OPERATION: YOUTHFUL DISOBEDIENCE

[stresstokens]

WHO: Members of the grand curfew-breaking plan!
WHEN: During the Moorecroft event.
WHERE: Various Moorecroft locales.
WHAT: A bunch of youths have gotten together to break curfew in tandem to get to the bottom of the mystery at heart of this place -- but what they find leads to more questions than answers.
NOTES\WARNINGS: Probable violence, death, emotional trauma, cursing. All the fun stuff! I'll be putting the log headers for pre/during/post-curfew breaking logs in the comments, so just hang tight while I do that, though all members are of course more than welcome to post their own logs if that suits their tagging style better.

Comments

PRE-MISSION

[stresstokens]

[ Planning an operation like this one takes time. It takes time, it takes manpower, it takes knocking more than a few heads together and if the snacks provided are any indication, it takes a whole lot of ice cream. They largely meet in places they’ve secured as safe areas; closed off rooms in community centres, people’s homes, information delivered discretely in notes and after-school meetings and hushed whispers at work.

For those who are more technologically minded, you may find yourself with the artificers and wizards of the crew, preparing spell components, brainstorming different gadgets to help out in their efforts, and working together to test, double-test, and triple-test to make sure everything works precisely as planned.

For everyone else, it’s pivotal to remain in tip-top shape, to avoid trouble in the days or weeks leading up to breaking curfew, and to prepare themselves for the inevitable. All members of the team are highly encouraged to bond with each other outside of planning sessions, both because it will help evade suspicion as to why this motley crew started hanging out so much together, and because good teamwork means that everyone ought to at least get to know each other.

Riz - who has, through sheer force of neurotic nosiness, appointed himself as the organizer of the break-out - will remind everyone of the plan on their final preparation day before the mission is complete: they are to break out and distract the robots, they are to limit any and all property damage that could affect other residents, and they are to survive at all costs, even if it means bailing on the mission. Dead men tell no tales, and more importantly (to him, mercenary little man that he is), dead men aren’t able to share whatever intel they discover.

Now, have at it! Go mingle! ]

riz gukgak | ota

[stresstokens]

[ Throughout this process, anyone who was already familiar with Riz will have seen him go through something of a transformation, going from a nice, socially awkward, anxious young man who doesn't seem altogether certain of himself to something else entirely, a tiny general in their midst. He's confident and self-assured, that razor-sharp focus of his finally serving him well when it's turned to a specific goal instead of spread in the haze of aimless paranoia, and he moves through each group with relative ease, going over plans, strategizing, and showing surprising amounts of pragmatism as they face down the very real possibility that any one of them may perish in the process (though he seems quite emphatic that they try really, really, really hard not to). It's clear that this is where he's truly in his element, comfortable in his skin in a way that he rarely is, and a hell of a lot bossier for it.

He has an enormous clue board on the wall, complete with coloured pegs and string, a map of Moorecraft itself, and notes on their grand escape stuck everywhere, to be swept back into his briefcase at the end of every meeting. And while he's not particularly technologically minded, he's got dexterous fingers, and is eager to help with the grunt work of everything that needs doing.

In his focus, he's apt to forget to eat or drink and, despite the fact that it was his idea to make sure they all socialize with each other to evade suspicion, doesn't seem to be doing a lot of that either, trapped in the intensity of his focus. Maybe give him a hand and shove a sandwich in his face or something.

Or, during a quiet moment the day before their mission begins after everything's been said and done, he might turn to you with a crooked smile: ] You feeling ready to do this?

[dangerousmind]

[Aelwyn stands there while he works on putting the plan together, a little bit behind him. Summoning her elementals is a process - taxing when she was still just a normal elf. Now as an avatar, in this starved state, it's a little slower. There are three cheerleaders. Near identical human girls with the same light blonde hair and piercing (slightly unsettling) blue eyes.

