Esbilon
Seven Thousand Club
The story of a Scion of Athene teaching history at Winslow High.
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[Worm/Scion] Owl
- Thread starter Esbilon
- Start date
Esbilon
Seven Thousand Club
22:33 <•Esbilon> The alarm bleeps insistently, tearing Libby from a pleasant, but confusing and rapidly fading dream.
22:34 <Libby> Libby yawns, fleetingly considers hitting the snooze button for another five minutes, then leverages herself out of bed.
22:35 <•Esbilon> Her feet meet the wall as she tries swinging her legs over the side. Apparently her bed is up against the other wall than she thought it was
22:36 <Libby> She frowns. That's not right. Could she have moved the bed in her sleep? She reaches for her bathrobe.
22:37 <•Esbilon> There is *a* bathrobe in the place where her sleep-addled brain expects to find one, but it's clearly not the same, this one's texture is slightly off, and it appears to be a much darker blue.
22:38 <Libby> She stares at it for a minute. Libby has two bathrobes -- one for getting out of bed, one for getting out of the shower -- but this doesn't look like either of them. Very carefully, she stands up and looks around the room.
22:39 <•Esbilon> She is not in her bedroom.
22:39 <•Esbilon> The furniture is wrong, it looks newer and cheaper than what she has accumulated in her own apartment.
22:39 <•Esbilon> But it fits her style, she's OK with this furniture, but she's worked hard over the years to get her own stuff just right.
22:41 <Libby> *Damn,* thinks Libby, permitting herself to swear in the privacy of her own thoughts. *I must have been kidnapped. That gang of satyrs I was after...* The implications are...distasteful.
22:41 <Libby> She prowls around the room, looking carefully for any clues, before approaching the door and listening.
22:41 <•Esbilon> There is no trace of satyrs in the room, in her memories and (thank the twelve) not in her bed.
22:42 <•Esbilon> The room looks like a pretty ordinary, if larger than she is used to, bedroom.
22:42 <•Esbilon> Putting her ear to the door reveals nothing that standing in the room didn't, she's in an apartment building in a good sized city and it's early morning. There are a few people showering, a few birds chirping, and a few cars passing by.
22:43 <Libby> Medusae? Giant-thralls? Family rivals? Her mind continues to spin as she cautiously opens the door.
22:44 <•Esbilon> The door opens up into a short halway with a door infront, one right and one left.
22:49 <Libby> She tiptoes across and listens at one door before trying it.
22:50 <•Esbilon> This door makes no more suspicious sounds than the others, and opens into a perfectly acceptable bathroom
22:51 <•Esbilon> the various products are different brands than she is used to, but a quick examination reveals that they appear to have the same general traits as the ones she has at home.
22:51 <Libby> She tries the second door, wondering where the guards are or if she if being observed remotely.
22:52 <•Esbilon> No guards reveal themselves, nor cameras. But of course, with divine or titanic creatues, such things are hardly needed.
22:52 <•Esbilon> The second door opens into a well furnished office with a desk, good desk chair and several shelves containing her books.
22:53 <•Esbilon> On a closer inspection, they don't *quite* contain her books. Some of the covers are different, and some of the books she has in particularly nice editions are different.
22:53 <•Esbilon> But the general mix is about the same.
22:54 <Libby> Libby shivers involuntarily. It's as if someone has tried to create a mock-up of her life, but didn't quite have all the details. She heads to the desk, looking for clues.
22:55 <•Esbilon> There is a letter welcoming her to her new position as teacher of English literature at Winslow High School in Brockton Bay, Massachusetts.
22:56 <•Esbilon> A quick glance at the digital clock on the desk informs her that she has a meeting with 'Principal Blackwell' in just over two hours.
22:56 → Anne joined (uid40114@b3a1273b.charlton.f7109e70.com.hmsk)
22:56 <Libby> *'English literature'? What the devil? I teach history?* Libby thinks indignantly.
22:57 <•Esbilon> ((Scratch that! History!))
22:59 <Libby> As she continues to search the room, her mind keeps working. *If I'm a prisoner, just trying to find a bus out of town won't work. Someone will stop me. Better play along until I find out what the game is.*
23:00 <•Esbilon> There is also a note in her own handwriting telling her which busses to take to get to this 'Winslow High School'
23:01 <Libby> The site of the note rocks her back, hard. She has to sit down for a minute. It's not beyond the bounds of possibility for someone to mimic her handwriting, but...
23:02 <Libby> She looks closely at the writing (Epic Perception).
23:02 <•Esbilon> It is definitely her handwriting.
23:04 <Libby> She drives her fists into her eyes for a minute. The ache distracts her from her feeling of vertigo. *Am I me? Is this my body, my life, or someone else's?*
23:04 <•Esbilon> The desk offers no reply
23:07 <•Esbilon> Her stomach, however, chimes in with the opinion that whoever she is, she should get some breakfast.
23:07 <Libby> *Good idea, stomach.* Libby goes looking for the kitchen. Maybe a cup of tea will clear her head.
23:08 <•Esbilon> The kitchen is, unsurprisingly, behind the last unopened door.
23:09 <•Esbilon> It too is a pleasant place with a decent sized dining table, a well stocked fridge and a decent selection of tea.
23:09 <Libby> A gloomy thought occurs to her then: if everything else in this mock-up is wrong, they probably got the tea wrong as well.
23:09 <•Esbilon> Libby has no trouble finding anything, though she has never been in this kitchen before, everything is exactly where she would put it.
23:10 <•Esbilon> A quick sniff determines that though the brands are different, darjeeling is darjeeling and earl grey is earl grey.
23:11 <Libby> As she takes out silverware, a thought occurs to her. Libby picks up a sharp peeling knife, presses it to a fleshy spot on her off hand and thinks about something else until she feels the skin part. The sting, at least, feels real.
23:12 <Libby> Looking at the cut on her pal, Libby focuses her attention, willing it to become a bruise.
23:12 <•Esbilon> The cut, obligingly, becomes a bruise. And not even an ugly one.
23:13 <Libby> *My body, then.* Libby feels a wash of relief. She carefully washes the knife before making breakfast - tea, toast, a hard-boiled egg.
23:14 <•Esbilon> Breakfast is filling and the tea helps center her. Whatever this is, the tea is fine and it cannot be all bad.
23:15 <•Esbilon> That's when her eyes fall on the open newspaper in front of her. Apparently, the New York Times has an analysis piece on "Leviathan's impact on global trade."
23:15 <Libby> Libby looks more closely at the article.
23:17 <•Esbilon> It is confusing at first, but after skimming it once and reading it carefully afterwards, it becomes clear that a giant monster (an Endbringer) known as Leviathan appeared in Oslo on June 9th 1996, and has been regularly attacking and destroying ports across the world despite the best efforts of Superheroes (notably an organization known as The Protectorate)
23:17 <•Esbilon> and even Supervillains.
23:18 <•Esbilon> The article dispels the common myth that Leviathan attacks ships, but with fewer and fewer ports in the world, trade still suffers greatly, and of all the Endbringers Leviathan is the one who impacts the economy the most.
23:19 <Libby> For a moment, she wonders if it's supposed to be April Fool's Day.
23:19 <•Esbilon> (The paper, by the by, is dated April 7, 2011, so it might be a very late April Fool's Day)
23:20 <Libby> Libby looks around the apartment for a television or computer.
23:20 <•Esbilon> Levithan is also infamous for literally sinking Kyushu (third largest Island of Japan) and Newfoundland beneath the waves, displacing millions of people.
23:20 <•Esbilon> There was a laptop on her desk in the office.
23:21 <Libby> Going back to the bedroom, she looks for clothes and jewelry. Hopefully, they won't be too different. She misses her brooch, and not just because of the powers. She get dressed while the laptop powers up, then sits down and clicks on the Internet browser.
23:22 <•Esbilon> Most of her clothes are subtly different, but her Relics are exactly the same.
23:22 <•Esbilon> Alongside them, she finds a single owl feather that is warm to the touch.
23:23 <Libby> The sight of her sword and shield-brooch nearly brings tears to her eyes. She fastens the brooch on her collar; then her eyes fall on the feather and she picks it up.
23:24 <•Esbilon> Except for its heightened temperature, it appears like an ordinary, if particularly beautiful and sturdy, owl feather.
23:27 <Libby> For a moment, Libby feels dejected; she had half-hoped picking it up would trigger some kind of message. Then she wraps it in a piece of the silk she normally saves for cleaning her glasses with, and tucks it into the breast pocket of her suit jacket. Its presence is comforting, even if she doesn't yet know why.
23:29 <•Esbilon> It feels comforting against her breast, a reassuring presence subtly indicating that things are going as they should. Unless she's just imagining it.
23:29 <Libby> Going back to the laptop, she checks the homepage to see what the news is.
23:30 <•Esbilon> The news seems mostly the kinds of things she's familiar with, gang fights, unemployment, celebrity scandals, politicians lying, etc.
23:30 <•Esbilon> The major twist that reminds her that she's not in Kansas (or Illinois) any more is that apparently, all the serious gangs are led by supervillains.
23:31 <•Esbilon> The three main gains appear to be the Azn Bad Boys (or ABB) lead by 'Lung,' the Empire 88 lead by 'Kaiser,' and the Merchants led by 'Skidmark.'
23:32 <Libby> So. Not April Fool's then. A different hypothesis is bubbling in her mind. *I wasn't just kidnapped to another town...I'm in a Terra Incognita of some kind. One where history developed differently...*
23:32 <Libby> *Or WAS I kidnapped...?* She looks down at the pocket holding the owl feather.
23:32 <•Esbilon> The feather gives off a slight reassuring presence.
23:33 <Libby> Either way, the plan should be the same, Libby decides. Find out everything she can before getting out of here.
23:33 <Libby> And on that note, she should probably go catch the bus.
23:35 <•Esbilon> Leaving the apartment by the front door leads her down an ordinary, if lightly graffiti'ed, staircase and onto the street.
23:36 <•Esbilon> The bus arrives five minutes late, but is in a decent enough shape. Old, but serviceable.
23:37 <Libby> Libby drops her tokens in the machine and finds a seat.
23:37 <•Esbilon> There isn't much to do in a bus like this, so Libby has ample opportunity to study this city of Brockton Bay.
23:38 <•Esbilon> She quickly gets the impression that it's a city that has seen better days, they drive by several empty buildings, though some seem to have a decent squatter population.
23:39 <Libby> *If this plane has superheroes, they aren't doing very much* darts through Libby's mind.
23:39 <•Esbilon> However, they do also make a swing through the nicer part of town which looks genuinely nice, glass facades, stylish company names, even what looks like some very early bird tourists.
23:40 <Libby> *Tourists? In Massachusetts?* the snide little part of her mind thinks.
23:40 <•Esbilon> As she's looking out the window thinking of superheroes, her Divinely accurate eyes pick up a blonde girl wearing stylish clothes flying through the sky with a brown haired girl in a bridal carry.
23:42 <Libby> *Ooof. Definitely not a joke, then,* Libby thinks. She is less shocked than she might be. After all, she lives in a world where demigods fight giants.
23:42 <Libby> *I had better tread carefully,* is her next rueful thought. *I don't have that power level...yet.*
23:43 <•Esbilon> After a total drive of half an hour, the bus arrives in front of Winslow High School
23:44 <Libby> Libby gets off the bus and heads for the front desk.
23:44 <•Esbilon> It is not a happy place, old facilities, gang tags clearly visible despite the janitor's best efforts. The only thing that looks nice at a glance is the track field.
23:45 <•Esbilon> It's still about half an hour before the students arrive, so finding one's way through the school is a relatively simple matter.
23:45 <Libby> *You'd think the local heroes would put some effort into protecting their schools,* thinks Libby severely...though the honest part of her points out that few Scions want to be tied down to a school either.
23:45 <•Esbilon> Inside, the impression from outside is only reinforced. It's definitely a place that has seen better days.
23:46 <•Esbilon> She's met at the desk by a young red-headed woman with a pleasant smile.
23:46 <•Esbilon> "Hello, how can I help you?" She asks with a cheer that seems out of place here.
23:47 <•Esbilon> According to her name tag, her name is 'Nicole.'
23:47 <Libby> "Hello, my name is Elizabeth Lawrence. I'm here to meet with Principal Blackwell?"
23:48 <•Esbilon> "Ah, yes, of course, the new History teacher," she beams up, "it's good to meet you. I'm afraid the Principal isn't quite ready yet, she just arrived a moment ago. Is there anything I can clear up for you in the mean time?"
23:49 <Libby> "Well...can you tell me a little bit about what it's like to work here?"
23:52 <•Esbilon> She gives an odd, mixed face. "It's good most of the time. The teachers and staff are very nice people, and I like seeing the students milling about."
23:52 <Libby> "Most of the time?"
23:52 <•Esbilon> "But there's a bit of a dark side too," she admits, "the gangs are more present than I'm comfortable with."
23:53 <•Esbilon> "They're not fighting in the halls or anything, but they wear their colors, and it's always in the back of everyone's mind."
23:53 <•Esbilon> "Plus," she adds only a little above a whisper, moving her head closer, "there was this really nasty thing a few months ago."
23:54 <Libby> Libby leans forward. "What happened?" she asks quietly.
23:54 <•Esbilon> Her eyes widen, "oh, but I'm sure you don't want to hear about that. Like I said, it's not a bad place at all."
23:55 <•Esbilon> Nicole is not a very good actor, it's quite clear she doesn't think she was supposed to mention that. Could be the sort of thing that would scare a prospective teacher away.
23:55 <Libby> "I do want to hear about it. I *am* going to work here, after all, so I need to be prepared for whatever challenges the teaching environment has," says Libby firmly.
23:57 <•Esbilon> Nicole glances around to check that no one's around. Then leans forward and whispers, "it was back in January, just after the Christmas break. Some poor girl's locker had been filled with... with... with used feminine hygiene products. You know, pads and such. And then they stuffed her into it. Locked the door." She swallows uncomfortably, "she was in there
23:57 <•Esbilon> for hours before the janitor got her out."
23:58 <•Esbilon> "No one's saying a word about who did it, and nothing was really done. She was at the hospital for a week or two afterwards, and the school paid her bills, but that was more or less it."
23:58 <•Esbilon> She sighs, "the poor girl. I just wish there was something I could do for her."
23:58 <Libby> "Was she badly hurt?" asks Libby, looking sympathetic."Besides the emotional scars of course. Those would be painful on their own."
23:59 <•Esbilon> "No," Nicole says, smiling lightly again, "nothing permanent. Some scratches and such was all. A few antibiotic pills and that was that."
Friday, March 27th, 2015
00:00 <Libby> Libby nods sympathetically again. "A lot of bullying here, then?"
00:01 <•Esbilon> Nicole shrugs, "not more than most high schools I think. The locker thing was extreme, it's nothing like that the rest of the time."
00:01 <Libby> "Something different about the girl, then?"
00:03 <•Esbilon> "Not that I know of. I don't know her well at all, of course, but she seemed pretty ordinary to me. White, dark haired, skinny," she shrugs, "nothing that really stands out. But of course, I don't know her social situation or anything like that. The school's way too big, and I'm way too removed to have any real idea of what's going on between the kids."
00:04 <Libby> "Don't knock. You seem to have a pretty good view of things from here," says Libby with a smile.
00:05 <•Esbilon> "Thanks," she replies with a smile. "I'm Nicole, by the way," she says offering her hand, "Nicole Willis."
00:06 <Libby> "Nice to meet you, Nicole," Libby says, shaking hands. "Call me Libby - all my friends do."
00:07 <•Esbilon> "Nikki," she answers, smiling wider.
00:07 <•Esbilon> Then the intercom buzzes.
00:07 <•Esbilon> "Oh," she exclaims, "Principal Blackwell will see you now," she says, indicating the door with the principal's name on it.
00:08 <Libby> "Thanks a lot, Nicole. I'll see you later."
00:11 <•Esbilon> The principal's office is severe room, housing a severe middle aged woman in severe clothes with a severe hair-cut.
00:11 <•Esbilon> Blackwell herself is dressed in a black blouse and black skirt, her dirty blond hair in a bowl cut and not even the faintest hint of a smile on her lips.
00:12 <•Esbilon> The office is entirely free of knick-knacks, containing only what is appropriate and needed, with a few diplomas decorating the wall behind her and a print of a dark Dutch painting the one opposite.
00:12 <Libby> Libby is not flustered, as she is in a severe skirt, blouse and jacket, with her hair in a severe bun.
00:13 <•Esbilon> "Miss Lawrence," she says, extending her hand and makes a valiant attempt at smiling. "A pleasure to meet you."
00:14 <Libby> "The pleasure is all mine, Principal Blackwell," says Libby cordially, shaking the offered hand.
00:15 <•Esbilon> "Have a seat," she says, indicating the chair in front of her dark, wooden desk.
00:16 <Libby> Libby seats herself, arranging her skirt properly and crossing her ankles.
00:17 <•Esbilon> "As you are no doubt aware, you will be taking over classes that are very much in progress. You should have received Professor Poole's lecture plans already, so I am certain that will not pose too much of a problem."
00:17 <•Esbilon> "Nicole can supply you with maps, keys and other such things you may need."
00:18 <•Esbilon> "Do you have any questions?"
00:20 <Libby> "Can you tell me -- based on your experience as principal -- what you think the biggest challenge facing the school this semester is? I like to know the height of the mountain I'm preparing to scale," Libby says.
00:22 <•Esbilon> "Keeping things calm and well ordered, Miss Lawrence," she responds crisply, "to have an environment that is conductive to learning and to the proper running of a high school, we must first and foremost keep things calm. The gangs are an ever looming threat, but so long as the peace is kept and no one kicks the metaphorical anthill, things will remain as
00:22 <•Esbilon> they should."
00:24 <Libby> Libby nods. "I understand. A turbulent environment is no boon to academic focus."
00:25 <•Esbilon> "Indeed. And often times, the light touch is the best. For all their faults, the students can generally be trusted to police themselves, so long as they know we are there to step in the moment they go too far."
00:27 <Libby> "Do you think this current student body is faulty, then?" asks Libby curiously. "Or simply...more challenged than most?"
00:29 <•Esbilon> "Oh, it is challenged, no doubt about it. But I believe we are doing as good as job as any could be expected to under the circumstances. In this economy, it's almost a wonder we could afford to get someone to replace Professor Poole. If it hadn't been for some recent good fortune, it's likely we would have had to roll a lot of History into World Issues."
00:31 <Libby> "Fortune should always be praised and thanked," Libby agrees, "for it's rare enough when she turns an educator's way. And I am certainly glad Fortune made it possible for me to be here."
00:32 <•Esbilon> "And I," Blackwell responds with a slight nod.
00:33 <•Esbilon> She glances at the clock on the wall behind you, "well, it appears as if your first class is rapidly approaching, Miss Lawrence. Do you have any last-minute questions?"
00:36 <Libby> "No, you've been most helpful. Thank you."
00:37 <•Esbilon> "Excellent," she rises and offers you her hand again, "I look forward to working with you, Miss Lawrence."
00:37 <Libby> "The same, Principal Blackwell."
00:38 <•Esbilon> Outside, Nikki is ready with a set of keys, a map of the school with your classes and the paths to them clearly marked, as well as the teacher's lounge.
00:39 <•Esbilon> "Enjoy your first day, Libby," she says with a cheerful smile.
00:40 <Libby> "Thank you, Nikki, I will. And the same to you," Libby says, taking the provided tools as her mind scrambles. *Hope this place has Internet-capable computers...* she thinks.
00:41 <•Esbilon> One of the pages you've been given is the rules of the use of the school's computers as well as your personal username and password. There's also a fairly standard Internet code of conduct and mention that there are computers in the teacher's lounge as well as the computer lab.
00:42 <•Esbilon> According to the schedule, you have one ninety minute class now, a 15 minute break, then a 90 minute gap, and then lunch.
00:43 <•Esbilon> You make your way to the history class room, unlock it and sit down at your desk. None of the students are around yet, but with 10 minutes to first bell, that's hardly surprising.
00:44 <Libby> Time enough to log in and check her e-mail for this Professor Poole's lesson plans? Libby wonders. If not...well, 90% of a teacher's training is coming up with a huge backlog of lesson plans, to be regurgitated when needed.
00:44 <•Esbilon> Opening the Professor Poole's lesson plan and the textbook, you find that the subject is fairly ready in your mind, and oyu have a vague recollection of having read this very same thing yesterday.
00:45 <•Esbilon> ((The plan is in your folder! Nikki is so helpful))
00:46 <Libby> The very vagueness of the recollection is unsettling -- Libby is used to perfectly recalling everything with crystal clarity. She makes a mental note to thank Nikki later.
00:47 <•Esbilon> As Libby starts recalling the subject, it all comes back to her in perfect detail. Half a minute ago, however, she didn't have a clue.
00:50 <Libby> *That's almost as disturbing,* Libby thinks as she heads for the classroom.
00:51 <•Esbilon> The first student to enter the class room is a tall stick of a girl with long, lightly curving dark hair and dressed in a shapeless grey hooddie and faded dark jeans. She sits down at the first table in, right by the door.
00:52 <•Esbilon> Quickly the room starts being filled up with the usual gaggle of teenagers of all colors and dispositions.
00:53 <•Esbilon> Libby is quick to note that several Asian-American students wear something red and green on their clothes, and that they get particularly dirty looks from the white kids with black and red.
00:54 <•Esbilon> The last girl to enter is tall and black with an athletic runner's build and remarkable presence about her. She moves through the settling crowd with an air not unlike a panther or other stalking predator.
00:54 <Libby> This, at least, is familiar, Libby thinks wryly to herself as she notices the tensions in the room.
00:55 <•Esbilon> Soon after, the class is assembled with some sort of order, most of them looking curiously at their new teacher, some of them staring out the window or at their phones, and some of them ogling her.
00:57 <Libby> Libby stands quietly as the class arranges itself, her very stillness helping instill calm in the room.
00:57 <Libby> “Good morning, everybody. My name is Miss Lawrence, and I’m your new history teacher. I’m looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you.” Suddenly she smiles, and her rather sternly carved face is transformed.
00:58 <•Esbilon> The students do not seem particularly impressed, less so even than the last time she had a new class before her.
00:58 <Libby> “But enough with the canned speech. I’m sure you’ve heard this a hundred times already. So let me just say this:
01:03 <Libby> “History is the great passion of my life -- that and teaching it. But this isn’t about memorizing facts; this is a class about storytelling. I believe that everyone has a story to tell, and that story is important. I look forward to sharing some of those stories with you, and learning all of yours. We are all artists, dreamers, shapers and makers.
01:03 <Libby> Together, I believe we can make something wonderful happen.”
01:07 <•Esbilon> The group has the usual reaction to her little speech. At least the usual reaction since she met her Mother. Most of the class perks up, sitting straighter, looking intently at her. Some are unmoved, the black girl who was last to enter in particular rolls her eyes and goes back to staring out the window. The dark-haired girl who entered first, however,
01:07 <•Esbilon> looks up intently, a glimmer of passion lightening up the otherwise dull eyes behind her glasses.
01:10 <Libby> Libby is still smiling. "Now, rather than just call roll, I'd like everybody to stand up, and help me push these desks back. We're going to do some movement to wake us up first..."
01:13 <•Esbilon> If Libby had not been a Scion of Athene, she has little doubt that the students would have rebelled apathetically against her ideas, but she is and they actually engage meaningfully with each other and the subject.
01:13 <•Esbilon> Some of them even appear to be having fun! Fun!
01:14 <•Esbilon> One thing that catches her watchful eye, however, is that the skinny white girl (Taylor Hebert) shies away from the tall black girl (Sophia Hess), and that the latter is needlessly abrasive.
01:15 <Libby> Libby remembers how much she objected to these exercises when she was a student; it was mostly, she now realizes, because they were taught by people who couldn't think of anything else to do, but were just repeating what *they* had been taught.
01:15 <•Esbilon> It also very rapidly becomes abundantly clear that Taylor and Sophia are on opposite sides of the social hierarchy.
01:15 <Libby> Now she does her best to infuse the activities with energy...and tries to be a buffer between the two girls.
01:16 <•Esbilon> Taylor appears to be relieved that she does not have to deal with whatever it is she usually deals with, and Sophia does not seem to care enough to push Libby.
01:18 <•Esbilon> The class passes, and the students start milling out, chatting excitedly among each other. Most of them about their weekends, their friends, their tv-shows or whatever, but some few seem to be quite taken with Libby's teaching.
New messages since you tabbed out
01:20 <Libby> The scenario -- they were aliens or future archaeologists, called upon to interpret the meaning of these strange and unusual documents to their supervisor. Snickering students questioned the phrases "he made a pass at me with his sword" and "he offered at my breast with his gun". They genuinely seemed to enjoy, however, being asked to figure out what the
01:20 <Libby> account of the Boston Massacre means, rather than just being *told* what it means.
01:20 <Libby> Libby watches them go with the mixture of satisfaction and relief she always feels at the end of a class.
XP: Libby +5 XP
22:34 <Libby> Libby yawns, fleetingly considers hitting the snooze button for another five minutes, then leverages herself out of bed.
22:35 <•Esbilon> Her feet meet the wall as she tries swinging her legs over the side. Apparently her bed is up against the other wall than she thought it was
22:36 <Libby> She frowns. That's not right. Could she have moved the bed in her sleep? She reaches for her bathrobe.
22:37 <•Esbilon> There is *a* bathrobe in the place where her sleep-addled brain expects to find one, but it's clearly not the same, this one's texture is slightly off, and it appears to be a much darker blue.
22:38 <Libby> She stares at it for a minute. Libby has two bathrobes -- one for getting out of bed, one for getting out of the shower -- but this doesn't look like either of them. Very carefully, she stands up and looks around the room.
22:39 <•Esbilon> She is not in her bedroom.
22:39 <•Esbilon> The furniture is wrong, it looks newer and cheaper than what she has accumulated in her own apartment.
22:39 <•Esbilon> But it fits her style, she's OK with this furniture, but she's worked hard over the years to get her own stuff just right.
22:41 <Libby> *Damn,* thinks Libby, permitting herself to swear in the privacy of her own thoughts. *I must have been kidnapped. That gang of satyrs I was after...* The implications are...distasteful.
22:41 <Libby> She prowls around the room, looking carefully for any clues, before approaching the door and listening.
22:41 <•Esbilon> There is no trace of satyrs in the room, in her memories and (thank the twelve) not in her bed.
22:42 <•Esbilon> The room looks like a pretty ordinary, if larger than she is used to, bedroom.
22:42 <•Esbilon> Putting her ear to the door reveals nothing that standing in the room didn't, she's in an apartment building in a good sized city and it's early morning. There are a few people showering, a few birds chirping, and a few cars passing by.
22:43 <Libby> Medusae? Giant-thralls? Family rivals? Her mind continues to spin as she cautiously opens the door.
22:44 <•Esbilon> The door opens up into a short halway with a door infront, one right and one left.
22:49 <Libby> She tiptoes across and listens at one door before trying it.
22:50 <•Esbilon> This door makes no more suspicious sounds than the others, and opens into a perfectly acceptable bathroom
22:51 <•Esbilon> the various products are different brands than she is used to, but a quick examination reveals that they appear to have the same general traits as the ones she has at home.
22:51 <Libby> She tries the second door, wondering where the guards are or if she if being observed remotely.
22:52 <•Esbilon> No guards reveal themselves, nor cameras. But of course, with divine or titanic creatues, such things are hardly needed.
22:52 <•Esbilon> The second door opens into a well furnished office with a desk, good desk chair and several shelves containing her books.
22:53 <•Esbilon> On a closer inspection, they don't *quite* contain her books. Some of the covers are different, and some of the books she has in particularly nice editions are different.
22:53 <•Esbilon> But the general mix is about the same.
22:54 <Libby> Libby shivers involuntarily. It's as if someone has tried to create a mock-up of her life, but didn't quite have all the details. She heads to the desk, looking for clues.
