Scene #8380: Lake Tahoe

Owner	Pose
Rowdyruff Boys	SEVERAL DAYS PREVIOUS... Brick opens the contact on his phone that has the simple nickname $. 5/14/2014 11:43 AM It's been kind of a shitshow of a month. We're going to rent a place on Lake Tahoe, do some debriefing, relax. You coming? 5/14/2014 11:53 AM :princessjudgingyou: What is this... rent? I don't understand. Not staying with Blossom this year? Debriefing? 5/14/2014 11:59 AM The Utonium place is too small for our hypothetical guest list. We're upsizing temporarily. We might do some talking and information collation about all of the shit that has happened, I'm not sure yet. 5/14/2014 12:03 PM Oh you want to throw a party! :princesssurprise: :princessawe: Well. If you're already going to be going to the area, Brick. There is a place in Tahoe you can use for your party. But only if I'm invited. 5/14/2014 12:13 PM I am literally in the process of inviting you. That is what this conversation is. 5/14/2014 12:19 PM Oh. Well lead with that then! :princessmad: If I'm given an invitation by anyone else, A N Y O N E else, they put that as the very first thing. And they don't get the conversation. So, Brick Jojo, am I invited to your event? 5/14/2014 12:23 PM What follows here is a sequence of images focused on their first two messages, gradually zooming in on You coming? 5/14/2014 12:29 PM :princesswitnessme: Yes. In that I will be there and you will come to me. <Princess sends a sequence of images zooming in on a digital map of... Nevada.> Slumming it in Nevada will help everyone get away from the Townsville stress. 5/14/2014 12:34 PM Ok. I suppose the six of us can relocate to the Utonium cabin when the crowd clears, I assume you don't want us lingering. I'll start a group chat for coordination. Anything else we need to pin down right this second? Surprised you have a place on the other shore though. Would have thought you'd prefer the California side. 5/14/2014 12:41 PM Oh. Oh no. It's fine, it's mine. It's just old. I've had it since before the original Predator X. It got stepped on that year and so it's been in remodel. I've not been. Nobody else is going to use it. 5/14/2014 12:47 PM Alright. Thank you for tagging in on Mecha Predator X. Talk to you in the group chat.
Rowdyruff Boys	TODAY 5/17/2014 11:30 AM It is half an hour until everyone was told to try to arrive. It was noted that they were being hosted by Princess Morbucks owing to space constraints, and to temper expectations accordingly. The Nevada-side estate on Lake Tahoe is one of the relatively few spots of actual sandy beach along the lake; a small floating dock has been set up near the shore, but a private marina is a short walk along the beach. A few boats are moored out there now. The actual center of the gathering is out on the beach proper, where a few pavilions have been set up; one with a catered spread and tables, another two that are empty save for a drink cooler each and are otherwise for lounging in the shade. Brick is dressed in red-and-black horizontally striped swim trunks, a button-down plaid shirt, sitting in a lounge chair at the very edge of the farthest pavilion and reviewing a Prompt Book from the Townsville Playhouse. Butch is having a giant goldfish stolen from him by a black bear along the shore. And Boomer... is nowhere to be seen because he's in a wetsuit and somewhere off in the lake with an underwater camera at Bubbles's request. That water is cold, too-- the lake hasn't yet warmed up for the summer.
Remee Halcyon	THE LIBRARY OF TOWNSVILLE As of today, the book Remee checked out is now overdue. --- Remee arives. In theory, she's wearing some casual vacation clothing - logo t-shirt, knee-length dress, sun hat (with sunglasses perched on top of the sun hat) - but at the moment none of that is visible, since she's opted to arrive on four feet, cutting straight through the wilderness to get to the site, since if you have a land speed that's comparable to an automobile, why not make use of it to cut down on travel time (and stretch your legs a bit in the process)? She emerges not too far from where Butch is having his bear escapade, so that's what has her attention first. The wolf comes to a halt, and sits and watches Butch for a moment. "Don't let me stop you from hunting bears," she calls, "But I thought this get-together was catered already?"
Utsuho Reiuji	Expecting Utsuho to actually get anywhere on time is a fool's errand. She doesn't really pay any attention to units of time smaller than an hour unless it's work or food-related. (Mysteriously it's pretty hard to cook anything if you forget to pay attention to it for too long.) Sometimes she is late, but sometimes she is early, and today is an 'early' day. She apparently flew in from the west under her own power, then spent about ten minutes orbiting the lake and trying to pick out which the right place would be by looking for anyone she recognized. Brick being under a pavilion stymied her because she couldn't see him from the air. Fortunately, she just spotted Butch. Utsuho lands somewhere between the pavilions, descending slowly so as to not kick up much dust. There's still a bit, but it's limited to about five feet around her. "I'm here!" she announces, and then, because she is used to the immutable laws of parties: "And I brought some beer!" She did. Utsuho is carrying a thermal carrier, which currently contains eight bottles of beer in unlabeled glass bottles and some small bags filled with ice. They are slightly jostled around from her flight but otherwise just fine.
Timespace Riders	Sougo Tokiwa is here by himself. The colors of his outfit speak to a much more vibrant and joyous mood than the small, reserved smile on his face. Swim trunks bear splashes spanning a gradient from purple to pink, his hands stuffed into the pockets as his flip-flops shuffle across the sand. A gentle breeze ruffles his loose-fitting pale yellow short-sleeve button-up. Keeping to himself is as unusual as showing up somewhere without Woz, but he is nevertheless given to a sort of withdrawn demeanor as he quietly looks through the catering on offer. It's only after he grabs a plate that he seems to remember where he is, or else remind himself of such. Sougo's shadow stretches across Brick, as he looks through the book. "Hi, Brick. Thanks for inviting me." He pauses, a brief spot of uncertainty in his brown eyes, before his soft smile returns. "Do you mind if I sit with you?"
Futaba Nuki	It's a little early, but better early than late! Futaba shows up at Lake Tahoe a good ten minutes before the stated meeting time, wearing her usual light jacket and shorts combo sans stockings and with bright orange Crocs replacing her usual bright sneakers. Her signature scarf is nowhere to be seen, too, but she still has that pouch/fanny pack of stuff-holding still hanging off her hip. Naturally, her gaze goes right to the catered spread. Instead of beelining there, though, she actually swings by Brick's pavillion while squinting over at where Butch and Remee are. "Hey, Mister Brick! hey, Mister Tokiwa! Thanks for the invite. Is that part of the party, too?" She gestures at that fight with the bear, then glances around a few times as she realizes someone's missing while missing some rather key details. "Mister Woz couldn't make it today?" And then she turns to Utsuho when she shows up with drinks. "Hey, Miss Utsuho! Oh, cool. Reminds me, I brought some stuff, too." Grinning excitedly, Futaba reaches into her pouch, then pulls out several suspiciously large sticks and small rocket-shaped things with fuses on them. "Snatched 'em from the stash back home. We can light these up at the end!"
