"Up to you if ya want to remain in costume Nova. Only one of us guys who might still look is Jeremy, the rest is used to it." He looked back at Jeremy "Me personally I prefer the view from behind." he then laughs.

"Oh Speaking about people who might like the view how your dating life going. Still seeing the guy with the energy whips?"

"Um sure.... Haha. I um... Don't actually care either way..." Jeremy muttered nervously.

As Lady Nova let them in, soft Indian music was playing throughout the open-floor plan apartment and Sam was in the middle of the living room, couch and chairs pushed back, doing yoga. He was in the middle of a fingertip handstand scorpion pose when people started walking into the room. "Hey babe. Missed my class today, so I figured..." he started to call out, then he realized that Sarah wasn't alone.

[img]http://www.raw-food-health.net/image-files/mindovermatterhandstandscorpion.jpg[/img]

Fortunately, he was was wearing baggy knee-length cargo shorts instead of his boxers. Still in the pose, he looked up at them as much as he was capable. "Well... this is mildly awkward..."

((OOC: Couldn't find a picture of an actual fingertip handstand scorpion pose, so you'll have to use your imagination.))

Shepherd chuckled then nudged Rotten

"Well they need to be as flexible as they can for their um extracarricular activities."

"My kind of guy." He went over to a chair and sat down. "Well guess we got an impromptu party or an impromptu meeting. Any ideas what's next on the agenda?"

Jeremy waved the awkward hi wave. Sam's flexibility made Jeremy fascinated that someone could bend like that. The contortionist skill of yogis always reminded him of his "origin of superheroes" class that theorized most of the fame and wonder of superheroes came from the freak shows and side show oddities of the Victorian era.

Takes a swig of his beer. "Takes a lot to make me surprised. Thought I haven't seen your in ya civilian duds before. Or at least up close think I saw ya a few times when I was going to the probation office."

"I heard that!" echoed from down the hall.

Jeremy found an opportunity to give some insight into the counterpoint, and in rare form he took it, "Actually there are a few guys I knew from way back that always liked the idea of a superhero housing - always talked about how it kept the heroes in one place and built up some level of mutually assured destruction with it so publicly known to villains. As a civilian myself I moved here for the security of it all. None of those guys thought it smart or wise to kick this hornet's nest."

Sam snorted as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed two beers. Setting them down on the counter, he searched through the drawers for a bottle opener. Failing to find one, his armor coalesced on his hand and he concentrated, shaping a bottle opener out of the energy. He pried the caps off and dropped them on the counter, then walked back into the living room and handed one to Sarah. His armor dissipated and he took a swallow before looking over at her.

"I think the DA would have something to say about you being on 'Behind The Mask', babe."

"Like I said it's alright just I'm on call. One week I could get a good check the next it's just enough that I'm paying the rent. Kind of thinking of going to the Underground Fights did that from time to time when I was a bit more normal. Just nowadays I be in the powered fights and some of those guys give me the creeps." He takes another swig of beer "hey where are those munchies you said you had?"

"They are? Oh my all this time I thought I had a criminal record for being illegally handsome. Heck maybe if I was smart enough not to do some betting on the outcomes I wouldn't have ended up with a parole officer." Finishes his beer and sets it down "But I'm a fighter and it's kind of a drug ya know. I spar ya any day Nova thought no powers I don't want to have my head knocked off."

He makes a face "Trust me after loosing my head once that was enough." Chuckling wondering if anyone would ask how he lost his head.

"Um, work is work...I'm not sure there's anything spectacular in the world of coffee. I think my boss is really excited about finding this original patent espresso machine. Wants me to restore it to get it working again." Jeremy mused about it before trailing off. He listened to Ron joke about his criminal past and had a laugh. "Yeah I think I heard the only ones still active were off on.....that...one street in that neighborhood...ANYWAYS UM... Psychopomp? Don't think I'm familiar with that company. What do they make?"

"If I do Hel didn't let any of the Mail go through. She's one mean supernatural being. I think what ever she is she's just takes the form of a Norse Goddess, think she or it closer to an Angel of death or some such being that separates the living from the realm of the dead. Heck half the realm I saw was a paradise. Her words Purgatory isn't Damnation but don't think it's heaven either."

