to the bar for a drink, waving anyone along that wanted to come.

This was absolutely not going to be like the last time Olivia had gone drinking.

[Yseult Sierra]

Yseult sat down at their table and crossed her legs, slightly nervous. It had been ten years, two months, and thirteen days since she had gone to a singles bar without her husband and her enhanced perceptions noted the way men looked at her, gazes lingering on her legs and chest, despite sharing a table with the flawless gorgeousness of Aradia and Kyria. She felt both flattered and somewhat guilty.

When Olivia stood up to head for the bar, Yseult followed her instantly. "A drink, that is sounding merveilleux!" Yseult answered, then called back over her shoulder to the girls still at the table, "If the waitress, she is coming back for us, can you get the wine list, s'ils vous plais?"

Without waiting for a reply, Yseult turned and trailed after Olivia, reaching the bar swiftly, men making way for the two pretty women. Ordering a Yellow Brick Road (OOC: Skyy Orange, Splash of Bourbon, Apricot Brandy & Orange Juice), Yseult was vaguely annoyed to be asked for ID.

That annoyance metamorphosed from vague to distinct when a man ten years her junior, who was smiling with half again too many teeth and whose gaze was half again too avid, insisted on paying for her drink, despite her cool refusal.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

The two women got their drinks and returned, taking their seats again. For a while, the four forgot themselves and their troubles in idle chatter, giggling as women will when away from the men. The talk ranged from light gossip about their co-workers to profound talks about life and sex. Gradually, the four had enough to drink to work up to a dance.

Around the bar, ten seemingly unrelated people watched the group. Their only commonality was the bluetoothes in their ears, but half the crowd wore them or something like them. There was nothing to set them apart, because they'd carefully staged it this way. Six of the men sat together in a laughing group, presenting the picture-perfect images of a gang of buddies, out for a good time. The other four were arranged around the room, each with their assigned tasks. They waited and watched, patiently.

Their moment came when Olivia excused herself to go to the bathroom; as the specialist with the least physical augmentation, alcohol still had an effect on her. Feeling warm and toasty, she went to the restroom, humming along with the song playing. Still smiling, she did what she needed to do, then began to work her way back through the crowded bar to her friends.

A group of people formed a living wall in front of her. She tried to squeeze through, but they weren't giving her the space. Instead, they moved forward, bulling along and carrying her with them. "Umh, hey, excuse me!" she huffed as they bore her away from her friends. "Stop it!"

A hand clamped over her mouth as two more arms picked her up bodily. Startled and muzzy from the drinks, it took Olivia a couple of seconds to realize what was happening. The reality of the situation impacted her with brutal finality as she felt someone cup one of her breasts through her shirt. Shrieking with fear and outrage, she struggled against the hand, momentarily panicking. Declan and Ryan's training came to the fore suddenly and she kicked out, her shoe flying off as she impacted a leg. That didn't stop them; someone grabbed her legs. Then she felt them jerk at her shirt; the rain of buttons onto the floor was as loud as lead balls on granite to her hyper-sensitive ears.

Across the room, another agent watched the group of six corner and begin a staged assault of the black woman. When she judged that the group had been given enough time to create the right reaction in the woman, she pushed off her wall and asked, "We ready?"

"Go," the leader said, shifting slightly to get a better view.

She crossed the room, approaching the other three female specialists. The woman with streaks in her hair had been judged to be the most likely to have an emotional reaction, so the agent leaned over her shoulder and said, "Hey, your black friend? I think she's getting harassed by some guys, over in that corner." She backed away, presenting the image of someone who didn't want to get involved and thinking much the same in case the telepath tapped her mind.

Now to see if they reacted as the simulations had predicted.

[Yseult Sierra]

Lubricated with several drinks, her inhibitions relaxed, Yseult was really beginning to enjoy herself on the dance floor. The top few buttons of her blouse were undone, she had another drink in hand that an admirer had sent her, and the lingering gazes of the men did not concern her nearly as much now, either, though the two other women she danced with, with their enhanced attractiveness, drew the lion's share of the attention.

Yseult's sharp ears caught the message the woman spoke into Aradia's ear and she glared with her enchanting eyes at the woman's retreating back.

"Qu'est qu'elle disant d'Olivie, Aradie?" Yseult said, reverting to her native language as a tendril of apprehension snaked its way up her spine. Yseult scanned the corners of the bar, quickly noticing the commotion, then began stalking her way there, as well as she could in four-inch heels and more drink than she was used to in this body.

"Eh, là! Qu'est que tu faisez avec mon ami? You will be letting my friend go, now!"