Ishirou	Ishirou has arrived or may have arrived some time ago. He has taken a moment to walk by the catering. It's a whistful stare for some time, trying to remember the smell and tastes of the food gathered. It was...something he was missing in this form. He'll have to make sure the next container could eat and taste...he rather comes to enjoy this part of humanity. Brick is getting popular, but he also imagines that the point was both to decompress /and/ share information. Well, all things considered, he was here for that. Though he did consider diving into the water to help Boomer. He does at least fire a message to Boomer, asking if he'd like some scanning assistance. He takes a seat over by Brick and drums his fingers across the table. Man, not being able to eat makes it apparent to him how much social stuff is centered around food. "Hey," he says and notices a missing Woz...and a very down Sougo. So he sends a second message. <"Hey Woz, this is Ishirou, you there?">
Timespace Riders	"Woz is... um, well..." Sougo smiles weakly at Futaba. "Sometimes, when someone is upset, it's about more than just what's right in front of them, you know? He saw something that really scared him, a while back. Something that's hard not to think about, even after the fact. I think... he needs some time to figure it all out. I miss him..." The would-be king briefly contemplates the ground, given to a thoughtful pause. His eyes flick back upwards brightly, after a moment, with a more genuine smile. "But I believe in him, even so." Ishirou gets a response, with a notable delay. <This book holds no record of a conversation between us. What do you want?>
Powerpuff Girls	Princess was, of course, undershooting the opulence of the accomodations. The 'beach house' in the distance is a three story (hillside beach basement, 'road' level, and upper floor) and singularly reshapes the average residence price in Nevada like a clock weight dropped on film. From the ultra-luxury of a hypertech remodeled beach manor, sweeps a private beach that was manicured by environmental specialists and a conservation team that ensured every part of the real sand beach and surrounding lakeside was pristine, preserved, and ready for Princess. She hadn't been in since Predator X stepped on it the last time. Praise your job-creators! The hard job of wasting money fell to her! Princess herself idles by the drink tables, her 'beachwear' a power crown about her brow, black thigh-highs wrapped in gold patterns and the impression of layers and black bicep-high gloves that are styled the same, with a two-piece gold bikini with black string straps and a high-bound single pufftail of ginger red falling behind her. She needs the low-profile jetboots and power gauntlets to open jars and bottles, you see, and also because who would decide 'no I'd rather not fly today'? Nobody! Certainly not Princess Morbucks. Blossom and Bubbles chatter amongst each other while sitting down the beach, Bubbles in an white one-piece swimsuit with an eggshell blue sarong about her waist and a pair of large tinted sunglasses on, and Blossom sprawled on a flower-print towel in a cardinal red two-piece with a black bow in her hair. Buttercup is taking the bear's side along the shore. Ishirou's lingering around Brick draws Princess' quirked brow, appraising Ishirou and then looking down the line to Futaba. "Sure, girlie. All part of the party. Did Brick call it a potluck?" The rich girl scoffs lightly, as if she'd ever expect such a thing.
Rowdyruff Boys	"I don't hunt bears, but sometimes I fight them," Butch says, letting go of the huge goldfish and allowing the bear to take off with it-- and probably Buttercup an opportunity to tackle him or something. He looks at Remee, frowning. "You must be able to talk to people, because Brick's the one who can actually talk to animals." It's unclear if he doesn't remember Remee or if he's just a bit slow on the uptake. Brick exhales sharply to blow the dust away from his pavilion. He nods towards Utsuho. "Oh that's not gonna be nearly enough," Butch observes, meandering over to the pavilions and considering Utsuho's offering. "... Well, maybe not for Morbucks." Brick shuts the prompt book and looks at Sougo. He makes an affirmative noise, red eyes flicking from the future-King to the surroundings. After a moment, he adds, "Tell Woz to stop being a little bitch like the entire world is a payment kiosk pressuring heroism tips out of you, instead of heroism being something important to you, and get his ass over here." Boomer is not around to tell him that this is wildly uncouth. To Futaba, Brick says, "No, Butch just sometimes roughhouses with bears." Boomer surfaces because he is wearing a waterproof radio. "I mean, do you wanna swim in this? Anyway, I'm just doing a favor Bubs asked of me, we don't need a team doing this!" Brick stuffs the prompt book in a bag beneath his lounge chair, grabs another folder out from it, and opens it up. "To get to the business part of things, I did some digging on Hardly Industries. In addition to having their hooks in that school run by 'Father', they have a few different locations scattered across the world. Most of them are in countries with abysmal labor laws, and it appears as if they began to specialize in a combination of crypto-mining rigs and 3D printing as of last year." "There is some sort of obfuscatory occult effect in play that is preventing me from identifying their headquarters however. I'm reasonably confident it's in the bay area for prestige reasons, but we're going to need to destroy a bunch of sigils that are probably guarded in these other places." "One is almost certainly in Father's school, and there are at least three more with daisy chained obfuscatory sigils, so we're going to need to do some trespassing and arson to identify the rest," Brick concludes. //Did Brick call it a potluck?// "No. But I did assume that your tastes might be too refined for some of the visitors, so I didn't discourage bringing anything," Brick says, shrugging.