22:55 <•Esbilon> There is a letter welcoming her to her new position as teacher of English literature at Winslow High School in Brockton Bay, Massachusetts.
22:56 <•Esbilon> A quick glance at the digital clock on the desk informs her that she has a meeting with 'Principal Blackwell' in just over two hours.
22:56 → Anne joined (uid40114@b3a1273b.charlton.f7109e70.com.hmsk)
22:56 <Libby> *'English literature'? What the devil? I teach history?* Libby thinks indignantly.
22:57 <•Esbilon> ((Scratch that! History!))
22:59 <Libby> As she continues to search the room, her mind keeps working. *If I'm a prisoner, just trying to find a bus out of town won't work. Someone will stop me. Better play along until I find out what the game is.*
23:00 <•Esbilon> There is also a note in her own handwriting telling her which busses to take to get to this 'Winslow High School'
23:01 <Libby> The site of the note rocks her back, hard. She has to sit down for a minute. It's not beyond the bounds of possibility for someone to mimic her handwriting, but...
23:02 <Libby> She looks closely at the writing (Epic Perception).
23:02 <•Esbilon> It is definitely her handwriting.
23:04 <Libby> She drives her fists into her eyes for a minute. The ache distracts her from her feeling of vertigo. *Am I me? Is this my body, my life, or someone else's?*
23:04 <•Esbilon> The desk offers no reply
23:07 <•Esbilon> Her stomach, however, chimes in with the opinion that whoever she is, she should get some breakfast.
23:07 <Libby> *Good idea, stomach.* Libby goes looking for the kitchen. Maybe a cup of tea will clear her head.
23:08 <•Esbilon> The kitchen is, unsurprisingly, behind the last unopened door.
23:09 <•Esbilon> It too is a pleasant place with a decent sized dining table, a well stocked fridge and a decent selection of tea.
23:09 <Libby> A gloomy thought occurs to her then: if everything else in this mock-up is wrong, they probably got the tea wrong as well.
23:09 <•Esbilon> Libby has no trouble finding anything, though she has never been in this kitchen before, everything is exactly where she would put it.
23:10 <•Esbilon> A quick sniff determines that though the brands are different, darjeeling is darjeeling and earl grey is earl grey.
23:11 <Libby> As she takes out silverware, a thought occurs to her. Libby picks up a sharp peeling knife, presses it to a fleshy spot on her off hand and thinks about something else until she feels the skin part. The sting, at least, feels real.
23:12 <Libby> Looking at the cut on her pal, Libby focuses her attention, willing it to become a bruise.
23:12 <•Esbilon> The cut, obligingly, becomes a bruise. And not even an ugly one.
23:13 <Libby> *My body, then.* Libby feels a wash of relief. She carefully washes the knife before making breakfast - tea, toast, a hard-boiled egg.
23:14 <•Esbilon> Breakfast is filling and the tea helps center her. Whatever this is, the tea is fine and it cannot be all bad.
23:15 <•Esbilon> That's when her eyes fall on the open newspaper in front of her. Apparently, the New York Times has an analysis piece on "Leviathan's impact on global trade."
23:15 <Libby> Libby looks more closely at the article.
23:17 <•Esbilon> It is confusing at first, but after skimming it once and reading it carefully afterwards, it becomes clear that a giant monster (an Endbringer) known as Leviathan appeared in Oslo on June 9th 1996, and has been regularly attacking and destroying ports across the world despite the best efforts of Superheroes (notably an organization known as The Protectorate)
23:17 <•Esbilon> and even Supervillains.
23:18 <•Esbilon> The article dispels the common myth that Leviathan attacks ships, but with fewer and fewer ports in the world, trade still suffers greatly, and of all the Endbringers Leviathan is the one who impacts the economy the most.
23:19 <Libby> For a moment, she wonders if it's supposed to be April Fool's Day.
23:19 <•Esbilon> (The paper, by the by, is dated April 7, 2011, so it might be a very late April Fool's Day)
23:20 <Libby> Libby looks around the apartment for a television or computer.
23:20 <•Esbilon> Levithan is also infamous for literally sinking Kyushu (third largest Island of Japan) and Newfoundland beneath the waves, displacing millions of people.
23:20 <•Esbilon> There was a laptop on her desk in the office.
23:21 <Libby> Going back to the bedroom, she looks for clothes and jewelry. Hopefully, they won't be too different. She misses her brooch, and not just because of the powers. She get dressed while the laptop powers up, then sits down and clicks on the Internet browser.
23:22 <•Esbilon> Most of her clothes are subtly different, but her Relics are exactly the same.
23:22 <•Esbilon> Alongside them, she finds a single owl feather that is warm to the touch.
23:23 <Libby> The sight of her sword and shield-brooch nearly brings tears to her eyes. She fastens the brooch on her collar; then her eyes fall on the feather and she picks it up.
23:24 <•Esbilon> Except for its heightened temperature, it appears like an ordinary, if particularly beautiful and sturdy, owl feather.
23:27 <Libby> For a moment, Libby feels dejected; she had half-hoped picking it up would trigger some kind of message. Then she wraps it in a piece of the silk she normally saves for cleaning her glasses with, and tucks it into the breast pocket of her suit jacket. Its presence is comforting, even if she doesn't yet know why.
23:29 <•Esbilon> It feels comforting against her breast, a reassuring presence subtly indicating that things are going as they should. Unless she's just imagining it.
23:29 <Libby> Going back to the laptop, she checks the homepage to see what the news is.
23:30 <•Esbilon> The news seems mostly the kinds of things she's familiar with, gang fights, unemployment, celebrity scandals, politicians lying, etc.
23:30 <•Esbilon> The major twist that reminds her that she's not in Kansas (or Illinois) any more is that apparently, all the serious gangs are led by supervillains.
23:31 <•Esbilon> The three main gains appear to be the Azn Bad Boys (or ABB) lead by 'Lung,' the Empire 88 lead by 'Kaiser,' and the Merchants led by 'Skidmark.'
23:32 <Libby> So. Not April Fool's then. A different hypothesis is bubbling in her mind. *I wasn't just kidnapped to another town...I'm in a Terra Incognita of some kind. One where history developed differently...*
23:32 <Libby> *Or WAS I kidnapped...?* She looks down at the pocket holding the owl feather.
23:32 <•Esbilon> The feather gives off a slight reassuring presence.
23:33 <Libby> Either way, the plan should be the same, Libby decides. Find out everything she can before getting out of here.
23:33 <Libby> And on that note, she should probably go catch the bus.
23:35 <•Esbilon> Leaving the apartment by the front door leads her down an ordinary, if lightly graffiti'ed, staircase and onto the street.
23:36 <•Esbilon> The bus arrives five minutes late, but is in a decent enough shape. Old, but serviceable.
23:37 <Libby> Libby drops her tokens in the machine and finds a seat.
23:37 <•Esbilon> There isn't much to do in a bus like this, so Libby has ample opportunity to study this city of Brockton Bay.
23:38 <•Esbilon> She quickly gets the impression that it's a city that has seen better days, they drive by several empty buildings, though some seem to have a decent squatter population.
23:39 <Libby> *If this plane has superheroes, they aren't doing very much* darts through Libby's mind.
23:39 <•Esbilon> However, they do also make a swing through the nicer part of town which looks genuinely nice, glass facades, stylish company names, even what looks like some very early bird tourists.
23:40 <Libby> *Tourists? In Massachusetts?* the snide little part of her mind thinks.
23:40 <•Esbilon> As she's looking out the window thinking of superheroes, her Divinely accurate eyes pick up a blonde girl wearing stylish clothes flying through the sky with a brown haired girl in a bridal carry.
23:42 <Libby> *Ooof. Definitely not a joke, then,* Libby thinks. She is less shocked than she might be. After all, she lives in a world where demigods fight giants.
23:42 <Libby> *I had better tread carefully,* is her next rueful thought. *I don't have that power level...yet.*
23:43 <•Esbilon> After a total drive of half an hour, the bus arrives in front of Winslow High School
23:44 <Libby> Libby gets off the bus and heads for the front desk.
23:44 <•Esbilon> It is not a happy place, old facilities, gang tags clearly visible despite the janitor's best efforts. The only thing that looks nice at a glance is the track field.
23:45 <•Esbilon> It's still about half an hour before the students arrive, so finding one's way through the school is a relatively simple matter.
23:45 <Libby> *You'd think the local heroes would put some effort into protecting their schools,* thinks Libby severely...though the honest part of her points out that few Scions want to be tied down to a school either.
23:45 <•Esbilon> Inside, the impression from outside is only reinforced. It's definitely a place that has seen better days.
23:46 <•Esbilon> She's met at the desk by a young red-headed woman with a pleasant smile.
23:46 <•Esbilon> "Hello, how can I help you?" She asks with a cheer that seems out of place here.
23:47 <•Esbilon> According to her name tag, her name is 'Nicole.'
23:47 <Libby> "Hello, my name is Elizabeth Lawrence. I'm here to meet with Principal Blackwell?"
23:48 <•Esbilon> "Ah, yes, of course, the new History teacher," she beams up, "it's good to meet you. I'm afraid the Principal isn't quite ready yet, she just arrived a moment ago. Is there anything I can clear up for you in the mean time?"
23:49 <Libby> "Well...can you tell me a little bit about what it's like to work here?"
23:52 <•Esbilon> She gives an odd, mixed face. "It's good most of the time. The teachers and staff are very nice people, and I like seeing the students milling about."
23:52 <Libby> "Most of the time?"
23:52 <•Esbilon> "But there's a bit of a dark side too," she admits, "the gangs are more present than I'm comfortable with."
23:53 <•Esbilon> "They're not fighting in the halls or anything, but they wear their colors, and it's always in the back of everyone's mind."
23:53 <•Esbilon> "Plus," she adds only a little above a whisper, moving her head closer, "there was this really nasty thing a few months ago."
23:54 <Libby> Libby leans forward. "What happened?" she asks quietly.
23:54 <•Esbilon> Her eyes widen, "oh, but I'm sure you don't want to hear about that. Like I said, it's not a bad place at all."
23:55 <•Esbilon> Nicole is not a very good actor, it's quite clear she doesn't think she was supposed to mention that. Could be the sort of thing that would scare a prospective teacher away.
23:55 <Libby> "I do want to hear about it. I *am* going to work here, after all, so I need to be prepared for whatever challenges the teaching environment has," says Libby firmly.
23:57 <•Esbilon> Nicole glances around to check that no one's around. Then leans forward and whispers, "it was back in January, just after the Christmas break. Some poor girl's locker had been filled with... with... with used feminine hygiene products. You know, pads and such. And then they stuffed her into it. Locked the door." She swallows uncomfortably, "she was in there
23:57 <•Esbilon> for hours before the janitor got her out."
23:58 <•Esbilon> "No one's saying a word about who did it, and nothing was really done. She was at the hospital for a week or two afterwards, and the school paid her bills, but that was more or less it."
23:58 <•Esbilon> She sighs, "the poor girl. I just wish there was something I could do for her."
23:58 <Libby> "Was she badly hurt?" asks Libby, looking sympathetic."Besides the emotional scars of course. Those would be painful on their own."
23:59 <•Esbilon> "No," Nicole says, smiling lightly again, "nothing permanent. Some scratches and such was all. A few antibiotic pills and that was that."
Friday, March 27th, 2015
00:00 <Libby> Libby nods sympathetically again. "A lot of bullying here, then?"
00:01 <•Esbilon> Nicole shrugs, "not more than most high schools I think. The locker thing was extreme, it's nothing like that the rest of the time."
00:01 <Libby> "Something different about the girl, then?"
00:03 <•Esbilon> "Not that I know of. I don't know her well at all, of course, but she seemed pretty ordinary to me. White, dark haired, skinny," she shrugs, "nothing that really stands out. But of course, I don't know her social situation or anything like that. The school's way too big, and I'm way too removed to have any real idea of what's going on between the kids."
00:04 <Libby> "Don't knock. You seem to have a pretty good view of things from here," says Libby with a smile.
00:05 <•Esbilon> "Thanks," she replies with a smile. "I'm Nicole, by the way," she says offering her hand, "Nicole Willis."
00:06 <Libby> "Nice to meet you, Nicole," Libby says, shaking hands. "Call me Libby - all my friends do."
00:07 <•Esbilon> "Nikki," she answers, smiling wider.
00:07 <•Esbilon> Then the intercom buzzes.
00:07 <•Esbilon> "Oh," she exclaims, "Principal Blackwell will see you now," she says, indicating the door with the principal's name on it.
00:08 <Libby> "Thanks a lot, Nicole. I'll see you later."
00:11 <•Esbilon> The principal's office is severe room, housing a severe middle aged woman in severe clothes with a severe hair-cut.
00:11 <•Esbilon> Blackwell herself is dressed in a black blouse and black skirt, her dirty blond hair in a bowl cut and not even the faintest hint of a smile on her lips.
00:12 <•Esbilon> The office is entirely free of knick-knacks, containing only what is appropriate and needed, with a few diplomas decorating the wall behind her and a print of a dark Dutch painting the one opposite.
00:12 <Libby> Libby is not flustered, as she is in a severe skirt, blouse and jacket, with her hair in a severe bun.
00:13 <•Esbilon> "Miss Lawrence," she says, extending her hand and makes a valiant attempt at smiling. "A pleasure to meet you."
00:14 <Libby> "The pleasure is all mine, Principal Blackwell," says Libby cordially, shaking the offered hand.
00:15 <•Esbilon> "Have a seat," she says, indicating the chair in front of her dark, wooden desk.
00:16 <Libby> Libby seats herself, arranging her skirt properly and crossing her ankles.
00:17 <•Esbilon> "As you are no doubt aware, you will be taking over classes that are very much in progress. You should have received Professor Poole's lecture plans already, so I am certain that will not pose too much of a problem."
00:17 <•Esbilon> "Nicole can supply you with maps, keys and other such things you may need."
00:18 <•Esbilon> "Do you have any questions?"
00:20 <Libby> "Can you tell me -- based on your experience as principal -- what you think the biggest challenge facing the school this semester is? I like to know the height of the mountain I'm preparing to scale," Libby says.
00:22 <•Esbilon> "Keeping things calm and well ordered, Miss Lawrence," she responds crisply, "to have an environment that is conductive to learning and to the proper running of a high school, we must first and foremost keep things calm. The gangs are an ever looming threat, but so long as the peace is kept and no one kicks the metaphorical anthill, things will remain as
00:22 <•Esbilon> they should."
00:24 <Libby> Libby nods. "I understand. A turbulent environment is no boon to academic focus."
00:25 <•Esbilon> "Indeed. And often times, the light touch is the best. For all their faults, the students can generally be trusted to police themselves, so long as they know we are there to step in the moment they go too far."
00:27 <Libby> "Do you think this current student body is faulty, then?" asks Libby curiously. "Or simply...more challenged than most?"
00:29 <•Esbilon> "Oh, it is challenged, no doubt about it. But I believe we are doing as good as job as any could be expected to under the circumstances. In this economy, it's almost a wonder we could afford to get someone to replace Professor Poole. If it hadn't been for some recent good fortune, it's likely we would have had to roll a lot of History into World Issues."
00:31 <Libby> "Fortune should always be praised and thanked," Libby agrees, "for it's rare enough when she turns an educator's way. And I am certainly glad Fortune made it possible for me to be here."
00:32 <•Esbilon> "And I," Blackwell responds with a slight nod.
00:33 <•Esbilon> She glances at the clock on the wall behind you, "well, it appears as if your first class is rapidly approaching, Miss Lawrence. Do you have any last-minute questions?"
00:36 <Libby> "No, you've been most helpful. Thank you."
00:37 <•Esbilon> "Excellent," she rises and offers you her hand again, "I look forward to working with you, Miss Lawrence."
00:37 <Libby> "The same, Principal Blackwell."
00:38 <•Esbilon> Outside, Nikki is ready with a set of keys, a map of the school with your classes and the paths to them clearly marked, as well as the teacher's lounge.
00:39 <•Esbilon> "Enjoy your first day, Libby," she says with a cheerful smile.
00:40 <Libby> "Thank you, Nikki, I will. And the same to you," Libby says, taking the provided tools as her mind scrambles. *Hope this place has Internet-capable computers...* she thinks.
00:41 <•Esbilon> One of the pages you've been given is the rules of the use of the school's computers as well as your personal username and password. There's also a fairly standard Internet code of conduct and mention that there are computers in the teacher's lounge as well as the computer lab.
00:42 <•Esbilon> According to the schedule, you have one ninety minute class now, a 15 minute break, then a 90 minute gap, and then lunch.
00:43 <•Esbilon> You make your way to the history class room, unlock it and sit down at your desk. None of the students are around yet, but with 10 minutes to first bell, that's hardly surprising.
00:44 <Libby> Time enough to log in and check her e-mail for this Professor Poole's lesson plans? Libby wonders. If not...well, 90% of a teacher's training is coming up with a huge backlog of lesson plans, to be regurgitated when needed.
00:44 <•Esbilon> Opening the Professor Poole's lesson plan and the textbook, you find that the subject is fairly ready in your mind, and oyu have a vague recollection of having read this very same thing yesterday.
00:45 <•Esbilon> ((The plan is in your folder! Nikki is so helpful))
00:46 <Libby> The very vagueness of the recollection is unsettling -- Libby is used to perfectly recalling everything with crystal clarity. She makes a mental note to thank Nikki later.
00:47 <•Esbilon> As Libby starts recalling the subject, it all comes back to her in perfect detail. Half a minute ago, however, she didn't have a clue.
00:50 <Libby> *That's almost as disturbing,* Libby thinks as she heads for the classroom.
00:51 <•Esbilon> The first student to enter the class room is a tall stick of a girl with long, lightly curving dark hair and dressed in a shapeless grey hooddie and faded dark jeans. She sits down at the first table in, right by the door.
00:52 <•Esbilon> Quickly the room starts being filled up with the usual gaggle of teenagers of all colors and dispositions.
00:53 <•Esbilon> Libby is quick to note that several Asian-American students wear something red and green on their clothes, and that they get particularly dirty looks from the white kids with black and red.
00:54 <•Esbilon> The last girl to enter is tall and black with an athletic runner's build and remarkable presence about her. She moves through the settling crowd with an air not unlike a panther or other stalking predator.
00:54 <Libby> This, at least, is familiar, Libby thinks wryly to herself as she notices the tensions in the room.
00:55 <•Esbilon> Soon after, the class is assembled with some sort of order, most of them looking curiously at their new teacher, some of them staring out the window or at their phones, and some of them ogling her.
00:57 <Libby> Libby stands quietly as the class arranges itself, her very stillness helping instill calm in the room.
00:57 <Libby> “Good morning, everybody. My name is Miss Lawrence, and I’m your new history teacher. I’m looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you.” Suddenly she smiles, and her rather sternly carved face is transformed.
00:58 <•Esbilon> The students do not seem particularly impressed, less so even than the last time she had a new class before her.
00:58 <Libby> “But enough with the canned speech. I’m sure you’ve heard this a hundred times already. So let me just say this:
01:03 <Libby> “History is the great passion of my life -- that and teaching it. But this isn’t about memorizing facts; this is a class about storytelling. I believe that everyone has a story to tell, and that story is important. I look forward to sharing some of those stories with you, and learning all of yours. We are all artists, dreamers, shapers and makers.
01:03 <Libby> Together, I believe we can make something wonderful happen.”
01:07 <•Esbilon> The group has the usual reaction to her little speech. At least the usual reaction since she met her Mother. Most of the class perks up, sitting straighter, looking intently at her. Some are unmoved, the black girl who was last to enter in particular rolls her eyes and goes back to staring out the window. The dark-haired girl who entered first, however,
01:07 <•Esbilon> looks up intently, a glimmer of passion lightening up the otherwise dull eyes behind her glasses.
01:10 <Libby> Libby is still smiling. "Now, rather than just call roll, I'd like everybody to stand up, and help me push these desks back. We're going to do some movement to wake us up first..."
01:13 <•Esbilon> If Libby had not been a Scion of Athene, she has little doubt that the students would have rebelled apathetically against her ideas, but she is and they actually engage meaningfully with each other and the subject.
01:13 <•Esbilon> Some of them even appear to be having fun! Fun!
01:14 <•Esbilon> One thing that catches her watchful eye, however, is that the skinny white girl (Taylor Hebert) shies away from the tall black girl (Sophia Hess), and that the latter is needlessly abrasive.
01:15 <Libby> Libby remembers how much she objected to these exercises when she was a student; it was mostly, she now realizes, because they were taught by people who couldn't think of anything else to do, but were just repeating what *they* had been taught.
01:15 <•Esbilon> It also very rapidly becomes abundantly clear that Taylor and Sophia are on opposite sides of the social hierarchy.
01:15 <Libby> Now she does her best to infuse the activities with energy...and tries to be a buffer between the two girls.
01:16 <•Esbilon> Taylor appears to be relieved that she does not have to deal with whatever it is she usually deals with, and Sophia does not seem to care enough to push Libby.
01:18 <•Esbilon> The class passes, and the students start milling out, chatting excitedly among each other. Most of them about their weekends, their friends, their tv-shows or whatever, but some few seem to be quite taken with Libby's teaching.
New messages since you tabbed out
01:20 <Libby> The scenario -- they were aliens or future archaeologists, called upon to interpret the meaning of these strange and unusual documents to their supervisor. Snickering students questioned the phrases "he made a pass at me with his sword" and "he offered at my breast with his gun". They genuinely seemed to enjoy, however, being asked to figure out what the
01:20 <Libby> account of the Boston Massacre means, rather than just being *told* what it means.
01:20 <Libby> Libby watches them go with the mixture of satisfaction and relief she always feels at the end of a class.
XP: Libby +5 XP
Last edited by a moderator:
Esbilon
Seven Thousand Club
19:58 <Libby> Glancing at the clock, Libby decides to hop on over to the teachers lounge and try to do as much catching up as she can on her peculiar surroundings.
19:59 <•Esbilon> On the way there, she encounters a man about her own age with slick blonde hair and a boyish smile on his face.
20:00 <Libby> "Good morning," says Libby politely.
20:00 <•Esbilon> "Hi there," he says, stopping a moment to offer her a hand as he moves in the opposite direction.
20:00 <Libby> "You work here? I just started today."
20:00 <•Esbilon> "You must be Libby, Nikki mentioned you'd started. I'm James, James Gladly."
20:01 <Libby> She laughs as their words come out at the same time.
20:01 <Libby> "Nice to meet you."
20:01 <•Esbilon> "Yeah, I teach World Issues" he glances at his clock, "In two minutes and thirty-seven seconds, but I'm glad we had this chance to say hi."
20:02 <•Esbilon> "And you," he replies, smiling wider and winking at her.
20:02 <Libby> "Me too," agrees Libby as they part.
20:03 <•Esbilon> The teacher's lounge is as she has come to expect, though fortunately the otherwise omnipresent graffiti hasn't made its way here. There is a coffee machine, a couch, a couple of comfortable chairs, a long common table and a pair of desks with five year old computers on them against the end wall.
20:05 <Libby> Fortunately, that's the age Libby's computer normally is -- she's the type to stubbornly cling to her old model, upgrading and repairing it for a cost higher than just replacing ti, because it feels comfortable to her.
20:06 <•Esbilon> The computer turns on easily enough and the web browser interface is sufficiently familiar that she can find her way to most things she would like to know
20:06 <•Esbilon> The question then, is just what it is she needs to know first.
20:08 <Libby> First thing, check her e-mail, Libby decides. Since she seems to have notes lying around in her handwriting, why not e-mails from her account?
20:09 <•Esbilon> there's the usual plethora of welcome mails from the school, as well as copies of most of the papers Nikki gave her.
20:09 <•Esbilon> No mysterious or enlightening notes from herself or even her mother, though.
20:14 <Libby> "Huh."
20:14 <Libby> She touches the owl feather in her pocket. "Leaving me to figure it out on my own, then, Mater?"
20:15 <Libby> She looks up Wikipedia next.
20:15 <•Esbilon> If owl feathers had the ability to say 'duh,' she's quite sure this one would have.
20:15 <Libby> The site will be the usual mix of gold and garbage, but at least it will be a clue to people's *perceptions* of the reality they inhabit.
20:15 <•Esbilon> Wikipedia is its usual self, though the content is somewhat different given the difference in the worlds.
20:16 <Libby> She starts with superheroes and Endbringers.
20:21 <•Esbilon> The first superhero is Scion, the Golden Man. He was first sighted on May 20, 1982, hanging silently and immovably over the Atlantic Ocean. She finds a short documentary about him that she saves for later use (http://pastebin.com/4ZcrN6xb). Since then, he has been flying around the world non-stop doing good deeds from rescuing kittens to quelling volcanoes.
20:21 <•Esbilon> He never speaks to anyone, except once when he told a Russian woman his name, and does not seem to have any sense of priorities. Those who have seen him say that he gives off an air of immense melancholy.
20:23 <•Esbilon> On a day-to-day basis, the superheroes people in North America are most likely to run into are the Protectorate, a government sponsored organization that spans the United States and Canada, or its junior branch the Wards.
20:23 <•Esbilon> It is their job to fight mundane and superpowered crime, and they always come out in force when the Endbringers attack.
20:25 <•Esbilon> The Endbringers are a trio of truly monstrous beings. The first one, Behemoth, appeared in 1992 and caused massive damage to an oil field in the gulf. Since then, he has appeared many times, always spreading destruction. Most notably, he destroyed New York in 1994, though the city was rebuilt at great cost.
20:26 <Libby> Born and raised on Staten Island, Libby clicks on *that* rather quickly.
20:26 <•Esbilon> The second Endbringer is Leviathan, a terrible water-controlling beast who first appeared in 1996, killing far more people than Behemoth, though Behemoth is far more deadly to the superpowered heroes who fight him.
20:27 <•Esbilon> (on what exactly?)
20:27 <Libby> Behemoth's destruction of New York.
20:28 <•Esbilon> The third and perhaps most feared Endbringer is the Simurgh, a terrible angelic creature who descendes from the skies and whose scream makes people go insane, turning them into murderous time bombs who wreak terror if they are allowed among the common population.
20:29 <•Esbilon> The attack on New York happened on March 26th, 1994. Due to the high presence of superpowered individuals and the high priority of the city itself, Behemoth was defeated after a relatively short time, and compared to many later appearances, the city suffered only minor damage. This was still enough to demolish downtown Manhattan and a large part of the
20:29 <•Esbilon> Bronx.
20:30 <•Esbilon> A massive rebuilding effort was initiated by the US government as well as various private investors as a testament to Humanity's ability to withstand and overcome this new thread.
20:30 <•Esbilon> Sadly, it was the last time people were that hopeful about the Endbringers.
20:34 <Libby> If time permits, she looks into superheroes in more detail. Is there any pattern to their powers? How do people feel about them?
20:35 <•Esbilon> Superheroes come in all shapes and sizes, and since their identities and pasts are secret, very little is known about how exactly people get powers, and if there's any relation between who they are, when they get them and what they are.
20:35 <•Esbilon> Although there does seem to be a trend that children or siblings get powers that are similar to their parents.
20:37 <•Esbilon> Most people are grateful for the superheroes, both because they often is the only thing standing between them and the supervillains, because they fight the Endbringers who (to some at least) represent an existential threat to all Humanity, and (if Libby is being honest with herself) because they have a very good PR department.
20:37 <•Esbilon> Their merchandising is quite impressive too.
20:37 <Libby> Libby snorts.
20:42 <Libby> Knowing there is too much to take in during this brief break, she looks up the Protectorate next.
20:43 <•Esbilon> Being an international organization, the Protectorate is quite naturally too large for her to learn all about at once. But she does have time for a few highlights.
20:45 <•Esbilon> It is lead by a man who goes by Legend, his power is to shoot 'laser' beams that can have various properties from moving around corners, to dealing horrendous amounts of damage to peacefully taking down a fleeing criminal. If he is attacked, his body can turn into a ball of light rendering him mostly invulnerable, and he can fly faster than anyone else on
20:45 <•Esbilon> record. He is also openly gay.