"Hi, I'm River! Oh my gosh!" "Hi, I'm Courtney! What?" "Hi, I'm Candy! You're cute."

Summoning the next three without expending a spell slot means roughly an hour straight of rituals, so she's taking a break. The dialogue remains somewhat nauseating, even to her. Getting away from it is a mercy. Even if she takes some small pleasure in inflicting it on everyone else.]

I had a clue board a bit like this one on Earth, you know.

[redheadcarrier]

[ For once, Asuka is happy to leave the planning to other people. Even if she's a little resentful of it in some ways. Her feelings are complicated - but she wants to find out as much as she can, so she rolls with it. Maybe dying and coming back to life tempered her. Maybe the trauma is making her more withdrawn. Hard to say. Either way, she offers her own input here and there and raises her voice when she thinks its necessary.

And perhaps, more importantly, she also pays attention to things. Like people who don't eat.

So she ends up at "his" house to follow up and dumps a bag of something greasy on his desk without much ceremony. The scent of french fries wafts from the paper sack and she's sipping on some sort of soft drink from WcDonald's. ]

When was the last time you got up?

[ It's a somewhat disdainful drawl. ]

Hope you like pickles, because I didn't ask 'em to change anything.

gorgug thistlespring, ota

[tinflower]

[ 1, planning, ideas ]

[ Sneaking out never piqued Gorgug's interest until it became everyone's interest--or enough significant friends (really, Riz) that the knowledge of people getting fucked up from the attempt kinda made the half-orc more inquisitive in the operation: of, at least, managing and surviving the ordeal.

Wherever they gather, he comes with his backpack and sits with a couple of books that always end up as a surface for the notebook he keeps opened and scribbled in. And when they're sharing ideas on one of the many boards early on potential aids, he proposes methods of interest to help them in discussing and sharing their ideas, figuring out what each of them can do, or would want to.

faster movement

find out how people are tracked by bots. do they need to see

invisibility?

will earpieces be a problem

traps?

What are we thinking. ]

[ 2, workshopping (camera feed) ]

[ It takes a few nights of fucking around, but Gorgug manages to bring some video feed set at night from a window that is murky in its quality, but shows more out there than the symbol of a begrudging obedience to a curfew, or the results of disobedience: darkened figures heading out into the city, and the abrupt cut of the video that may be annoying for how little it provides.

Honestly, the cut off pisses off Gorgug too, but in that way that actually has him inspired to beat it: he needs to make a camera that can get out there. Harder said than done, when Adaine's own magical perception reveals to them a chaotic kind of magic, and Gorgug's test bots are always found and discarded in the next nights.

He's always more quiet in these gatherings, speaking up when spoken to, but he becomes quieter--absent, for the most part--until he can finally bring the aerial footage (through Riz, let's be real) to the team. At that particular meeting, he looks exhausted, though he does share himself: ]

Their defences are really good.

[ He doesn't want to talk about the materials used to make what they did, when most probably won't get it--but when the footage they do get the second time fizzles out and dies so quickly, the face Gorgug wears is anything but pleasant.

(And even so, he's still thrilled they got that much, and he's reminded of how anger doesn't have to be so bad--to do what you want, even if it isn't right.) ]

[ 3; pre-curfew break ]

[ Unfortunately, the problem with spending so much energy and studying on making a camera to avoid detection for long enough means that you don't put as much of it into defences as you realise you should have. Still, Gorgug's focused on the components and work that he can, and anyone involved with the task can get from him the following: jumping shoes (would have required shoes in their size be given to him first), paint, grease, or fire grenades, big enough to fit in one's hand and needing a twist of their tops and to be thrown within five seconds; personal cameras to attach to their person and night-vision goggles; or invisibility switches, if you're one of the four going out the farthest into the night.

(He will, of course, explain anything in particular your character might be eyeing up, but don't think to ask about themselves.)