Ishirou	Ishirou listens to Sougo, waiting for Woz's response. When it comes, he's not surprised by the initial reply. He takes a breath and puts on his patience a little bit. Well...he would have taken a breath, it's a theoretical breath. A Theath if you will. He catches the Princess' appraisal, and wonders if he should get a holo set up so that he could at least blend in better while his more long-term body was waiting. "Ishirou, Princess. I can't eat right now, so I was just uh...admiring the food." <"Nice to hear from you too, Woz."> Ishirou says dryly, <"I noticed you're not here with Sougo. He says you saw something, and...I'm not going to pry, but are /you/ alright?"> "What's bad about a potluck? Cooking food and sharing it with people is fun. I really wish I could do it right now, but...well.." he shrugs. He laughs at Boomer, in a friendly way, and releases an OPTION from his dimensional pocket. He'll just share his scanning ability with him, so it could help with his favor for Bubbles. "Good thing I wasn't offering to jump in. Also, I am not sure how waterproof I am without RESCUE...and I sent RESCUE in for a tune-up. I can just do that to help!" Also, the OPTION looks like a smaller POD. When Brick comments on the occult effect, Ishirou takes a moment to consider it. "So he's got some magical obfuscation effects. The problem, I think, is that going around doing arson and mass destruction is going to attract local authorities. Also...well..." he isn't keen on it. "I could probably suss out the sigils, my scanners are also tuned to magic as well as other things. If we do find obfuscation magic being used in areas it shouldn't be...it'd give less power to what I think Father's mean method of 'protection' is." "Also Cryptomining? Cringe. I need to mess that up."
Utsuho Reiuji	"Are those FIREWORKS?" Utsuho seems delighted by Futaba's addition to the party. She likes fireworks, okay. Perhaps assuming Princess was asking her too, Utsuho says, "Nope! I just know you bring something to drink to a party. I was going to bring more, but, uh..." Pause. "I couldn't get any more from the people I got it from. I WANTED a keg. Next time I'll bring more, or sake, or something... Anyway, don't worry, it's really strong anyway so you can go light on it and it's fine." This is technically stolen beer; she lifted it from the oni, as they've started to bottle the stuff after a party that introduced them to a lot of bottled beer. Utsuho is not very keen on explaining that around a group of self-professed heroes, either because it doesn't occur to her that it's relevant or because it's way easier. Utsuho glances around at the others, recognizing most of them, though her eyes linger on Ishirou because she's never gotten a good look at his screen before. She seems interested in it, but doesn't actually speak to him before the topic turns to work. "Is it your actual father?" she asks, because she isn't sure if that's a title or not (some priests use that title, right?) Also, it was one of the only sentences that she understood every part of. Utsuho is currently working under the assumption that crypto is one of the weird metals and they've set up rickety old mines. "I'm really good at arson," she volunteers instead. "And maybe I can help find the sigils? I've seen things like that before! But, uh, why do you want to? Are they the people that made the kaiju robot zombie? Or, or! Was it all the drugs?"
Futaba Nuki	Futaba still isn't used to Ishirou's new look, and there's actually a cautious expression on her face as she looks from him to the water, then back to him. "Uh... Are you gonna be okay this close to the water? I dunno if anyone else here is super good with electronics, so be careful. Okay?" Sougo's reply gets Futaba on roughly the same page, though, and she inhales sharply before scratching her head in mild confusion. "I get the first part, but... Uh. Wouldn't it be easier to figure things out if he took it easy out here?" She asks Sougo with an agreeing nod towards Brick. "Er.. Right! Kinda. I mean, better than being stuck on his own with only his thoughts, right? If I've got something bothering me, having someone else to bounce ideas off of works way better." Despite that initial awkwardness, she returns the smile with a confident grin. "Besides. I know you Rider types are real good about bouncing back from this kind of stuff. Better than before, even!" Princess' arrival/greeting has Futaba grinning a bit wider, moreso for her actual being-there rather than what she says. "Nope! Anyway, come on over. You're part of this now, too, amd Miss Utsuho's got some stuff you might like!" She's making quite a few assumptions there based on her own tastes. Regardless, Futaba waves Princess over for good measure, and her tail is even flicking from side to side a bit as if trying to entice her to get closer. "Do you really need to keep all that gear on, though? Not like we're gonna get into fights with anything out here. Probably." She considers the bear fighting comment from Brick, and then she does one of those 'oh yeah, I guess' sort of nods. Before she gets a chance to get some food, though, it's time to get some information going! Or listening to it, at least, as Futaba squats in place to keep a low profile while gazing right at Brick during the talk. "Sounds shady... But if it means breaking stuff, that should make it easier to draw 'em out, right? If we get their attention hard enough, maybe we could even catch one of their higher-ups when they come after us. Or..." She strokes her chin lightly. "We catch them in the act." Her eyes go over to the fireworks, and then she grins again while nodding at Utsuho excitedly. "Maybe we could even use some of those to really make it loud."
Remee Halcyon	"Oh - you didn't know..." says the wolf, tilting her head. "I'm sorry, Butch, but you've actually been able to talk to animals all along. It's just that none of them have ever wanted to talk to you. I'm sorry you had to find out this way." She changes from wolf to anthro form (with like two blink-and-you'll- miss-it transformation frames in her animation) and stretches. "Nah, just kidding of course. I don't think we've met, I've talked to your brother a couple times, though. Name's Remee." She waves to Buttercup too. Did she meet her before? Or was that Blossom... She makes her way over towards the pavillion, since that's the way Butch is going and she's not in the mood to stay off to the side alone. Besides, the pavillion is where the food is, and that's the best part of any party. (Remee's own party planning tends to have "What are the guests eating" as her first point of consideration, ahead of other less important things like location, music, venue, and on occasion, occasion.) Correction: food, and crime planning. Pretty good combination for a party, to be honest. "Oh, yeah, if you're looking for a quiet approach to do some investigation, I've managed to get my support staff pulled together and have some samples of their work..." Remee digs around in her gear bag, and pulls out a manilla envelope, in which she roots around for a few seconds and pulls out what looks like Brick's drivers license and work badge on a lanyard, if Brick had a photoshopped mustache, a different name, and was employed by Citiesville 24-Hour HVAC Repair. If it wasn't obviously fake, it'd look very believable. "Might not work for you specifically for this operation since you're a celebrity, but for the rest of us, might get us in through the front door without too many questions being asked," she says. She glances over at Ishirou, as if daring him to speak up about her making fake ID's.
