New Vindicators Academy of Europe #30: Allegory of Prudence (M&M 2E - IC)

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Re: New Vindicators Academy of Europe #27: The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (M&M 2E - IC)

Post by EnigmaticOne »

Imago
HP: 3

"Our Martin has more restraint with his powers, even if he expands them now. Then again it might not even be any Martin this is meant for."
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Re: New Vindicators Academy of Europe #29: The Son of Man (M&M 2E - IC)

Post by Gilliam »

Tamati "Taheka" Stevens
HP: 2
Condition: Normal



"So are you saying this is suppose to be a wake up call for any of us who are getting too big for their britches."
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Re: New Vindicators Academy of Europe #27: The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (M&M 2E - IC)

Post by EnigmaticOne »

Imago
HP: 3

"No, just that the Astrolabe's plans might not be for either Martin, or more likely given the track record, for several people at once for different reasons." Dennis explained. "We may just have to wait and see."
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Re: New Vindicators Academy of Europe #29: The Son of Man (M&M 2E - IC)

Post by Shock »

Violet Lear
HP: 2


"Well I'd just as soon the bloody thing take this other Martin back home and let ours figure it out on his own." Violet grumbled. Between Robin/Puck and now this, she'd had enough of uninvited "help" recently.
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Re: New Vindicators Academy of Europe #29: The Son of Man (M&M 2E - IC)

Post by Michuru »

PARIS, FRANCE
Alice Brisbois loved to bake. Her doting father was haunted by her opera cake. With his birthday coming up next month, he had been sure to leave hints for the teen that he would like nothing more than that… or possibly a taste of her religieuse.

Now, Étienne Brisbois feared he would never again find a plate of macarons waiting for him on the counter after a long day. With a heart full of sadness, he dialed his eldest child’s mobile number and listened to the greeting on her voicemail—just to hear her voice. That alone was enough to break him. The man doubled over and tried to shield his weeping eyes from the watchful gaze of the gendarmerie who guarded him.

In his devastation, he didn’t even hear the door open. <“They are ready, Minister,”> Paul said.

The French Minister of the Interior rose to his feet. Twenty-four hours after Alice had been abducted from the shores of the Sienne, they still had no word from her abductors—no demands or threats. The only thing they had was the video of her abduction… a strange thing. A man garbed entirely in black, save for the white fox mask, leisurely walked through the building, accompanied by two men wearing bulky headphones and a woman maybe a year or two Alice’s junior.

As their group walked through the building, everyone they encountered fled in terror. When they reached Alice’s classroom, everyone cowered. Everyone but one—one young man, who seemed perplexed by his classmates’ behavior.

The man in the fox mask ordered the two men to grab Alice. They bound her wrists behind her back and her ankles. They picked her up and carried her between them. The young man strangely unaffected by whatever madness had befallen the others moved to stop him. The woman turned, inhaled, and the feed cut.

Upon arrival at the scene, the authorities found every window shattered. The people in Alice’s classroom were bleeding from the ears. It was clear the woman had some sort of sonic ability.

The woman DGSI had sent over told Brisbois that the man in the fox mask was a criminal known only as Reynard. <“He’s an SPB,”> she explained, <“who leads a family of the Milieu. With the downfall of Durendal, he’s become more brazen. We believe he’s actually taken over several families—killing their parrains and conglomerating power under his banner.”>

<“What does he want?”>

The woman studied the minister. <“We have some theories. Reynard’s business seems to focus primarily on arms trafficking, though he’s not above extortion to secure this. It’s very possible that he intends to use your daughter as a bargaining chip for something he’s planning. For now, we can only wait for his demands.”>

His demands had not come, however, but the stories from Alice’s classmates had. With the media now running with the story of giant monsters overrunning the halls of Le Cordon Bleu, leaving one student dead and another—the daughter of the Minister of the Interior—missing, Brisbois could not remain silent any longer.

Stepping out in front of the cameras, he made his solemn approach to the podium. A collective hush fell over the room, save for the snapping of photographs. “Bonjour,” he said as he looked down to the prepared statement. <“Yesterday, at approximately eleven o’clock in the morning, a criminal known as Reynard led three unidentified figures onto the campus of…”>

He cut off the moment he sensed someone standing behind him. He looked over his shoulder and instantly felt something pierce him from behind. “Oh, do shut up, you bloody git.”

Brisbois collapsed. He tried to grab the podium, but still crumbled to the ground. He rolled onto his back, only to find himself looking up at a woman garbed in lingerie. He shuddered, only to notice his breath—his last breath was visible to the room.