20:46 <•Esbilon> Together with Alexandria and Eidolon, he is part of the Triumvirate, generally accepted to be the three most powerful superheroes in the world, with Eidolon being far more powerful than the others.
20:47 <•Esbilon> Closer to home, Brockton Bay is home to the Protectorate East-North-East, led by Armsmaster, a man who wears power armor, fights with a halberd and generally moves around on a futuristic motercycle. His second-in-command is Miss Militia, a Middle Eastern woman with the power to manifest any kind of weapon at any time. She often uses this to fire truly
20:47 <•Esbilon> staggering amounts of non-lethal ammunition, but has proven very versatile. There is speculation that she could even manifest a Davy Crocket gun if she needed to.
20:48 <•Esbilon> It is at this point, however, when the Teachers start returning from their classes to have lunch.
20:50 <Libby> Libby quickly e-mails herself links to anything worth further study and shuts down the computer.
20:52 <•Esbilon> Lunch proceeds unremarkably. The food is only slightly below average and the conversation is pleasant enough.
20:53 <•Esbilon> At least until James Gladly starts coming on to her rather more insistently than is pleasant or flattering. The man does not appear able to conceive of the notion that she might not be interested.
20:53 <Libby> "Ah...James, have you ever heard of the Greek Goddess Athena? The Romans called her Minerva."
20:53 <•Esbilon> He blinks, "yes, of course."
20:54 <•Esbilon> He clearly isn't following.
20:54 <Libby> "I've always considered her...my role model. *Especially* when on the job."
20:55 <•Esbilon> His smile widens, "well you *do* look divine, don't you?" He asks with a smirk and a wink.
20:56 <Libby> Libby gives him The Look. [Her character picture portrays it pretty well.] "I also admire Artemis and Hestia. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get ready for my next class..."
20:56 <•Esbilon> "I'll be happy to show you the way," he says, rising to follow, "I know it can be hard to find one's way around a new place."
20:57 <Libby> "I can find my way quite well, thank you. Stay here and enjoy your lunch."
20:58 <•Esbilon> "It's really no trouble," he says, ignoring Libby's protestations as well as his other colleagues' cringing.
20:58 <•Esbilon> "James," one of the other female teachers, Gladys Knott in computer science, says, "there was something I wanted to talk to you about. If it's not too much trouble, would you mind explaining it to me?"
20:58 <•Esbilon> As he sits down and starts talking, she sends you a sympathetic glance.
20:59 <Libby> Libby shoots her a discreetly grateful one before escaping, though she feels sorry for the teacher about to be mansplained at.
21:00 <•Esbilon> The door closes behind her and the sounds of the teachers' lounge fade behind her.
21:01 <Libby> Libby breathes out a sigh of relief. Expanding her shield to full size and clocking him upside the head with it would not have been the best start to this job.
21:02 <Libby> She heads back to the classroom.
21:04 <•Esbilon> As she moves through the school's mostly empty corridors, she notices something... off. The hairs on the back of her neck stand on edge and there is very soft buzzing in the air.
21:06 <Libby> Libby stands still, reaching out with that part of her senses that goes a little beyond what mortals can perceive.
21:07 <•Esbilon> Following her instincts, she looks behind her and notices a cockroach skittering across the floor before disappearing behind a row of lockers.
21:07 <•Esbilon> That in itself would not be strange, if not for the scattered ants moving in the same general direction.
21:08 <•Esbilon> And that fly
21:08 <Libby> She looks back and forth. Are they all coming *from* the same direction?
21:08 <•Esbilon> It's hard to say, but she thinks so.
21:12 <Libby> Find the source, or find the target? Libby looks for a way to follow either direction.
21:13 <•Esbilon> As she considers, she hears scattered giggles up ahead
21:14 <Libby> Moving quietly, Libby slips toward the source of the giggles.
21:16 <•Esbilon> near the school exit, she finds it: a tall girl in a grey sweater covered in huge blotches of some liquid that's giving off that sickly sweet fruity smell. Her hair is mostly covered by the hood, but what hangs out is just covered in the sticky liquid as well.
21:16 <•Esbilon> In an instant, the girl's face turns in Libby's direction and she recognizes the girl from her class this morning: Taylor, Taylor Hebert.
21:20 <Libby> "Oh, hello, Taylor. Are those bugs yours?" Libby's voice is perfectly matter-of-fact.
21:20 <•Esbilon> ((You're in the middle of a hallway with a handful or two of kids standing around you))
21:22 <Libby> ((oops))
21:22 <Libby> Libby walks quietly up to Taylor.
21:23 <•Esbilon> Taylor ignores her, walking more quickly towards the exit. Some of the other kids look curiously at what's going to happen, most of them start dissipating, though. Wouldn't want to be around if the teacher needs someone to blame for the fruit juice.
21:25 <Libby> Libby follows, remembering a certain incident from her own youth, "Taylor, wait please. I need to see if you're all right."
21:25 <•Esbilon> "I'm fine," she says unconvincingly and carries on.
21:25 <•Esbilon> They're mostly alone now, though.
21:26 <Libby> "Taylor," and now Libby's voice is firm, an adult commanding. "Stand still and let me check you out. Did any of it get in your eyes?"
21:29 <•Esbilon> She stops and turns around slightly. "No, my eyes are fine. I just need to get home and get a shower."
21:30 <Libby> Libby checks her out anyway. "What kind of juice was it? I had a can of orange soda emptied on my head when I was in high school. Stung like anything."
21:31 <Libby> "...though not as much as the time they used lemonade, come to think of it."
21:33 <•Esbilon> "Cranberry juice and some kind of mixed fruit soda," she says in a low voice.
21:40 <Libby> "Ouch. Cranberry's no joke. All right, you know I can't just let you walk out of here, right? They'd pitch a fit. So: would you rather go to the nurse's office or the girls' bathroom?"
21:43 <•Esbilon> It is not hard to see that Taylor is feeling trapped, she doesn't want to go either to the nurse's office or to the girls' bathroom.
21:44 <•Esbilon> She sighs and mumbles "bathroom" after a few moments.
21:45 <Libby> "OK. And I'll stand outside and make sure no one comes in."
21:45 <•Esbilon> "And then what?" She mutters sounding defeated and trudging back towards the school.
21:46 <Libby> She pauses. "You want to tell me who did it? Or would you rather keep dealing with this garbage on your own?"
21:46 <•Esbilon> She shrugs, "it's not like anything will happen."
21:47 <Libby> "To them? Or to you?"
21:48 <•Esbilon> She shrugs, "nothing's gonna change."
21:51 <Libby> "Yes. It. Will." Libby is very firm. "That's the second lesson of history, Taylor. Change happens all the time. I'm not the 9th grader with soda stains on her new skirt anymore...and some day, you won't be either."
21:52 <•Esbilon> ((She's a 10th grader, Libby will remeber that. Does she have a point by making her younger than she is?))
21:53 <Libby> ((No, just assume she said '10th'))
21:59 ← Arynne (was Libby) left
00:51 ⇐ Anne quit (uid40114@b3a1273b.charlton.f7109e70.com.hmsk) Quit: Connection closed for inactivity
Sunday, March 29th, 2015
17:14 → Libby joined (uid47865@b3a470b7.brockwell.f7109e70.com.hmsk)
17:15 <•Esbilon> Taylor stops and looks at Libby over her shoulder, "if I tell you. What will you do?"
17:16 <Libby> "What do you think *should* happen?"
17:21 <•Esbilon> "I think they should be put on in-school suspension for the rest of the year, have all their school privileges revoked and that the school should make sure that I was transferred to Arcadia. But that's not going to happen," she adds bitterly.
17:24 <Libby> "Probably not," Libby agrees. "This isn't the first time something like this has happened, I take it?"
17:24 <•Esbilon> She gives a snort. "It's hardly the first time today."
17:28 <Libby> "Well, *that* won't do." She turns to study Taylor carefully with an intent gaze.
17:28 <Libby> "Taylor...if I were to do something to protect you...could you keep it a secret?"
17:29 <•Esbilon> She frowns suspiciously, "what are you talking about?"
17:31 <Libby> If they're not near the bathroom yet, Libby glances around for an empty room or other private space.
17:32 <•Esbilon> There's an empty classroom just in front of them.
17:33 <Libby> "Let's step in here for a minute. I want to show you something that might help."
17:33 <•Esbilon> She looks around with a frown, but nods and follows.
17:37 <Libby> "I can...keep an eye on people, if they're willing to accept my protection. I can...know if they're in danger, and need my help. It's...a gift I have. One of several, actually."
17:38 <•Esbilon> Taylor blinks, "you're a *cape*? And you're telling me?"
17:39 <Libby> Libby smiles slightly, spreads her hand. "You see why I asked you if you could keep a secret?"
17:40 <•Esbilon> "How exactly does this work?" She asks, still suspicious, but somewhat mollified.
17:42 <Libby> Libby unfastens the brooch from her collar, holds it at arm's length. It expands into a full-sized shield, fitting neatly over her arm--not strictly necessary for this power, but an unmistakeable sign that power is there. "Give me your hand for a second."
17:43 <•Esbilon> Her eyes widen in surprise and she offers up her hand.
17:48 <Libby> Libby concentrates, letting her Legend seep out and mark the girl. To mortal eyes, nothing happens but a slight crackle, like static electricity. To anyone with the Sight, a shining brand forms on Taylor's hand.
17:51 <•Esbilon> Taylor holds up her hand and examines it from all sides, finding nothign changes she shrugs and turns her attention back to Libby. "What precisely does this tell you?"
17:55 <Libby> "If they're about to hurt you in any way, I'll sense it immediately. You can still be teased. But if *anyone* is ever about to do anything that would actually *hurt* you...I...will...know. And there will be consequences. If not from Miss Lawrence, the history teacher...then from another source. You're not alone in this school anymore. Whatever happens,
17:55 <Libby> remember that."
17:55 <•Esbilon> She frowns, "what about oustide school?"
17:57 <Libby> "Anywhere. If you're about to be hurt, I'll feel it. And if it's humanly possible, I'll come and help."
18:00 <Libby> "Unless..." she watches Taylor closely, "...you're doing something outside school you'd rather not have an adult homing in on?"
18:01 <•Esbilon> She looks distinctly uncomfortable
18:01 <•Esbilon> "Maybe," she says to the floor
18:03 <Libby> "Want to talk about it? You do realize I'm unlikely to be shocked, whatever it is." She indicates the shield, before shrinking it back to brooch size and re-attaching it to her blouse. "I might even be able to help."
18:11 <•Esbilon> "Hypothetically," Taylor says, looking around to make extra sure there is no one else listening in, "if I were a cape, I wouldn't want anyone to know my secret identity. And hypothetically, being a cape is pretty dangerous."
18:13 <Libby> "It is," agrees Libby. "And hypothetically, if your teacher were also a cape, she would understand both the risk and the need for privacy...having just exposed her secret identity to you herself."
18:15 <Libby> "However, if you were, hypothetically, a cape, it might be a good thing to have backup for emergencies. Hypothetically."
18:16 <•Esbilon> She nods, "can you tell the difference between an emergency and not an emergency?"
18:21 <Libby> Libby also nods. "I'll know what, specifically, is happening to you...though it would be helpful to know what you consider an emergency. Our standards might be different."
18:23 <•Esbilon> "Anything that will get me permanently injured?"
18:26 <Libby> Libby nods again, gravely. "All right. I'll let you take your lumps, but you can expect me to show up if it looks serious. Also...please consider me a source of more than physical help, if you need to. I've battled more than a few monsters before moving here, and I'm always happy to help with battle plans. In fact, that's another of my...gifts."
18:27 <•Esbilon> "Monsters? You mean villains?"
18:29 <Libby> "Mmm, yes, though most of the ones I encountered were monstrous in form as well as villainous in nature. It seems to come with the territory...but that's another story. We should both get back to class before we're missed."
18:30 <•Esbilon> "I'm still soaked in fruit juice," Taylor points out. "And even if I clean up, my clothes will be covered in fruit juice," she continues and misery creeps into her voice.
18:32 <Libby> "Ah. Well, if you're going to be a hero, you should no your clothes will often be soaked in worse things than fruit juice. Blood, now that's hard to get out of your clothes. The number of shirts I've had to throw out...come on, let's finish that trip to the sink we started."
18:33 <•Esbilon> "Yeah, but you didn't have to get to Maths class immediately afterwards," Taylor grumbles.
18:34 <Libby> "No, just history class. Students give you very odd looks indeed when you come in late and wearing a good skirt, good jacket...and a one-dollar Pokemon T-shirt grabbed hastily off the rack on the way there."
18:35 <Libby> She adjusts her glasses slightly to look at Taylor. "In fact, I suggest you look at your time in school as *practice.*"
18:35 <•Esbilon> "Practice?"
18:38 <Libby> "What you face here is a lot like what you'll have to face out there. Keeping your cool in the face of a hostile horde of enemies bent on destroying you. Protecting yourself *without* losing your compassion and honor, without which a hero is nothing. And of course, getting the stains it leaves out of your clothes as best you can, so you can get on with your
18:38 <Libby> life."
18:40 <•Esbilon> She gives Libby a piercing look, "do you have any idea what I could do those *bitches* if I didn't have that kind of self-control? If I wasn't *better* than them?"
18:41 <Libby> "I have a fair idea, yes. But it's important never to *forget* to be better. And you have to remind yourself over and over and over. It's harder than the physical part, sometimes. Most of the time."
18:44 <•Esbilon> "I'm not an idiot, miss Lawrence," she says, turning towards the restroom.
18:45 <Libby> "Neither am I. But I still need the reminder, too." She takes up a stance outside the restroom."
18:47 <•Esbilon> She comes out again with her hair looking OK, but wet, and her (thoroughly stained) hooddie tied around her waist. "Thanks for caring, Miss Lawrence," she says, more calmly now, "I think you're the only one who does."
18:50 <Libby> "Oh, I know I'm not the only one. Nikki at the front desk cares about you too."
18:50 <Libby> Libby rummages in her purse and pulls out a small comb, which she offers to Taylor.
18:51 <•Esbilon> "Thanks," she says, taking it, "but I don't think it's really going to cut it," she continues with a gesture at her rather excessive amount of hair.
18:53 <Libby> "Well, it's better than nothing -- oh, I almost forgot. I have some stain remover back in my classroom. You need to carry it when you wear white shits a lot. Come by after class and we'll try washing that sweatshirt again."
18:54 <•Esbilon> "I really don't," she says, dressed as she is in shapeless grey, dark green and black, "but thanks."
18:56 <Libby> Libby gives her a wry look. "I meant *me*." She indicates her white linen blouse.
18:56 <Libby> "That's why I lug it around."
18:58 <•Esbilon> "Right, sorry," she says, "anyway, I should hurry up and get to maths if I'm going through with this."
18:58 <•Esbilon> "And then..:" she freezes and looks down at her (also stained) backpack.
18:58 <•Esbilon> "Shit," she mutters.
18:58 <•Esbilon> "My art project," she adds.
18:59 <Libby> "Oh, dear. Let me look."
18:59 <•Esbilon> She hides her head in her hand, "and Sophia's in that class too," she mutters on, holding out the bag to Libby.
19:00 <Libby> "Sophia would be, ah, the young lady who was so extremely difficult this morning?" says Libby as she checks the bag's contents.
19:00 <•Esbilon> The back contains her (utterly ruined) history, world issues, maths and art text books as well as what probably used to be an art project but now is an unrecognizable, broken mess.
19:00 <•Esbilon> "Yeah."
19:03 <Libby> "Leave your art project with me, I'll see if I can fix it. Ah...you might want to leave your books with me too, they're not going to do you any good. I'll try to get you replacements."
19:04 <•Esbilon> "Thanks," she says, sounding somewhat mollified.
19:05 <Libby> "Then I'll see you after class. Take care."
19:06 <•Esbilon> She nods and hurries off.
19:59 <Libby> Later...
19:59 <Libby> The scattered and stained bit of Taylor’s art project lie on Libby’s desk, as closely re-assembled as she can manage. Thanks to a discreet word to Nikki, Libby now has paper, pencils and a few other implements to help her re-create the work. She has reproduced things she’s seen before, using her divinely skilled penmanship, but to remake a work of art
19:59 <Libby> from fragments will require more than dexterity.
20:00 <Libby> As she gazes at the blank sheet, she feels knowledge trickle into her mind from an unknown source -- an understanding of light and shadow, line and perspective. No, not unknown, she thinks.
20:00 <Libby> Before she picks up a pencil, she reaches into her messenger bag and pulls out something else, something stored in a sturdy case, and wrapped in silk inside that case. A simple wooden flute. It looks cheap and crude, the sort of thing you could pick up for a few dollars in Chinatown. But it vibrates softly at the touch of her fingers, before she even raises
20:00 <Libby> it to her lips.
20:00 <Libby> A single rapid, sweet note is enough to unlock the power breathing inside, and once again Libby feels something coursing through her -- not just knowledge, but a touch of what could be called genius. For a moment, the memories of ten thousand artists echo in her head -- Antigenidas, flautist and poet; Salvius and Frederic the Great, who were generals as well
20:00 <Libby> as musicians; Tutilo, monk of St. Gall, flautist and illustrator of manuscripts…ah.
20:00 <Libby> As she puts the flute away and picks up the pencil, she is aware of a crackling energy forming around her again. It has been happening in fits and starts all day -- when she met Nikki, when she taught her first class, when she laid her mark on Taylor. A Scion lives at the center of that nexus of power, which she simultaneously creates, taps into and
20:00 <Libby> refreshes though her deeds. Now it surges up, stronger than ever, reinforced by a practiced eye and a focused will.
20:01 <Libby> Her pencil touches the paper and begins to race, faster and faster, images taking shape in swirls of black and grey, like clouds forming in the sky as the thunder approaches. Her pencils and charcoal sticks wear down to nubs and are cast away in the twinkling of an eye, dissolving onto the page to form pictures.
20:08 <•Esbilon> The drawings come out beautifully, comparing them with the torn and splotched originals, Libby can see that she put every single line just where it belonged.
20:08 <•Esbilon> With a frown she realizes that she might have placed them *too* perfectly. These drawings are more like the platonic ideal of Taylor's drawings than the girl's actual work.
20:08 <Libby> Libby lets out a small sigh.
20:08 <•Esbilon> She doesn't have much time to ponder that, however, as there comes a soft knock on her door.
20:09 <Libby> "Come in!"
20:09 <•Esbilon> Taylor enters the room looking weary.
20:11 <Libby> Libby gives her a sympathetic look. "That bad?"
20:12 <•Esbilon> "It's nothing," she says.
20:13 <Libby> "Well, I got some new textbooks out of storage for you." She nods at a stack of books on a chair. "And here...I thought about taping your drawings back together, but I decided it was simpler just to make copies. Come see."
20:13 <•Esbilon> She walks up to the desk and blinks.
20:14 <•Esbilon> "These aren't copies," she says as she leafs through them, "mine were never this good."
20:16 <Libby> "This is what you had in your head, yes?"
20:17 <•Esbilon> "Yeah," she says, sounding unsure of what to believe. "Is this part of your power too?"
20:19 <Libby> "Then they *are* yours. Your imagination, your vision. I just...provided you with a better pencil to draw with. And yes, that's another power of mine. But I could never have created something like this on my own, Taylor. It takes more than powers to be an artist. It takes ideas."
20:20 <•Esbilon> She frowns, "you have the weirdest grab bag of powers that I've ever heard of."
20:20 <•Esbilon> "Unless... Are you using some kind of machine to keep an eye on me?"
20:25 <Libby> "No. I use things to focus sometimes, but the powers themselves are mine. My powers mostly relate to being a, a sort of super-teacher: Creativity, protection, fair play. It sounds ridiculous, but that's how I came out."
20:26 <•Esbilon> "I guess. You probably don't wanna go around saying that to people," she adds, "wouldn't want anyone to start thinking of you in the same vein they think of Teacher."
20:30 <Libby> "Well, yes, that's where the secret part comes in," says Libby, wondering *Who is that? Nobody good from the sound of it.* "Plus, those aren't all my powers. Nobody who sees me in action so far thinks of the word 'teacher'. Unless they had a *very* strange high school experience."
20:32 <•Esbilon> She nods, "probably not. Thanks for this," she adds, "the books and the project. Today's sucked a lot less than I thought it would."
20:33 <Libby> "I'm glad," says Libby with a warm smile. "If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask."
20:34 <•Esbilon> She just nods before going out the door.
20:40 <•Esbilon> ---------------
20:41 <•Esbilon> Taylor lives alone with her father Daniel Hebert in a small house on the edge of the bad part of town.
20:41 <•Esbilon> Her mother, Annette Rose Hebert, died give years previously in a car accident.
20:42 <•Esbilon> Taylor's academic record was very good throughout elementary and middle school, but has deteriorated since she started high school.
20:44 <•Esbilon> Teacher is a notorious supervillain with the power to make others smarter or able to make advanced "tinker-tech." His power is particularly effective when it is empowering a lot of people. A large part of his notoriety comes from the fact that his power is like a drug to those who receive it, it wears off and they become willing to do more and more to get
20:44 <•Esbilon> empowered once more.
20:44 <•Esbilon> He is currently incarcerated in the Baumann Parahuman Containment Center, colloquially known as 'the Birdcage.'
20:46 <•Esbilon> A prison exclusively for supervillains with a lifetime sentence. The prison is entirely automated and the inmates are left with the task of managing themselves. The prison has no exits, and there are no known escapes from it, despite the high number of extremely powerful and capable individuals locked inside.
20:49 <Libby> Ouch, thinks Libby. Her mother hinted, in one of their few conversations, that making people smarter might be one of her powers eventually. Along with making things.
20:49 <Libby> Definitely avoid sounding anything like this guy.
XP: Libby +5 XP
19:59 <•Esbilon> On the way there, she encounters a man about her own age with slick blonde hair and a boyish smile on his face.
20:00 <Libby> "Good morning," says Libby politely.
20:00 <•Esbilon> "Hi there," he says, stopping a moment to offer her a hand as he moves in the opposite direction.
20:00 <Libby> "You work here? I just started today."
20:00 <•Esbilon> "You must be Libby, Nikki mentioned you'd started. I'm James, James Gladly."
20:01 <Libby> She laughs as their words come out at the same time.
20:01 <Libby> "Nice to meet you."
20:01 <•Esbilon> "Yeah, I teach World Issues" he glances at his clock, "In two minutes and thirty-seven seconds, but I'm glad we had this chance to say hi."
20:02 <•Esbilon> "And you," he replies, smiling wider and winking at her.
20:02 <Libby> "Me too," agrees Libby as they part.
20:03 <•Esbilon> The teacher's lounge is as she has come to expect, though fortunately the otherwise omnipresent graffiti hasn't made its way here. There is a coffee machine, a couch, a couple of comfortable chairs, a long common table and a pair of desks with five year old computers on them against the end wall.
20:05 <Libby> Fortunately, that's the age Libby's computer normally is -- she's the type to stubbornly cling to her old model, upgrading and repairing it for a cost higher than just replacing ti, because it feels comfortable to her.
20:06 <•Esbilon> The computer turns on easily enough and the web browser interface is sufficiently familiar that she can find her way to most things she would like to know
20:06 <•Esbilon> The question then, is just what it is she needs to know first.
20:08 <Libby> First thing, check her e-mail, Libby decides. Since she seems to have notes lying around in her handwriting, why not e-mails from her account?
20:09 <•Esbilon> there's the usual plethora of welcome mails from the school, as well as copies of most of the papers Nikki gave her.
20:09 <•Esbilon> No mysterious or enlightening notes from herself or even her mother, though.
20:14 <Libby> "Huh."
20:14 <Libby> She touches the owl feather in her pocket. "Leaving me to figure it out on my own, then, Mater?"
20:15 <Libby> She looks up Wikipedia next.
20:15 <•Esbilon> If owl feathers had the ability to say 'duh,' she's quite sure this one would have.
20:15 <Libby> The site will be the usual mix of gold and garbage, but at least it will be a clue to people's *perceptions* of the reality they inhabit.
20:15 <•Esbilon> Wikipedia is its usual self, though the content is somewhat different given the difference in the worlds.
20:16 <Libby> She starts with superheroes and Endbringers.
20:21 <•Esbilon> The first superhero is Scion, the Golden Man. He was first sighted on May 20, 1982, hanging silently and immovably over the Atlantic Ocean. She finds a short documentary about him that she saves for later use (http://pastebin.com/4ZcrN6xb). Since then, he has been flying around the world non-stop doing good deeds from rescuing kittens to quelling volcanoes.
20:21 <•Esbilon> He never speaks to anyone, except once when he told a Russian woman his name, and does not seem to have any sense of priorities. Those who have seen him say that he gives off an air of immense melancholy.
20:23 <•Esbilon> On a day-to-day basis, the superheroes people in North America are most likely to run into are the Protectorate, a government sponsored organization that spans the United States and Canada, or its junior branch the Wards.
20:23 <•Esbilon> It is their job to fight mundane and superpowered crime, and they always come out in force when the Endbringers attack.
20:25 <•Esbilon> The Endbringers are a trio of truly monstrous beings. The first one, Behemoth, appeared in 1992 and caused massive damage to an oil field in the gulf. Since then, he has appeared many times, always spreading destruction. Most notably, he destroyed New York in 1994, though the city was rebuilt at great cost.
20:26 <Libby> Born and raised on Staten Island, Libby clicks on *that* rather quickly.
20:26 <•Esbilon> The second Endbringer is Leviathan, a terrible water-controlling beast who first appeared in 1996, killing far more people than Behemoth, though Behemoth is far more deadly to the superpowered heroes who fight him.
20:27 <•Esbilon> (on what exactly?)
20:27 <Libby> Behemoth's destruction of New York.
20:28 <•Esbilon> The third and perhaps most feared Endbringer is the Simurgh, a terrible angelic creature who descendes from the skies and whose scream makes people go insane, turning them into murderous time bombs who wreak terror if they are allowed among the common population.
20:29 <•Esbilon> The attack on New York happened on March 26th, 1994. Due to the high presence of superpowered individuals and the high priority of the city itself, Behemoth was defeated after a relatively short time, and compared to many later appearances, the city suffered only minor damage. This was still enough to demolish downtown Manhattan and a large part of the
20:29 <•Esbilon> Bronx.
20:30 <•Esbilon> A massive rebuilding effort was initiated by the US government as well as various private investors as a testament to Humanity's ability to withstand and overcome this new thread.
20:30 <•Esbilon> Sadly, it was the last time people were that hopeful about the Endbringers.
20:34 <Libby> If time permits, she looks into superheroes in more detail. Is there any pattern to their powers? How do people feel about them?
20:35 <•Esbilon> Superheroes come in all shapes and sizes, and since their identities and pasts are secret, very little is known about how exactly people get powers, and if there's any relation between who they are, when they get them and what they are.
20:35 <•Esbilon> Although there does seem to be a trend that children or siblings get powers that are similar to their parents.
20:37 <•Esbilon> Most people are grateful for the superheroes, both because they often is the only thing standing between them and the supervillains, because they fight the Endbringers who (to some at least) represent an existential threat to all Humanity, and (if Libby is being honest with herself) because they have a very good PR department.
20:37 <•Esbilon> Their merchandising is quite impressive too.
20:37 <Libby> Libby snorts.
20:42 <Libby> Knowing there is too much to take in during this brief break, she looks up the Protectorate next.
20:43 <•Esbilon> Being an international organization, the Protectorate is quite naturally too large for her to learn all about at once. But she does have time for a few highlights.
20:45 <•Esbilon> It is lead by a man who goes by Legend, his power is to shoot 'laser' beams that can have various properties from moving around corners, to dealing horrendous amounts of damage to peacefully taking down a fleeing criminal. If he is attacked, his body can turn into a ball of light rendering him mostly invulnerable, and he can fly faster than anyone else on
20:45 <•Esbilon> record. He is also openly gay.