Rowdyruff Boys	"Don't worry about it. Blossom and I will be taking care of the legal element. Also, although I know that we don't really live that way, we're rich enough to delay legal retribution until we're done," Brick replies to Ishirou, coolly. He shuffles the papers in the folders. "And rich enough to bribe the governments in the countries with sigils hidden in factories." //Also Cryptomining? Cringe. I need to mess that up.// "That's fine. Leave MojoCoin alone, though." //Is it your actual father?// "No. My actual fathers are Mojo Jojo and HIM. We don't know if it's an alias or some sort of supernatural identity yet. He's the one that's been sending discount Hyper Rangers at you, though," he explains. //But, uh, why do you want to?// "It's a circular chain of obfuscatory sigils. You can't find them unless you incidentally already know where they are or blunder into them, except the last one which is stacking the effects of all of them to be essentially invisible despite having a known location. When we break one it will expose the next location. Presumably our culprit is at the final and currently wholly invisible marker." "Ooh," Boomer seems impressed by the OPTION's scanning ability. He nods, and dives back under the water. Notably, he doesn't actually have any air supply on him. He probably only surfaced so he could talk. The OPTION is probably feeding back images of various marine life. //But if it means breaking stuff, that should make it easier to draw 'em out, right?// "Nope. The entry and arson precipitates beating the shit out of them on their own private property," Brick explains, simply. Butch appears to be more slow than outright dumb, because he frowns at the wolf. "No, that's wrong. My ingredient was snails, not--" He pauses here. "Snails are an animal, though..." "Oh, uh, I'm Butch." It's unclear if he lost interest in the subject that fast or not. Brick inspects Remee's fake ID. He nods. "That would be helpful for most of the group. Though, as I've been saying, the actual legal element of this is more-or-less taken care of. Don't use Citiesville, though. They hate supers, it could get complicated."
Timespace Riders	Sougo takes a seat. He smiles bashfully at Brick and Futaba, a hand snaking away from the plate balanced in his lap to rub at the back of his head. "I'll pass it along," he says. He will! Just maybe not in those exact words. His other hand carefully fishes in his pocket for a compact, yet blocky phone. It looks like it could survive a truck backing over it. Unfolding it (it beeps!), he pores over the screen, while his thumbs compose a message. <Hey.> <Brick and Futaba were asking about you. It's fine if you're still upset.> His thumbs hesistate, his reflection in the screen displaying a thoughtful expression. Briefly, he looks up, eyes sweeping over the opulent beachhouse and the spreads of food. <I'm going to be the kind of king that cares about his subjects, and wants the best for them. I know it's dangerous. But if I have you with me, I feel like I can do anything.> <I just wanted you to know that.> He closes the phone, and sighs--not entirely unhappily. "Thanks for thinking of us, Brick," he smiles, before folding the phone shut and digging in. While he works on the food, Sougo listens to Brick's briefing regarding Father's school and Hardly Industries, nodding along. "I think I have a few things that could help with that," he says confidently. "I guess the most important question is which one to start on--do we know if destroying one alerts them, in any way?" Ishirou's response, like the one before it, comes with a noticeable delay. <I will be. Your concern is appreciated, if not understood or asked for.> Sougo shakes his head at Utsuho. "I'm not actually sure if he's anyone's father. Um..." He taps an index to his chin, as a little fork rests on his plate, then nods in agreement with Brick. "Based on what I've seen, it's kind of like... 'father' is something he wears, not something he is." After a pause, he beams at Princess. "Thanks for hosting all this, by the way. And for your help. That was you, with the..." He lifts a hand, then makes a falling motion, tracing an index through the air to collide with the palm of his opposite hand. Both then flutter outwards in a 'boom' gestures. "Wasn't it?"
Powerpuff Girls	Off on the beach, Buttercup drops into a wide wrestling stance and lunges for Butch during his vulnerable period, erupting with a plume of sand in opportunity attack to his dumb-assed comment. "No, stupid, she's not a talking dog! She's got druid levels!" The emerald Puff corrects, engaged in unserious full-contact sport. "Wait, you just realized there's snails in you? Just right now? Snails are a living thing, doofus! Ohhhhhh myyyyyy goooooooooo-" Buttercup groans into giving up, sat crosslegged on the beach sand. "Please forgive Butch, his element takes a while to get anywhere." Says the Too-Spicy Girl. Princess tracks back to mechaman-Ishirou and continues to give him weird looks, but the weird looks go from 'mild host concern at a guest sitting at the table slouched and not eating anything' to 'this robot boy is the sad kind of broken'. There is no secondary scorn quite like a rich girl's gentle pity, but there's so many positive modifiers to this situation that instead of being very 'that sounds so awful, for you', she wheels on Utsuho and the oni booze. "Oh, wow! You're the nuclear signature my HUD picked up! We've got to team up sometime - my Satellite Armor system allows me to absorb solar and nuclear energy, we'd be an unstoppable duo!" She eagerly chatters, happy to Network with the lady who could continually re-juice her strongest strain form with fresh charge. "And you brought the good stuff!" She cheers, her armor flash-deploying a golden-clear wine glass in her hand to pour the cask's contents into, ignoring the 'it's strong!' warning to immediately take a Wine Aunt pull like an experienced drinker. Princess does not wheel to Futaba, so much as turn on her heel and, flushed faced, instantly fall the heck over, fainting in a heap on the beach. "Hehe.. hehe.. girlie, you got real big!" She bubbles up. "Gearsh?" She slurs. "Itsh power-fashun!"
Rowdyruff Boys	Brick grunts concerning Sougo's thanks. It's only once he winds back around to business he verbalizes again: "I would assume they'll know at latest by the second one we hit. These types of sigils don't have a built-in alarm but being attacked is fairly obvious past a point." On the subject of FATHER, though, he adds, "It would be possible to create 'a father'. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what happened. Pipes, smoke, a tight-collared shirt. Perhaps the collar cut off for a slightly easier ingredient." Butch braces in time not to get bowled over but doesn't actually start moving to retaliate immediately. He's still thinking about the snail thing. "Uh-- I mean, yeah. I don't think about it that much. When we were like... twelve, Brick and Boomer told me that I basically turned into a mini-me snail person that was even dumber than normal. I don't even remember any of it." "Now I wonder if I CAN talk to animals, though..." Brick sniffs the air and eyes Princess. He closes his folder and puts it away in his bag. There is a quick SKRRR back and forth as he zips over to Blossom's more distant towel, deposits his bag, murmurs something to her (most certainly explaining that Princess is drinking something heavy), and then zips back. He doesn't care if he's in the splash zone, but his bag might not survive.