NVAE, SUBLEVEL HALL (Fluxx; NPCs: Eiron, Fach, Martin)
Martin didn’t say another word. He reached out and touched Fach’s face. It happened so fast—faster than this world’s Martin Curie could comprehend. He couldn’t even register that his doppelganger had done anything, and then Tatjana’s hair was black. She was suddenly several pounds lighter.

He couldn’t detect any trace of foreign chemicals inside of her.

As Martin turned towards Buddy, Fluxx felt something vibrate inside of him. Most of the students left their mobile phones in the locker room when they went on a mission—their uniforms not really having a place to stow such a device—but it was a small feat for the Frenchman to simply store his phone inside of himself.

He took a look at the screen, only to realize it wasn’t his phone that was ringing, but rather his other phone—the one given to him by Dewhurst.

There was no mistaking the urgency in Dewhurst’s voice as Fluxx answered the phone. “Can you locate Shiver and meet me at the river?”

The doors to the Wreck Room opened and Greystone was expelled into the hall. He looked at the black-haired Tatjana and Buddy—now several inches taller.

NVAE, WRECK ROOM (Greystone, Imago, Shiver, Taheka, Ursa; NPCs: Armorer, Backlash, Cacophony, Candyman, Capacitor, the Drifter, Eiron, Felsic, Fiore, Gae’bolg, Hubris, Kiln, Larrikin, Magnitude, Manticore, Martin, Maze, Parabola, Pict, Puck, Rheid, Singularity, Tantivy, Thorn, Vestige)
“But you might want to consider how well making folks "perfect" worked out for you where you came from."

"And who says you know what perfect is?" Violet moved forward to confront New Martin. "You aren't perfect yourself now are you?"

“I am one-‘undred and zirty-seven years old,” said Martin. “I don’t recall what it is like to feel bad or sore. I have never ‘ad to sit in a doctor’s office and ‘old my wife’s ‘and as we await a prognosis. We are simply the picture of ‘ealth, as is everyone I am able to reach. Zat is possibly my one failing: I cannot give ze gift of perfection to everyone. Zere is simply not enough time.

“Now, if you will excuse me? Ze Astrolabe brought me ‘ere for a reason. Ze sooner I find it and fix it, ze sooner I can go ‘ome.”

Martin walked past the New Vindicators and left the room.

“Dang,” said Tamati, watching as Buddy hurried after them, “and I would have sworn he didn’t look a day over one-fifty.”

Jack looked to Liz. “Your magical dingus knowns how to pick some real winners to save worlds,” he said. “You realize that it’s not likely he’s here to help with our Robor problem.”

“Then again, for all we know, he’s here to serve as an example to our Martin. In several respects.”

“To scare Martin straight?” asked Otso. “I dunno, Martin feels pretty together. If anything, it feels like Other Martin is giving our Martin bad ideas.”

“We have to stop him,” Violet said. “I don’t think we should let him go about on his own. He could ruin the whole school while fixing it.”

“Good point,” Jack said, making his way for the door, “no telling who he might run into.”

As Jack headed off, Pict sighed. “We should all get moving,” he said. “Everyone get changed. Randy, let’s have the doctor take a look at you—make sure you’re okay. Miss Drifter? You should come with us. We’ll brief the headmaster on our mission, and I’m sure he’ll want to talk to you… Probably our would be savior, too.”

Tamati wasn’t so sure Martin was meant to be their saving grace. “Or he could be an example of what he can do with his powers, and why he shouldn’t do it.”

“‘I turned Robor into an unstoppable nightmare’ isn’t enough of an example?” Violet asked.

“Our Martin has more restraint with his powers, even if he expands them now,” said Dennis. “Then again, it might not even be any Martin this is meant for.”

“So, are you saying this is supposed to be a wakeup call for any of us who are getting too big for their britches?”

Dennis shook his head. “No, just that the Astrolabe’s plans might not be for either Martin, or more likely—given the track record—for several people at once, for different reasons. We may just have to wait and see.”


Violet made a face. “I’d just as soon the blood thing take this other Martin back home and let ours figure it out on his own.”

The other New Vindicators began to make their way to their respective locker rooms. The Vindicators escorted Randy elsewhere, while Magnitude lingered to talk with the Drifter.

NVAE, GIRLS’ LOCKER ROOM (Shiver; NPCs: Armorer, Cacophony, Felsic, Maze, Parabola, Singularity, Tantivy, Thorn, Vestige)
Pirjo said nothing as she opened her locker. Violet couldn’t actually recall the last time she had heard the Finnish girl speak.