He's not going out on the designated night, so all he can give people on the last meeting as they take their items is a grimace of a smile (it's just a grimace, really), and a ] Um, good luck.

( for fabian bc he's a special little pirate boy )

[tinflower]

[ Gorgug doesn't look any better than he has on this last get-together.

It's a look that the half-orc's been wearing soon after they got the recording outside at night, once the realisation hit of how much energy and time was put onto that and not on the fact they already knew: how difficult it was going to be moving around outside in the first place.

And the problem is, it's been hard to come up with clever ways to help a large group of people with the limited resources available. Even with the artificing books Gorgug has, he's been working in his and Sokka's bedroom, going over to Fabian's once that was a more viable place to tinker, and--he likes seeing Fabian, he likes visiting him, but none of these are labs. Gorgug is still just a high school student.

He's voiced his concerns already, surely, but as he approaches Fabian to give him the switch made for him, the eyelash that he took from Fabian days before hidden inside the small plastic piece, the look hasn't gone. And it's very obvious that Gorgug wants to say things already said, when he holds out the item and ducks his gaze, and says instead in a voice so unsure, it might sound a little like guilt, ]

Here.

[ He doesn't have his axe with him, he isn't equipped himself--he's not here to play his role to the two Bad Kids going out tonight, and Gorgug feels it, even if he still does have a role to play in keeping track of the streams.

But it doesn't mean he can't feel like he's already failed in being the team defender. ]

2

[levelshift]

[Accelerator only reluctantly attends these meetings, making sure to stick around in the back silently for the majority of them. He doesn't particularly want to be here and he's antisocial by nature, but he can't really turn down an opportunity to gain information, both on Moorcroft and the other Etrayans intent on doing the whole investigation thing. He doesn't contribute very much, though it isn't because he wants to stymie the rest of the group or anything. He doesn't really have anything to add to their plans, so he's fine with taking a backseat and lending his skills when it's necessary.

The footage, however, is intriguing! It raises more than a few questions in his mind. A lot of them are about Eos, and in true nerd fashion some of them are about how they managed to acquire this data. Sue him, okay? He was raised in the most scientifically advanced city in his universe and his brain is wired for this kind of thing. He can't help being a little curious.

Much like the other meetings, Accelerator is loitering around the exit to the room the group has commandeered, leaned up against the wall with his crutch. He lets out a little sigh.]

That isn't fucking surprising. After all, she's Aurora's older sister.

[As far as artificial intelligence goes, they're pretty advanced.]

Were you able to analyze the audio from that footage?

sry i'm harassing u w ANOTHER THREAD!!!!!

[stresstokens]

[ When it comes to gadgetry, Riz has tried to be as helpful as he can be. He has no idea what he's doing, but he's good at grunt work -- holding a flashlight for Gorgug so that he can see into his devices, or getting his fingers into the really small, fiddly bits and obediently going along with Gorgug's instructions, or otherwise just making sure Gorgug has enough food to fuel the appetite of a half-orc glued to his makeshift workshop.

They're nearing the end of their preparations when Riz walks in to see that most, if not all, of the gadgets have finally reached completion, and he stares around at it all with wide eyes. It's all so cool. It's frankly on par with the Celestial gear that he'd recently gotten from his Dad, and the fact that his friend has somehow managed to make gadgets of this caliber still feels a little unreal. He thinks, not for the first time, that Gorgug's just -- good at everything, it feels like. He's clever and strong, good enough at drumming to be a fucking rock star, nice enough that everyone feels more comfortable just for having him around, and now all this?

Maybe it's due to the fact that they actually have a mission that Riz has the clarity of mind to think about it, really think about it. ]

Gorgug... have I told you yet how incredible all of this is? [ Riz is, as ever, painfully earnest, ears pinned back to the sides of his face. ] I know you said you were multiclassing as an Artificer but you couldn't have been in classes for it for more than, what, four, five months?