[z028 Riley]

Kyria was much less restrained than her Canadian friend. Pulled out of her revelry on the dance floor, she'd tried to brush Livy's mind, though as usual that took more effort than it did with the others. The dusky-skinned woman's expression was more than expressive enough, though. Kyria's own fair complexion darkened with anger as she stalked over to the group of men. She'd been told not to use her powers in public, and she'd been taught to be careful with baselines because of how easily she could hurt them. Neither of these things were particularly in the forefront of her mind, although they were present enough to keep her from scrambling their brains or tossing them one-handedly across the crowded bar.

It didn't, however, keep her from shoving through the group and laying a hand on Livy's arm. *Livy, take my strength.*

The agents could feel the strength of the slight near-girl that shoved through them as if they were paper. She hadn't done anything incriminating yet, unfortunately, and strangely she hadn't even tried to pull them off her friend. She'd just touched the other 'Specialist'. Assholes. They deserve this.

[Aradia McConnell]

No. NO! Not this, not again, not Olivia!!!

Kyria and Yseult may have stalked, and even shoved. Aradia, as the smallest of the group, got blocked by one of the larger people on the dance club as she tried to follow behind, whose foot she had to stomp on in order to get him to move out of the way. Once he was clear, yelling in protest and limping slightly to get away from the crazy chick with the blue streaks, Aradia dashed behind the other two women and launched herself at the back of one of the men, trying to wrap her arms around his neck from behind and pull him off her friend, or maybe just to choke him.. she didn't particularly care which one.

Click to reveal..

Str + Might roll for the tackle and grab: 6d10 → [3,1,7,6,4,2] = 1 suxx

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia felt Kyria touch her, and while she didn't catch her message, she didn't need to hear it. Salvation lay in that touch on her arm, and Olivia seized at the opportunity. Instinctively, she pulled at the power in her friend, ripping out what she felt she needed most.

Power. Fear. Time.

The man who had reached into her shirt, fumbling at her bra, found his wrist caught in an iron vise. He blinked at the woman right as her fingers closed around his arm, crushing the bones like glass. His high-pitched scream carried clearly over the music, though most people weren't sure what was happening in that corner.

Olivia wasn't done. What she did next was instinctive. The man in front of her reached for his hurt buddy, trying to get her hand off of him in a strange role reversal. They locked eyes, and he saw no mercy in those tear-stained orbs.

Then he was somewhere else, an apartment he knew well. It was his home, and his boyfriend was next to him on the couch. He felt safe with Bill on her right, but the big guy on his left made him nervous. He was huge, with dark eyes and brown hair in a buzz cut. He was in some branch of the military; Air Force he thought. He wasn't really paying much attention to him; he was loud and obnoxious.

"Liv," the big guy said suddenly, "you been listening?" As the man experiencing this tried to figure out what was happening, the story carried on without him.

"Huh?" he asked, blinking at the unnerving man. Is his name Carl? Or was it Chris? The alcohol wasn't helping him focus, so he went with the truth. "Sorry, I like to focus on my drinking."

Carl reached out and took the cup from him, setting it on the table. "Well, you gotta hear this." Liv-and-not-Liv frowned at his rudeness, but didn't say anything. He was trying to be polite. "So I'm stationed in Thailand, and well, you've heard about the Bangkok whores, right?" Liv-and-not-Liv made a face but Carl pressed on. "So most of what you hear is true," he continued. "Those ladies will do anything for a buck. This one - she had eyes shaped like yours, Liv - was new or something. She didn't want to do something for me. Do you know what I did?"

"Found a lady-boy instead?" Liv asked coldly. This prick was stomping on his last nerve, as far as he was concerned.

Carl slapped her, hard and sudden. As Liv gasped and started to raise his hands, he said, "That's what I did."

"You fuck!" Liv-and-not-Liv shouted the second he recovered, trying to get up. Carl grabbed him and yanked him back down into the seat. His hand closed over his throat and Liv-and-not-Liv froze as the violence became serious.

"I'm not done with my story," Carl said calmly.

"Bill," she whispered, looking to her boyfriend, her eyes pleading.

He left the room without a sound, heading for the balcony.

"So here's this whore, and she keeps telling me no," Carl said softly, leaning closer to Liv. "I don't like to hear that word. It's disrespectful to me, as a man. I mean... she's a whore." He ran a finger down the side of Liv-and-not-Liv's face. He tried not to shake, but the other three men had stood, and they were drifting closer to him. "Where does she get off on saying no to me? So I hurt her, and hurt her good. My advice to women, all women... don't tell me no. I hate the word. Understand?"