20:46 <•Esbilon> Together with Alexandria and Eidolon, he is part of the Triumvirate, generally accepted to be the three most powerful superheroes in the world, with Eidolon being far more powerful than the others.
20:47 <•Esbilon> Closer to home, Brockton Bay is home to the Protectorate East-North-East, led by Armsmaster, a man who wears power armor, fights with a halberd and generally moves around on a futuristic motercycle. His second-in-command is Miss Militia, a Middle Eastern woman with the power to manifest any kind of weapon at any time. She often uses this to fire truly
20:47 <•Esbilon> staggering amounts of non-lethal ammunition, but has proven very versatile. There is speculation that she could even manifest a Davy Crocket gun if she needed to.
20:48 <•Esbilon> It is at this point, however, when the Teachers start returning from their classes to have lunch.
20:50 <Libby> Libby quickly e-mails herself links to anything worth further study and shuts down the computer.
20:52 <•Esbilon> Lunch proceeds unremarkably. The food is only slightly below average and the conversation is pleasant enough.
20:53 <•Esbilon> At least until James Gladly starts coming on to her rather more insistently than is pleasant or flattering. The man does not appear able to conceive of the notion that she might not be interested.
20:53 <Libby> "Ah...James, have you ever heard of the Greek Goddess Athena? The Romans called her Minerva."
20:53 <•Esbilon> He blinks, "yes, of course."
20:54 <•Esbilon> He clearly isn't following.
20:54 <Libby> "I've always considered her...my role model. *Especially* when on the job."
20:55 <•Esbilon> His smile widens, "well you *do* look divine, don't you?" He asks with a smirk and a wink.
20:56 <Libby> Libby gives him The Look. [Her character picture portrays it pretty well.] "I also admire Artemis and Hestia. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get ready for my next class..."
20:56 <•Esbilon> "I'll be happy to show you the way," he says, rising to follow, "I know it can be hard to find one's way around a new place."
20:57 <Libby> "I can find my way quite well, thank you. Stay here and enjoy your lunch."
20:58 <•Esbilon> "It's really no trouble," he says, ignoring Libby's protestations as well as his other colleagues' cringing.
20:58 <•Esbilon> "James," one of the other female teachers, Gladys Knott in computer science, says, "there was something I wanted to talk to you about. If it's not too much trouble, would you mind explaining it to me?"
20:58 <•Esbilon> As he sits down and starts talking, she sends you a sympathetic glance.
20:59 <Libby> Libby shoots her a discreetly grateful one before escaping, though she feels sorry for the teacher about to be mansplained at.
21:00 <•Esbilon> The door closes behind her and the sounds of the teachers' lounge fade behind her.
21:01 <Libby> Libby breathes out a sigh of relief. Expanding her shield to full size and clocking him upside the head with it would not have been the best start to this job.
21:02 <Libby> She heads back to the classroom.
21:04 <•Esbilon> As she moves through the school's mostly empty corridors, she notices something... off. The hairs on the back of her neck stand on edge and there is very soft buzzing in the air.
21:06 <Libby> Libby stands still, reaching out with that part of her senses that goes a little beyond what mortals can perceive.
21:07 <•Esbilon> Following her instincts, she looks behind her and notices a cockroach skittering across the floor before disappearing behind a row of lockers.
21:07 <•Esbilon> That in itself would not be strange, if not for the scattered ants moving in the same general direction.
21:08 <•Esbilon> And that fly
21:08 <Libby> She looks back and forth. Are they all coming *from* the same direction?
21:08 <•Esbilon> It's hard to say, but she thinks so.
21:12 <Libby> Find the source, or find the target? Libby looks for a way to follow either direction.
21:13 <•Esbilon> As she considers, she hears scattered giggles up ahead
21:14 <Libby> Moving quietly, Libby slips toward the source of the giggles.
21:16 <•Esbilon> near the school exit, she finds it: a tall girl in a grey sweater covered in huge blotches of some liquid that's giving off that sickly sweet fruity smell. Her hair is mostly covered by the hood, but what hangs out is just covered in the sticky liquid as well.
21:16 <•Esbilon> In an instant, the girl's face turns in Libby's direction and she recognizes the girl from her class this morning: Taylor, Taylor Hebert.
21:20 <Libby> "Oh, hello, Taylor. Are those bugs yours?" Libby's voice is perfectly matter-of-fact.
21:20 <•Esbilon> ((You're in the middle of a hallway with a handful or two of kids standing around you))
21:22 <Libby> ((oops))
21:22 <Libby> Libby walks quietly up to Taylor.
21:23 <•Esbilon> Taylor ignores her, walking more quickly towards the exit. Some of the other kids look curiously at what's going to happen, most of them start dissipating, though. Wouldn't want to be around if the teacher needs someone to blame for the fruit juice.
21:25 <Libby> Libby follows, remembering a certain incident from her own youth, "Taylor, wait please. I need to see if you're all right."
21:25 <•Esbilon> "I'm fine," she says unconvincingly and carries on.
21:25 <•Esbilon> They're mostly alone now, though.
21:26 <Libby> "Taylor," and now Libby's voice is firm, an adult commanding. "Stand still and let me check you out. Did any of it get in your eyes?"
21:29 <•Esbilon> She stops and turns around slightly. "No, my eyes are fine. I just need to get home and get a shower."
21:30 <Libby> Libby checks her out anyway. "What kind of juice was it? I had a can of orange soda emptied on my head when I was in high school. Stung like anything."
21:31 <Libby> "...though not as much as the time they used lemonade, come to think of it."
21:33 <•Esbilon> "Cranberry juice and some kind of mixed fruit soda," she says in a low voice.
21:40 <Libby> "Ouch. Cranberry's no joke. All right, you know I can't just let you walk out of here, right? They'd pitch a fit. So: would you rather go to the nurse's office or the girls' bathroom?"
21:43 <•Esbilon> It is not hard to see that Taylor is feeling trapped, she doesn't want to go either to the nurse's office or to the girls' bathroom.
21:44 <•Esbilon> She sighs and mumbles "bathroom" after a few moments.
21:45 <Libby> "OK. And I'll stand outside and make sure no one comes in."
21:45 <•Esbilon> "And then what?" She mutters sounding defeated and trudging back towards the school.
21:46 <Libby> She pauses. "You want to tell me who did it? Or would you rather keep dealing with this garbage on your own?"
21:46 <•Esbilon> She shrugs, "it's not like anything will happen."
21:47 <Libby> "To them? Or to you?"
21:48 <•Esbilon> She shrugs, "nothing's gonna change."
21:51 <Libby> "Yes. It. Will." Libby is very firm. "That's the second lesson of history, Taylor. Change happens all the time. I'm not the 9th grader with soda stains on her new skirt anymore...and some day, you won't be either."
21:52 <•Esbilon> ((She's a 10th grader, Libby will remeber that. Does she have a point by making her younger than she is?))
21:53 <Libby> ((No, just assume she said '10th'))
21:59 ← Arynne (was Libby) left
00:51 ⇐ Anne quit (uid40114@b3a1273b.charlton.f7109e70.com.hmsk) Quit: Connection closed for inactivity
Sunday, March 29th, 2015
17:14 → Libby joined (uid47865@b3a470b7.brockwell.f7109e70.com.hmsk)
17:15 <•Esbilon> Taylor stops and looks at Libby over her shoulder, "if I tell you. What will you do?"
17:16 <Libby> "What do you think *should* happen?"
17:21 <•Esbilon> "I think they should be put on in-school suspension for the rest of the year, have all their school privileges revoked and that the school should make sure that I was transferred to Arcadia. But that's not going to happen," she adds bitterly.
17:24 <Libby> "Probably not," Libby agrees. "This isn't the first time something like this has happened, I take it?"
17:24 <•Esbilon> She gives a snort. "It's hardly the first time today."
17:28 <Libby> "Well, *that* won't do." She turns to study Taylor carefully with an intent gaze.
17:28 <Libby> "Taylor...if I were to do something to protect you...could you keep it a secret?"
17:29 <•Esbilon> She frowns suspiciously, "what are you talking about?"
17:31 <Libby> If they're not near the bathroom yet, Libby glances around for an empty room or other private space.
17:32 <•Esbilon> There's an empty classroom just in front of them.
17:33 <Libby> "Let's step in here for a minute. I want to show you something that might help."
17:33 <•Esbilon> She looks around with a frown, but nods and follows.
17:37 <Libby> "I can...keep an eye on people, if they're willing to accept my protection. I can...know if they're in danger, and need my help. It's...a gift I have. One of several, actually."
17:38 <•Esbilon> Taylor blinks, "you're a *cape*? And you're telling me?"
17:39 <Libby> Libby smiles slightly, spreads her hand. "You see why I asked you if you could keep a secret?"
17:40 <•Esbilon> "How exactly does this work?" She asks, still suspicious, but somewhat mollified.
17:42 <Libby> Libby unfastens the brooch from her collar, holds it at arm's length. It expands into a full-sized shield, fitting neatly over her arm--not strictly necessary for this power, but an unmistakeable sign that power is there. "Give me your hand for a second."
17:43 <•Esbilon> Her eyes widen in surprise and she offers up her hand.
17:48 <Libby> Libby concentrates, letting her Legend seep out and mark the girl. To mortal eyes, nothing happens but a slight crackle, like static electricity. To anyone with the Sight, a shining brand forms on Taylor's hand.
17:51 <•Esbilon> Taylor holds up her hand and examines it from all sides, finding nothign changes she shrugs and turns her attention back to Libby. "What precisely does this tell you?"
17:55 <Libby> "If they're about to hurt you in any way, I'll sense it immediately. You can still be teased. But if *anyone* is ever about to do anything that would actually *hurt* you...I...will...know. And there will be consequences. If not from Miss Lawrence, the history teacher...then from another source. You're not alone in this school anymore. Whatever happens,
17:55 <Libby> remember that."
17:55 <•Esbilon> She frowns, "what about oustide school?"
17:57 <Libby> "Anywhere. If you're about to be hurt, I'll feel it. And if it's humanly possible, I'll come and help."
18:00 <Libby> "Unless..." she watches Taylor closely, "...you're doing something outside school you'd rather not have an adult homing in on?"
18:01 <•Esbilon> She looks distinctly uncomfortable
18:01 <•Esbilon> "Maybe," she says to the floor
18:03 <Libby> "Want to talk about it? You do realize I'm unlikely to be shocked, whatever it is." She indicates the shield, before shrinking it back to brooch size and re-attaching it to her blouse. "I might even be able to help."
18:11 <•Esbilon> "Hypothetically," Taylor says, looking around to make extra sure there is no one else listening in, "if I were a cape, I wouldn't want anyone to know my secret identity. And hypothetically, being a cape is pretty dangerous."
18:13 <Libby> "It is," agrees Libby. "And hypothetically, if your teacher were also a cape, she would understand both the risk and the need for privacy...having just exposed her secret identity to you herself."
18:15 <Libby> "However, if you were, hypothetically, a cape, it might be a good thing to have backup for emergencies. Hypothetically."
18:16 <•Esbilon> She nods, "can you tell the difference between an emergency and not an emergency?"
18:21 <Libby> Libby also nods. "I'll know what, specifically, is happening to you...though it would be helpful to know what you consider an emergency. Our standards might be different."
18:23 <•Esbilon> "Anything that will get me permanently injured?"
18:26 <Libby> Libby nods again, gravely. "All right. I'll let you take your lumps, but you can expect me to show up if it looks serious. Also...please consider me a source of more than physical help, if you need to. I've battled more than a few monsters before moving here, and I'm always happy to help with battle plans. In fact, that's another of my...gifts."
18:27 <•Esbilon> "Monsters? You mean villains?"
18:29 <Libby> "Mmm, yes, though most of the ones I encountered were monstrous in form as well as villainous in nature. It seems to come with the territory...but that's another story. We should both get back to class before we're missed."
18:30 <•Esbilon> "I'm still soaked in fruit juice," Taylor points out. "And even if I clean up, my clothes will be covered in fruit juice," she continues and misery creeps into her voice.
18:32 <Libby> "Ah. Well, if you're going to be a hero, you should no your clothes will often be soaked in worse things than fruit juice. Blood, now that's hard to get out of your clothes. The number of shirts I've had to throw out...come on, let's finish that trip to the sink we started."
18:33 <•Esbilon> "Yeah, but you didn't have to get to Maths class immediately afterwards," Taylor grumbles.
18:34 <Libby> "No, just history class. Students give you very odd looks indeed when you come in late and wearing a good skirt, good jacket...and a one-dollar Pokemon T-shirt grabbed hastily off the rack on the way there."
18:35 <Libby> She adjusts her glasses slightly to look at Taylor. "In fact, I suggest you look at your time in school as *practice.*"
18:35 <•Esbilon> "Practice?"
18:38 <Libby> "What you face here is a lot like what you'll have to face out there. Keeping your cool in the face of a hostile horde of enemies bent on destroying you. Protecting yourself *without* losing your compassion and honor, without which a hero is nothing. And of course, getting the stains it leaves out of your clothes as best you can, so you can get on with your
18:38 <Libby> life."
18:40 <•Esbilon> She gives Libby a piercing look, "do you have any idea what I could do those *bitches* if I didn't have that kind of self-control? If I wasn't *better* than them?"
18:41 <Libby> "I have a fair idea, yes. But it's important never to *forget* to be better. And you have to remind yourself over and over and over. It's harder than the physical part, sometimes. Most of the time."
18:44 <•Esbilon> "I'm not an idiot, miss Lawrence," she says, turning towards the restroom.
18:45 <Libby> "Neither am I. But I still need the reminder, too." She takes up a stance outside the restroom."
18:47 <•Esbilon> She comes out again with her hair looking OK, but wet, and her (thoroughly stained) hooddie tied around her waist. "Thanks for caring, Miss Lawrence," she says, more calmly now, "I think you're the only one who does."
18:50 <Libby> "Oh, I know I'm not the only one. Nikki at the front desk cares about you too."
18:50 <Libby> Libby rummages in her purse and pulls out a small comb, which she offers to Taylor.
18:51 <•Esbilon> "Thanks," she says, taking it, "but I don't think it's really going to cut it," she continues with a gesture at her rather excessive amount of hair.
18:53 <Libby> "Well, it's better than nothing -- oh, I almost forgot. I have some stain remover back in my classroom. You need to carry it when you wear white shits a lot. Come by after class and we'll try washing that sweatshirt again."
18:54 <•Esbilon> "I really don't," she says, dressed as she is in shapeless grey, dark green and black, "but thanks."
18:56 <Libby> Libby gives her a wry look. "I meant *me*." She indicates her white linen blouse.
18:56 <Libby> "That's why I lug it around."
18:58 <•Esbilon> "Right, sorry," she says, "anyway, I should hurry up and get to maths if I'm going through with this."
18:58 <•Esbilon> "And then..:" she freezes and looks down at her (also stained) backpack.
18:58 <•Esbilon> "Shit," she mutters.
18:58 <•Esbilon> "My art project," she adds.
18:59 <Libby> "Oh, dear. Let me look."
18:59 <•Esbilon> She hides her head in her hand, "and Sophia's in that class too," she mutters on, holding out the bag to Libby.
19:00 <Libby> "Sophia would be, ah, the young lady who was so extremely difficult this morning?" says Libby as she checks the bag's contents.
19:00 <•Esbilon> The back contains her (utterly ruined) history, world issues, maths and art text books as well as what probably used to be an art project but now is an unrecognizable, broken mess.
19:00 <•Esbilon> "Yeah."
19:03 <Libby> "Leave your art project with me, I'll see if I can fix it. Ah...you might want to leave your books with me too, they're not going to do you any good. I'll try to get you replacements."
19:04 <•Esbilon> "Thanks," she says, sounding somewhat mollified.
19:05 <Libby> "Then I'll see you after class. Take care."
19:06 <•Esbilon> She nods and hurries off.
19:59 <Libby> Later...
19:59 <Libby> The scattered and stained bit of Taylor’s art project lie on Libby’s desk, as closely re-assembled as she can manage. Thanks to a discreet word to Nikki, Libby now has paper, pencils and a few other implements to help her re-create the work. She has reproduced things she’s seen before, using her divinely skilled penmanship, but to remake a work of art
19:59 <Libby> from fragments will require more than dexterity.
20:00 <Libby> As she gazes at the blank sheet, she feels knowledge trickle into her mind from an unknown source -- an understanding of light and shadow, line and perspective. No, not unknown, she thinks.
20:00 <Libby> Before she picks up a pencil, she reaches into her messenger bag and pulls out something else, something stored in a sturdy case, and wrapped in silk inside that case. A simple wooden flute. It looks cheap and crude, the sort of thing you could pick up for a few dollars in Chinatown. But it vibrates softly at the touch of her fingers, before she even raises
20:00 <Libby> it to her lips.
20:00 <Libby> A single rapid, sweet note is enough to unlock the power breathing inside, and once again Libby feels something coursing through her -- not just knowledge, but a touch of what could be called genius. For a moment, the memories of ten thousand artists echo in her head -- Antigenidas, flautist and poet; Salvius and Frederic the Great, who were generals as well
20:00 <Libby> as musicians; Tutilo, monk of St. Gall, flautist and illustrator of manuscripts…ah.
20:00 <Libby> As she puts the flute away and picks up the pencil, she is aware of a crackling energy forming around her again. It has been happening in fits and starts all day -- when she met Nikki, when she taught her first class, when she laid her mark on Taylor. A Scion lives at the center of that nexus of power, which she simultaneously creates, taps into and
20:00 <Libby> refreshes though her deeds. Now it surges up, stronger than ever, reinforced by a practiced eye and a focused will.
20:01 <Libby> Her pencil touches the paper and begins to race, faster and faster, images taking shape in swirls of black and grey, like clouds forming in the sky as the thunder approaches. Her pencils and charcoal sticks wear down to nubs and are cast away in the twinkling of an eye, dissolving onto the page to form pictures.
20:08 <•Esbilon> The drawings come out beautifully, comparing them with the torn and splotched originals, Libby can see that she put every single line just where it belonged.
20:08 <•Esbilon> With a frown she realizes that she might have placed them *too* perfectly. These drawings are more like the platonic ideal of Taylor's drawings than the girl's actual work.
20:08 <Libby> Libby lets out a small sigh.
20:08 <•Esbilon> She doesn't have much time to ponder that, however, as there comes a soft knock on her door.
20:09 <Libby> "Come in!"
20:09 <•Esbilon> Taylor enters the room looking weary.
20:11 <Libby> Libby gives her a sympathetic look. "That bad?"
20:12 <•Esbilon> "It's nothing," she says.
20:13 <Libby> "Well, I got some new textbooks out of storage for you." She nods at a stack of books on a chair. "And here...I thought about taping your drawings back together, but I decided it was simpler just to make copies. Come see."
20:13 <•Esbilon> She walks up to the desk and blinks.
20:14 <•Esbilon> "These aren't copies," she says as she leafs through them, "mine were never this good."
20:16 <Libby> "This is what you had in your head, yes?"
20:17 <•Esbilon> "Yeah," she says, sounding unsure of what to believe. "Is this part of your power too?"
20:19 <Libby> "Then they *are* yours. Your imagination, your vision. I just...provided you with a better pencil to draw with. And yes, that's another power of mine. But I could never have created something like this on my own, Taylor. It takes more than powers to be an artist. It takes ideas."
20:20 <•Esbilon> She frowns, "you have the weirdest grab bag of powers that I've ever heard of."
20:20 <•Esbilon> "Unless... Are you using some kind of machine to keep an eye on me?"
20:25 <Libby> "No. I use things to focus sometimes, but the powers themselves are mine. My powers mostly relate to being a, a sort of super-teacher: Creativity, protection, fair play. It sounds ridiculous, but that's how I came out."
20:26 <•Esbilon> "I guess. You probably don't wanna go around saying that to people," she adds, "wouldn't want anyone to start thinking of you in the same vein they think of Teacher."
20:30 <Libby> "Well, yes, that's where the secret part comes in," says Libby, wondering *Who is that? Nobody good from the sound of it.* "Plus, those aren't all my powers. Nobody who sees me in action so far thinks of the word 'teacher'. Unless they had a *very* strange high school experience."
20:32 <•Esbilon> She nods, "probably not. Thanks for this," she adds, "the books and the project. Today's sucked a lot less than I thought it would."
20:33 <Libby> "I'm glad," says Libby with a warm smile. "If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask."
20:34 <•Esbilon> She just nods before going out the door.
20:40 <•Esbilon> ---------------
20:41 <•Esbilon> Taylor lives alone with her father Daniel Hebert in a small house on the edge of the bad part of town.
20:41 <•Esbilon> Her mother, Annette Rose Hebert, died give years previously in a car accident.
20:42 <•Esbilon> Taylor's academic record was very good throughout elementary and middle school, but has deteriorated since she started high school.
20:44 <•Esbilon> Teacher is a notorious supervillain with the power to make others smarter or able to make advanced "tinker-tech." His power is particularly effective when it is empowering a lot of people. A large part of his notoriety comes from the fact that his power is like a drug to those who receive it, it wears off and they become willing to do more and more to get
20:44 <•Esbilon> empowered once more.
20:44 <•Esbilon> He is currently incarcerated in the Baumann Parahuman Containment Center, colloquially known as 'the Birdcage.'
20:46 <•Esbilon> A prison exclusively for supervillains with a lifetime sentence. The prison is entirely automated and the inmates are left with the task of managing themselves. The prison has no exits, and there are no known escapes from it, despite the high number of extremely powerful and capable individuals locked inside.
20:49 <Libby> Ouch, thinks Libby. Her mother hinted, in one of their few conversations, that making people smarter might be one of her powers eventually. Along with making things.
20:49 <Libby> Definitely avoid sounding anything like this guy.
XP: Libby +5 XP
Esbilon
Seven Thousand Club
22:01 <Libby> As soon as she can, Libby accesses the Internet again and continues searching for information. Not just random Googling -- in her universe, every subject of any import has its own wiki, or will soon enough.
22:02 <•Esbilon> The same holds true in this new place, and the hub of information on capes is parahumans.net with its assocaited wiki and massive message board
22:03 <•Esbilon> It has hard information on cities, organizations, individual parahumans, as well as rampant speculation, vs-threads and even a fanfiction section.
22:04 <•Esbilon> Libby has already found the major players in Brockton Bay: The Protectorate, the Wards, the ABB, the Empire 88 and the Merchants
22:04 <•Esbilon> Furtheremore, there is an independent group of heroes called New Wave who are particularly different in that their identities are public knowledge
22:05 <•Esbilon> they fight crime and make a living from the donations of those who appreciate their efforts, as well as having day jobs. Carol Dallon, aka Brandish, is for instance a successful lawyer.
22:06 <Libby> Other Important Questions include: "What are the legal repercussions of super-heroing in this universe, so I know ahead of time just how much trouble I'm in?" "Where are the high-crime sectors of this city?" and more details on specific powers and personalities.
22:07 <•Esbilon> In principle, superheroing is governed by the same rules as all other activities. In practice, independent heroes are afforded considerable leeway when apprehending known criminals, stopping active crimes, or encountering villains.
22:08 <•Esbilon> New Wave has managed to avoid legal trouble despite the well known short temper and great strength of Glory Girl. Though that may be related to the fact that any physical trauma can quickly be healed by her sister Panacea.
22:08 <•Esbilon> (aka Victoria and Amy Dallon, respectively)
22:10 <•Esbilon> As for high crime sectors of the city... Most of them to be brutally honest. Downtown is in good shape, but outside it, things get bad quite quickly.
22:11 <•Esbilon> The docks are a particular problem since the city's harbor hit hard first by Leviathan's impact on global trade in general, and later by a crippling dock workers' strike and the scuttling of the ships in harbor at the time.
22:13 <Libby> Libby checks how far they are from her apartment and from the school.
22:14 <•Esbilon> Both are in the sourthern part of the docks, outside the really bad part.
22:16 <Libby> On impulse, she maps the location of Taylor's address.
22:17 <•Esbilon> Same general area, about the same distance from the school as Libby's, but further from Downton
22:20 <Libby> Not *too* far, then -- which could be good if she ever has to go haring over there to pull a reckless young girl out of trouble.
22:20 <Libby> There have been a few times since her Visitation that Libby has wished her mother had revealed herself earlier. Most of the time, though, she's sane enough to be grateful Athena didn't.
22:21 <Libby> What her teenage self, standing there in the lunchroom with gravy on her clothes and peas on her hair, might have done with superpowers doesn't bear thinking on.
22:22 <Libby> So...what sort of powers is she likely to run up against around here? Libby wonders.
22:23 <•Esbilon> It varies. A lot.
22:24 <•Esbilon> The largest group of villains is the Empire 88, a neo-nazi organization led by Kaiser who has the ability to manipulate metal in a large radius. He usually uses this to armor himself and make swords appear to trap or stab his foes.
22:24 <Libby> Is there a system of classifying people, like the "Purview" system some more pretentious Scions use to describe Godly affinities? A ratings system? Color coded badges?
22:24 <•Esbilon> There is indeed!
22:26 <•Esbilon> The Parahumans Response Team (PRT) the government organization of mundanes who are in charge of the Protectorate and Wards, and are responsible for protecting the ordinary population from supervillains have just such a system
22:26 <•Esbilon> it consists of a number of categories and a rating from 1 to 10 or higher
22:27 <•Esbilon> She finds a document that goes into rather extensive detail starting on page 32 (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Swjz8BZZNE4bq6lTkHanTK4sJ-K_xVlFudxA16mYjH4/edit#heading=h.j83zu0o2t8cs)
22:27 <Libby> *Merythoth would love this,* Libby thinks wryly, remembering a pedantic Scion of Thoth she knew.
22:28 <•Esbilon> The short version, though is that a rating of 1-4 is only somewhat above human baseline or excellence, 5-8 is powerful and 9+ is a major threat
22:29 <•Esbilon> The categories are largely self-explanatory and are Mover, Shaker, Brute, Breaker, Master, Tinker, Blaster, Thinker, Striker, Chanter, Trump and Stranger
22:31 <Libby> *No wonder she thought my powers were odd.*
22:33 <•Esbilon> In addition to Kaiser, the Empire 88 has Krieg a large-scale telekinetic, Victor a man who can take away others' skills and use them for his own, Othala who can grant others invulnerability or regeneration, Fenja and Menja, a pair of twins who can grow extremely large and become very resistant to damage, Rune another telekinetic who can control anything she
22:33 <•Esbilon> touches, Hookwolf who can turn into a mass of blades, Stormtiger who can manipulate air and uses it to manifest claws, Cricket whose powers are not quite known but who is a skilled martial artist, Purity who can fly and shoot powerful beams, Crusader who can manifest ghostly knights, Night who becomes a powerful monster when no one is looking at her, and
22:33 <•Esbilon> lastly Fog who turns into a poisonous and obscuring mist.
22:35 <•Esbilon> The ABB has a more manageable roster: Lung who slowly gets more powerful as combat progresses, he becomes covered in silvery scales, controls fire and can even grow wings. Rumour has it that he fought Leviathan in single combat and walked away alive, and Oni Lee, a short-range teleporter who leaves behind a copy of himself where he left off. He likes
22:35 <•Esbilon> combining this with grenades.
22:36 <Libby> This is all quite daunting for the Scion of Athena to read about. And puzzling. *Why did they send ME here? Why not a demigod? An older hero, at least.*
22:36 <•Esbilon> The Merchants have Skidmark who can make fields that increase exert a force in one direction which can be layered for very powerful boosts or obstacles, Squealer who creates monstrous vehicles, Mush who can use garbage as a kind of ablative armor, and Trainwreck who has a steam-powered power armor.
22:37 <•Esbilon> There are also a few independent villains, but these are the primary threats.
22:37 <•Esbilon> Lung is bar none considered the most powerful parahuman in the city. When he first arrived, he faced off against the assembled Protectorate and walked away.
22:38 <Libby> Libby does not favor the arts of prophecy or magic like some of her cousins. But she is attuned enough to Fate to get an uncomfortable niggling in the back of her skull as she reads that.