Ishirou	Ishirou frowns...sure they're covering the side of this, but...Ishirou still feels weird about just going in and blowing stuff up and setting it on fire without a more focused plan. Though it seems Remee comes up with a way for them. He looks at the IDs, and takes a moment to try and look for forgeries, going a bit deeper each time. Specifically, he's trying to figure out where they'd fail. "Not bad," Ishirou says, "If it lets us get in and look around...the destruction of the sigils would be more focused, and we can plan around their defenses at each point. Even getting to scan one of them might allow me to better understand the others." he says to Brick. "If we can line skip even once, then we can catch them by surprise, but we'd want to be tactical with that." Ishirou smiles as he gets the photos back from Boomer, and has POD open a holoscreen so the photos can be shared. To Woz, he focuses for a moment. <"We've worked together, right? We're comrades in at least some ways, even if we don't see eye to eye on everything. And...it's obvious on Sougo's face how much he's hurting, I can imagine the same is for you, even if you don't like to show it."> He pauses, looking out over the water for a brief moment. <"I don't like to see people suffer...and that much I think we three have in common. So if you need someone to talk to, someone who won't speak about it except to you, I got an ear. If not, then at least letting you know others care for you seems like a good place to start."> Ishirou tries to give the Princess a smile back, but he knows the look. He takes a breath...or rather would if he could. "You know, the first thing I am doing when I get a body with taste back?" he says to nobody specifically. "Cook. Like... a lot. I'm not HIM in that diner, but I think I do a pretty good job." Though after some time, "I...do owe some apologies to you all. With...you know, getting into it with Petra. Time and place were bad, and..." he sighs. He's about to continue when the Princess gets very drunk very fast. "...from an oni, you said?" he says to Utsuho. He tosses a look Futaba's way. "Oh I am not proof, but I do have some protection. It'd be an awful design to not be able to even be splashed by water.." "It'd also make sense if the sigils are placed geographically and geosynchronously. They'd get more power out of the ritual that way, but we'd need to at least find the majority of them to work it out I think. We might be able to line skip near the end. If we could find the hidden location BEFORE taking them all down, then we could get a surprise off...and they'd probably have their forces guarding the other two locations rather than their main base." "It's...well it's a lot of maybe's based on incomplete information though."
Remee Halcyon	> Druid levels "Um - something like that." Remee does not so much as 'revere' nature as much as she 'sometimes lives in it' and or 'eats large amounts of it'. > They hate supers "Yeah, noted. I just had them pick 'somewhere else close by' for the proof of concept here - I'll doublecheck the location for the real ones..." Oh, hey, there's Sougo. "Hey Sougo!" Then she looks around, clearly looking for Woz - but then she manages to pick up on enough of the conversation to know not to ask out loud about it. > Specifically, he's trying to figure out where they'd fail. Ishirou would likely need to bring up samples of legitimate ID's to compare them to, but at that level of inspection they don't quite pass muster. At the cursory glance level, though, yeah, they're good. "Hey, Ishirou, sorry about... stuff," says Remee, vaguely. "I... wasn't able to stop her."
Utsuho Reiuji	The beer is free access. Utsuho takes one and immediately runs into her usual problem of 'how do you open a bottle of beer with one hand'? Fortunately, by now she's had some practice, and she knows how to pop the cap off against one of the corners of the octagonal rod that makes up much of her other arm, without spilling it all over herself. "Hmm..." Utsuho, who does not have a father as far as she knows, is a little unsure how that works, but everyone else seems to be agreeing that it does work. "Well, I don't really like him doing that, so I guess that makes sense. Anyway, they could just have a regular alarm near it even if the sigils don't have alarms, right? I've seen those before. And if she's using fireworks," by which she means Futaba, "they'd definitely go off." No, she didn't bypass them, she triggered them face-first. That's what you do with alarms. What is she, a coward? But then Princess comes at her. "That's me!" Utsuho pulls herself up to her full height as she stands proudly. "I'm Utsuho Reiuji, the Scorching Divine Flame! I'm good at nuclear fusion because it's how the sun works. We could definitely work together, especially if you're doing this with everyone else!" Because now Utsuho is Invited, and now that there are people who want her here, getting her to go away is going to be a lot harder. She asides to Ishirou, "Yeah! The oni live in the city closest to where I'm from and they do a lot of brewing. So a lot of Underworld parties have oni-made alcohol. I just bring it places with me when I can; normally sake's easier to carry but they've been bottling beer more lately." Pause. "If you're going to figure out how to taste things you can have some then?" She does offer one to Remee while she's food-hunting, though.
Rowdyruff Boys	"The probable final relevant location is an oil rig, it just doesn't functionally exist for us until we get rid of the other sigils," Brick explains to Ishirou. He nods at Remee. Nobody could've known that Citsyville was actually hostile to superpowered people, anyway. It's mildly obscure local history. He adds, "Nobody is responsible for Petra except Petra." He stands up, grabs an oversized and definitely overpriced bottle of water from the food line -- he does not observe the queue, such as it exists -- and pushes it into Princess's hand. "Drink."
Ishirou	"...Why an oil rig specifically?" Ishirou asks, not following the logic, but it could be more Bionacle Lore. So he wouldn't exactly know it. He shakes his head to Remee, and then nods to Brick. "It's true...we're all responsible for our own actions. Don't feel responsible for her, alright?" he gives Remee a smile. "Also, it's good work," he says, "It'll pass anything but actually comparing it to a real ID. If you want something that holds up more we could work together." He says, "But obviously I don't know anything about this." "Huh.." he says to Utsuho. "Well, can't drink, sorry. I'd at least try it."
Rowdyruff Boys	"It was one of HI's earliest purchases in 2013, provides a gateway to international waters and to San Francisco, and exists within the splash zone of the Chem-X pollution caused by the original Predator X 's death," Brick explains to Ishirou. "There are a few residential real estate purchases that are probable homes for HI executives but it's not actually useful to catch them at home."