[ It's insane. He went from nothing, to this. Even Riz with his work ethic couldn't catch up so quickly -- the prospect of multiclassing had always been a daunting, insurmountable one, and multiclassing as an artificer is (sorry, Fabian), a little more technically challenging than learning how to dance. ]

And you've done it all without a freaking workshop or anything. This is, like, hardcore spy gear. You must've been working your ass off back home.

1

[dangerousmind]

[Her own interest in sneaking out is low. Not because she's scared, or lacking in curiosity, but because so many other people are lining up to be bait instead that she figures it's kind of unnecessary. So she hangs back with Adaine, makes her own contribution to the mission. It's a bit reminiscent of what she left behind.

Based on her own recollections of the Bad Kids, or Adaine's dipshit kids as she tended to refer to them in her head, was that the backpack stealing kid was their barbarian. Not so much anymore, apparently.

She's still a little miffed. She watches all these plans with a bored neutral expression and a hand against the side of her face.]

Given that what we're dealing with seems digital in nature I would generally recommend relying more on magical means of communication and surveillance over digital. Assuming you've adjusted to the difference by now.

closed to the bad kids!

[maximumlegend]

[ Sure, there's the big planning meetings with everyone.

But the Bad Kids will do what the Bad Kids will do - which is also just have smaller planning meetings among themselves. They're on a different level of trust around each other, after all. And when the stakes of this entire thing seem pretty high, and Riz somehow managed to make himself the leader of the entire thing, it feels important to be able to discuss it among the four of them as well.

Case in point: the four of them having a meeting to talk about it today at Fabian's house, now with way less copious amounts of baby vomit all over the place thanks to efforts in cleaning up (thank you, Riz) and helping babysit (thank you, Adaine and Gorgug). It's the easiest spot for them to meet up without any prying eyes or ears from other family members, and now it's a presentable enough place Fabian doesn't mind them actually using it for that.

And though there are snacks laid out on top of the table in Fabian's kitchen the four of them have gathered around, the topic is a little more serious than the snacks pile might suggest. Especially since Fabian is first to pipe up, a semi-exasperated 'can you believe this guy?' kind of expression on his face as he leans forward on the table, alternating between looking at Gorgug and Adaine as he pipes up with: ]

Alright, you two need to help me convince The Ball that he can't sneak out there by himself during all this. [ Yes, Riz is right there, despite Fabian talking as if the goblin isn't there. Hell, he's even gesturing at Riz as he's saying it.. Hey, bud.. ] Yes, I know he is by far the stealthiest of all of us, but we can't just let one of us do something alone.

[ Because you know what happens then? Leviathan happens, that's what!! ]

[furiousfists]

[ Adaine hates Moorecroft. Something Adaine doesn't hate? Putting together plans to figure out what the hell is wrong here.

However, she does hate the thought of one of her closest friends volunteering to be the one to go out there and put himself on the line to implement those plans. ]

Agreed. Riz, you can't go do this alone. It would be a suicide mission. And regardless of whatever the resurrection capabilities here may be, that's not something you should be walking into so readily!

pre-mission pep talks | fabian and gorgug

[equivo]

[ Krouse understands the importance of secrecy. He's not sure how much they can hide from the AI, but they have to give it a shot. Doing anything else would be tantamount to believing the whole mission is a wash from the start.

Keeping it from everyone else is more plausible, and engages with a set of risks and complications he's much more familiar with. He's been handling his end just fine, and Clarke is as steadily dependable as ever. They don't show up together, if they even attend the same meetings at all, and they've kept their discussions closed outside of that. He can't say what anyone else is doing, but if there's a lapse in security, he can at least say it's not on his end.

So he's grateful that this meetup is in a building with a conveniently shielded concrete stairwell, because he really needs this cigarette.