If only Rose were so tight-lipped. “Can you imagine being able to remake yourself?” she asked. Tugging off her uniform, she looked down at her chest. “Think New Martin could make my boobs as big as Tat’s tatas?”

“I don’t think we should be playing with this,” said Kirstie. “I feel like there has to be some sort of side-effect to altering your entire genetic code.”

“You’re with me, right?” Rose looked to Herta.

The Romanian girl looked baffled. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you have the figure of an eight-year-old boy. You’re going to ask Martin to change that, right?”

Herta shook her head. “I’m used to my body. If it were changed, I’d have to adapt—find my balance all over again. I’d likely be useless in a battle.”

Rose rolled her eyes and then focused on Ellen. “You’re getting a makeover though, right?”

The senior looked startled by the question. “I…” She slipped her shirt back on quickly. “I’m not sure.”

NVAE, BOYS’ LOCKER ROOM (Imago, Taheka, Ursa; NPCs: Candyman, Capacitor, Fiore, Larrikin, Manticore, Rheid)
Armande looked dazed by the regeneration of his eye. “Are you okay?” Vlad asked him as the American dropped to the bench.

“I’m not sure,” Armade said. “This is going to sound weird, but… I never really wanted my eye back. I lost it because of Black Box—the crap that went down back home… It was a reminder of what humans were willing to do to us…”

Nate blinked. “No, that doesn’t sound weird,” he said, “it sounds $&@^ stupid.”

Fiore raised his hands—already moving to try to stop this from escalating. Nate didn’t seem to notice. “Look, I get it. I may not have lived through it, but that summer school they made all of us refugees go through to know how this world works summed it up pretty well: things suck here. They rounded you all up and put you in a prison.

“On my world, they rounded us up and put us on a reservation. Then one day, they decided that wasn’t good enough, so they rolled onto our land with tanks and guns. They started killing us. We had to fight back. Kill or be killed. Survival was a way of life.

“I’m not trying to compare pains, because that’s stupid. What I went through sucked, but I can’t fathom what you went through… because I didn’t go through it. You didn’t go through what I did. What I do know, though… You and I both went through something $%&#, but I don’t need a freaking trophy from that time. The scars I have from that time? They don’t matter. I’ll never forget what they did to us…” He grimaced. “…Or what I had to do to survive.”

NVAE, BAND ROOM (Lex; NPCs: Bottom)
“I’m betting you’ve never heard of Henry Condell,” Bottom said. “He was a member of the King’s Men—the troupe of actors Shakespeare wrote for.

“He was me, actually.” Bottom smirked at Lex. “Please, please—hold your applause. I was also John Cooper, a famous thespian in the nineteenth century.

“I have been several important people over the years… but there are times I think I would have traded all of that for a family. A wife, kids… all that. Then I worry about them getting older and me staying this age and having to bury my children and my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren and I… I just don’t think I’m strong enough for that.

“I guess what I’m saying is, fame and fortune isn’t the only way to have a legacy—a future. There’s a guy here with a belt buckle pretty similar to yours who idolizes his grandfather, though. Seems like a pretty good legacy to strive for, if you ask me.”
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Re: New Vindicators Academy of Europe #26 - The Persistence of Memory (M&M 2E - IC)

Post by McGuffin »

Ursa
HP: 1
Cnd: Fine


Otso didn't comment on the argument. Both of them had good points to him, but he didn't feel it his place to speak. He just watched the two of them as he changed, waiting to see if the conversation turned so heated that he had to intervene.
Otso Karell/Ursa, student at the New Vindicators Academy Europe.
Kriv of Clan Myastan, Dragonborn Noble Paladin in On the Road.
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Re: New Vindicators Academy of Europe #27: The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (M&M 2E - IC)

Post by EnigmaticOne »

Imago
HP: 3

Likewise, Dennis didn't see the need to weigh in. Someone preferred having the tangible reminder, others didn't. He focused on changing.
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Re: New Vindicators Academy of Europe #29: The Son of Man (M&M 2E - IC)

Post by Tattooedman »

Greystone:
[Jack Rexroth]
HP: 1
LP: 2
The doors to the Wreck Room opened and Greystone was expelled into the hall. He looked at the black-haired Tatjana and Buddy—now several inches taller.
Jack looked at his newly changed classmates then to new-Martin. "You don't waste any time do you?" As he spoke Jack's eye took on a golden glow and he looked over Buddy and Tat, just wanting to be sure there wasn't anything wrong with them because of whatever changes had been done to them.