The first tears fell as Liv-and-not-Liv nodded.

Back in the bar, the man froze, the memory forcing him along with it. He dropped to his knees as, in the memory, he was slung over a shoulder and carried into the bedroom. Within seconds, he experienced six hours of pain and torment. The man collapsed to the floor of the night club, sobbing brokenly, balled up on himself.

Throughout, Olivia hadn't stopped squeezing the poor man's wrist. Over the hand holding her mouth, her eyes swiveled to the next man, empty of anything other than her fearful vengeance. Her struggles against the man holding her finally made some progress.

[Yseult Sierra]

Yseult felt her mild alcoholic haze fade to a rising tide of adrenaline as Kyria and Aradia passed her to engage Olivia's assailants. She had at first thought it had been just some men with too much liquor being obnoxious, but now she could see it was something much more sinister. Her honey-hued face flushed with anger, and she increased her pace to go to Olivia's aid, her steps a staccato beat.

Suddenly, Yseult saw Livy close a hand on a man's arm, her sharp ears detecting a sharp double snap, the breaking of the ulna and radius bones. Then a man curled up in the fetal position, weeping, no apparent source for his injury. In the noise and excitement of the club, it still may have been overlooked and rationalized away, but much more of this, and there would be little chance of a believable tale.

Her perceptive gaze circled the bar and found what she was looking for, a small, vivid red square with white markings. With a slight effort, she reached out with her will and pulled the fire alarm.

The effect was instantaneous, the shrill screaming of the alarm, sprinklers spraying their chill load, soaking the patrons to their shocked annoyance and dismay. Chaos reigned, a mad rush clumping at the doors, few people bothering to take the time to notice the clearly marked emergency exits.

Her hair and thin blouse plastered to her body, Yseult reached the scrum and swung her purse at one of the men, backed by an unseen telekinetic fist. He caught in the face, nose breaking with a spurt of blood, and sent sprawling on his back. He is most likely going to suffer a concussion, Yseult thought, trained eyes quickly assessing the effects of her blow before turning her furious gaze on the remaining men standing.

"You men, you have chosen your prey this night, very poorly, yes?" Her French accented alto was cool and surprisingly menacing.

[Aradia McConnell]

Aradia growled low and dangerous, and in her attackers ear it almost sounded more animal than human. But she was the weakest at the moment, physically or mentally. She didn't have Kyria's super-strength, or Yseult's telekenesis. The one thing she did have.. was the ability to have whatever she wanted. The man felt the hand around his neck reach down over his chest.

Click to reveal..

Roll for Shapeshift, 1st die Mega: 8d10 → [10,4,1,7,9,9,2,5] = 6 suxx, 1 to armor, 2 to claws, 2 to super-strength, 1 to fangs

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2400089/

He could feel the skin wrapped around his neck from one arm change as it pressed against him. He could feel a disgusting shift, as if suddenly the slender female arm became the bulky arm of a man. But not only a man, bulkier and more muscular than the female frame the arm was attached to, but reptilian as well, covered in hard scales that dug into his skin. Then, suddenly, her arm moved and he felt pain blossom across his chest, five streaks of agony that lit up his world and sent him stumbling backwards, screaming in pain.

Click to reveal..

Not sure what I need to roll her Carver but I figure it'll hurt either way, with the M-Str and 2 in Claws, so I'll figure it out w/you or Fox's help later or something.

"Yeah, you fucked up bad tonight, assholes."

[z028 Riley]

Click to reveal..

Using Commanding Presence, and will kick in The Voice and Awe Inspiring as time goes on if it's necessary.

"Control yourselves!" Kyria's voice whipped out low and sharp, pointed mostly at Aradia but encompassing the entire tangled mass now. Mentally she reached out to Olivia, *Livy, that's enough. We should go.* Her mental voice was kind but insistent.

While she spoke, she reached forward and pulled the last man holding onto Olivia off of her friend. Her movements were just quick and just strong enough to move him and cause him pain, but not to permanently injure. "We're going to leave now," she told him a voice that was flat and menacing. "I suggest you do the same. Your friend needs a healer."

Without bother to indicate which of the injured men he was referring to, she tugged Olivia towards her and started for the door.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia didn't hear Kyria. She'd had plans for the men still on their feet, but had made a massive mistake. When telepathically torturing someone, you shouldn't maintain the mental connection. Olivia pushed all of her personal agony into his mind and released it, but was utterly unprepared for what came back.