He doesn't startle when the door opens above and behind him, just casts a dark and watchful glance over his shoulder. When he sees who it is, he breaks into a half-smile, raising his cigarette in a lazy salute. ]

Hey. [ He keeps his voice down, mindful of the echoes. ] Getting some air?

the homies

[tinflower]

[ Gorgug's own participation in these meetings hasn't been as necessary as most of the people who come and go: those being the actual planners, while Gorgug has relegated himself into more of a support role, checking in now and then with what he's got in terms of gadgetry and with what anyone else might have to supply. It feels wrong not to always be present when Riz is largely putting these meetings together, but his teammate has been consistent in making sure he doesn't miss out of anything.

Still, it's good to be around on in a while, and this is one of those meetings that Gorgug has been in attention, if with no less tired eyes and magic equations still buzzing around in his head. And there's only more to consider as they step out, though they're quietened at the figure of another, or rather: the recognition of who it is. Ah.

He gives a nod, as much an answer as it is a greeting. ]

I just needed to get the stuff I asked people to help me find. [ Miscleanous items, small bottles; not all of it difficult to find, but helpful when you're already too busy to make shopping trips. ] You good?

hunter | the owl house | ota

[factsimile]

[Hunter hangs back at most meetings, mostly listening, and occasionally staring longingly at the wizards. He's read about some types of magic requiring spell components but given that he's a half witch at best, he certainly isn't capable of helping.

Instead, brimming energy, he volunteers to take on small and simple jobs as his fear of breaking rules battles his desire to prove himself useful. And he remains like that until the day finally comes.

Hunter wrings his hands, sweating nervously, while also trying to seem nonchalant by greeting everyone just a little too eagerly.

It's going... badly.]

H-heeeeeeey. You ready to break a curfew? You know, I broke a curfew once. I was fifteen minutes late to bed once because I decided I wanted to take a walk. Then again... I don't think anyone was looking for me... [No wait! The mission and he was rambling. He forces a smile.] So uh! Haha... it's gonna go SO good.

[equivo]

[ Keeping a straight face at this nervous ramble is a real feat. It's too bad no one is in a position to appreciate the maturity it's taking Krouse not to indulge in some light teasing, also known as being kind of an asshole. ]

It's gonna go great.

[ He affirms, nodding, mouth curved in a painstakingly benign smile. He's tempted to clap the other boy on the shoulder in a fit of team building. ]

Just keep that mindset and you'll be fine.

[levelshift]

[Accelerator has been hanging back as well, because it's what you do when you need to act too cool to be somewhere (and also because he doesn't particularly want to be there, but that's a minor detail). He's a hell of a lot less energetic, looking mostly just tired and exasperated.

He glances over, staring hard and immediately noting how anxious this kid is. If he had an AIM field, it'd be made up of nervous energy.]

............................

[So clearly the best response here is sarcasm.]

Fifteen minutes, huh. You're a real rebel. Guess that explains your fucking optimism.

for Fabian

[wannasmash]

Izuku couldn't find Fabian after they parted ways during the plushie fiasco. But wouldn't you know it, breaking rules brought them together... Izuku hurries over. To all outward appearances, the unassuming nerd in the stupid T-shirt (which reads "T-shirt") wouldn't ordinarily be seen around the extrovert at this stereotypical suburban school right out of an American TV show, but Izuku has historically been an outsider to all cliques. That makes him a wildcard: a jerd.

"Hey, um... Hey." He doesn't actually know his name... "I'm sorry I couldn't find you again. I wanted to make sure you're okay. I heard you were coming out with, uh, my friends later?"

The curfew breaking cohorts. The cohorts who are going to break the curfew. The curfew that keeps them prisoner allegedly on pain of death. That curfew. Oh yeah, it's all coming together.

MISSION

[stresstokens]

[ Inevitably, it’s time for the mission to be carried out. For anyone who will be interacting with an NPC, please direct all threads you need to to THIS LOG. Otherwise? Check out the link for the necessary details!