Futaba Nuki	'Nope. The entry and arson precipitates beating the shit out of them on their own private property,' "Oh no. That could be a problem." Futaba replies in the least affected tone possible, even placing a hand on her cheek for emphasis of how un-upset she feels about being told that. "Between you, me, your brothers, the Powerpuffs... Eh. You get the idea." She snickers mischievously, then turns to Sougo with an approving smile at his reply. "Good. He was really cool the last time we fought together, and it'd be a big bummer not to have him around for a celebration like this, too." A beat. "Even if we're still doing a bit of work. Kinda. Planning." She clarifies before finally snagging some food for herself via stretching her arm aaaall the way over there in a way that would probably look kind of gross if it wasn't so wobbly. That's about when Princess gets blasted almost immediately by the good stuff. "Should've eaten a bit first before you started with that, Princess." Futaba teases with another laugh, turning her other arm into a big spatula to help lift Princess back to her feet carefully while offering her a handful of some kind of bready thing. "I could get way bigger than this! Or turn into gear. Or... Big gear. Big fashion." Snickering again, she looks over at Utsuho a moment later with another grin. "Mhm! I'd grab more, but I couldn't go too crazy or someone might've noticed. I don't mind people noticing stuff I do most of the time, but... Right time and place, you know?" She waggles a firework for emphasis. Back home, someone totally noticed. It's hard not to notice all those open gaps in the storage room. Ishirou reassures Futaba about his new construction, but she still looks skeptical. "Just as long as it doesn't get into any super-open spots, right? Hmmn. Maybe we should get those plugged up just in case, though... Wait. Do you even have any open holes to worry about?" Brick mentions an oil rig, though, and that gets her looking mildly worried again. "Setting off fireworks in there would... Er. Would that be a problem?" She sounds like she probably knows the answer already, but part of her also kind of wants to see an oil rig explode.
Rowdyruff Boys	"Assuming I've correctly identified it as a target, we won't want it blown up, so yeah, you'll want to go light on the collateral there. Even odds that it's wired to self-destruct anyway, though," Brick answers Futaba, finally lying back down on his lounge chair.
Remee Halcyon	Remee takes the drink gratefully. > "Nobody is responsible for Petra except Petra." "Right. Of course. She wasn't... one of us." It's important to make that distinction. The Watch didn't temporarily murder Ishirou. Petra did. ... Remee still feels responsible, though. > "If you want something that holds up more we could work together." "... Oh?" Wait, Ishirou's being cool about this? Huh. Maybe Remee had the wrong idea about him. "Well - if you're serious about that, then yeah. I'll put you in touch with my staff."
Powerpuff Girls	Princess 'Dead On Her Golden Behind' Morbucks is proffered with WATER and BREAD, Brick getting a nod and smile from Blossom as he helps figuratively peel their golden host, and Futaba helps literally peel their golden host consideringly off the sand. Princess wobbles on her feet, her 'soft' armor compensating heavily for her state and automatically adjusting her footing a bit in the sand when she's stood back up, golden wineglass discarded for a bottle of delicious water and a grip of wheat. "We'll get along great, girlsss-- Slurs Princess, instantly in her cups and chummy with everyone. "And enjoy the party! If you need-"" She hiccups. "-anything I'll just send you a bill!" She sounds real serious, even drunk, clear and proud, and then catches Blossom giving her the :blossomreally: look for effect and snaps her eyes away to correct: "Is the normal, usual Princess, but seeing as that Incredible Petra took a swing at me too, specifically, I'm willing to play Puff for a bit." 'Play' she says, drunken-flushed and giggling into her waterbottle like a schoolgirl. Meanwhile... "Keep crawlin' little snail!" She teases, applying a sandy-handed razz to Butch's hair as the green Puff applies a noogie-like grab-and-forced-friction.
Ishirou	Ishirou isn't cool about people using bureaucracy to do evil things, not about using it to do good things and to keep property damage low. If more of the watch were less explosive, he'd probably be a lot more okay with them. Then again... given who he's dating... And who is one of his best friends are... And... It's easy to say that Ishirou doesn't blame the Watch period for what happened, though, at the time of his hurt, he blamed them for not acting. Though time has...well let's say reminded him that there is a reason people are attracted to each group, and Petra's attraction was not because of a belief. "...Well, the situation with the Incredible Petra was...weird," he admits to Princess. "I wouldn't hold it against her, given what someone tried to design her to be. Even if not for Petra, keeping IP out of Townsville is going to be good for her for now, I think." He frowns at Futaba, "No! No holes, and no thinking about putting some in me," he kids. "...I'm not /that/ fragile.." He really is that fragile.
Timespace Riders	Sougo makes a concerned 'mm' in response to Brick's notion of FATHER. That someone could 'make' someone like him is... "It just raises the question of 'why,' doesn't it?" He shrugs, then works a little more on his food. "Anyway, I'm not too worried about what we'll have to do, either." A small, almost mischievous little smile takes hold, his brown eyes brimming with quiet enthusiasm. "A good king would help with something like this." <You and I are fundamentally different. What work the two of us have done together has been the will of my lord, nothing more.> <What love I have is for him, and not the world. Until he takes the throne, the latter will always be imperfect to me. Its shape and movements are loathsome to me, and its people almost entirely beneath notice.> A long pause follows. <Be that as it may, I will follow him. Do not worry for me.> "Hi, Remee," Sougo says, waving and smiling warmly despite the circumstances. He's good at putting on a brave face. "Um... do you think you could make two IDs for me? I know that... last time didn't go so well, when I used that trick. But I think it could be really helpful this time around!" He means being in two places at once. Sougo beams at Futaba. "He doesn't show it, but I think he'd appreciate hearing that," he says.
Utsuho Reiuji	"Well you could THEN," Utsuho says to Ishirou, because the concept that someone might simply choose not to drink is completely lost on her. Brick says he might not want a place blown up, and Utsuho makes a face. First they want arson, then they DON'T want arson. "I guess I need an ID card too," Utsuho says, with a frown. "I don't see why! Everyone who looks at me knows who I am." "Yeah, you shouldn't poke holes in people," Utsuho says, "unless you're fighting them, because that's different. And you don't even have to do that if you just blow them up, anyway." She gives Princess a big thumbs-up. She's sure she won't get a bill for this.
Rowdyruff Boys	// Right. Of course. She wasn't... one of us. // "Yes, she was," Brick says, retrieving his sunglasses and putting them on. "The Watch by nature is not a monolith. Membership is a statement of disparity more than it is of unity, with the caveat that we are seeking unity with those who possess the same measure of 'justice' that we do, and vaguely cooperative neutrality with those who, at the least, do not deviate violently from what we are comfortable with." "The Paladins are a monolith with an expectation placed upon those with power." "The Concord is a mafia of those in power in which conflicting solutions are weeded out violently though internal discord is limited to bearing out ideas in short-term conflict rather than long-term conflict." "In both," he continues, "there is a minimum obligation to other members with a relatively high bar. Not so with the Watch. Petra Soroka is fortunate that she was surrounded ALMOST only by Watch members that would endlessly make excuses for her. And, evidently," Brick squints at Ishirou over the tops of his sunglasses. "Even her chief victim is willing to extend astoundingly undue benefit of the doubt. Let me be clear:" "Petra Soroka's insecurity about her own worth is correct. The budget clone made out of polystyrene, cotton stuffing, and betrayal is preferable to her. If she died retroactively and we had only ever met the copy we would all be meaningfully better off and less compromised. Her reaction is in no way actually understandable, because the only thing she needed to do to not be second place in her own existence is to fake being marginally less shitty than the copy until it was a habit, even if it wasn't her actual character speaking."