Pain. Horror. Shame. All of these were familiar to Olivia, as familiar as the back of her own hands. What wasn't familiar was them coming from another person. His name was Chad. He had been very confident and assured of himself; of his strength and position. Then six seconds had stripped that all away, just like it had stripped so much away from Olivia.

She'd done to him what they had done to her. Horror filled her, and she blindly reached out again, even as Kyria started to pull her away. In vain, she tried to take it all back, but she wasn't practiced in the nuances of memory alteration. Her attempt was imperfect, and she had no time to correct it.

"Kyria," she moaned as soon as she realized what hadn't happened, "you have to take the memories back, please, I didn't mean... I didn't know... I..." The older woman collapsed into tears in the red-head's arms, her shaking hands trying to keep her shirt closed.

[Yseult Sierra]

Yseult felt a spatter of blood splash across her face and arm as the thing that was Aradia clawed at her victim, the drops melting into pink smears from the continuous downpour of the sprinklers. Her eyes opened wide at the sight, shocked at hearing Aradia's guttural growl.

Kyria's sharp command brought her back to herself, though she frowned tightly. She believed her response had been controlled and measured, and reasonably subtle as well. She began slowly pulling back, her gaze staying on Olivia's assailants. She winced at hearing Olivia's distressed moan, focusing on the injured men. The one curled up in a fetal position was beyond her immediate care - she might have been able to create appropriate medication internally, if she knew exactly how he was affected, but there was little time.

But the other two, she could do something about, without arousing much, if any suspicion. She used just a trace of her telekinetic ability to agitate tissue into knitting slightly, her skin paling with the subtle effort. The broken arm of Olivia's assailant solidified into a severe fracture, and Aradia's victim had his slashes already clotting, slowing the blood loss.

"Yes, I am thinking we should be going, toute suite." She glanced around, wondering if she should perhaps inflict some of the witnesses with a hallucinogen to render any details of this encounter... suspect.

[z028 Riley]

Kyria gave Olivia a quick empathetic squeeze, but handed her off to Yse. "Get her out of here. I'll catch up in a minute," she said softly.

She turned her attention to the others that had attacked her friend, first to the one curled up on the floor. Gently she took the memories away from him, those that were not his, but left the memories of how he'd felt, curled up and defenseless, on the floor of this bar. He deserved that much. Then she picked people around them, flitting into their minds just enough to change a detail here, a perception there. Enough to muddle the account for any that would look to investigate it. They were going to hear about this, but she'd give her nod to the SGC's paranoia if only because right now it was a kindness to those around them. The altercation had taken less than a minute and most of the bar still didn't know that something had happened. She wanted to keep it at just another bar fight, if she could.

She gathered Aradia up with a look, grateful that the shape-shifter had calmed down somewhat and comported herself to a more human look. "Time to go."

[Yseult Sierra]

Yse wrapped a consoling arm around Olivia's trembling shoulders, guiding the distraught woman discreetly to the rear emergency exit, which for the most part, was abandoned by the panicking crowd. With gentle urging, Yseult led Olivia outside and around the building to the parking lot and Aradia's cobalt Jaguar.

Both women were shaking with the evening air blowing across their damp clothing and flesh. Questing blindly with a telekinetic touch, Yseult popped open the trunk by pulling on the interior catch. Looking inside, she was relieved to find a blanket, which she tossed over both their shoulders. Pressed close, Yseult rubbed Olivia's arms, trying to get some heat into her and ease her trembling.

"Shhhh, Olivie, it will be alright."

[Aradia McConnell]

Aradia and Kyria followed them outside a few moments later. The shapeshifter had transformed back to her previous appearance, the disturbing alterations to her arms as much a memory as the assault - gone, but still fresh in their minds, and likely to never be forgotten. The fierce expression on her face didn't do much to alleviate the impression, but as they exited out the emergency door, she broke into a run in Olivia's direction, reaching up and catching her her sister's tear-streaked face with her hands and looking into her eyes as she tried (and mostly failed) to calm the terror and fury flickering in her own.

"Livy, girl, are you okay? Talk to me. Tell me you're okay."

The others two women could see that Aradia was trembling slightly, and Livy could feel it in the hands cupping her face. The adrenaline rushing through her had no outlet, left to her own devices she probably would've done far worse to the men who had assaulted Olivia than she'd managed to, and then they really would have been in trouble.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia nodded, putting an arm around Aradia. "I'm ok," she said softly. Her voice was shaking and she was still crying, but she managed to say, "I'm fine... I just... I hurt him, Ari. I really hurt him!" Anything else she said was swallowed by a sudden sob.