OOC wrote:I'll assume since this isn't a combat situation we can skip a Notice check, if I'm wrong let me know & I'll get that in.
Jabroniville wrote: Tue Jul 13, 2021 11:45 pm
LOl- "The Tattooed Man"? What kind of ABSOLUTE DILDO would refer to himself as "The Tattooed Man" :P!?!
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Re: New Vindicators Academy of Europe #29: The Son of Man (M&M 2E - IC)

Post by Flynnarrel »

Fluxx

The phone was to his good ear but the words barely registered as he felt for Tatjana's chemical make-up through the hand still touching her. Then Jack and the others showed up and it became a sensation overload. Fluxx tried to say three different things at once but they all came out as a garbled mess. "shi-bla-urd-rir"

"Sorry, let me try zat again."

"Greystone, it was Tatjana's choice. Martin, why is 'er 'air black? I assume ze phenome pairing responsible for 'er condition was tied to zose responsible for 'air color. Dew'urst, Acknowledged. Shiver," Fluxx raises his voiceto call into the room with the others. "Shiver, I 'ave MI-18 on ze line, zey usually only call when it a matter of international importance involving SPBs. Zey 'ave requested your presence for a meeting by ze river."

"Dew'urst, you called at an... interesting time. I 'ave many NVAE students and faculty around and a couple of interdimensional guests. Would your call 'ave somezing to do wiz someone needing 'ealing in a major way wiz world-changing repercussions?" Fluxx asks. The timing was too coincidental with Drifter and Martin's arrival.

"Martin, I may need you to change your face or wear a mask in order to preserve my identity in zis world, would you be willing to do zat?"
"Something pithy this way comes."
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Re: New Vindicators Academy of Europe #29: The Son of Man (M&M 2E - IC)

Post by Shock »

Violet Lear
HP: 2


As she changed, Violet looked at the other girls incredulously. "Any of you is mad if you let that nutter touch you." She balled up her uniform and tossed it toward the laundry. "Look, I'm not perfect." She indicated her own, slim figure as she pulled on a shirt. "I'd like to fill this out properly but I'm not about to let him bodge the girls up." She was just pulling on a long skirt when she heard Martin calling from outside. She pulled the door open just enough to poke her head out.

"What's it about Martin? I've barely gotten my knickers on here."
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Re: New Vindicators Academy of Europe #27: The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (M&M 2E - IC)

Post by Arkrite »

Alex "Current" Murphy
HP: 1 CND: Normal

"You're not listening, man, I don't want a legacy, I-" Lex sighs.


"You ever been stabbed?" Lex asks, his fingers quietly run along the strings of the guitar in his hands, practicing a song that remains silent at the moment, "In my experience there's two ways it goes."

"You're unlucky and you feel a shard of burning magma rip into you. Imagine being stung by a bee, a hundred angry bees, that are ripping into your body stinger first. And every time you so much as move those bees go nuts. You get lucky and it feels like somebody punched you. And then the bees."


He rolls his eyes, "And yeah, I know, I know. Not the bees."

"The good news is, if you got the adrenaline up, you might really feel it at first. But if you feel it? Man, it sucks. It sucks all the desire to move right out of you, all you want to do is curl up into a ball and cry. Because every movement is fucking agonizing, you flinch, your muscles lock up as soon as the pain hits..."


He squeezes the neck of the guitar, "But if you lay there? You're dead. So you know what you do? You got to push past pain. And how do you do that? You get mad. And then you get even madder."

"You get $*#(ing furious. Who the hell do you think you are? I'm not @$#*ing dying like this! I'm going to take that god damn knife and shove it straight up your god damned ass! You know who I am? I'm Lex Murphy, you little @$*#!"
Lex realizes he's breathing hard and forces himself to release his death grip on the guitar.

"Everything I do hurts. I'm not wired right up here," He taps his head, "Because a normal person would stop. But I can't stop. And so I grab onto what I've got to get me through it. So I'm angry. And I'm... I'm always angry."

"And I'm tired. I so god damned tired."

"I can't keep doing this, man. Take away that anger and there's not much left of me, there's no drive. And what else do I got?"
Lex looked down at the guitar.

"This isn't about fame, or fortune or legacy, man. I told you this isn't about ego and..." He looks at Bottom, "I want a future. I want something that I want, something that I can work towards, something that I can use to pull myself out of blood and mud."

"And yeah, I know it's a crap career, I know it's a lot of work, not much money, with very little chance of making it big and even then with a limited shelf life. But screw it. Why not? I like music. I like playing, I like singing. If I can't make it, I'll got to college, become an electrician or something, I don't know."