Rowdyruff Boys	Meanwhile, as HEAVY TALK occurs nearby, BUTCH is ambushed! He blinks rapidly, tries without success to pull free, and then takes a deep breath. Buttercup probably knows what's about to happen only a half-second before it does. He exhales powerfully and a great plume of sand spreads out from their position. The boys have lost some habits, but absolutely dirty fighting on occasion is not one of them. Brick raises his sunglasses properly and replies to Sougo, "Some people are just assholes like that. But sometimes people just want to do things in an unconventional way, or can't do it the normal way."
Ishirou	Ishirou sighs a little hearing Woz. <"You know, not everyone is like Sougo. Not everyone chooses to do better for the world because they have some deep-seated thing in their hearts, right? Some people are 'born wrong', hate too easily, or any number of things..."> <"...And some like you do it for only one other person. That doesn't make you bad to do something for the person you love above all others. It doesn't make you selfish, it...makes you human."> <"If you hate the world, then it seems to me you have decided to make it better in a way that you have decided, and that's through him, correct? ...But alright. Just don't be away from him for too long. He's... definitely visibly less happy with you around, even if he pretends otherwise."> He turns to look at Brick who speaks about Petra. "I know, and you were right. I...think I placed my blame on thinking that the Watch SHOULD do something about it. That in her taking the side of someone like Eggman, that she betrayed something...but there is some doubt in that." He takes a sigh, "And my actions were not constructive either. I made things worse, even if the blame squarely lies on her..." he pauses, listening to how Brick compares Betra with Petra. He can't disagree...something wants to, but he knows he's right. He feels bad that he is...he feels awful that he could ever assign that to someone. But it's true...when he became alive again, he knew that if someone like Petra was human then humanity needed what made Petra removed from it. "...I hate that I can't disagree with you Brick. About her...a part of me wants to, so badly, but...I can't. It's...it feels awful. To think like that, but...I can't forgive her for what she's done. I don't think I ever will, and..." he pauses... "No, not important right now. Whatever came out of this, I want to refuse to make me and those around me worse for it. So I will do anything to become stronger from it..."
Rowdyruff Boys	"There are Watch members who should have done something and didn't because they're drawn in to Petra's web of bullshit emotional terrorism, which has resulted in most of them behaving around her as if they are substantially worse people than they normally are out of accumulated personal investment," Brick replies to Ishirou, folding his hands behind his head. "As for us, as a point of policy, we three don't make the call to kill villains because that call could have been made against us quite reasonably. It is deferred to the girls, who do not really kill thinking beings on purpose."
Futaba Nuki	"Alright, no indoor fireworks, then. Just.. Outside?" Futaba is going to have to think harder about this one. "It can't be that hard aiming these things. And.. Hey, what better time to practice than today, right? But if it's just getting inside easy, I shouldn't have too much trouble." One thing's for sure: She has never actually set off fireworks herself before. That certainly won't be a problem when it comes time to actually setting her stash off. Her hands are freed up once Princess is back on her feet, although she keeps her tail hovering/stretching around behind her just in case. With said free hands, though, Futaba gets a chance to snag some food for herself along with some glasses, passing them out to everyone so Princess isn't the only one with an opportunity to get shitfaced! "I'm not gonna put holes in you! Unless you want me to?" Futaba gives Ishirou a confused look, then snickers before clapping a hand against his back lightly. "No, I'd be better at plugging them up, anyway. I can fill all kinds of stuff real easy if you need me to!" She boasts, completely missing any potential innuendo there. Brick starts speaking of Petra, Betra, and the various factions. That actually puts an uncomfortable look on Futaba's face, especially as Ishirou comments on the matter as well. "If you want to get stronger, you've got a lotta work to do. Then maybe stuff like... All of that won't happen again." She murmurs in an uncharacteristically quiet tone.
Timespace Riders	Sougo shifts uncomfortably when Brick describes Petra. "I didn't know she was... like that," he softly mumbles. "I knew that something was wrong, but I didn't spend enough time with her to see exactly what. She..." Sougo sets his empty plate on the sand beside his folding chair, his frown spreading. "When I hear you and everyone else talk about what she did, I feel a pit in my stomach." He absolutely would have been another voice, giving her endless second chances, and he knows it. And sitting across from him is someone who paid for that dearly. Sougo's phone vibrates, and he quickly reaches for it, startled out of his contemplative stillness. Whatever he sees on the screen lifts a little of the weight from his shoulders. He smiles, holds the phone to his chest for a brief moment, then sends a reply. Standing from his seat, he gives Brick and Ishirou both a nod. "Excuse me for a second," he says, before stuffing his hands into his pockets and approaching Blossom. "Do you have a minute?" he asks her. "We haven't had much chance to talk that wasn't about... you know, working. And there are some things I'd like to ask you."
Ishirou	Ishirou watches Sougo get down on themselves, and he speaks up. "It's not your fault that she took the best parts of people and inverted them. It's something to learn for the next time...because there will be," Ishirou says, trying to be bright about things.
Rowdyruff Boys	"Don't worry about it. We'll have plenty of time to work on the final plan while dealing with his goddamned Robot Masters," Brick answers Futaba, gruffly. He doesn't mean Robot Masters literally. He just means they're going to have to deal with a bunch of dumb fortress levels with enemies at the end. To Sougo, he replies, "The best thing you can do about her is not talk about her." Then waves as he heads over to talk to Blossom.
Ishirou	Ishirou smiles though when he sees Sougo walk away and his response to the phone. He takes a moment to text someone special to him but turns towards Brick. "Robot Masters..? That's a reference...also you know there are uh..." he says, "Megaman around too right?" He hasn't seen X in a while. To Futaba he sighs, "Sorry, but no plugging things on me, Candy might get mad," he says, with a chuckle, "And I didn't mean stronger physically. It's...something else I meant." Looking back at POD's projection of what's underneath the bay he speaks up again. "So we know the location, but the things are making it obscured...and if it's a rig then.." he frowns. How would it be geographically balanced then..? "I'll need to try and examine this close-up. My sensors might pick up something that was missed." "Anyway, I think your plan is sound, especially if we're looking to keep...things less explosive. Though if you need some help with the bureaucracy side of things, please call me in," his eyes gleam. "...Also you mentioned Mojocoin. Is it done legitimately and with environmental regard?"