Before the mission itself the team is welcome to get suited up by those staying back and monitoring the situation, and to mingle with each other as the sun slowly sinks in the sky. The atmosphere is electric, everyone more than ready to get started on a plan that’s been in the making for what feels like far too long, an undeniable excitement and nervousness in the air as they prepare to embark on a quest that’s almost guaranteed to be dangerous, if not deadly. Riz is there going over all of the plans one last time and checking over everyone’s equipment before they set out in waves, everyone targeting a different area of the city.

It’s go-time! Try not to die. ]

Team Distraction | Open to anyone near the beast

[levelshift]

[Accelerator is surprisingly quick to notice the smoky tendrils from the cracks in the sidewalk, given they don't have any vectors associated with them. It's probably because his guard is up as part of being on the distraction team, he's actually making an honest attempt at keeping aware of his surroundings. They're unnerving, sure, but this isn't the first time he's come across something vectorless. Dodging the robots and managing his choker's limitations require more of his attention, so he keeps them at the back of his mind as he moves through the town.

Maybe that was a bad idea. Coming face-to-face is sudden and without warning, and he has no idea what he's looking at. He's sticking around longer than he should be, trying to analyze and hopefully better understand it.

It somehow reminds him of high-def images of outer space from a distant satellite, as well as the feeling that came with planting that tree into reality, the sensation of every vector within the galaxy shaking under his control. Except this thing isn't on his side.

A large tendril comes whipping at him, ignoring his reflection entirely and hitting him in the face with enough force to knock him into the air. He manages to catch himself, and with a loud boom caused by the displacement of air he rockets himself backwards and out of reach of a second attack. When he pauses, it's to reach up to touch the blood coming from his nose.]

... Goddamnit.

[Well, that isn't good! Very few things can get through his reflection, so if this thing can, then it's definitely bad news.

Accelerator switches gears. If he was alone he'd try to tackle this thing, but he isn't. There are other kids out here dodging the robots, they don't need some vectorless monstrosity going after them, too.

Staying in the air, he'll begin looking around for anyone else nearby serving as a distraction, at the same time avoiding more robots and tentacles from the creature. If there's anyone who needs a little help he'll come crashing down, knocking any robots away or kicking a streetlight into the path of a tendril, or straight up grabbing that person like a sack of potatoes to get them out of danger.]

closed to riz!

[maximumlegend]

[ It's go time.

Fabian has been holding off on using his spells until right before they were about to leave. He imagines they likely won't be out for too long - the longer you stay out, the greater the chance of getting caught, after all - but he still wants to make sure they get the maximum limit out of his spell's time limits.

So now - mere moments before they leave - he makes sure to approach Riz, all geared up and ready. Despite the scale of what they're about to do, Fabian grins like he's only excited. It doesn't feel all that different from the shit they pull off back home on the regular, after all. ]

Ready to go, The Ball? [ When he reaches out to clasp his shorter friend's shoulder, it'll be with a casting of Cat's Grace. ] We're going to sneak right ahead of anyone else. [ Fabian, this isn't a competition, and also half the people involved here are trying to just help you get there, rather than trying to get anywhere themselves--

But the confidence is really just the cover for the bardic inspiration he's tossing his friend's way. ]

Robot Attack! MHA spoilers (anime-friendly)

[wannasmash]

Regrouping is tough when under attack by the bots, but Izuku does his best. He finds someone and keeps an eye out for them, because that is what a Hero—that is what he as a person—does. Out of breath and sporting some nasty bruises, the high school kid in the green jumpsuit blurts out,

"There were some android kids out after curfew too, but I lost them. Or, really, they and the robots got away. Despite hurting us, the robots act like they aren't in it to hurt us at all. I need to prioritize preventing our losses—"

Danger Sense doesn't detect anything from the robots. Thoughts on AI and sentience aside, they truly express no malice or ill-will even as they shoot to kill. They behave as if they are simply corralling pets. Izuku is on the losing end of this match.