22:43 <Libby> At this moment, Libby decides, all she can do is what's within her abilities: watch over the school and its students, build up strength -- and hope that the inevitable encounters with this world's Legendary foes don't come before she's ready.
22:45 <•Esbilon> Several places in her searches, she comes across more or less strongly worded encouragements for anyone who finds themselves with powers to contact their local Protectorate or Wards. Being alone with one's powers is dangerous and invites forced recruitment from gangs.
22:47 <Libby> Libby purses her lips, weighing the pros and cons. She doesn't need anyone trying to force-recruit her -- but that includes white hats as well as black hats.
22:48 <Libby> Not to mention her rather difficult-to-explain power source.
22:49 <•Esbilon> What then, is a girl to do on a Friday night in a new town?
22:49 <Libby> Especially a single, non-drinking one.
22:53 <Libby> After a moment, she decides to risk contacting this pseudo-JLI outfit. First, though she should probably check her own paper trail. If these fellows are even remotely competent, they must certainly run background checks.
22:54 <•Esbilon> Her own paper trail is as she would expect it to be: Graduate of Columbia, teaching sholarship, a few years in Chicago, moved to Brockton Bay when her school there closed.
22:54 <•Esbilon> She is out of the program, though, and free to follow whatever career she chooses.
22:55 <Libby> Out of curiousity, she checks the status of Columbia in this universe.
22:57 <•Esbilon> After being rebuilt in the mid-nineties, it has quickly reclaimed its place as one of the top universities in the country. Curiously enough, its statue of Minerva was one of the very few things left largely intact after Behemoth's rampage, and it has been left in its lightly damaged state as a testament to the school's ability to weather great hardships.
22:58 <Libby> She lets out a sigh. She's been afraid to look, till now.
22:59 <Libby> Well, no point wasting time. Libby looks for contact information for the local Protectorate.
23:00 <•Esbilon> The local branch (Protectorate East North East) has a 24 hour phone line, an email address and a 24 hour chat service.
23:00 <•Esbilon> Oh, and visiting hours between 8 am and 8 pm
23:02 <Libby> Libby glances at the clock.
23:02 <•Esbilon> She can still make it if she leaeves now and skips dinner.
23:04 <Libby> *I should have a look at this place, and these people, before I do anything else,* Libby decides. *I can skip dinner. Wouldn't be the first time.*
23:04 <•Esbilon> On her way there, she has time to review the local Protectorate roser
23:05 <Libby> Which she does.
23:08 <•Esbilon> Armsmaster, whom she also took a look at earlier, is the leader. He is a very skilled and flexible halberd-wielding fighter. Miss Militia is a competent and charming woman with the power to manifest any weapon she chooses. Assault is able to manipulate kinetic energy, increasing his own and decreasing that of those who attack him, Battery can move in rapid
23:08 <•Esbilon> and powerful bursts, but she needs to stand still and charge up between uses. Velocity is able to run and hit insanely fast. Dauntless has the ability to empower his equipment, making it a tiny bit stronger every day. His signature weapon is an Arc Lance which can stun even powerful parahumans. The last and newest member is Triumph who can project sonic
23:08 <•Esbilon> blasts from his mouth, knocking out his foes.
23:13 <•Esbilon> The Wards team of superhero minors are: Aegis, a man with the power of flight as well as super resilience, Gallant a power armored knight with the power to shoot beams that alter emotions, Clockblocker whose touch can freeze people in time, Vista a young girl who can manipulate distances between objects on a large scale, Shadow Stalker who can turn into a
23:13 <•Esbilon> cloud of darkness to avoid getting hit or pursuing villains through buildings, Browbeat who has super strength and resilience, but no flight, and lastly Kid Win who flies around on a hover board and shoots laser guns.
23:15 <•Esbilon> The Protectorate Headquarters (PHQ) that she is approaching lies off shore on what might once have been an oil rig or some such, but is now far more. The building looks entirely futuristic with its shining white exterior, soft lines, shimmering force field and batteries of laser cannons.
23:15 <•Esbilon> A crowd of people are standing on the harbor, waiting for the ferry that will bring them over to see the place their heroes work.
23:15 <Libby> Libby gawks for a moment before closing her mouth.
23:16 <•Esbilon> It is a common reaction.
23:17 <Libby> If she had any doubts she was an a strange Terra Incognita and not the victim of a colossal prank, they're gone now.
23:18 <•Esbilon> The bus stops and she is free to make her way to the line waiting for the ferry.
23:19 <Libby> Libby joins the line, wondering if this was a good idea. Who knows what the defenses of this place might notice?
23:19 <•Esbilon> There are no obvious defenses on the ferry that notice her at least, and soon she is in a large lobby.
23:20 <Libby> She looks around carefully -- everything she sees automatically imprinted on her memory.
23:20 <•Esbilon> Aside from the futuristic look that is maintained inside, the huge pictures of superheroes all around her, the large gift shop to her right... Actually, it's very little like other lobbies, but there is a front desk with several helpful young people.
23:20 <•Esbilon> There is also a guided tour.
23:21 <•Esbilon> The next (and last) one leaves in 15 minutes.
23:21 <Libby> Libby joins the tour.
23:21 <Libby> (decides to)
23:22 <Libby> In the meantime, she examines the hero portraits, and everything else visible to the public eye.
23:22 <•Esbilon> In the mean time, she can feast her eyes on posters, action figures (Armsmaster's comes with several halberds and a motorcycle!), clothes (including underwear...), cups an anything else one might possibly want.
23:22 <•Esbilon> The gift shop seems to be doing brisk business
23:23 <Libby> It's not *that* strange, Libby tells herself. Look at all the ancient Greek pottery and such with pictures of Heracles or Theseus.
23:24 <•Esbilon> The tour takes her for a quick look around the place, she sees the gym built for people with super strength, gets close to the laser cannons, gets a chance to touch the force field (it gives a slightly unpleasant buzz, and is utterly impervious even to the rather muscled man in the group who decides to punch it).
23:26 <Libby> *The Scions back at home should see this,* Libby thinks. *Or maybe they shouldn't.*
23:26 <•Esbilon> Last they are allowed into the heroes' lounge area where Miss Militia in her military uniform and Stars-And-Stripes cowboy-style mask, as well as Dauntless in his (not-at-all accurate) ancient-greek-inspired armor and helmet are around.
23:27 <•Esbilon> They sign autographs and answer a few quick questions.
23:27 <•Esbilon> With her force of personality, it would not be hard for Libby to ensure that hers is heard and answered.
23:27 <Libby> Libby eyes the dreadfully inaccurate outfit and snorts audibly. She just can't help it.
23:27 <•Esbilon> Either Dauntless does not hear, or he does not mind.
23:29 <Libby> "I've read you fellows encourage all powered persons to register with you," Libby remarks.
23:31 <•Esbilon> "Yes," Miss Militia steps forward to answer, you are able to register a faint accent. Kurdish if you're any judge. "For their own safety as well as the good of us all. The Protectorate is a place where parahumans can get the support they need to make the most of their powers, and where they can use them for the good of their communities."
23:32 <•Esbilon> She looks somberly as she continues, "it is a sad fact that independent heroes rarely survive their first six months."
23:32 <Libby> "And heroes who are part of a group?"
23:34 <•Esbilon> "Fifteen years and counting," she says with a smile that's clearly visible in her dark eyes even if her mouth is hidden.
23:36 <Libby> "What happens when someone new shows up with powers at your front door? Do they have to take licensing exams?"
23:37 <Libby> Try as she might, she cannot keep the undersong of irony out of her voice. This whole place seems so...so...
23:38 <•Esbilon> "Nothing of the sort, in order to find out where they can do the most good, we have a thorough examination of their powers, of course, but it is not the kind of thing you can fail. Most times people have powers that lend themselves well to fighting villains and criminals directly, but the Protectorate also employs more indirect parahumans whose assistance in
23:38 <•Esbilon> long term planning and information gathering is invaluable."
23:39 <Libby> Libby nods and fades back into the crowd.
23:39 <•Esbilon> From there, their guide quickly wraps up and the crowd chatters excitedly as they return to the lobby,
23:41 <Libby> *I've lasted longer than six months,* Libby thinks. *But that child might not. Unfortunately, the last thing you want when you're a miserable teen is to be urged to join the Girl Scouts or the Key Club and 'make friends'.*
Friday, April 3rd, 2015
00:10 <•Esbilon> The rest of the day proceeds fairly regularly.
00:10 <•Esbilon> Libby is able to pick up a salad on the way (which despite the name has nothing to do with Greece, but does contain delicious cheese and olives).
00:11 <Libby> *Mmm, cheese and olives!*
00:11 <•Esbilon> That night, however, she dreams herself back to her Alma Mater.
00:11 <•Esbilon> She is once more standing before the statue that spoke to her what seems like a lifetime ago.
00:12 <•Esbilon> She can sense these significance of the place and the time, but the statue does not seem immediately moved to speak, or do anything about the thick fog that seems to surround the small park it is placed in.
00:13 <Libby> In her dream, Libby stares into the fog, trying to see through it with eyes that seem curiously dull.
00:14 <•Esbilon> There seems to be faint movement there, but she can see only shadows.
00:14 <Libby> "Hello?"
00:14 <•Esbilon> There is only silence.
00:15 <Libby> Libby paces back and forth, rubbing her hands on her arms to ward off the chill. She stops in front of the statue, looks up at it.
00:15 <Libby> There's supposed to be an owl concealed somewhere in the Goddess's voluminous draperies.
00:15 <•Esbilon> It looks now as it did on that momentous day when her life was changed.
00:16 <•Esbilon> She sees no owls, but is reminded of the feather in her pocket.
00:16 <Libby> They say, if you can find its hiding place...Libby reaches into her breast pocket for the feather.
00:17 <•Esbilon> It is as it was when she found it, warm, pristine and comforting.
00:17 <Libby> "I wish I knew what you wanted from me, Mater," Libby murmurs.
00:17 <Libby> It occurs to her she has asked this question before.
00:20 <•Esbilon> As she considers the feather in her hand, Libby cannot help but feel that this silence is not merely a dull silence, but rather an expectant silence.
00:21 <Libby> "Is it the girl?
00:21 <Libby> "The monsters?
00:21 <Libby> "The man who calls himself Scion?
00:21 <•Esbilon> Her Mater may be the greatest of teachers, but she is proud, and does not care to waste her time on those who lack talent and insight of their own.
00:23 <•Esbilon> At the mention of Scion, she notices another feather lying at the foot of the statue.
00:24 <Libby> She goes over to the feather to look more closely.
00:24 <•Esbilon> It is as perfect as the one in her hand.
00:25 <Libby> "OK. Well...that's a beginning, at least."
00:26 <Libby> She cocks an eye up at the statue. "I do need data, you know, to use all that inherited insight on. As someone else said, I can't make bricks without clay."
00:27 <•Esbilon> The statue seems to smile at that remark.
00:31 <•Esbilon> It sits up straighter and speaks once again in that voice she remembers so well.
00:31 <•Esbilon> "What do you know of this strange world I have brought you to, child?"
00:32 <Libby> "Only that...legendary people seem to move openly here, instead of working from the shadows. They don't fear Fate."
00:33 <•Esbilon> "Do they seem like Children of the Gods to you?"
00:34 <Libby> "In some ways. But their powers don't seem to flow from...from ideas made material."
00:35 <•Esbilon> "And do they fit into your knowledge of the world at large?"
00:37 <Libby> "Not really," she admits. "If...people like us are born out of the way humans idealize and personify real things, these heroes seem like they were born out of someone's fiction." A pause. "Or maybe I'm just suffering from bias."
00:38 <•Esbilon> "We all are, Elisabet," she says, "but you are not wrong. If they are not the Children of the Gods, what then?"
00:39 <Libby> "You're not saying they're born of the Titans?"
00:40 <•Esbilon> "What do you think?"
00:42 <Libby> "Where else does that kind of power come from? Human beings and Titans created or shaped everything, including the Gods, who are stronger than both, and all power springs from one of those three sources...or so I was led to believe." The idea of another set of first principles makes her head swim.
00:44 <•Esbilon> "All power does flow from Titans, gods and humankind," she agrees, "and there are no Gods who lay claim to this world. So what do you think is going on?"
00:45 <Libby> "They don't seem twisted enough for Titanspawn, most of them. Except those...things...they call Endbringers."
00:46 <•Esbilon> Minerva clearly waits for Libby to go on.
00:47 <Libby> "...but how could human beings raise themselves to that level of power unaided?"
00:47 <•Esbilon> "Do you know that they did?"
00:48 <Libby> "If they didn't, who did? Why would the *Titans* empower these people? They hate humankind."
00:49 <•Esbilon> "Is their world better off now than it was before the emergence of these powers?"
00:50 <Libby> Libby frowns, rapidly comparing what she's read of this world's history with that of her own.
00:51 <•Esbilon> She has not really gotten into the world politics and history yet, but from what she has seen in Brockton Bay, and the sheer number of neo nazis with power... No, not really.
00:53 <Libby> "They did this...in the hope they would destroy themselves. And when it didn't happen fast enough to please them, they started knocking things down more directly. Like impatient children."
00:53 <Libby> "But why is this world, Terra, realm, whatever, so important?"
00:53 <•Esbilon> Minerva smiles, "is it like other Terra Incognita?"
00:54 <Libby> "No," Libby admits. "It's huge. Not just a single biome, but an entire alternate Earth."
00:55 <•Esbilon> "And?" She smiles expectently, in a way Libby would be intimately familiar with had she been able to look herself in the mirror when a particularly promising student was being asked the questions that distinguishes between A and A+
00:57 <Libby> "If they were to corrupt this entire population, they'd have an army. And if they destroyed it outright, the metaphysical ripples on *our* World could be catastrophic."
00:59 <•Esbilon> She nods gravely. "This world is a testing ground for something new, and there are two Titans who have been conspicuously inactive in our world for these past 30 years."
01:00 <•Esbilon> "I have sent you here to understand our enemy without alerting them to your presence."
01:00 <Libby> "Only two? Which ones?"
01:03 <•Esbilon> "They always shied the limelight, sister and brother, warrior and thinker. The myths gave them no names, but their touch could be felt none the less by those with the wits to see them."
01:06 <Libby> "How do I avoid alerting them to my presence? Won't they notice if I use my powers?" Her face turns wry. "Or am I too small for them, and that's why I was sent?"
01:07 <•Esbilon> "You know the value of discretion," Minerva says, "and you are indeed unlikely to cause great ripples in the company of such powers as the ones their world is already full of."
01:09 <Libby> "So...you just want me to gather information? Or try to muck up their plans somehow?"
01:09 <•Esbilon> "True success would be for you to turn the Titans' weapon against them."
01:11 <Libby> "By...identifying the Titans and somehow rallying the heroes of this world against them. Oh mater, you don't give *light* tasks, do you?" says Libby with a rueful grin.
01:11 <•Esbilon> "I give you such tasks as are needed and as your abilities are suited to," she replies with a motherly smile.
01:12 <Libby> Libby starts to salute, realizes how silly it looks while holding feathers, and just says. "I shall do my best, then and not complain."
01:12 <Libby> Once again, she feels she has said those words before.
01:13 <•Esbilon> She wakes up in her new bed, feeling quite rested and finding two perfect owl feathers in her bed.
01:14 <Libby> Libby doesn't know whether to wish it was only a dream, or be grateful she actually got some directions...even if they pointed to a herculean task.
01:20 <Libby> It makes up her mind, though. As much as she shies away from the notion, she needs to integrate with the local 'capes'.
01:22 <•Esbilon> Joining the Protectorate is of course the obvious way to do so, but not the only one. Despite Miss Militia's dire warnings, there are capes who do alright on their own, or in independent groups, and surely some of them would welcome her help.
01:23 <•Esbilon> A bit further investigation reveals one Parian, a parahuman with control over thread and fabric who makes a living as a fashion designer and is able to stay out of the general parahuman conflicts
01:23 <•Esbilon> There is also a group of mercenaries led by a woman caled Faultline.
01:26 <Libby> What she is looking for, Libby muses, is not just powerful connections but a way to build reputation and respect. If she's going to get this world's...parahumans...to recognize and turn on the very source of their powers, she needs to be more than a voice in the wilderness.
01:27 <•Esbilon> For that, the Protectorate is a mixed blessing. On one hand, they have a dedicated PR department willing and able to put her (masked) face on everything from TV commercials to lunchboxes, on the other she would be one of many in that case.
01:28 <•Esbilon> What she can glean from parahumans-online.net, however, is that *every* cape who appears gets discussed.
01:28 <•Esbilon> And those whose accomplishments warrant it get fame all on their own.
01:29 <Libby> *I need to put together my own allies,* Libby thinks. *This Protectorate undoubtedly has Titan agents seeded in it, unless the Titans have been asleep all these years, which I doubt.*
01:30 <Libby> *But does that mean I have a duty to stay apart from them, or a duty to infiltrate them?*
01:32 <Libby> Decisions, decisions...
01:32 <•Esbilon> Mater dearest does not appear to be talkative in these waking hours.
01:33 <Libby> Libby broods as she fixes breakfast.
XP: Libby +5 xp
Mother's Touch: Libby gets +1 Legend and +30 xp.
22:02 <•Esbilon> The same holds true in this new place, and the hub of information on capes is parahumans.net with its assocaited wiki and massive message board
22:03 <•Esbilon> It has hard information on cities, organizations, individual parahumans, as well as rampant speculation, vs-threads and even a fanfiction section.
22:04 <•Esbilon> Libby has already found the major players in Brockton Bay: The Protectorate, the Wards, the ABB, the Empire 88 and the Merchants
22:04 <•Esbilon> Furtheremore, there is an independent group of heroes called New Wave who are particularly different in that their identities are public knowledge
22:05 <•Esbilon> they fight crime and make a living from the donations of those who appreciate their efforts, as well as having day jobs. Carol Dallon, aka Brandish, is for instance a successful lawyer.
22:06 <Libby> Other Important Questions include: "What are the legal repercussions of super-heroing in this universe, so I know ahead of time just how much trouble I'm in?" "Where are the high-crime sectors of this city?" and more details on specific powers and personalities.
22:07 <•Esbilon> In principle, superheroing is governed by the same rules as all other activities. In practice, independent heroes are afforded considerable leeway when apprehending known criminals, stopping active crimes, or encountering villains.
22:08 <•Esbilon> New Wave has managed to avoid legal trouble despite the well known short temper and great strength of Glory Girl. Though that may be related to the fact that any physical trauma can quickly be healed by her sister Panacea.
22:08 <•Esbilon> (aka Victoria and Amy Dallon, respectively)
22:10 <•Esbilon> As for high crime sectors of the city... Most of them to be brutally honest. Downtown is in good shape, but outside it, things get bad quite quickly.
22:11 <•Esbilon> The docks are a particular problem since the city's harbor hit hard first by Leviathan's impact on global trade in general, and later by a crippling dock workers' strike and the scuttling of the ships in harbor at the time.
22:13 <Libby> Libby checks how far they are from her apartment and from the school.
22:14 <•Esbilon> Both are in the sourthern part of the docks, outside the really bad part.
22:16 <Libby> On impulse, she maps the location of Taylor's address.
22:17 <•Esbilon> Same general area, about the same distance from the school as Libby's, but further from Downton
22:20 <Libby> Not *too* far, then -- which could be good if she ever has to go haring over there to pull a reckless young girl out of trouble.
22:20 <Libby> There have been a few times since her Visitation that Libby has wished her mother had revealed herself earlier. Most of the time, though, she's sane enough to be grateful Athena didn't.
22:21 <Libby> What her teenage self, standing there in the lunchroom with gravy on her clothes and peas on her hair, might have done with superpowers doesn't bear thinking on.
22:22 <Libby> So...what sort of powers is she likely to run up against around here? Libby wonders.
22:23 <•Esbilon> It varies. A lot.
22:24 <•Esbilon> The largest group of villains is the Empire 88, a neo-nazi organization led by Kaiser who has the ability to manipulate metal in a large radius. He usually uses this to armor himself and make swords appear to trap or stab his foes.
22:24 <Libby> Is there a system of classifying people, like the "Purview" system some more pretentious Scions use to describe Godly affinities? A ratings system? Color coded badges?
22:24 <•Esbilon> There is indeed!
22:26 <•Esbilon> The Parahumans Response Team (PRT) the government organization of mundanes who are in charge of the Protectorate and Wards, and are responsible for protecting the ordinary population from supervillains have just such a system
22:26 <•Esbilon> it consists of a number of categories and a rating from 1 to 10 or higher
22:27 <•Esbilon> She finds a document that goes into rather extensive detail starting on page 32 (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Swjz8BZZNE4bq6lTkHanTK4sJ-K_xVlFudxA16mYjH4/edit#heading=h.j83zu0o2t8cs)
22:27 <Libby> *Merythoth would love this,* Libby thinks wryly, remembering a pedantic Scion of Thoth she knew.
22:28 <•Esbilon> The short version, though is that a rating of 1-4 is only somewhat above human baseline or excellence, 5-8 is powerful and 9+ is a major threat
22:29 <•Esbilon> The categories are largely self-explanatory and are Mover, Shaker, Brute, Breaker, Master, Tinker, Blaster, Thinker, Striker, Chanter, Trump and Stranger
22:31 <Libby> *No wonder she thought my powers were odd.*
22:33 <•Esbilon> In addition to Kaiser, the Empire 88 has Krieg a large-scale telekinetic, Victor a man who can take away others' skills and use them for his own, Othala who can grant others invulnerability or regeneration, Fenja and Menja, a pair of twins who can grow extremely large and become very resistant to damage, Rune another telekinetic who can control anything she
22:33 <•Esbilon> touches, Hookwolf who can turn into a mass of blades, Stormtiger who can manipulate air and uses it to manifest claws, Cricket whose powers are not quite known but who is a skilled martial artist, Purity who can fly and shoot powerful beams, Crusader who can manifest ghostly knights, Night who becomes a powerful monster when no one is looking at her, and
22:33 <•Esbilon> lastly Fog who turns into a poisonous and obscuring mist.
22:35 <•Esbilon> The ABB has a more manageable roster: Lung who slowly gets more powerful as combat progresses, he becomes covered in silvery scales, controls fire and can even grow wings. Rumour has it that he fought Leviathan in single combat and walked away alive, and Oni Lee, a short-range teleporter who leaves behind a copy of himself where he left off. He likes
22:35 <•Esbilon> combining this with grenades.
22:36 <Libby> This is all quite daunting for the Scion of Athena to read about. And puzzling. *Why did they send ME here? Why not a demigod? An older hero, at least.*
22:36 <•Esbilon> The Merchants have Skidmark who can make fields that increase exert a force in one direction which can be layered for very powerful boosts or obstacles, Squealer who creates monstrous vehicles, Mush who can use garbage as a kind of ablative armor, and Trainwreck who has a steam-powered power armor.
22:37 <•Esbilon> There are also a few independent villains, but these are the primary threats.
22:37 <•Esbilon> Lung is bar none considered the most powerful parahuman in the city. When he first arrived, he faced off against the assembled Protectorate and walked away.
22:38 <Libby> Libby does not favor the arts of prophecy or magic like some of her cousins. But she is attuned enough to Fate to get an uncomfortable niggling in the back of her skull as she reads that.
22:43 <Libby> At this moment, Libby decides, all she can do is what's within her abilities: watch over the school and its students, build up strength -- and hope that the inevitable encounters with this world's Legendary foes don't come before she's ready.
22:45 <•Esbilon> Several places in her searches, she comes across more or less strongly worded encouragements for anyone who finds themselves with powers to contact their local Protectorate or Wards. Being alone with one's powers is dangerous and invites forced recruitment from gangs.
22:47 <Libby> Libby purses her lips, weighing the pros and cons. She doesn't need anyone trying to force-recruit her -- but that includes white hats as well as black hats.
22:48 <Libby> Not to mention her rather difficult-to-explain power source.
22:49 <•Esbilon> What then, is a girl to do on a Friday night in a new town?
22:49 <Libby> Especially a single, non-drinking one.
22:53 <Libby> After a moment, she decides to risk contacting this pseudo-JLI outfit. First, though she should probably check her own paper trail. If these fellows are even remotely competent, they must certainly run background checks.
22:54 <•Esbilon> Her own paper trail is as she would expect it to be: Graduate of Columbia, teaching sholarship, a few years in Chicago, moved to Brockton Bay when her school there closed.
22:54 <•Esbilon> She is out of the program, though, and free to follow whatever career she chooses.
22:55 <Libby> Out of curiousity, she checks the status of Columbia in this universe.
22:57 <•Esbilon> After being rebuilt in the mid-nineties, it has quickly reclaimed its place as one of the top universities in the country. Curiously enough, its statue of Minerva was one of the very few things left largely intact after Behemoth's rampage, and it has been left in its lightly damaged state as a testament to the school's ability to weather great hardships.
22:58 <Libby> She lets out a sigh. She's been afraid to look, till now.
22:59 <Libby> Well, no point wasting time. Libby looks for contact information for the local Protectorate.
23:00 <•Esbilon> The local branch (Protectorate East North East) has a 24 hour phone line, an email address and a 24 hour chat service.
23:00 <•Esbilon> Oh, and visiting hours between 8 am and 8 pm
23:02 <Libby> Libby glances at the clock.
23:02 <•Esbilon> She can still make it if she leaeves now and skips dinner.
23:04 <Libby> *I should have a look at this place, and these people, before I do anything else,* Libby decides. *I can skip dinner. Wouldn't be the first time.*
23:04 <•Esbilon> On her way there, she has time to review the local Protectorate roser
23:05 <Libby> Which she does.
23:08 <•Esbilon> Armsmaster, whom she also took a look at earlier, is the leader. He is a very skilled and flexible halberd-wielding fighter. Miss Militia is a competent and charming woman with the power to manifest any weapon she chooses. Assault is able to manipulate kinetic energy, increasing his own and decreasing that of those who attack him, Battery can move in rapid
23:08 <•Esbilon> and powerful bursts, but she needs to stand still and charge up between uses. Velocity is able to run and hit insanely fast. Dauntless has the ability to empower his equipment, making it a tiny bit stronger every day. His signature weapon is an Arc Lance which can stun even powerful parahumans. The last and newest member is Triumph who can project sonic
23:08 <•Esbilon> blasts from his mouth, knocking out his foes.
23:13 <•Esbilon> The Wards team of superhero minors are: Aegis, a man with the power of flight as well as super resilience, Gallant a power armored knight with the power to shoot beams that alter emotions, Clockblocker whose touch can freeze people in time, Vista a young girl who can manipulate distances between objects on a large scale, Shadow Stalker who can turn into a
23:13 <•Esbilon> cloud of darkness to avoid getting hit or pursuing villains through buildings, Browbeat who has super strength and resilience, but no flight, and lastly Kid Win who flies around on a hover board and shoots laser guns.
23:15 <•Esbilon> The Protectorate Headquarters (PHQ) that she is approaching lies off shore on what might once have been an oil rig or some such, but is now far more. The building looks entirely futuristic with its shining white exterior, soft lines, shimmering force field and batteries of laser cannons.
23:15 <•Esbilon> A crowd of people are standing on the harbor, waiting for the ferry that will bring them over to see the place their heroes work.
23:15 <Libby> Libby gawks for a moment before closing her mouth.
23:16 <•Esbilon> It is a common reaction.
23:17 <Libby> If she had any doubts she was an a strange Terra Incognita and not the victim of a colossal prank, they're gone now.
23:18 <•Esbilon> The bus stops and she is free to make her way to the line waiting for the ferry.
23:19 <Libby> Libby joins the line, wondering if this was a good idea. Who knows what the defenses of this place might notice?
23:19 <•Esbilon> There are no obvious defenses on the ferry that notice her at least, and soon she is in a large lobby.
23:20 <Libby> She looks around carefully -- everything she sees automatically imprinted on her memory.