Rowdyruff Boys	"Yes. There was an incident with a Wendy's Woman a few years back. Not here, I just read about it," Brick says to Ishirou, matter-of-factly. He nods simply with regards to matters of bureaucracy. As for MojoCoin, Brick sighs exasperatedly. "Dad's own miners use geothermal power from the volcano he lives in. I don't really care if you blow up other people's miners. The whole currency is the only stable cryptocurrency and it's because dad made it as a part of the trend and then fucking forgot about it. I just don't want to deal with the huge, stupid hissy fit if a bunch of his equipment gets blown up. He's literally an ultra-intelligent chimpanzee and the ultra-intelligent did not actually at all get rid of the chimpanzee impulses."
Ishirou	Ishirou shakes his head...Wendy's woman... Then he considers the Mojocoin. It's stable, it's run by its own power supply which is gotten from Geothermal. He runs things over in his head and shrugs. "Doesn't seem harmful and kicking the nest seems more harmful." "'Sides, you say he teaches mostly now, right? Seems stupid to disrupt that, over something that's harmless. I'm mostly about stopping the actually harmful and predatory stuff."
Rowdyruff Boys	"He teaches. He is also a genius chimpanzee with megalomanical tendencies. Similar threat profile to Princess over there, but different triggers," Brick explains, jerking a thumb towards their drunken host.
Powerpuff Girls	The drunken host hasn't had a meaningful contribution but hiccups and flush faced grins and nods with glassy-eyed consideration and a middle-distance gaze. When the camera pans to her, with the jerk of a thumb, she lifts her empty water bottle in a gold and black glove and performatively takes a sip-- And doesn't notice she's drinking air. She's waaaay gone. Utsuho scored a One-Hit KO and the answer to Futaba's 'why wear armor' question is direly apparent: Otherwise she'd be Lump Princess, the golden face-down beach mess. And instead she's hanging out at beach day.
Powerpuff Girls	'Do you have a minute' Blossom looks up from her light chat with Bubbles, who smiles at the Once And Future Demon King and disappears in a flash of blue towards the water, jumping right out of her sarong in the process, leaving just the red. "Zi-O -- Sougo, right?" Blossom asks, and her look hovers between worry and a smile. "Are they private things, or...?"
Futaba Nuki	"All those robots, the knockoffs, turning other people into knockoffs..." Futaba sounds like she might be irritated, but her mood lightens up once she shoves some more of those snacks into her face. "At least it's easier than dealing with all the other stuff going on. I wonder if your dad might..." She pauses, then shakes her head. "Nah, bad idea. Getting family involved in these kinds of things'll just make everything weirder later. I mean, we've already got almost-cousins inovlved in this, right?" She asks, looking from Brick to Blossom. "Or is that more like a... wait. Dad on one side, pet is dad on the other side, so that's... Uh." She's hurting her head trying to figure this out, and she hasn't even drank anything yet.
Rowdyruff Boys	"We weren't naturally born. I'm made of snips, snails, and puppy dog tails. Mostly the tails. Butch is snails, Boomer is snips. Our creator is Mojo, but HIM resurrected us," Brick explains for Futaba. He gestures over towards Blossom, "Sugar, spice, and everything nice. In her case, she's the nice. Greenie's spice. The animal whisperer is sugar. Professor Utonium made them, so they only have the one 'parent'."
Timespace Riders	They're at least a little private--this is what Blossom can read from Sougo. He means well, as he usually does. "Right!" He beams. "Private things... Well, kind of," he admits. "You and Brick are... you know." His smile conveys warmth. "And you're able to keep that up, even when you get things like Predator X or Major Man, or Father, thrown into your lap." A hand reaches up, out from his pocket, to again rub nervously at the back of his head, as his eyes flick away from her. "Brick gave me some good advice, a minute ago. About how to keep that up, with me and Woz." He's wanting advice, from her, now. "Bubbles and Buttercup, they have the same thing going on, with Boomer and Butch, it seems like. And I guess I was just wondering how you and your sisters..." He pauses, frowning thoughtfully. "How do you make sure everyone can strike a balance, between what they need to do, and what they want to do?"
Powerpuff Girls	Blossom, sat on the beach in red cloth and black string, considers one of the very big questions of her life. "I know, but you shouldn't feel ashamed to ask it about me, right? We're partners." The Red Puff explains simply and directly, without any artifice. She does not require artifice to explain the truth. "Predator X and Major Man and Father and everything else can't get between us unless we move ourselves away from each other." The ruby puff continues, searching Sougo's face for something and not quite finding it as she talks, searching his eyes for a little spark of light, a knowing that she expected but didn't find. So, instead, Blossom thinks about how Bubbles would explain it, and answers Sougo's second question: "It isn't enough to love someone how you want to love someone. One-sided love isn't balanced, is it? The important part is to love yourself loving them, and love them as they'd want to be loved. If it's only ever about your love, and not about their experience, it's still just about you. Make it about 'us'."
Timespace Riders	"Mm... I really like that," he says, of her first answer. "It makes sense." She hadn't found the spark at first glance, but it's there now--something that he can easily believe, that fits with how he sees himself, Woz, and the world. Her second answer draws a smile from him. The brightest he's done since he's got here. The least burdened, the most true to what's inside him. He knows that Woz has problems loving himself--and that he, the would-be king, has those same problems. But... "I think I know how--how Woz and I can make it 'about us.'" His other hand leaves his pocket, holding two grey, futuristic pocketwatches. The face of each is blank; one circular, like Sougo uses, one square like Woz's. Pink motes of energy swirl around Blossom and Sougo--and swim towards Sougo from the water where Bubbles sped off to. There is a flash, and each of the watches bears the face of an armored rider. They are a matching pair. Woz's bears a red snowflake with exaggerated limbs serving as the 'antennae' of the helmet. Sougo's features two tentrils of blue lightning, branching from a cluster of bubbles. Displayed in white LCD numbers beneath the face of each clock is a year. AU06.