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

[Horsenhero]

Magnitude
Kasimir Flaegler
HP 2

He detected Jack's approach without turning to look. One of the advantages of his spatial mapping senses was he never had to reorient himself to get a better look. At the American's assessment that Beatrice might have some secret plan, he had to simply grunt non-committally, after all unless Beatrice had suddenly changed powers or was Tallemaja in disguise, there wasn't much she could do to transform her team into a threat in a physical challenge.

Of course if Tallemaja had returned to the school, any of the students on Beatrice's team would make a perfect cover. Beatrice herself was best known by Otso, who had been missing for months. Agnes was a loner without many friends and a propensity for dream stalking which could easily turn other students off. Steven Murphy was actively hostile to his classmates so replacing him would be easy. While Kas doubted Tallemaja would attempt to infiltrate the school again, any of those five students would be ideal. They possessed subtle powers that were easily overlooked (or no powers at all in Murphy's case) and weren't the most socially active members of the student body.

Suddenly that didn't seem so silly at all.

Then Kas noticed Otso making his way over and smiled to himself. All they needed was for Martin to sidle on over and sit with them and all the known trouble magnets who weren't involved in the Blitz would be sitting together. Well, almost all the known trouble magnets...Vlad had been sitting close by until Jack and Ellen made their way over. The Romanian orphan had shifted uncomfortably in his seat a couple times and then disappeared down through the bleachers only to pop up again farther away. Kas was vaguely aware a history existed between the three, though he wasn't quite sure the exact nature of that history. Apparently it was uncomfortable enough that the student known as Candyman felt he had to retreat from his schoolmates mere proximity. Kas liked both Jack and Ellen and made a note to keep an watch over the odd man out in that trio just in case he decided to follow his mother's example and become a threat.

Paranoid much, Kas? He chuckled to himself and forced his attention back to the contest below.

[Arkrite]

Alex "Current" Murphy
HP: 6 CND: Normal

“You ask me, Steven didn’t want to look weak to the school. He’s spent nearly a year running his mouth. How would he look if he just bowed out of this because he didn’t have any powers?”

Lex just gives his dad a slack jawed look of disbelief.

"Ooookay... So if it's team versus team then he's dead," He turns back to face the audience, "Like super dead. Like, everybody who has a combat power will attack him first dead."

"Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead."

He sighs and shifts down in his seat, crossing his arms hoping for the best.

Then the T-Rex burst out to attack Doug's team.

"Oh this is bull$#!+," Lex snaps as he watches the giant dinosaur close in on the team of non-combatants.

Without a serious combat power, or some other significant ability, how were they supposed to do anything other than get beat up?!

Without even thinking about it he'd ramped his powers up, giving off the faint scent of ozone as he contemplated the best way getting down there and putting an end to that nonsense.

And then Beatrice started literally hulking out.

Lex shocked, just stares at Beatrice then asks nobody in particular, "What the hell was that?"

[Horsenhero]

Magnitude
Kasimir Flaegler
HP 2+1=3

The young German's jaw dropped open in shock.

Too paranoid? Not paranoid enough dumkopff!

Kas almost leaped into action, but stopped himself. Part of his mind was screaming Tallemaja!, but the more rational part knew the infiltrator would never blow her cover so readily.

Instead he simply echoed Lex. "What he said."

[Flynnarrel]

Martin saw the various approaches the teams took in their initial reaction to the Jurassic threat. He nodded grimly at Beatrice's display even as the rich tang of magic assailed his nose. There was a transmuter in Chuck's group, Dante, that would augment his physical capabilities much like that displayed, though far less obviously.

Martin glanced backwards to see the various reactions. Jack was unsurprised. That made sense given what he told Martin.... er... Mart about his Aesir abilities. He made a mental note to ask Jack if he could see mage potential or if he could only see mages after they've learned enough of the 'language of birds' to affect reality.... or maybe the successful casting of one's first spell made the mark upon their aura.
Kas and Lex were shocked.
Otso was too obscured by the crowd for Martin to get his reaction and he didn't possess his sister's ability to determine emotion at a distance from scent alone.

Still, however Herculean Beatrice was now, she was still one against an opponent designed by the Administration to challenge 5.

Martin held Tatjana's hand and turned back to the fight below.

"Go teams! You all 'ave got zis!" he encourages in an undirected shout.