23:20 <•Esbilon> Aside from the futuristic look that is maintained inside, the huge pictures of superheroes all around her, the large gift shop to her right... Actually, it's very little like other lobbies, but there is a front desk with several helpful young people.
23:20 <•Esbilon> There is also a guided tour.
23:21 <•Esbilon> The next (and last) one leaves in 15 minutes.
23:21 <Libby> Libby joins the tour.
23:21 <Libby> (decides to)
23:22 <Libby> In the meantime, she examines the hero portraits, and everything else visible to the public eye.
23:22 <•Esbilon> In the mean time, she can feast her eyes on posters, action figures (Armsmaster's comes with several halberds and a motorcycle!), clothes (including underwear...), cups an anything else one might possibly want.
23:22 <•Esbilon> The gift shop seems to be doing brisk business
23:23 <Libby> It's not *that* strange, Libby tells herself. Look at all the ancient Greek pottery and such with pictures of Heracles or Theseus.
23:24 <•Esbilon> The tour takes her for a quick look around the place, she sees the gym built for people with super strength, gets close to the laser cannons, gets a chance to touch the force field (it gives a slightly unpleasant buzz, and is utterly impervious even to the rather muscled man in the group who decides to punch it).
23:26 <Libby> *The Scions back at home should see this,* Libby thinks. *Or maybe they shouldn't.*
23:26 <•Esbilon> Last they are allowed into the heroes' lounge area where Miss Militia in her military uniform and Stars-And-Stripes cowboy-style mask, as well as Dauntless in his (not-at-all accurate) ancient-greek-inspired armor and helmet are around.
23:27 <•Esbilon> They sign autographs and answer a few quick questions.
23:27 <•Esbilon> With her force of personality, it would not be hard for Libby to ensure that hers is heard and answered.
23:27 <Libby> Libby eyes the dreadfully inaccurate outfit and snorts audibly. She just can't help it.
23:27 <•Esbilon> Either Dauntless does not hear, or he does not mind.
23:29 <Libby> "I've read you fellows encourage all powered persons to register with you," Libby remarks.
23:31 <•Esbilon> "Yes," Miss Militia steps forward to answer, you are able to register a faint accent. Kurdish if you're any judge. "For their own safety as well as the good of us all. The Protectorate is a place where parahumans can get the support they need to make the most of their powers, and where they can use them for the good of their communities."
23:32 <•Esbilon> She looks somberly as she continues, "it is a sad fact that independent heroes rarely survive their first six months."
23:32 <Libby> "And heroes who are part of a group?"
23:34 <•Esbilon> "Fifteen years and counting," she says with a smile that's clearly visible in her dark eyes even if her mouth is hidden.
23:36 <Libby> "What happens when someone new shows up with powers at your front door? Do they have to take licensing exams?"
23:37 <Libby> Try as she might, she cannot keep the undersong of irony out of her voice. This whole place seems so...so...
23:38 <•Esbilon> "Nothing of the sort, in order to find out where they can do the most good, we have a thorough examination of their powers, of course, but it is not the kind of thing you can fail. Most times people have powers that lend themselves well to fighting villains and criminals directly, but the Protectorate also employs more indirect parahumans whose assistance in
23:38 <•Esbilon> long term planning and information gathering is invaluable."
23:39 <Libby> Libby nods and fades back into the crowd.
23:39 <•Esbilon> From there, their guide quickly wraps up and the crowd chatters excitedly as they return to the lobby,
23:41 <Libby> *I've lasted longer than six months,* Libby thinks. *But that child might not. Unfortunately, the last thing you want when you're a miserable teen is to be urged to join the Girl Scouts or the Key Club and 'make friends'.*
Friday, April 3rd, 2015
00:10 <•Esbilon> The rest of the day proceeds fairly regularly.
00:10 <•Esbilon> Libby is able to pick up a salad on the way (which despite the name has nothing to do with Greece, but does contain delicious cheese and olives).
00:11 <Libby> *Mmm, cheese and olives!*
00:11 <•Esbilon> That night, however, she dreams herself back to her Alma Mater.
00:11 <•Esbilon> She is once more standing before the statue that spoke to her what seems like a lifetime ago.
00:12 <•Esbilon> She can sense these significance of the place and the time, but the statue does not seem immediately moved to speak, or do anything about the thick fog that seems to surround the small park it is placed in.
00:13 <Libby> In her dream, Libby stares into the fog, trying to see through it with eyes that seem curiously dull.
00:14 <•Esbilon> There seems to be faint movement there, but she can see only shadows.
00:14 <Libby> "Hello?"
00:14 <•Esbilon> There is only silence.
00:15 <Libby> Libby paces back and forth, rubbing her hands on her arms to ward off the chill. She stops in front of the statue, looks up at it.
00:15 <Libby> There's supposed to be an owl concealed somewhere in the Goddess's voluminous draperies.
00:15 <•Esbilon> It looks now as it did on that momentous day when her life was changed.
00:16 <•Esbilon> She sees no owls, but is reminded of the feather in her pocket.
00:16 <Libby> They say, if you can find its hiding place...Libby reaches into her breast pocket for the feather.
00:17 <•Esbilon> It is as it was when she found it, warm, pristine and comforting.
00:17 <Libby> "I wish I knew what you wanted from me, Mater," Libby murmurs.
00:17 <Libby> It occurs to her she has asked this question before.
00:20 <•Esbilon> As she considers the feather in her hand, Libby cannot help but feel that this silence is not merely a dull silence, but rather an expectant silence.
00:21 <Libby> "Is it the girl?
00:21 <Libby> "The monsters?
00:21 <Libby> "The man who calls himself Scion?
00:21 <•Esbilon> Her Mater may be the greatest of teachers, but she is proud, and does not care to waste her time on those who lack talent and insight of their own.
00:23 <•Esbilon> At the mention of Scion, she notices another feather lying at the foot of the statue.
00:24 <Libby> She goes over to the feather to look more closely.
00:24 <•Esbilon> It is as perfect as the one in her hand.
00:25 <Libby> "OK. Well...that's a beginning, at least."
00:26 <Libby> She cocks an eye up at the statue. "I do need data, you know, to use all that inherited insight on. As someone else said, I can't make bricks without clay."
00:27 <•Esbilon> The statue seems to smile at that remark.
00:31 <•Esbilon> It sits up straighter and speaks once again in that voice she remembers so well.
00:31 <•Esbilon> "What do you know of this strange world I have brought you to, child?"
00:32 <Libby> "Only that...legendary people seem to move openly here, instead of working from the shadows. They don't fear Fate."
00:33 <•Esbilon> "Do they seem like Children of the Gods to you?"
00:34 <Libby> "In some ways. But their powers don't seem to flow from...from ideas made material."
00:35 <•Esbilon> "And do they fit into your knowledge of the world at large?"
00:37 <Libby> "Not really," she admits. "If...people like us are born out of the way humans idealize and personify real things, these heroes seem like they were born out of someone's fiction." A pause. "Or maybe I'm just suffering from bias."
00:38 <•Esbilon> "We all are, Elisabet," she says, "but you are not wrong. If they are not the Children of the Gods, what then?"
00:39 <Libby> "You're not saying they're born of the Titans?"
00:40 <•Esbilon> "What do you think?"
00:42 <Libby> "Where else does that kind of power come from? Human beings and Titans created or shaped everything, including the Gods, who are stronger than both, and all power springs from one of those three sources...or so I was led to believe." The idea of another set of first principles makes her head swim.
00:44 <•Esbilon> "All power does flow from Titans, gods and humankind," she agrees, "and there are no Gods who lay claim to this world. So what do you think is going on?"
00:45 <Libby> "They don't seem twisted enough for Titanspawn, most of them. Except those...things...they call Endbringers."
00:46 <•Esbilon> Minerva clearly waits for Libby to go on.
00:47 <Libby> "...but how could human beings raise themselves to that level of power unaided?"
00:47 <•Esbilon> "Do you know that they did?"
00:48 <Libby> "If they didn't, who did? Why would the *Titans* empower these people? They hate humankind."
00:49 <•Esbilon> "Is their world better off now than it was before the emergence of these powers?"
00:50 <Libby> Libby frowns, rapidly comparing what she's read of this world's history with that of her own.
00:51 <•Esbilon> She has not really gotten into the world politics and history yet, but from what she has seen in Brockton Bay, and the sheer number of neo nazis with power... No, not really.
00:53 <Libby> "They did this...in the hope they would destroy themselves. And when it didn't happen fast enough to please them, they started knocking things down more directly. Like impatient children."
00:53 <Libby> "But why is this world, Terra, realm, whatever, so important?"
00:53 <•Esbilon> Minerva smiles, "is it like other Terra Incognita?"
00:54 <Libby> "No," Libby admits. "It's huge. Not just a single biome, but an entire alternate Earth."
00:55 <•Esbilon> "And?" She smiles expectently, in a way Libby would be intimately familiar with had she been able to look herself in the mirror when a particularly promising student was being asked the questions that distinguishes between A and A+
00:57 <Libby> "If they were to corrupt this entire population, they'd have an army. And if they destroyed it outright, the metaphysical ripples on *our* World could be catastrophic."
00:59 <•Esbilon> She nods gravely. "This world is a testing ground for something new, and there are two Titans who have been conspicuously inactive in our world for these past 30 years."
01:00 <•Esbilon> "I have sent you here to understand our enemy without alerting them to your presence."
01:00 <Libby> "Only two? Which ones?"
01:03 <•Esbilon> "They always shied the limelight, sister and brother, warrior and thinker. The myths gave them no names, but their touch could be felt none the less by those with the wits to see them."
01:06 <Libby> "How do I avoid alerting them to my presence? Won't they notice if I use my powers?" Her face turns wry. "Or am I too small for them, and that's why I was sent?"
01:07 <•Esbilon> "You know the value of discretion," Minerva says, "and you are indeed unlikely to cause great ripples in the company of such powers as the ones their world is already full of."
01:09 <Libby> "So...you just want me to gather information? Or try to muck up their plans somehow?"
01:09 <•Esbilon> "True success would be for you to turn the Titans' weapon against them."
01:11 <Libby> "By...identifying the Titans and somehow rallying the heroes of this world against them. Oh mater, you don't give *light* tasks, do you?" says Libby with a rueful grin.
01:11 <•Esbilon> "I give you such tasks as are needed and as your abilities are suited to," she replies with a motherly smile.
01:12 <Libby> Libby starts to salute, realizes how silly it looks while holding feathers, and just says. "I shall do my best, then and not complain."
01:12 <Libby> Once again, she feels she has said those words before.
01:13 <•Esbilon> She wakes up in her new bed, feeling quite rested and finding two perfect owl feathers in her bed.
01:14 <Libby> Libby doesn't know whether to wish it was only a dream, or be grateful she actually got some directions...even if they pointed to a herculean task.
01:20 <Libby> It makes up her mind, though. As much as she shies away from the notion, she needs to integrate with the local 'capes'.
01:22 <•Esbilon> Joining the Protectorate is of course the obvious way to do so, but not the only one. Despite Miss Militia's dire warnings, there are capes who do alright on their own, or in independent groups, and surely some of them would welcome her help.
01:23 <•Esbilon> A bit further investigation reveals one Parian, a parahuman with control over thread and fabric who makes a living as a fashion designer and is able to stay out of the general parahuman conflicts
01:23 <•Esbilon> There is also a group of mercenaries led by a woman caled Faultline.
01:26 <Libby> What she is looking for, Libby muses, is not just powerful connections but a way to build reputation and respect. If she's going to get this world's...parahumans...to recognize and turn on the very source of their powers, she needs to be more than a voice in the wilderness.
01:27 <•Esbilon> For that, the Protectorate is a mixed blessing. On one hand, they have a dedicated PR department willing and able to put her (masked) face on everything from TV commercials to lunchboxes, on the other she would be one of many in that case.
01:28 <•Esbilon> What she can glean from parahumans-online.net, however, is that *every* cape who appears gets discussed.
01:28 <•Esbilon> And those whose accomplishments warrant it get fame all on their own.
01:29 <Libby> *I need to put together my own allies,* Libby thinks. *This Protectorate undoubtedly has Titan agents seeded in it, unless the Titans have been asleep all these years, which I doubt.*
01:30 <Libby> *But does that mean I have a duty to stay apart from them, or a duty to infiltrate them?*
01:32 <Libby> Decisions, decisions...
01:32 <•Esbilon> Mater dearest does not appear to be talkative in these waking hours.
01:33 <Libby> Libby broods as she fixes breakfast.
XP: Libby +5 xp
Mother's Touch: Libby gets +1 Legend and +30 xp.
Esbilon
Seven Thousand Club
00:25 <•Esbilon> It is surprisingly easy to find information about other realities. Parahumans Online has an entire section given over to the subject. However, it appears they only know of one other, designated "Earth Aleph," with the one you're currently on designated "Earth Bet."
00:25 <•Esbilon> A Tinker known as Professor Haywire punched a metaphorical hole between them several years ago, and since then there has been electronic communication between the worlds, but no one has been able to physically cross it.
00:26 <•Esbilon> Earth Aleph entertainment is extremely popular on Earth Bet. Partly because they have more resources for big budget films and the like.
00:28 <Libby> Curiously, Libby looks up more about Earth-Aleph (why would the people here label their world
00:28 <Libby> 'secondary'?)
00:28 <Libby> Or did the Aleph people get in with their designation first?
00:28 <•Esbilon> It appears to be exactly like Earth Bet, except for the absence of superheroes and Endbringers.
00:29 <•Esbilon> No trace of Gods, Titans or Scions working even remotely openly there either.
00:31 <Libby> And the presence of more movies. Could Earth-Aleph be the World she knows? *Better not to get your hopes up,* Libby reminds herself. *Even if it is, you can't get back there alone.*
00:34 <Libby> *On with business.*
00:35 <Libby> After going through her paperwork and completely everything she needs for Monday -- better get this out of the way early--
00:35 <Libby> Libby rummages around her apartment, learning what she has and doesn't have and taking stock of what she needs.
00:37 <•Esbilon> Her past alternate self seems to have a decent taste in legal and semi-legal protection apparel and other accouterments of the heroing business. She has everything she has at home, though in a world where people can make superpowered equipment, maybe not everything she would want. Something to look into later, maybe.
00:47 <Libby> She rolls her eyes at the way her plain gear -- gotten, in the old world, through a firm that made fencing equipment -- has been replaced with a dramatic-looking cloth "breastplate" emblazoned with her mother's Gorgoneion crest. It's clearly made of polyethylene fibers, though, and with the tiny metal plates over the abdomen looks strong enough to stop
00:47 <Libby> anything short of an Uzi.
00:48 <Libby> Some things her alternate self may not have thought of, though -- how is she to get around, with all this heroing business? *I need a bicycle or something. Well, preferably a car, but a bike will do for now.*
00:49 <•Esbilon> Actually, from what she had read, most heroes whose powers did not involve a method of rapid locomotion, got around on foot.
00:53 <Libby> Libby doubts this. For responding to emergencies on the same block, sure. But unless you want to live next door to the villains you fight, you need a way to get there. *Probably they stow their hero stuff in the trunk and change just around the block,* she thinks with a quirk of her mouth.
00:54 <•Esbilon> The question, then, is whether she will go out in costume tonight, or stick with her wait-and-see approach for the moment. There is, after all, much left to be learned.
01:01 <Libby> Libby decides on a compromise. She will go out late tonight, geared up, primarily to observe. She doesn't yet know the local heroes and villains by sight. If she runs across an obvious crime in progress, especially if someone's getting hurt ...well, that's different.
01:04 <•Esbilon> Day turns to evening, and evening turns to night. Even in April, the nights of Brockton Bay are dark and ominous, and Libby is able to make her way from her apartment to a suitable place to start her life in costume.
01:07 <Libby> She slips into her gear. The helmet -- its steel darkened and dulled with copper to keep it from being too shiny -- turns out to obstruct her view a *lot* less than she imagined. Then again, it seems to be custom-made for her. Libby moves softly from shadow, feeling ridiculous and magnificent at the same time.
01:09 <•Esbilon> No crime springs forth for her to interrupt as she walks along the lamp-lit streets. Passers by look at her with surprise, but none of them seem interested in approaching her, rather they speed up and get out of her way.
01:12 <Libby> She keeps these ventures into the light as brief as possible, sticking to the alleys when she can, and aiming her path towards where the lights grow fewer and the people on the street more furtive and wary.
01:16 <•Esbilon> As she approaches the water, her Divine Eyes allow her to spot a small group of men unloading a small boat on a pier. And the handful of men with guns around them keeping a keen eye out for trouble. Trouble such as Libby.
01:22 <Libby> She doesn't approach, obviously. Instead, she crouches down behind a trash barrel and listens. Her hearing is even sharper than her eyesight.
01:24 <•Esbilon> The men work mostly in silence, calling out the occasional word in an odd mix of Japanese, Korean and English.
01:25 <•Esbilon> From what she can gather, they are moving a shipment of drugs from the boat to a waiting car.
01:25 <•Esbilon> She notices a black-clad man whose face is covered by a red demonic mask stalking between them.
01:25 <•Esbilon> Oni Lee, her perfect memory helpfully informs her. The ABB's teleporter/cloner/repeated suicide bomber.
01:27 <Libby> Damn. One of the last people she wanted to see.
01:41 <•Esbilon> Time passes slowly when observing dangerous men doing dangerous work, and Libby is not quite sure when the bright light appears in the sky above her.
01:42 <•Esbilon> Probably no more than a few minutes, and certainly only seconds pass before the gangers notice it as well.
01:42 <•Esbilon> They point and yell. One even turns his gun upwards and starts firing at the brightly glowing figure.
01:42 <•Esbilon> The gun shots ring out loudly to Libby's ears.
01:43 <Libby> *Ah,* thinks Libby. She stands up noiselessly, and looks to see if she can make out who the figure is.
01:43 <•Esbilon> She tries looking up at the shining figure, but can see nothing. Her memory helps her again, however, this would be Purity, a member of the neo-nazi Empire 88.
01:44 <Libby> Hastily, she ducks down again, prepared to back away and start to run if it comes to that.
01:44 <Libby> *I'm not cutting a very glorious figure, my first night out,* she thinks wryly.
01:45 <Libby> *But I won't do any good dead.*
01:45 <•Esbilon> A bright double-helix of white light shoots down from Purity, scattering the gangers.
01:46 <Libby> *Evil is not one big happy family here. Good to know.*
01:46 <•Esbilon> The half-loaded truck starts speeding away with Oni Lee teleporting on top of it, leaving a copy behind which quickly fades into ash.
01:46 <•Esbilon> A moment later, the double-helix condenses and easily cuts the truck in half as well as tearing up the dock beneath it.
01:47 <•Esbilon> Oni Lee takes this as his cue to disappear via a series of teleport-clonings.
01:47 <•Esbilon> The gangers disperse into the night, and Purity descends to take in the scene of the destruction, making no move to kill or apprehend her enemies, though some are lying still on the pier.
02:00 <Libby> *This would be a good time to exit,* Libby thinks, and, like the runners, she takes off into the night.
17:07 <Libby> She takes a few steps, and slows. *I'm here to gather information,* she reminds herself. *Including about the villains. Especially about the villains.*
17:07 <Libby> There is a risk...but perhaps not as big a risk as interrupting a large group of criminals in the middle of their operation.
17:09 <Libby> Turning around, Libby begins walking back towards the scene. This time, she doesn't sneak. People are less trigger-happy with someone they know is approaching.
17:10 <•Esbilon> The glowing female figure hovers above the unconscious remaining thugs, and appears to be destroying their cargo and their vehicles. For the moment, she does not appear aware of Libby's presence
17:11 <Libby> Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. Still at a distance, Libby calls, "Hello there. May I approach?"
17:12 <•Esbilon> Immediately, Purity rises higher and turns to face the newcomer.
17:13 <•Esbilon> "Who are you?" She asks.
17:13 <•Esbilon> Her voice sounding ominous, probably an effect caused by whatever makes her glow like that.
17:14 <Libby> "Pallas." It is the first name that comes to her mind. "I'm new in town. No affiliations yet."
17:15 <•Esbilon> She regards Libby in silence for a few moments before speaking, "welcome. Is there anything in particular you want?" She asks.
17:20 <Libby> "Well, you could *enlighten* my deep ignorance about the way things work here. Why did you attack those men?"
17:22 <•Esbilon> "They're drug traffickers and dealers," she says as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "if those of us with powers don't take a stand against that plague of corruption, it will consume what's left of this city."
17:23 <Libby> Libby nods gravely. "That seems pretty obvious. Would you consider yourself a hero, then?"
17:24 <•Esbilon> "Of course," she says, but despite her attempt to make it sound like the only obvious answer, Libby can hear that there is some desperation in her voice.
17:26 <Libby> "Other people don't appreciate the work you do, I take it," says Libby sympathetically.
17:28 <•Esbilon> She gives a small sigh, "I've made some mistakes in my past. Very few people are willing to believe I've turned over a new leaf."
17:30 <Libby> "That's hard. I used to work in...well, no matter, but I saw people trying to change their lives all the time. They meant it truly, but it was difficult for those on the outside to see the change that had started on the inside. Didn't mean it wasn't there, though."
17:31 <•Esbilon> She nods, "look, you seem like a nice enough person, but I really should be going in case Oni Lee returns with Lung, or the Protectorate shows up."
17:32 <Libby> "By all means. Thank you for you time."
17:33 <•Esbilon> And with that, she streaks off into the night sky, not unlike a comit
17:33 <•Esbilon> ((comet!))
17:34 <Libby> Now, Libby does move off at a good clip. She'd rather not deal with Lung either.
17:35 <•Esbilon> As she makes her way to the alley where she changed her clothes the first time around, she hears the distinctive sound of guns being fired off to her right.
17:35 <Libby> Mentally thinking something impolite, Libby follows the sound.
17:39 <•Esbilon> Out of a small convenience store come a group of three muscled, bald men with an unpleasant laughter and black and red colors on their clothes.
17:40 <•Esbilon> One of the store's windows has been shattered recently based on the debris.
17:48 <Libby> Libby lets out a sigh. Of course it would be them.
17:50 <Libby> She strips the shield-shaped brooch from her collar. As it swells to full size on her arm, there is a soft but unmistakeable rumble of thunder.
17:51 <•Esbilon> the three stop and turn towards Libby. One of them laughs, "who the fuck are you supposed to be?"
17:52 <Libby> With each rapid step, a crackling aura of whitish-blue sparks grows around her. "Someone who doesn't approve of breaking and entering. Now, are we going to do this the easy way, or the hard way." Her voice is a teacher's addressing a sullen student.
17:54 <•Esbilon> The man in front (not the one who spoke before) gives a confident smile, "listen little lady, you don't wanna mess with the Empire. Hookwolf would tear your pretty little costume to shreds, pull your arms from your body and beat you up with them. So why don't you just go on your way and let us take care of our turf."
17:56 <Libby> "Wrong answer. Please convey my apologies to Purity."
18:12 <Libby> The shield Libby carries is a dipylon, called an ancile by the Romans. Normally, these were made of wood and leather, reinforced with bronze pins and a heavy bronze boss at the center. The Ancilia of Jupiter, however, whether heaven-sent or of legendary forging, are made of some unknown metal, stronger than steel yet lighter than wood.
18:12 <Libby> In the center is a heavy protruding boss shaped like the terrible face of a Gorgon -- for Minerva also bears the shield and thunderbolts of Jupiter. Stepping forward and swinging her arm in a controlled arc, Libby sends the grim-faced boss of the shield, wreathed in streams of electricity like snakes, to meet the smirking face of the nearest man -- hard.
18:34 <•Esbilon> Libbyøs attack beaks the leader's nose and the burst of electricity knocks him out cold
18:34 <•Esbilon> "Fuck!" The man who hasn't spoke yet exclaims.
18:34 <Libby> "Quite."
18:35 <•Esbilon> "Die bitch," is the one who threatened her before's response as he levels his pistol on her and fires.
18:35 <Libby> She smiles brightly.
18:36 <•Esbilon> His friend steps up and tries punching while she has her shield up to deflect the bullet.
18:43 <Libby> Libby blocks the blow easily, with a resounding *crack*. Flesh and bone meet bronze, to the disadvantage of the former. The dancing blue sparks, which had vanished for a moment, now begin to coalesce around her again as she sends him staggering.
18:43 <Libby> While the is still swearing and clutching his arm, Libby follows up by driving the shield’s boss into his solar plexus while his hands are occupied.
18:47 <Libby> "Now," says Libby patiently, "are we going to be sensible about this? Or are you going to keep misbehaving?" She raises her shield, as the blue aura grows stronger.
18:49 <•Esbilon> "What do you want, cape?" The guy with the gun asks. His inability to hit Libby and the ease with which she dispatched his friend seemingly bringing him to some of his senses.
18:52 <Libby> "Put down the gun. Return anything that isn't properly yours. And I *might* just let you leave...instead of knocking you all out and calling the police or the Protectorate...or those ABB fellows who are still in the neighborhood." That last threat tastes rather sour in her mouth as she says it.
18:55 <•Esbilon> "Might? What good is might?" He asks angrily. "And we don't have anything that isn't ours. That guy," he nods in the direction of the store, "needed a bit of a reminder that he needs to pay his protection money, so we had to break a window. But the money's ours."
18:58 <Libby> "I disagree. But if you don't like the word *might*, then I give you my word that I *will* leave you here naked to your enemies unless you make good to that man anything you took from his store. And that includes paying him back for his broken window."
18:59 <Libby> She lets that sink in. "If you do, I have no further quarrel with you tonight. You're free to go. If not..." The face on the shield seems to grin, promising pain.
19:00 <•Esbilon> He snorts, "do you think he's gonna thank you for that when we come by tomorrow? Or are you gonna camp outside his shop and let us walk all over the rest of the neighborhood?"
19:02 <Libby> "Do you really want another run-in with me? Because I can arrange that. I have total recall of every face I see. But let tomorrow take care of tomorrow. If you want to leave without further injury *right now*, you'll do as I say."
19:05 <•Esbilon> They share an uncertain look before the guy with the gun says, "alright," digs some money out of his cargo pants and throws it on the ground in front of Libby.
19:06 <Libby> "Very wise of you."
19:06 <•Esbilon> "Can we take our friend and leave now?"
19:07 <Libby> "Go ahead."
19:08 <•Esbilon> They proceed to do just that. Shortly they're gone, the owner pokes out his head with a deep frown.
19:08 <•Esbilon> "Why'd you go and piss them off like that?"
19:09 <Libby> "Better me than you."
19:09 <Libby> She scoops up the money, brings it over.
19:10 <•Esbilon> He reaches out to take the money, "they were right you know, they'll just be back tomorrow."
19:10 <Libby> "Can you pay whatever you owe them?"
19:12 <•Esbilon> "Owe them? They're gonna double what I have to pay this month, and possibly rough me up a bit now," he says fatalistically.
19:14 <Libby> "Hopefully, they'll be too busy fuming about being beaten by a woman to store up much anger against you. But if they're so stupid as to ignore my warning, I'll come back tomorrow and explain it to them again. In more detail."
19:16 <•Esbilon> He shakes his head, "I'd really rather you didn't. I appreciate the thought, but you can't fight the gangs like this. They're too many and too big. Besides, assholes thought they, the E88's still better than the ABB or the fucking Merchants."
19:16 <•Esbilon> He spits at the mention of the latter
19:20 <Libby> "If that's what you want, I'll respect your wishes. But feel free to remind them that actions carry consequences." She hefts the shield meaningfully.
19:21 <•Esbilon> He nods. "What's your name?"
19:23 <Libby> "Pallas." She pauses. "Listen, I know it seems hopeless. There are a lot of them, and they're so strong. But no matter how strong each one of them is, two people, or five people, or ten people can prove stronger. The real strength of this community rests in people like you, not people like them. They're just parasites, feeding off life The life itself comes
19:23 <Libby> from you."
19:24 <Libby> "And you -- and the rest of this town -- will outlast them in the end."