Olivia curled against her friend, crying into her shoulder. She'd become the one thing she hated. She really hoped that Kyria had been able to pull the thoughts from his head; no one desired to live with that indignity and humiliation.

[Aradia McConnell]

Aradia held her dearest friend in her arms, and smoothed Olivia's curls gently, trying to quench the surge of anger she felt at those words.

"Shhh.. shhh, Livy. You were protecting yourself. You didn't do anything wrong. Not a god-damned thing, girl."

She glanced over Olivia's shoulder at the other two women, and motioned with a faint jerk of her head towards the car. Then she dropped her purse from where it had been hanging off her elbow, and tossed it to Yseult.

"Go on, go get the car, let's get out of here."

What she didn't say were the words she wanted to.. she knew Livy well enough by now to know they wouldn't help.

Son of a bitch deserved every bit of it, whatever it was, for what he tried to do. That's for damned sure.

[Yseult Sierra]

Yse brushed strands of wet hair out of her face then caught Ari's purse deftly, giving the younger woman a nod. She gave Livy's shoulder a squeeze then turned and began walking deeper into the parking lot while fishing for the keys in the large purse. She was standing next to the cobalt blue Jaguar when she finally pulled the fob out.

She pressed the button, there was bleep-bleep of the alarm disengaging, the engine roaring to life, and slid behind the wheel. She quickly adjusted the seat, then pulled out of the parking space and drove up beside the other women.

"Allons-y!"

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia huddled against Aradia and continued weeping, shaking with delayed fear and shock. She couldn't believe that she had just done that. She couldn't believe that she had so eagerly hurt another person. At this moment, she hated the ability to copy these powers; it made it too easy for her to gain control of something that she didn't understand.

Aradia continued to offer comfort, but Olivia was beyond that. Even though she wanted to huddle into a ball of incoherency, her advanced mind continued to think. "What are we going to tell the brass?" she asked softly once her tears were under control.

[Aradia McConnell]

Aradia was quiet for a moment, still stroking Olivia's hair and silently comforting her as she held her close, though her best friend had finally managed to contain her sobs.

"I dunno. I guess the truth, an' let 'em do damage control. We'll probably get in more trouble if we don't tell 'em and they find out some other way. I fucked that one guy up pretty bad, though I think Yse did somethin' to help him. They better not make a big fuckin' deal about this.. those guys were.. I mean, there's nothin' else we could've done, y'know? They were gonna hurt you."

On that note they drove in silence, making their way back to the base. Once they got there and got out of the car, Ari took the keys Yseult handed her and tucked them in her purse.

"Yse, will you take Livy up to her room? I'll go talk to the brass, tell 'em what happened so they know. Vinny's my boss, so I should go to him, but I'm not sure that's a good idea or not right now, an' besides it was all of us and we're on different teams."

The other women could tell Ari was still itching for some kind of a fight, even if it was verbal instead of physical. In that way Ari reminded Livy a lot of Vinny - hotheaded, and always ready to rush into an argument if she believed in what she was arguing about. Whether having the tempestuous shape-shifter be the one to face-off against Landry regarding this matter was a bit of a coin toss though - it might be a bad idea.. it might be a really bad one.

[Yseult Sierra]

"Aradie, a moment," Yseult asked the furious acrobat, placing a hand on her shoulder as she stepped closer to Olivia. She gave Olivia a sympathetic look as she handed her some kleenex than threw a glance at Kyria, asking her to stay as well.

"Olivie, I am truly being sorry if this is being difficult for you, but I am thinking we should all go to speak with the... the brass. Aradie, we are all being involved in this... incident and we should all bear the responsibility and consequences thereof, yes?" Yseult's lips tightened as she glanced at Olivia again, sympathetic flaring in her eyes once more. "As well, if they are seeing Olivie, and the state she is in, they may be more... understanding of our reactions, hmmm?"

[Aradia McConnell]

Aradia hesitated for a moment, studying Yseult with fury in her expression. But after a moment she sighed, and shrugged.

"If Livy feels up to it. But I ain't makin' her go anywhere she doesn't want to right now. You wanna go talk to the brass now, hon? Or you want us to deal with it?"

Her voice was fierce and defensive. Aradia never would have even considered dragging Livy up to talk to the brass in the state she was in, but Yse was probably right. There was no faster way to get to a guy - even a military one - than to stick a crying woman in front of them. And if they were gonna have the balls to punish them for defending Livy instead of thanking them for it, she wouldn't cry over making them feel guilty as dirt about it either.