Denying it a reflex save is a bad precedent to set. The reflex could be that it jerks it's head or tucks it so it's massive cranium is directed at the source rather than it's ears, or turns so the shout is 'ground out' against it's body's bulk.

[McGuffin]

Ursa
HP: 6
Cnd: Fine

At first Otso was as surprised as everyone around him st what had happened. Then he remembered back to his first night back.

She'd been trying to tell me that night. She'd been trying to tell me and I was too caught up in my damn fool idealistic crusade to listen to the girl I love.

She'd done something, something to learn magic, because of him. Otso swore to himself they'd have that talk after the Blitz was over.

But for now? He jumped to his feet with a cheer."Show 'em who's boss Beatrice!" Otso sat back down, answering everybody's questions while looking at the fight instead of anybody in particular.
"Told you she's come a long way."

[Tattooedman]

Greystone:
[Jack Rexroth]
HP: 2

"That's magic." Jack answered to Alex and Kas without taking his eyes off the scenes unfolding before them.

[Horsenhero]

Magnitude
Kasimir Flaegler
HP 3

"Ja, I know." Kas responds to Jack. "Since when does Beatrice know magic? Who taught it to her?"

Kasimir would be the first to admit he knew little about magic and had never met a mage on the side of angels. His first experience with mages was the pair who summoned the giant animals to rampage across Vienna. In his second encounter with a mage, he fought a man who could fly and transform his body into metal by use of magic. Then there was Jason and finally Tallemaja. Every mage Kas had met to date was of dubious moral character...at best.

If the myths surrounding magic were accurate in the slightest, then the study of magic was done through apprenticeship. Who was Beatrice apprenticed to? Why did they agree to instruct her? Did the staff know?

Kas leaned back, no longer paying as close attention to the Sophmore Blitz as he had been. He didn't really know Beatrice well, but something about this made him suspicious and he didn't like being suspicious of his friends' girlfriend but in his experience magic was synonymous with bad intentions.

[Tattooedman]

Greystone:
[Jack Rexroth]
HP: 2

"I'd say since the last couple months." Jack answered, not trying to be sarcastic with his answer but honest.

[Arkrite]

Alex "Current" Murphy
HP: 6 CND: Normal

"Oh good. Magic."

Lex scowls and continues staring at the match, "So, like, where'd she pick that up?"

He reaches over and flicks the oversized toe bone on his bracelet, "Because the only people I know who know that spent the last half a year trying to break our school."

"Seriously, have we met anybody who knows magic that isn't evil?" He mutters, then adds, "Besides Beatrice."

"I hope."

[Flynnarrel]

Martin turns around and catches Lex's eye. He raises his hand, "Do you not recall Rembrandt? Ze man in ze funny 'at. 'E was okay." he says.

[Arkrite]

Alex "Current" Murphy
HP: 6 CND: Normal

"Riiight, wasn't that the guy who introduced himself by saying he was going to blow up a mall if we didn't do what he said?" Lex asks.

[Flynnarrel]

"It was an uninhabited store." Martin says. "And I did not say 'e was a saint, but 'e did 'elp me when I was in a tight spot. So no, not 'evil'."

[Arkrite]

Alex "Current" Murphy
HP: 6 CND: Normal

"In an inhabited mall, man. That's the kind of thing that turns an emergency exit into a meat grinder," Lex rolls his eyes, "Okay, so let me ask you, is he the kind of guy you'd really want teaching your girlfriend magic?"

[Flynnarrel]

"Lex, 'e was captured and tortured by Siegfried's mercenaries, alongside my girlfriend, protecting 'er as best 'e could, even zough wiz 'is abilities and ze particular artifact 'e bore, I am most certain 'e did not 'ave to let 'imself be taken; I would say you do not know ze 'ole story of it - only a narrow, immutable opinion based off of one singular zing, Lex. Please, I know you do not easily change your mind on a zing once it is set, I suggest we go back to watching ze event." Martin gives a half shrug and turns back around. It's a moment before he, still holding his girlfriend's hand, brings it up and kisses the finger that Tatjana lost to the psychopath swordsman.

[McGuffin]

Ursa
HP: 6
Cnd: Fine

They made valid points, no matter how little he wished to admit it. And the way she wanted to talk to him that night... Whatever happened, whatever comes, we're together now and we'll face it together. He'd meant what he said and he'd stand by it. They'd figure it out.

Thinking this way made him uncomfortable, but listening and not speaking here meant he was at least learning who he could and couldn't talk to about this at first.