19:24 <•Esbilon> The man shakes his head, "not when they have people like Kaiser leading them. And Allfather before him. You need to learn some realism, girl."
19:25 <Libby> "Reality is what people make it. Your reality is very different from theirs, I think."
19:26 <•Esbilon> He shakes his head again, "reality is what it is. But thanks for the thought."
19:26 <•Esbilon> ((scratch that!))
19:27 <•Esbilon> He gives a faint smile, "Perhaps you're right. It's not like the heroes are slouches either. Even if we don't see as much of them as we'd like."
19:30 <Libby> "Then I'll make sure you see me. If you don't want me to intervene, I won't. But know I'm always there if you change your mind. You have help available, whenever you ask for it." She lays her hand on the threshold of his shop for a minute, emphasizing her statement.
19:30 <Libby> As she marks the place invisibly, she has a feeling of deja vu.
19:30 <Libby> Hasn't she said this before.
19:30 <Libby> ?
19:33 <•Esbilon> He nods, "I appreciate it. Good night, Pallas."
19:34 <Libby> "Good night, sir."
19:36 <•Esbilon> He gives a final nod and goes back inside.
19:37 <Libby> Libby goes on her way, feeling less than triumphant. Is this all she'll be able to do here? Tell people they don't suffer alone?
19:38 <•Esbilon> The night offers no replies, except for the crackle of too-old street lamps and the occasional howling of dogs.
19:44 <Libby> What this place needs is more people who think small things are important.
19:45 <Libby> Back home, the other Scions used to scold me for spending so much time protecting a school and its students, when I could be traveling around the country fighting monsters.
19:46 <Libby> I was wasting my powers, they said. I was betraying my family's expectations -- they empowered me to save the World, not just one school.
19:46 <Libby> And when the school was shut down due to low test scores, they said it proved protecting one little place made no difference.
19:47 <Libby> Well, it made a difference to every student of mine who graduated from there--
19:47 <Libby> It is only then that Libby understands. *Oh*
19:47 <Libby> *That's why she sent me.*
20:15 <Libby> Sunday morning brings time for afterthought, after-analysis...and re-considerations.
20:15 <Libby> It's part of what Sundays are for.
20:15 <Libby> So it should not be a surprise to see Libby pulling up in front of Taylor Hebert's address.
20:17 <•Esbilon> The house has seen better days, but it's a decently made one with a wooden exterior, even if it could use a layer of paint.
20:17 <•Esbilon> There's a nice set of stairs in front and a small, mostly untended garden surrounding it.
20:18 <Libby> *Not bad,* thinks Libby. *I've seen a lot worse in Chicago.* She heads up the stairs.
20:18 <•Esbilon> The second step makes a distinctly unhappy sound at the treatment.
20:18 <Libby> She treads carefully.
20:20 <•Esbilon> There is a doorbell, ready to be rung.
20:20 <Libby> When she reaches the door, she hesitates only a second before ringing.
20:22 <•Esbilon> The door opens ajar after a short time, revealing Taylor's face. "Miss Lawrence," she greets Libby, "can I help you?"
20:24 <Libby> "Hello, Taylor," smiles Libby. "That's exactly what I was wondering. I have a problem that needs tackling...but perhaps we shouldn't discuss this on the doorstep?"
20:24 <•Esbilon> She hesitates for a moment, then opens the door fully and takes a step back.
20:26 <Libby> "Thank you," says Libby as she enters. She takes a quick look around. "Anybody else home?"
20:26 <•Esbilon> "No, but my dad will probably be home in an hour or two," she says leading you into a small living room.
20:27 <•Esbilon> The walls are covered in book cases, but quite a bit of dust has managed to accumulate on the books themselves.
20:27 <Libby> "Not very exciting reading material?"
20:28 <•Esbilon> Libby is also quick to notice pictures from happier times with Taylor sitting between a pretty woman with the same long, dark locks as she has, and a slender man.
20:29 <Libby> "Oh, are those your parents?"
20:29 <•Esbilon> "What do you want?" She asks, using a bit of anger to cover being upset about the question.
20:30 <•Esbilon> She simply nods at the second quesiton.
20:33 <Libby> "Straight to the point then. All right, I placed my protection over a shopkeeper over in the Docks. Tonight the thugs I ran off last time will probably be back. He's afraid they're going to get rough with him this time. I promised him I'd be there, and I'd step in if he asked. However, there's a good chance they'll send more men this time. I could use the
20:33 <Libby> help of another hero."
20:35 <•Esbilon> "And you want my help?" She asks suspiciously.
20:36 <Libby> "Yes I do. My powers are, as you so aptly observed, a weird grab bag, sometimes useful, sometimes useless. I'd appreciate backup from someone with very different strengths."
20:37 <•Esbilon> "Which gang were the thugs with?"
20:38 <Libby> "The E88's." She pauses. "Yes, it's not a small thing I'm asking you, I know."
20:39 <•Esbilon> Her eyes widen at the name.
20:40 <•Esbilon> "I'm not going to be much use if Hookwolf shows up," she says clearly worried.
20:42 <Libby> "I know it's a high level of risk I'm asking you to run. Probably I have to business getting someone as young as you involved. But I have a feeling about you, Taylor. You're smart and you have a lot of strength of will.
20:43 <Libby> "But it's up to you. If you feel like you're not ready, I'll deal with this on my own."
20:44 <•Esbilon> "No," she says, determination overtaking worry, "I'll do it."
20:45 <Libby> Libby sighs. "Thank you." *I hope I'm doing the right thing,* she thinks unhappily.
20:46 <•Esbilon> "So," she says, "I hope you don't suffer from arachnophobia or anything like that."
20:46 <Libby> "Thankfully, no. You're not afraid of electricity or lightning, are you?"
20:47 <•Esbilon> "No," she says with a faint chuckle.
20:47 <•Esbilon> "Just what are your powers, though? You didn't mention electricity yesterday.
20:51 <Libby> "Mmm...I have slightly enhanced physical dexterity and endurance, a minor healing factor and super-senses and intelligence. I also have some creative and protective abilities, as you saw yesterday. Also," she shrugs, looking a bit sheepish, "I can work up an electrical charge by concentrating. It's only about Taser level...for now."
20:51 <Libby> "It doesn't really fit with the rest. But as I said, it's what I ended up with."
20:52 <•Esbilon> "Other than the stuff from yesterday, it sounds a bit like Battery," she replies with a slightly puzzled expression.
20:53 <Libby> "And what about you? Were those insects I spotted the other day, ahem, your followers?"
20:54 <•Esbilon> She nods, "I control every insect, spider, worm or other bug within a few blocks' radius," she says with a shrug.
20:55 <Libby> Libby raises her eyebrows and lets out a silent whistle. "That's pretty impressive."
20:55 <•Esbilon> "I know their locations in relation to each other and myself. In principle I suppose I can also use their senses, but bug senses don't really translate well."
20:56 <•Esbilon> She shrugs again, "it's nothing like Panacea's ability to heal any injury at a touch, or Glory Girl's strength, flight and invulnerability."
20:58 <•Esbilon> "And it's worse than useless against Hookwolf or Lung."
20:58 <Libby> "Yes, but insects and spiders are *everywhere*. They're unnoticed, most of the time. They're nearly impossible to eradicate. And there are a lot of them." She smiles slightly, remembering her words the other night. "Strength in numbers can be more powerful than one person, however strong."
20:59 <•Esbilon> She shrugs again, "and it's not really a very heroic power either. Bugs creep people out. They creep *me* out."
21:00 <Libby> "That's not a bad thing. I will bet you even Hookwolf or Lung won't react very well to a *lot* of insects crawling over them. Or stinging them. Or getting in their eyes. Or...well, I'm sure you can think of tactical uses!"
21:00 <Libby> "And who defines what a heroic power is? You're a hero, so your power is heroic by definition."
21:01 <•Esbilon> "I haven't done anything heroic yet. And my costume really doesn't scream hero either."
21:02 <Libby> "Taylor...you've been subjected to unbelievably cruel pressure at school," says Libby gently. "And yet, you've refused to snap and become a villain. That's heroism in a nutshell -- to maintain your honor and integrity in the face of an uncaring world."
21:03 <Libby> "Only a hero would do as you've done. If you weren't a hero, you'd have Carrie-d them long ago."
21:04 <•Esbilon> She shrugs, and can't seem to decide whether to agree or disagree with Libby's praise.
21:04 <Libby> "Ever hear the story of Arachne?"
21:05 <•Esbilon> "No?" She says curiously.
21:07 <Libby> "Arachne lived thousands of years ago in ancient Greece, and she was a skillful maker. She was most famous of all for her clothes and rugs and other woven things, and she was so good that she was better than Athena, the Goddess who invented arts and crafts. People were angry and jealous of her skill, and they told the Goddess that Arachne should be
21:07 <Libby> punished..."
21:08 <•Esbilon> She nods, this seems like fairly standard Greek mythology so far.
21:10 <Libby> "Athena came down to see her work, and when she saw how good it was, she was angry that the work of a mortal was better than that of the daughter of mighty Zeus. 'I'll destroy you,' she said to Arachne. 'No, better - I'll destroy your ability to create beauty. And she poured poison over Arachne's head, and beat her until her crippled body withered down into
21:10 <Libby> a shrunken black thing.
21:12 <Libby> "'Now, just try being better than me,' Athena laughed. But Arachne's skill was too great for that. She ran to the nearest tree and began to weave, and the web she made was still more beautiful than it had been. Athena could harm her body, but not touch her gift.
21:13 <Libby> "Athena tried making everyone afraid of spiders. She tried making everyone disgusted by cobwebs. She tried hiding Arachne and her descendants in the darkest corners of the World. But anyone who sees a spiderweb covered with rain or dew in the morning light, glittering like it's made of rainbows, knows who the greatest weaver of all still is.
21:14 <Libby> "So Taylor -- it doesn't matter what you look like. It doesn't matter what your costume looks like, or whether you work quietly in the shadows or the broad light of day.
21:14 <Libby> "Your work will speak for itself."
21:17 <•Esbilon> She smiles, "I guess it will."
21:17 <•Esbilon> "Plus, that's a moderately heroic bug-themed name. I've been wracking my head for ages to come up with one."
21:18 <Libby> "Arachne? Oh,nice!"
21:19 <•Esbilon> "What's yours?"
21:21 <Libby> A droll look comes over Libby's face. "Pallas. She's Athena's sister who died fighting her."
21:22 <Libby> *And some day,* Libby thinks, *I may be able to explain this to Mater. Eventually.*
21:22 <Libby> "Shall we discuss tactics, then? I find it helps to be prepared."
21:22 <•Esbilon> "I thought it was another name for Athene," she says with a slight frown.
21:23 <Libby> "Athena took the name from her sister when she killed her, and became Pallas Athene."
21:24 <•Esbilon> "Maybe," she says, "but most people don't know that. And I don't like how our names work together if they come to the wrong conclusion."
21:25 <Libby> "Hmm. Fair point. Are you suggesting I change it?" Her smile shows she is not angry.
21:26 <•Esbilon> "No!" She exclaims," it just means I'm back to square one," she adds with a sigh.
21:28 <Libby> "I think you should keep your name. I can think of a different one, but as you pointed out, heroic bug-themed names are not easy to find."
21:28 <Libby> "Besides, 'Pallas' isn't very descriptive."
21:28 <•Esbilon> "On the other hand, I guess most people who don't know Pallas from Athene don't know what Athene and Arachne have to do with each other either."
21:29 <•Esbilon> "No," she agrees, "why did you pick it?"
21:32 <Libby> Libby gives her the sheepish look again, the adult admitting that adults are not all-knowing. "I'd functioned quietly without a name for years, and then someone asked me my name and 'Pallas' came out. I guess...it's because I always felt bad for Pallas. I wanted her to win for a chance, instead of losing everything - the fight, her life, even her name. I
21:32 <Libby> thought it was time Pallas got a life of her own, instead of being Athena's shadow she destroyed.
21:33 <Libby> "I know that probably sounds very silly."
21:34 <•Esbilon> She shrugs, "better than everything I've come up with."
21:36 <Libby> "Maybe. But yours at least probably describe you, which is more than 'Pallas' does. Although..." she looks wry. "When you see my uniform -- I refuse to call it a costume -- you'll understand why my brain went to ancient Greece. I'm curious about yours, though. Why did you say it didn't look right?"
21:37 <•Esbilon> "It looks fine," she says, "it just doesn't look very heroic. It's in the basement if you want to see it."
21:37 <Libby> "I'd like that."
21:38 <•Esbilon> She leads the way to the back of the house and down a narrow set of stairs.
21:38 <•Esbilon> There is a single naked lightbulb which she turns on as they start their descent.
21:39 <Libby> Libby follows, genuinely interested.
21:40 <•Esbilon> There is first a small room with a freezer and a single door. That room has a think carpet and faded, old wallpaper.
21:41 <•Esbilon> Taylor opens the door, leading them into a much larger room, but with a bare concrete floor and bare walls and boards infront of the few windows.
21:43 <•Esbilon> The weak light of the lone bulb illuminates a single table whereupon Taylor's costume is taking form, however what catches Libby's eyes is quite likely the fact myriad of tiny, black spiders spinning out rows and columns of their silk, weaving it into cloth by their shared, unnatural motion.
21:44 <Libby> "Oh, my..." Libby regards this with delight. "You really *are* Arachne!"
21:44 <•Esbilon> Taylor does not seem to pay attention to the dozens of black widow spiders laboring away a few meters away from her, but strides forward to the black body suit with chitin-like armor plates and the bug-like mask with ominous yellow eye lenses next to it.
21:45 <•Esbilon> She turns her head to smile, "yeah, I guess I kind of am."
21:48 <Libby> Libby studies the outfit, very interested. "This is amazing, Taylor. Most people buy their gear or slap it together from odds and ends, they don't actually weave it!
21:48 <Libby> "So, you're concerned you'll be mistaken for a villain because you don't have enough primary colors? Or is it just the insect/arachnid theme?"
21:48 <•Esbilon> "A bit of both."
21:50 <Libby> "Have you thought of adding color somehow? Though honestly, this outfit makes more sense than mine for night work, whatever the brightly-colored-latex types may think."
21:52 <•Esbilon> "Yeah, that's what I thought as well. Black and grey are both thematic and practical. Making it blue and white or something would just look silly. And might get me killed."
21:55 <Libby> "Which is what we're trying to avoid by wearing armor, yes," says Libby wryly. "Something the person who designed my own outfit didn't really take into consideration. I think you're right. With this, they'll never see you coming until it's too late."
21:57 <•Esbilon> She nods in agreement as the deadly spiders continue at their work, "and I have enough range to come at them from a block away too. They don't even need to see me *after* it's too late," she adds, smiling slightly."
21:59 <Libby> "And you thought you wouldn't be able to stand up to the heavy hitters? Range is a tremendous asset. Being incredibly strong doesn't mean much if you can attack them multiple times before they reach you."
22:00 <•Esbilon> "Bug's don't matter much when you're a raging ball of metal, or a burning, metal-covered dragon."
22:02 <Libby> "Every dragon has its weak spot. And even dragons usually have to see you or smell you before they can attack you."
22:03 <•Esbilon> She shrugs, "hopefully we won't run into either of those two."
22:06 <Libby> Libby nods in agreement. "Well, the plan for tonight is simply to be present. If the E88's don't show up, or behave themselves -- not likely but possible -- we won't complicate things further. If the situation turns nasty, though, we'll need every advantage we've got."
22:08 <•Esbilon> "They'll have to retaliate," Taylor says somberly, "and if they know you're a cape, they'll bring some of their own. The question is just how many and who."
22:09 <Libby> "They know. The ones who showed up last night were very rude, and I had to give them a lesson in manners."
22:10 <Libby> "However, I was alone and with no prior preparation then."
22:11 <•Esbilon> She nods, "you have more preparation than recruiting me?"
22:14 <Libby> "Well, to begin with, one should always use the terrain. Things stacked on the edge of buildings, ready to push off. Dumpsters strategically rolled into place -- I imagine you can think of a few things that could explode out of a dumpster. And so forth. Also, a disposable cell phone with emergency numbers on it. You can't count on a convenient interruption,
22:14 <Libby> but it doesn't hurt to try."
22:15 <•Esbilon> She looks slightly uncomfortable at the mention of a cell phone, but nods.
22:18 <Libby> "Does the radiation bother you?"
22:18 <•Esbilon> She frowns, "radiation?"
22:19 <Libby> "Cell phones use electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range. Most wireless systems do."
22:20 <•Esbilon> "Ah. Yeah. No, no that doesn't bother me."
22:20 <Libby> "Just the ring tones, then?" Libby smiles.
22:21 <•Esbilon> "No. But turning off the sound when out is probably a good idea."
22:21 <Libby> "Oh, yes. Without a doubt."
22:22 <•Esbilon> "Anyways. You mentioned something about tactics?"
22:26 <Libby> "I did. Setting up traps is part of that. Finding a location to observe from will be another part. A third part is considering strategies against individuals. If they *do* send Hookwolf, how can we get around his powers and attack his weaknesses? Finally, we have to think how best to use our own. I can knock a man cold with a well-placed jolt, but it takes
22:26 <Libby> time to recharge afterwards. And my supply of power is not infinite. Can you think of any vulnerable places of your own?"
22:27 <•Esbilon> "My armor can stop a knife, and maybe small arms fire too," she says with some concern," but if they do get close to me, I'm still just a 15 year old girl with a little running practice. I'm afraid I'm not very good in an actual fight."
22:28 <•Esbilon> "And of course, anything that my bugs can't hurt, or that can kill them like bugspray or fire, I'm useless against."
22:31 <Libby> "Leave the up-close to me, then. That's what the shield's for. They're not likely to bring bug spray tonight. And even if they think to use fire, it will burn them too."
22:32 <•Esbilon> She nods. "But what can we do if Hookwolf shows up? He's the E88's major heavy hitter, and it sounds like neither of us can touch him."
22:38 <Libby> "Someone made of metal might have an interesting reaction to electricity.
22:39 <•Esbilon> "Maybe," Taylor says, but she does not sound convinced.
22:39 <Libby> "And he might be more vulnerable between transformations."
22:40 <•Esbilon> She nods, "if we can identify him before he changes."
22:41 <Libby> "That's something to work on, then. And he still has to see and hear. If you can't attack someone directly, confuse their perceptions."
22:41 <•Esbilon> "Can you do that?"
22:44 <Libby> "I think you can. Have you ever tried to focus on something when there was a fly buzzing in the room?"
22:45 <•Esbilon> "I don't think a few buzzing flies are going to do much when he's already in combat."
22:46 <Libby> "How about a lot of buzzing, crawling things close to his face? You said yourself, bugs creep a lot of people out."
22:47 <•Esbilon> "Sure, they creep them out, but I don't think that's going to stop a two-ton mess of swords and hooks."
22:49 <Libby> "No, but it will certainly occupy his attention while, say, something very large and heavy falls on him. And if it comes to that, we don't have to take him out ourselves. That's what the cell phone is for. I imagine a lot of other capes would be happy to catch him in the act."
22:49 <Libby> *There, I said it,* thinks Libby. *But I still can't get used to the word.*
22:50 <•Esbilon> She nods, "he *is* wanted by the protectorate for any number of crimes."
22:51 <•Esbilon> "And New Wave would probably be happy to fight him too."
22:52 <Libby> "There you are, then. They'll probably take all the credit if we call them in -- but what's more important: getting glory, or getting a bad man off the streets to where he won't do any more harm? Or less harm, at least."
22:53 <•Esbilon> She nods determinedly.
22:55 <•Esbilon> "So, that's it then, we get ready to go out tonight?"
22:55 <Libby> "Now that we have a plan, yes. Set the location up, traps and all. Get in position. And if Hookwolf or one of the heavy hitters *does* show up, summon bigger fish. If it's only more thugs, you and I should be more than enough for them."
22:58 <•Esbilon> "I can't really get out of the house until my dad has gone to bed," she says awkwardly, "but he does that quite early, around nine or ten."
23:00 <Libby> "I'll try to get there earlier then, and start discreetly setting up. The shop is at [address], but I'll meet you at [address]. If I'm *not* there...well, you'll know what's going on."
23:01 <•Esbilon> She nods.
23:01 <•Esbilon> "I'll see you then," she says, leading the way out of the house.
23:02 <Libby> "Thank you, Taylor--Arachne."
XP: Libby +5
00:25 <•Esbilon> A Tinker known as Professor Haywire punched a metaphorical hole between them several years ago, and since then there has been electronic communication between the worlds, but no one has been able to physically cross it.
00:26 <•Esbilon> Earth Aleph entertainment is extremely popular on Earth Bet. Partly because they have more resources for big budget films and the like.
00:28 <Libby> Curiously, Libby looks up more about Earth-Aleph (why would the people here label their world
00:28 <Libby> 'secondary'?)
00:28 <Libby> Or did the Aleph people get in with their designation first?
00:28 <•Esbilon> It appears to be exactly like Earth Bet, except for the absence of superheroes and Endbringers.
00:29 <•Esbilon> No trace of Gods, Titans or Scions working even remotely openly there either.
00:31 <Libby> And the presence of more movies. Could Earth-Aleph be the World she knows? *Better not to get your hopes up,* Libby reminds herself. *Even if it is, you can't get back there alone.*
00:34 <Libby> *On with business.*
00:35 <Libby> After going through her paperwork and completely everything she needs for Monday -- better get this out of the way early--
00:35 <Libby> Libby rummages around her apartment, learning what she has and doesn't have and taking stock of what she needs.
00:37 <•Esbilon> Her past alternate self seems to have a decent taste in legal and semi-legal protection apparel and other accouterments of the heroing business. She has everything she has at home, though in a world where people can make superpowered equipment, maybe not everything she would want. Something to look into later, maybe.
00:47 <Libby> She rolls her eyes at the way her plain gear -- gotten, in the old world, through a firm that made fencing equipment -- has been replaced with a dramatic-looking cloth "breastplate" emblazoned with her mother's Gorgoneion crest. It's clearly made of polyethylene fibers, though, and with the tiny metal plates over the abdomen looks strong enough to stop
00:47 <Libby> anything short of an Uzi.
00:48 <Libby> Some things her alternate self may not have thought of, though -- how is she to get around, with all this heroing business? *I need a bicycle or something. Well, preferably a car, but a bike will do for now.*
00:49 <•Esbilon> Actually, from what she had read, most heroes whose powers did not involve a method of rapid locomotion, got around on foot.
00:53 <Libby> Libby doubts this. For responding to emergencies on the same block, sure. But unless you want to live next door to the villains you fight, you need a way to get there. *Probably they stow their hero stuff in the trunk and change just around the block,* she thinks with a quirk of her mouth.
00:54 <•Esbilon> The question, then, is whether she will go out in costume tonight, or stick with her wait-and-see approach for the moment. There is, after all, much left to be learned.
01:01 <Libby> Libby decides on a compromise. She will go out late tonight, geared up, primarily to observe. She doesn't yet know the local heroes and villains by sight. If she runs across an obvious crime in progress, especially if someone's getting hurt ...well, that's different.
01:04 <•Esbilon> Day turns to evening, and evening turns to night. Even in April, the nights of Brockton Bay are dark and ominous, and Libby is able to make her way from her apartment to a suitable place to start her life in costume.
01:07 <Libby> She slips into her gear. The helmet -- its steel darkened and dulled with copper to keep it from being too shiny -- turns out to obstruct her view a *lot* less than she imagined. Then again, it seems to be custom-made for her. Libby moves softly from shadow, feeling ridiculous and magnificent at the same time.
01:09 <•Esbilon> No crime springs forth for her to interrupt as she walks along the lamp-lit streets. Passers by look at her with surprise, but none of them seem interested in approaching her, rather they speed up and get out of her way.
01:12 <Libby> She keeps these ventures into the light as brief as possible, sticking to the alleys when she can, and aiming her path towards where the lights grow fewer and the people on the street more furtive and wary.
01:16 <•Esbilon> As she approaches the water, her Divine Eyes allow her to spot a small group of men unloading a small boat on a pier. And the handful of men with guns around them keeping a keen eye out for trouble. Trouble such as Libby.
01:22 <Libby> She doesn't approach, obviously. Instead, she crouches down behind a trash barrel and listens. Her hearing is even sharper than her eyesight.
01:24 <•Esbilon> The men work mostly in silence, calling out the occasional word in an odd mix of Japanese, Korean and English.
01:25 <•Esbilon> From what she can gather, they are moving a shipment of drugs from the boat to a waiting car.
01:25 <•Esbilon> She notices a black-clad man whose face is covered by a red demonic mask stalking between them.
01:25 <•Esbilon> Oni Lee, her perfect memory helpfully informs her. The ABB's teleporter/cloner/repeated suicide bomber.
01:27 <Libby> Damn. One of the last people she wanted to see.
01:41 <•Esbilon> Time passes slowly when observing dangerous men doing dangerous work, and Libby is not quite sure when the bright light appears in the sky above her.
01:42 <•Esbilon> Probably no more than a few minutes, and certainly only seconds pass before the gangers notice it as well.
01:42 <•Esbilon> They point and yell. One even turns his gun upwards and starts firing at the brightly glowing figure.
01:42 <•Esbilon> The gun shots ring out loudly to Libby's ears.
01:43 <Libby> *Ah,* thinks Libby. She stands up noiselessly, and looks to see if she can make out who the figure is.
01:43 <•Esbilon> She tries looking up at the shining figure, but can see nothing. Her memory helps her again, however, this would be Purity, a member of the neo-nazi Empire 88.
01:44 <Libby> Hastily, she ducks down again, prepared to back away and start to run if it comes to that.
01:44 <Libby> *I'm not cutting a very glorious figure, my first night out,* she thinks wryly.
01:45 <Libby> *But I won't do any good dead.*
01:45 <•Esbilon> A bright double-helix of white light shoots down from Purity, scattering the gangers.
01:46 <Libby> *Evil is not one big happy family here. Good to know.*
01:46 <•Esbilon> The half-loaded truck starts speeding away with Oni Lee teleporting on top of it, leaving a copy behind which quickly fades into ash.
01:46 <•Esbilon> A moment later, the double-helix condenses and easily cuts the truck in half as well as tearing up the dock beneath it.
01:47 <•Esbilon> Oni Lee takes this as his cue to disappear via a series of teleport-clonings.
01:47 <•Esbilon> The gangers disperse into the night, and Purity descends to take in the scene of the destruction, making no move to kill or apprehend her enemies, though some are lying still on the pier.
02:00 <Libby> *This would be a good time to exit,* Libby thinks, and, like the runners, she takes off into the night.
17:07 <Libby> She takes a few steps, and slows. *I'm here to gather information,* she reminds herself. *Including about the villains. Especially about the villains.*
17:07 <Libby> There is a risk...but perhaps not as big a risk as interrupting a large group of criminals in the middle of their operation.
17:09 <Libby> Turning around, Libby begins walking back towards the scene. This time, she doesn't sneak. People are less trigger-happy with someone they know is approaching.
17:10 <•Esbilon> The glowing female figure hovers above the unconscious remaining thugs, and appears to be destroying their cargo and their vehicles. For the moment, she does not appear aware of Libby's presence
17:11 <Libby> Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. Still at a distance, Libby calls, "Hello there. May I approach?"
17:12 <•Esbilon> Immediately, Purity rises higher and turns to face the newcomer.
17:13 <•Esbilon> "Who are you?" She asks.
17:13 <•Esbilon> Her voice sounding ominous, probably an effect caused by whatever makes her glow like that.
17:14 <Libby> "Pallas." It is the first name that comes to her mind. "I'm new in town. No affiliations yet."
17:15 <•Esbilon> She regards Libby in silence for a few moments before speaking, "welcome. Is there anything in particular you want?" She asks.
17:20 <Libby> "Well, you could *enlighten* my deep ignorance about the way things work here. Why did you attack those men?"
17:22 <•Esbilon> "They're drug traffickers and dealers," she says as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "if those of us with powers don't take a stand against that plague of corruption, it will consume what's left of this city."