"But I need something in this life that I can control."
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Re: New Vindicators Academy of Europe #29: The Son of Man (M&M 2E - IC)

Post by Gilliam »

Tamati "Taheka" Stevens
HP: 2
Condition: Normal



Tamati listen to the conversation with a sense of sadness, while his homeworld wasn't perfect in many ways it was still better than what a lot of the other students had experienced, Shelby being hunted from a young age, what the refugees had gone through or even what happen on this planet.

"So do you regret having your eye fixed?"
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Re: New Vindicators Academy of Europe #29: The Son of Man (M&M 2E - IC)

Post by Flynnarrel »

Shock wrote: Tue Oct 23, 2018 11:53 pm "What's it about Martin? I've barely gotten my knickers on here."

Fluxx's reply back was stymied a moment. "I... um..."

"Dew'urst, please state ze nature of your zermal emergency."
he says into his phone.
"Something pithy this way comes."
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Re: New Vindicators Academy of Europe #29: The Son of Man (M&M 2E - IC)

Post by Michuru »

NVAE, SUBLEVEL HALL (Fluxx; NPCs: Eiron, Fach, Martin)
Jack looked Tatjana and Buddy over. Other than the obvious cosmetic changes, he could see no other alteration to them. "You don't waste any time do you?"

Martin looked confused. “It is not a lengthy process, if that is your concern. Again, I am more than happy to heal you.”

“Greystone,” Fluxx said as he strode back towards the door, “it was Tatjana's choice. Martin, why is 'er 'air black? I assume ze phenome pairing responsible for 'er condition was tied to zose responsible for 'air color. Dew'urst...” The line was dead; the agent had hung up.

“It is black because I improved her,” Martin explained. “Again, the characteristics responsible for red hair impose various health issues. I removed such traits.”

This world’s Martin called to Violet before looking back to his doppelgänger. “Martin, I may need you to change your face or wear a mask in order to preserve my identity in zis world, would you be willing to do zat?"

“Why do you bother with such trivialities?” asked Martin. “Presuming our abilities are similar, you are effectively a god. You have no need to hide your face or protect your name.

“When there is nothing you cannot do, there is nothing anyone can do to you.”

NVAE, BANDROOM (Lex; NPCs: Bottom)
“Are you sure?” Bottom said. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but it seems like you’re not sure what you want. Do you realize that a minute ago, you literally said you’re tired of saving people who don’t appreciate it; I said that Doug very clearly appreciates it, and you said that isn’t what you want. You then said you want a legacy; I pointed out that you have one, and you said that isn’t what you want. You want control.

“To quote one of the twentieth century’s greatest philosophers, ‘You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you find you get what you need.’ Stop focusing on what you want—what do you NEED?”

NVAE, BOYS’ LOCKER ROOM (Imago, Taheka, Ursa; NPCs: Candyman, Capacitor, Fiore, Larrikin, Manticore, Rheid)
"So do you regret having your eye fixed?"

Armande didn’t look up from the floor. “I don’t know.”

The boys dressed in awkward silence and slowly funneled out of the locker room.
What is everyone moving to do now?
NVAE Setting - VP: 5
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Re: New Vindicators Academy of Europe #29: The Son of Man (M&M 2E - IC)

Post by Tattooedman »

Greystone:
[Jack Rexroth]
HP: 1
LP: 2
NVAE, SUBLEVEL HALL (Fluxx; NPCs: Eiron, Fach, Martin)
Jack looked Tatjana and Buddy over. Other than the obvious cosmetic changes, he could see no other alteration to them. "You don't waste any time do you?"

Martin looked confused. “It is not a lengthy process, if that is your concern. Again, I am more than happy to heal you.”

“Greystone,” Fluxx said as he strode back towards the door, “it was Tatjana's choice. Martin, why is 'er 'air black? I assume ze phenome pairing responsible for 'er condition was tied to zose responsible for 'air color. Dew'urst...” The line was dead; the agent had hung up.

“It is black because I improved her,” Martin explained. “Again, the characteristics responsible for red hair impose various health issues. I removed such traits.”
"But did she ask you to do that or just "fix" her other issue?" Jack said with clear irritation in his voice and ignoring new-Martin's offer to deal with the American's health issue. "She might have wanted to be a red head. Who are you to decide what's "better" for someone?"
Jabroniville wrote: Tue Jul 13, 2021 11:45 pm
LOl- "The Tattooed Man"? What kind of ABSOLUTE DILDO would refer to himself as "The Tattooed Man" :P!?!
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