Home Team | Open to anyone staying back

[dangerousmind]

[Aelwyn sits back with her hands behind her back and a small smile on her face as her puppets twitch and contort before regaining their performance of feminine beauty. Elemental monsters forced to take the form of a fetishistic portrayal of cheerleaders, the fantasies of the lonely and depraved, manufactured as a means to control and manipulate them, and to steal everything from them when the time came.

Now they serve her in a different sense. Their faces have been tattooed with a scrying symbol, elements of magic intended to give them a tether for further Divination, to observe through their eyes directly. The robots of this place won't have any recognition of her work, but then again, few rarely see this part. As brilliant as she's always been, nobody ever really saw what she was capable of until it was too late.

They cycle out a few minutes before everyone else, starting at a stilted walk and then breaking into a sprint, some using their elemental powers to telport across the air or shift through a wave of elemental water. She smiles with something that feels like bliss.

It's been a while since she's been the one doing the hunting.]

They're out. I've given them a fifteen minute delay before they start causing havok.

[There's a strange sort of bliss to her tone. Excitement, even. She really, really missed this. It's like she'd been forced to speak another language. One of complacency and weakness and victimhood. There are no restrictions here - there are no strings on her.

She stays like this for a while, just staring into space with pure focus as she retains control over these monsters under her command, before she stretches her neck and starts actively taking part in any strategic discussions happening.]

Anyone want a coffee?

POST-MISSION

[stresstokens]

[ As the long night draws to a close, the stragglers all return to shelter to lick their wounds and share the information that they’ve managed to scrounge together. This is where everyone will touch base with the rest of the team, or with people well outside of the team as they recover from their brushes with death, or mourn the fact that some of their number didn’t return at all, leaving them to anxiously await their hopeful reincarnation.

Eat, sleep, mourn, theorize, recover, stitch up those wounds and share what you’ve learned with everyone else, or maybe apologize to an innocent bystander or two whose mailbox got demolished in the chaos. If you’re under the age of eighteen, you might also want to apologize to your guardians right about now. Even if they’re not your real parents, nobody likes seeing their teen return from a night out bloodied and bedraggled as you may be. ]

aftermath | ota

[equivo]

[ Krouse makes his way back to the community centre early in the morning, still wearing what he went out in. His black button down shirt is torn at the sleeve, black jeans heavily abraded at the knees, and his red vest is stained with smoke and missing all of its fastenings.

He's not in much better shape, which is still more than he expected. Some scrapes and bruises are nothing new for the aftermath of a mission. Something in his left shoulder is fucked up enough he should get someone to take a look at it, but ibuprofen has him covered for the moment. It's fine. So is he, whatever he thinks he saw at the back of those black mouths.

He lights up with his right hand as he perches on the concrete steps leading up to one of their meeting rooms, scraped knuckles protesting smartly, and waits to see if anyone else trickles back. ]

closed to ororo

[stresstokens]

[ The robots really fucked him up.

It's a little embarrassing to admit. The whole plan had been not to get caught, but once they were, they'd been in too deep to turn back, and so they decided just to fight to the best of their abilities -- and despite being capable of what Riz considers to be some pretty great feats, a couple of robots were enough to really mess him up.

The morning after the cryptic note had been left behind, Riz doesn't show up back at their shared home until evening, having spent the remainder of the day resting up at Fabian's place. From the way he sneaks in, careful to open the door as quietly as possible and turn the knob as he closes it to avoid any mutinous clicking sounds, it's clear that he's trying to evade any conversation whatsoever.

But even patched up as he is, his appearance begs a few questions; instead of his usual sharp suit-and-tie number, he's simply wearing one of Fabian's bigger shirts as a dress, an ugly purple-green mottled bruise spread across the better part of the left side of his face, and well bandaged underneath the shirt as he comes limping inside, silently cursing their lack of a Cleric. He's never had to heal naturally from his wounds before and, he's got to admit, he's not a fan. ]