17:23 <Libby> Libby nods gravely. "That seems pretty obvious. Would you consider yourself a hero, then?"
17:24 <•Esbilon> "Of course," she says, but despite her attempt to make it sound like the only obvious answer, Libby can hear that there is some desperation in her voice.
17:26 <Libby> "Other people don't appreciate the work you do, I take it," says Libby sympathetically.
17:28 <•Esbilon> She gives a small sigh, "I've made some mistakes in my past. Very few people are willing to believe I've turned over a new leaf."
17:30 <Libby> "That's hard. I used to work in...well, no matter, but I saw people trying to change their lives all the time. They meant it truly, but it was difficult for those on the outside to see the change that had started on the inside. Didn't mean it wasn't there, though."
17:31 <•Esbilon> She nods, "look, you seem like a nice enough person, but I really should be going in case Oni Lee returns with Lung, or the Protectorate shows up."
17:32 <Libby> "By all means. Thank you for you time."
17:33 <•Esbilon> And with that, she streaks off into the night sky, not unlike a comit
17:33 <•Esbilon> ((comet!))
17:34 <Libby> Now, Libby does move off at a good clip. She'd rather not deal with Lung either.
17:35 <•Esbilon> As she makes her way to the alley where she changed her clothes the first time around, she hears the distinctive sound of guns being fired off to her right.
17:35 <Libby> Mentally thinking something impolite, Libby follows the sound.
17:39 <•Esbilon> Out of a small convenience store come a group of three muscled, bald men with an unpleasant laughter and black and red colors on their clothes.
17:40 <•Esbilon> One of the store's windows has been shattered recently based on the debris.
17:48 <Libby> Libby lets out a sigh. Of course it would be them.
17:50 <Libby> She strips the shield-shaped brooch from her collar. As it swells to full size on her arm, there is a soft but unmistakeable rumble of thunder.
17:51 <•Esbilon> the three stop and turn towards Libby. One of them laughs, "who the fuck are you supposed to be?"
17:52 <Libby> With each rapid step, a crackling aura of whitish-blue sparks grows around her. "Someone who doesn't approve of breaking and entering. Now, are we going to do this the easy way, or the hard way." Her voice is a teacher's addressing a sullen student.
17:54 <•Esbilon> The man in front (not the one who spoke before) gives a confident smile, "listen little lady, you don't wanna mess with the Empire. Hookwolf would tear your pretty little costume to shreds, pull your arms from your body and beat you up with them. So why don't you just go on your way and let us take care of our turf."
17:56 <Libby> "Wrong answer. Please convey my apologies to Purity."
18:12 <Libby> The shield Libby carries is a dipylon, called an ancile by the Romans. Normally, these were made of wood and leather, reinforced with bronze pins and a heavy bronze boss at the center. The Ancilia of Jupiter, however, whether heaven-sent or of legendary forging, are made of some unknown metal, stronger than steel yet lighter than wood.
18:12 <Libby> In the center is a heavy protruding boss shaped like the terrible face of a Gorgon -- for Minerva also bears the shield and thunderbolts of Jupiter. Stepping forward and swinging her arm in a controlled arc, Libby sends the grim-faced boss of the shield, wreathed in streams of electricity like snakes, to meet the smirking face of the nearest man -- hard.
18:34 <•Esbilon> Libbyøs attack beaks the leader's nose and the burst of electricity knocks him out cold
18:34 <•Esbilon> "Fuck!" The man who hasn't spoke yet exclaims.
18:34 <Libby> "Quite."
18:35 <•Esbilon> "Die bitch," is the one who threatened her before's response as he levels his pistol on her and fires.
18:35 <Libby> She smiles brightly.
18:36 <•Esbilon> His friend steps up and tries punching while she has her shield up to deflect the bullet.
18:43 <Libby> Libby blocks the blow easily, with a resounding *crack*. Flesh and bone meet bronze, to the disadvantage of the former. The dancing blue sparks, which had vanished for a moment, now begin to coalesce around her again as she sends him staggering.
18:43 <Libby> While the is still swearing and clutching his arm, Libby follows up by driving the shield’s boss into his solar plexus while his hands are occupied.
18:47 <Libby> "Now," says Libby patiently, "are we going to be sensible about this? Or are you going to keep misbehaving?" She raises her shield, as the blue aura grows stronger.
18:49 <•Esbilon> "What do you want, cape?" The guy with the gun asks. His inability to hit Libby and the ease with which she dispatched his friend seemingly bringing him to some of his senses.
18:52 <Libby> "Put down the gun. Return anything that isn't properly yours. And I *might* just let you leave...instead of knocking you all out and calling the police or the Protectorate...or those ABB fellows who are still in the neighborhood." That last threat tastes rather sour in her mouth as she says it.
18:55 <•Esbilon> "Might? What good is might?" He asks angrily. "And we don't have anything that isn't ours. That guy," he nods in the direction of the store, "needed a bit of a reminder that he needs to pay his protection money, so we had to break a window. But the money's ours."
18:58 <Libby> "I disagree. But if you don't like the word *might*, then I give you my word that I *will* leave you here naked to your enemies unless you make good to that man anything you took from his store. And that includes paying him back for his broken window."
18:59 <Libby> She lets that sink in. "If you do, I have no further quarrel with you tonight. You're free to go. If not..." The face on the shield seems to grin, promising pain.
19:00 <•Esbilon> He snorts, "do you think he's gonna thank you for that when we come by tomorrow? Or are you gonna camp outside his shop and let us walk all over the rest of the neighborhood?"
19:02 <Libby> "Do you really want another run-in with me? Because I can arrange that. I have total recall of every face I see. But let tomorrow take care of tomorrow. If you want to leave without further injury *right now*, you'll do as I say."
19:05 <•Esbilon> They share an uncertain look before the guy with the gun says, "alright," digs some money out of his cargo pants and throws it on the ground in front of Libby.
19:06 <Libby> "Very wise of you."
19:06 <•Esbilon> "Can we take our friend and leave now?"
19:07 <Libby> "Go ahead."
19:08 <•Esbilon> They proceed to do just that. Shortly they're gone, the owner pokes out his head with a deep frown.
19:08 <•Esbilon> "Why'd you go and piss them off like that?"
19:09 <Libby> "Better me than you."
19:09 <Libby> She scoops up the money, brings it over.
19:10 <•Esbilon> He reaches out to take the money, "they were right you know, they'll just be back tomorrow."
19:10 <Libby> "Can you pay whatever you owe them?"
19:12 <•Esbilon> "Owe them? They're gonna double what I have to pay this month, and possibly rough me up a bit now," he says fatalistically.
19:14 <Libby> "Hopefully, they'll be too busy fuming about being beaten by a woman to store up much anger against you. But if they're so stupid as to ignore my warning, I'll come back tomorrow and explain it to them again. In more detail."
19:16 <•Esbilon> He shakes his head, "I'd really rather you didn't. I appreciate the thought, but you can't fight the gangs like this. They're too many and too big. Besides, assholes thought they, the E88's still better than the ABB or the fucking Merchants."
19:16 <•Esbilon> He spits at the mention of the latter
19:20 <Libby> "If that's what you want, I'll respect your wishes. But feel free to remind them that actions carry consequences." She hefts the shield meaningfully.
19:21 <•Esbilon> He nods. "What's your name?"
19:23 <Libby> "Pallas." She pauses. "Listen, I know it seems hopeless. There are a lot of them, and they're so strong. But no matter how strong each one of them is, two people, or five people, or ten people can prove stronger. The real strength of this community rests in people like you, not people like them. They're just parasites, feeding off life The life itself comes
19:23 <Libby> from you."
19:24 <Libby> "And you -- and the rest of this town -- will outlast them in the end."
19:24 <•Esbilon> The man shakes his head, "not when they have people like Kaiser leading them. And Allfather before him. You need to learn some realism, girl."
19:25 <Libby> "Reality is what people make it. Your reality is very different from theirs, I think."
19:26 <•Esbilon> He shakes his head again, "reality is what it is. But thanks for the thought."
19:26 <•Esbilon> ((scratch that!))
19:27 <•Esbilon> He gives a faint smile, "Perhaps you're right. It's not like the heroes are slouches either. Even if we don't see as much of them as we'd like."
19:30 <Libby> "Then I'll make sure you see me. If you don't want me to intervene, I won't. But know I'm always there if you change your mind. You have help available, whenever you ask for it." She lays her hand on the threshold of his shop for a minute, emphasizing her statement.
19:30 <Libby> As she marks the place invisibly, she has a feeling of deja vu.
19:30 <Libby> Hasn't she said this before.
19:30 <Libby> ?
19:33 <•Esbilon> He nods, "I appreciate it. Good night, Pallas."
19:34 <Libby> "Good night, sir."
19:36 <•Esbilon> He gives a final nod and goes back inside.
19:37 <Libby> Libby goes on her way, feeling less than triumphant. Is this all she'll be able to do here? Tell people they don't suffer alone?
19:38 <•Esbilon> The night offers no replies, except for the crackle of too-old street lamps and the occasional howling of dogs.
19:44 <Libby> What this place needs is more people who think small things are important.
19:45 <Libby> Back home, the other Scions used to scold me for spending so much time protecting a school and its students, when I could be traveling around the country fighting monsters.
19:46 <Libby> I was wasting my powers, they said. I was betraying my family's expectations -- they empowered me to save the World, not just one school.
19:46 <Libby> And when the school was shut down due to low test scores, they said it proved protecting one little place made no difference.
19:47 <Libby> Well, it made a difference to every student of mine who graduated from there--
19:47 <Libby> It is only then that Libby understands. *Oh*
19:47 <Libby> *That's why she sent me.*
20:15 <Libby> Sunday morning brings time for afterthought, after-analysis...and re-considerations.
20:15 <Libby> It's part of what Sundays are for.
20:15 <Libby> So it should not be a surprise to see Libby pulling up in front of Taylor Hebert's address.
20:17 <•Esbilon> The house has seen better days, but it's a decently made one with a wooden exterior, even if it could use a layer of paint.
20:17 <•Esbilon> There's a nice set of stairs in front and a small, mostly untended garden surrounding it.
20:18 <Libby> *Not bad,* thinks Libby. *I've seen a lot worse in Chicago.* She heads up the stairs.
20:18 <•Esbilon> The second step makes a distinctly unhappy sound at the treatment.
20:18 <Libby> She treads carefully.
20:20 <•Esbilon> There is a doorbell, ready to be rung.
20:20 <Libby> When she reaches the door, she hesitates only a second before ringing.
20:22 <•Esbilon> The door opens ajar after a short time, revealing Taylor's face. "Miss Lawrence," she greets Libby, "can I help you?"
20:24 <Libby> "Hello, Taylor," smiles Libby. "That's exactly what I was wondering. I have a problem that needs tackling...but perhaps we shouldn't discuss this on the doorstep?"
20:24 <•Esbilon> She hesitates for a moment, then opens the door fully and takes a step back.
20:26 <Libby> "Thank you," says Libby as she enters. She takes a quick look around. "Anybody else home?"
20:26 <•Esbilon> "No, but my dad will probably be home in an hour or two," she says leading you into a small living room.
20:27 <•Esbilon> The walls are covered in book cases, but quite a bit of dust has managed to accumulate on the books themselves.
20:27 <Libby> "Not very exciting reading material?"
20:28 <•Esbilon> Libby is also quick to notice pictures from happier times with Taylor sitting between a pretty woman with the same long, dark locks as she has, and a slender man.
20:29 <Libby> "Oh, are those your parents?"
20:29 <•Esbilon> "What do you want?" She asks, using a bit of anger to cover being upset about the question.
20:30 <•Esbilon> She simply nods at the second quesiton.
20:33 <Libby> "Straight to the point then. All right, I placed my protection over a shopkeeper over in the Docks. Tonight the thugs I ran off last time will probably be back. He's afraid they're going to get rough with him this time. I promised him I'd be there, and I'd step in if he asked. However, there's a good chance they'll send more men this time. I could use the
20:33 <Libby> help of another hero."
20:35 <•Esbilon> "And you want my help?" She asks suspiciously.
20:36 <Libby> "Yes I do. My powers are, as you so aptly observed, a weird grab bag, sometimes useful, sometimes useless. I'd appreciate backup from someone with very different strengths."
20:37 <•Esbilon> "Which gang were the thugs with?"
20:38 <Libby> "The E88's." She pauses. "Yes, it's not a small thing I'm asking you, I know."
20:39 <•Esbilon> Her eyes widen at the name.
20:40 <•Esbilon> "I'm not going to be much use if Hookwolf shows up," she says clearly worried.
20:42 <Libby> "I know it's a high level of risk I'm asking you to run. Probably I have to business getting someone as young as you involved. But I have a feeling about you, Taylor. You're smart and you have a lot of strength of will.
20:43 <Libby> "But it's up to you. If you feel like you're not ready, I'll deal with this on my own."
20:44 <•Esbilon> "No," she says, determination overtaking worry, "I'll do it."
20:45 <Libby> Libby sighs. "Thank you." *I hope I'm doing the right thing,* she thinks unhappily.
20:46 <•Esbilon> "So," she says, "I hope you don't suffer from arachnophobia or anything like that."
20:46 <Libby> "Thankfully, no. You're not afraid of electricity or lightning, are you?"
20:47 <•Esbilon> "No," she says with a faint chuckle.
20:47 <•Esbilon> "Just what are your powers, though? You didn't mention electricity yesterday.
20:51 <Libby> "Mmm...I have slightly enhanced physical dexterity and endurance, a minor healing factor and super-senses and intelligence. I also have some creative and protective abilities, as you saw yesterday. Also," she shrugs, looking a bit sheepish, "I can work up an electrical charge by concentrating. It's only about Taser level...for now."
20:51 <Libby> "It doesn't really fit with the rest. But as I said, it's what I ended up with."
20:52 <•Esbilon> "Other than the stuff from yesterday, it sounds a bit like Battery," she replies with a slightly puzzled expression.
20:53 <Libby> "And what about you? Were those insects I spotted the other day, ahem, your followers?"
20:54 <•Esbilon> She nods, "I control every insect, spider, worm or other bug within a few blocks' radius," she says with a shrug.
20:55 <Libby> Libby raises her eyebrows and lets out a silent whistle. "That's pretty impressive."
20:55 <•Esbilon> "I know their locations in relation to each other and myself. In principle I suppose I can also use their senses, but bug senses don't really translate well."
20:56 <•Esbilon> She shrugs again, "it's nothing like Panacea's ability to heal any injury at a touch, or Glory Girl's strength, flight and invulnerability."
20:58 <•Esbilon> "And it's worse than useless against Hookwolf or Lung."
20:58 <Libby> "Yes, but insects and spiders are *everywhere*. They're unnoticed, most of the time. They're nearly impossible to eradicate. And there are a lot of them." She smiles slightly, remembering her words the other night. "Strength in numbers can be more powerful than one person, however strong."
20:59 <•Esbilon> She shrugs again, "and it's not really a very heroic power either. Bugs creep people out. They creep *me* out."
21:00 <Libby> "That's not a bad thing. I will bet you even Hookwolf or Lung won't react very well to a *lot* of insects crawling over them. Or stinging them. Or getting in their eyes. Or...well, I'm sure you can think of tactical uses!"
21:00 <Libby> "And who defines what a heroic power is? You're a hero, so your power is heroic by definition."
21:01 <•Esbilon> "I haven't done anything heroic yet. And my costume really doesn't scream hero either."
21:02 <Libby> "Taylor...you've been subjected to unbelievably cruel pressure at school," says Libby gently. "And yet, you've refused to snap and become a villain. That's heroism in a nutshell -- to maintain your honor and integrity in the face of an uncaring world."
21:03 <Libby> "Only a hero would do as you've done. If you weren't a hero, you'd have Carrie-d them long ago."
21:04 <•Esbilon> She shrugs, and can't seem to decide whether to agree or disagree with Libby's praise.
21:04 <Libby> "Ever hear the story of Arachne?"
21:05 <•Esbilon> "No?" She says curiously.
21:07 <Libby> "Arachne lived thousands of years ago in ancient Greece, and she was a skillful maker. She was most famous of all for her clothes and rugs and other woven things, and she was so good that she was better than Athena, the Goddess who invented arts and crafts. People were angry and jealous of her skill, and they told the Goddess that Arachne should be
21:07 <Libby> punished..."
21:08 <•Esbilon> She nods, this seems like fairly standard Greek mythology so far.
21:10 <Libby> "Athena came down to see her work, and when she saw how good it was, she was angry that the work of a mortal was better than that of the daughter of mighty Zeus. 'I'll destroy you,' she said to Arachne. 'No, better - I'll destroy your ability to create beauty. And she poured poison over Arachne's head, and beat her until her crippled body withered down into
21:10 <Libby> a shrunken black thing.
21:12 <Libby> "'Now, just try being better than me,' Athena laughed. But Arachne's skill was too great for that. She ran to the nearest tree and began to weave, and the web she made was still more beautiful than it had been. Athena could harm her body, but not touch her gift.
21:13 <Libby> "Athena tried making everyone afraid of spiders. She tried making everyone disgusted by cobwebs. She tried hiding Arachne and her descendants in the darkest corners of the World. But anyone who sees a spiderweb covered with rain or dew in the morning light, glittering like it's made of rainbows, knows who the greatest weaver of all still is.
21:14 <Libby> "So Taylor -- it doesn't matter what you look like. It doesn't matter what your costume looks like, or whether you work quietly in the shadows or the broad light of day.
21:14 <Libby> "Your work will speak for itself."
21:17 <•Esbilon> She smiles, "I guess it will."
21:17 <•Esbilon> "Plus, that's a moderately heroic bug-themed name. I've been wracking my head for ages to come up with one."
21:18 <Libby> "Arachne? Oh,nice!"
21:19 <•Esbilon> "What's yours?"
21:21 <Libby> A droll look comes over Libby's face. "Pallas. She's Athena's sister who died fighting her."
21:22 <Libby> *And some day,* Libby thinks, *I may be able to explain this to Mater. Eventually.*
21:22 <Libby> "Shall we discuss tactics, then? I find it helps to be prepared."
21:22 <•Esbilon> "I thought it was another name for Athene," she says with a slight frown.
21:23 <Libby> "Athena took the name from her sister when she killed her, and became Pallas Athene."
21:24 <•Esbilon> "Maybe," she says, "but most people don't know that. And I don't like how our names work together if they come to the wrong conclusion."
21:25 <Libby> "Hmm. Fair point. Are you suggesting I change it?" Her smile shows she is not angry.
21:26 <•Esbilon> "No!" She exclaims," it just means I'm back to square one," she adds with a sigh.
21:28 <Libby> "I think you should keep your name. I can think of a different one, but as you pointed out, heroic bug-themed names are not easy to find."
21:28 <Libby> "Besides, 'Pallas' isn't very descriptive."
21:28 <•Esbilon> "On the other hand, I guess most people who don't know Pallas from Athene don't know what Athene and Arachne have to do with each other either."
21:29 <•Esbilon> "No," she agrees, "why did you pick it?"
21:32 <Libby> Libby gives her the sheepish look again, the adult admitting that adults are not all-knowing. "I'd functioned quietly without a name for years, and then someone asked me my name and 'Pallas' came out. I guess...it's because I always felt bad for Pallas. I wanted her to win for a chance, instead of losing everything - the fight, her life, even her name. I
21:32 <Libby> thought it was time Pallas got a life of her own, instead of being Athena's shadow she destroyed.
21:33 <Libby> "I know that probably sounds very silly."
21:34 <•Esbilon> She shrugs, "better than everything I've come up with."
21:36 <Libby> "Maybe. But yours at least probably describe you, which is more than 'Pallas' does. Although..." she looks wry. "When you see my uniform -- I refuse to call it a costume -- you'll understand why my brain went to ancient Greece. I'm curious about yours, though. Why did you say it didn't look right?"
21:37 <•Esbilon> "It looks fine," she says, "it just doesn't look very heroic. It's in the basement if you want to see it."
21:37 <Libby> "I'd like that."
21:38 <•Esbilon> She leads the way to the back of the house and down a narrow set of stairs.
21:38 <•Esbilon> There is a single naked lightbulb which she turns on as they start their descent.
21:39 <Libby> Libby follows, genuinely interested.
21:40 <•Esbilon> There is first a small room with a freezer and a single door. That room has a think carpet and faded, old wallpaper.
21:41 <•Esbilon> Taylor opens the door, leading them into a much larger room, but with a bare concrete floor and bare walls and boards infront of the few windows.
21:43 <•Esbilon> The weak light of the lone bulb illuminates a single table whereupon Taylor's costume is taking form, however what catches Libby's eyes is quite likely the fact myriad of tiny, black spiders spinning out rows and columns of their silk, weaving it into cloth by their shared, unnatural motion.
21:44 <Libby> "Oh, my..." Libby regards this with delight. "You really *are* Arachne!"
21:44 <•Esbilon> Taylor does not seem to pay attention to the dozens of black widow spiders laboring away a few meters away from her, but strides forward to the black body suit with chitin-like armor plates and the bug-like mask with ominous yellow eye lenses next to it.
21:45 <•Esbilon> She turns her head to smile, "yeah, I guess I kind of am."
21:48 <Libby> Libby studies the outfit, very interested. "This is amazing, Taylor. Most people buy their gear or slap it together from odds and ends, they don't actually weave it!
21:48 <Libby> "So, you're concerned you'll be mistaken for a villain because you don't have enough primary colors? Or is it just the insect/arachnid theme?"
21:48 <•Esbilon> "A bit of both."
21:50 <Libby> "Have you thought of adding color somehow? Though honestly, this outfit makes more sense than mine for night work, whatever the brightly-colored-latex types may think."
21:52 <•Esbilon> "Yeah, that's what I thought as well. Black and grey are both thematic and practical. Making it blue and white or something would just look silly. And might get me killed."
21:55 <Libby> "Which is what we're trying to avoid by wearing armor, yes," says Libby wryly. "Something the person who designed my own outfit didn't really take into consideration. I think you're right. With this, they'll never see you coming until it's too late."
21:57 <•Esbilon> She nods in agreement as the deadly spiders continue at their work, "and I have enough range to come at them from a block away too. They don't even need to see me *after* it's too late," she adds, smiling slightly."
21:59 <Libby> "And you thought you wouldn't be able to stand up to the heavy hitters? Range is a tremendous asset. Being incredibly strong doesn't mean much if you can attack them multiple times before they reach you."
22:00 <•Esbilon> "Bug's don't matter much when you're a raging ball of metal, or a burning, metal-covered dragon."
22:02 <Libby> "Every dragon has its weak spot. And even dragons usually have to see you or smell you before they can attack you."
22:03 <•Esbilon> She shrugs, "hopefully we won't run into either of those two."
22:06 <Libby> Libby nods in agreement. "Well, the plan for tonight is simply to be present. If the E88's don't show up, or behave themselves -- not likely but possible -- we won't complicate things further. If the situation turns nasty, though, we'll need every advantage we've got."
22:08 <•Esbilon> "They'll have to retaliate," Taylor says somberly, "and if they know you're a cape, they'll bring some of their own. The question is just how many and who."
22:09 <Libby> "They know. The ones who showed up last night were very rude, and I had to give them a lesson in manners."
22:10 <Libby> "However, I was alone and with no prior preparation then."
22:11 <•Esbilon> She nods, "you have more preparation than recruiting me?"
22:14 <Libby> "Well, to begin with, one should always use the terrain. Things stacked on the edge of buildings, ready to push off. Dumpsters strategically rolled into place -- I imagine you can think of a few things that could explode out of a dumpster. And so forth. Also, a disposable cell phone with emergency numbers on it. You can't count on a convenient interruption,
22:14 <Libby> but it doesn't hurt to try."
22:15 <•Esbilon> She looks slightly uncomfortable at the mention of a cell phone, but nods.
22:18 <Libby> "Does the radiation bother you?"
22:18 <•Esbilon> She frowns, "radiation?"
22:19 <Libby> "Cell phones use electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range. Most wireless systems do."
22:20 <•Esbilon> "Ah. Yeah. No, no that doesn't bother me."
22:20 <Libby> "Just the ring tones, then?" Libby smiles.
22:21 <•Esbilon> "No. But turning off the sound when out is probably a good idea."
22:21 <Libby> "Oh, yes. Without a doubt."
22:22 <•Esbilon> "Anyways. You mentioned something about tactics?"
22:26 <Libby> "I did. Setting up traps is part of that. Finding a location to observe from will be another part. A third part is considering strategies against individuals. If they *do* send Hookwolf, how can we get around his powers and attack his weaknesses? Finally, we have to think how best to use our own. I can knock a man cold with a well-placed jolt, but it takes
22:26 <Libby> time to recharge afterwards. And my supply of power is not infinite. Can you think of any vulnerable places of your own?"
22:27 <•Esbilon> "My armor can stop a knife, and maybe small arms fire too," she says with some concern," but if they do get close to me, I'm still just a 15 year old girl with a little running practice. I'm afraid I'm not very good in an actual fight."
22:28 <•Esbilon> "And of course, anything that my bugs can't hurt, or that can kill them like bugspray or fire, I'm useless against."
22:31 <Libby> "Leave the up-close to me, then. That's what the shield's for. They're not likely to bring bug spray tonight. And even if they think to use fire, it will burn them too."
22:32 <•Esbilon> She nods. "But what can we do if Hookwolf shows up? He's the E88's major heavy hitter, and it sounds like neither of us can touch him."
22:38 <Libby> "Someone made of metal might have an interesting reaction to electricity.
22:39 <•Esbilon> "Maybe," Taylor says, but she does not sound convinced.
22:39 <Libby> "And he might be more vulnerable between transformations."
22:40 <•Esbilon> She nods, "if we can identify him before he changes."
22:41 <Libby> "That's something to work on, then. And he still has to see and hear. If you can't attack someone directly, confuse their perceptions."
22:41 <•Esbilon> "Can you do that?"
22:44 <Libby> "I think you can. Have you ever tried to focus on something when there was a fly buzzing in the room?"
22:45 <•Esbilon> "I don't think a few buzzing flies are going to do much when he's already in combat."
22:46 <Libby> "How about a lot of buzzing, crawling things close to his face? You said yourself, bugs creep a lot of people out."
22:47 <•Esbilon> "Sure, they creep them out, but I don't think that's going to stop a two-ton mess of swords and hooks."
22:49 <Libby> "No, but it will certainly occupy his attention while, say, something very large and heavy falls on him. And if it comes to that, we don't have to take him out ourselves. That's what the cell phone is for. I imagine a lot of other capes would be happy to catch him in the act."
22:49 <Libby> *There, I said it,* thinks Libby. *But I still can't get used to the word.*
22:50 <•Esbilon> She nods, "he *is* wanted by the protectorate for any number of crimes."
22:51 <•Esbilon> "And New Wave would probably be happy to fight him too."
22:52 <Libby> "There you are, then. They'll probably take all the credit if we call them in -- but what's more important: getting glory, or getting a bad man off the streets to where he won't do any more harm? Or less harm, at least."
22:53 <•Esbilon> She nods determinedly.
22:55 <•Esbilon> "So, that's it then, we get ready to go out tonight?"
22:55 <Libby> "Now that we have a plan, yes. Set the location up, traps and all. Get in position. And if Hookwolf or one of the heavy hitters *does* show up, summon bigger fish. If it's only more thugs, you and I should be more than enough for them."
22:58 <•Esbilon> "I can't really get out of the house until my dad has gone to bed," she says awkwardly, "but he does that quite early, around nine or ten."
23:00 <Libby> "I'll try to get there earlier then, and start discreetly setting up. The shop is at [address], but I'll meet you at [address]. If I'm *not* there...well, you'll know what's going on."
23:01 <•Esbilon> She nods.
23:01 <•Esbilon> "I'll see you then," she says, leading the way out of the house.
23:02 <Libby> "Thank you, Taylor--Arachne."
XP: Libby +5
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