He got up and got another bottle. "Didn't ya hear him Jeremy. He signed a NDA meaning if he talks to much about the place he can get his arse sued. Of course I have no such agreement, just heard the word on the street. They do heavy stuff super powered security I think." He looked over Sam "Am I right? Don't think a NDA covers nodding your head."

"I wasn't required to sign an NDA by PPC, but I am often required to do it by the clients PPC hires it's services out to. PPC is a.... moving and item recovery service. Say Science Lab 1 has Machine A that, in the wrong hands, could cause a tidal wave. They need it moved, so they hire PPC to take care of that. PPC pretty much only hires super-powered individuals, or normal folks with VERY extensive training in the proper areas. We also handle item recovery, which is basically reverse-theft. Villain 1 steals Prototype A from its lab. PPC goes in and recovers Prototype A before Villain 1 can turn it to nefarious purposes."

Sam smiled and handed the beer Sarah hadn't touched to Jeremy. "That's Psychopomp and Circumstance in a nutshell."

Sam gave her a quick kiss on the lips and gladly accepted the wing. "It's a date."

"Well, that's good. But did you barge into one that was in active use?" he asked, smirking right back, pretty much already knowing the answer.

"Ha, I knew it! You just can't stop yourself." he crowed, grasping her by the shoulders and gently shaking her side-to-side, before stopping and kissing her on the neck. He then whispered roguishly. "But if I sleep on the couch, you'll miss me... all night long."

"What time? I should be done with work about noon. I could meet you gu--oh wait... Nevermind, I just remembered I need to get a new wheel for my longboard." Jerremy started and quickly withdrew. He looked slightly despondent at the thought of his broken wheel, but nothing he expected favors to help him with. It was his own mess he needed to clean up.

All the while Shepherd sat there listening to the convo but couldn't help but to chuckle as he ate a wing.

Jeremy finally stumbled into the lobby. His mind was still reeling from the number TeeKay had done to him. He looked around for his longboard before stumbling over to it. It took him a noticeable moment before he even registered Katrina's voice. "Hmm? What? Oh hey.."

Jeremy heard her question, and looked off into a daze, remembering what it felt like. A stupid boyish grin betrayed his stupor as he chuckled like a frat boy laughing at a fart joke. It soon faded as the conflicting need whispered the truth behind the glamor before he responded, "just a wild night..."

He chortled again, embarrassed and blushing.

The dream started as a nightmare: Strange insects, biting people and causing them to mutate. Then the attack stopped, and was replaced with another scene: Maiden, Mother, and Crone each putting a seed into a single hole in the ground, then a fast forward as the three trees sprouted and grew as one...A woman cut a long branch off of the chimeracal plant, and wrapped it in wire of an almost golden hue. She turned to look at Hypatia, and smiled...

Hypatia came awake with a start. She had never heard of anything quite like the locust swarm in real life, but that didn't mean it hadn't happened, or that it wouldn't. She took the gold plated brass apple Jenny had given her off the shelf on which it usually rested and went to her workroom. She spread out the circle carpet, and invoked the Guardians, then used the golden surface of the apple to scry on the cause of the dream.

Her first vision went back, but she was sure it was only a short time, less than an hour. It was the museum, and she recognized Lady Nova and the Mohican (now in a museum guard's uniform), and the Curator (whose name she didn't know, though she'd seen him on previous visits to the museum), but the other three figures were indistinct, as though something protected them from scrying. One of these figures held something out to another, while the third stood off to the side. Then the locusts came, and all six persons were fighting them. The curator produced knives from his sleeves, the guard seemed to be holding them off by will alone, and Lady Nova fried them in the air. The figure that had offered the object had an almost divine aspect to his attacks, and the one near him ignored the locusts and said something to him. [I]Hard to read lips when you can't see the faces...[/I] The third figure whirled something through the air, exactly like Sensei Greg demonstrating a [I]bo[/I] kata, back in Chicago. As one end of the presumed staff struck the locusts, she could clearly see the... mop head?!? [I]Even janitors are tough in this town[/I]. Then the scene shifted, showing a room lit only by streetlights beyond the barred display windows. A coat rack was in the center of the image, its central shaft gleaming, and her view pulled back, past the window, showing the name of the store: Hudson Street Antiques.

Her initial scrying finished, Hypatia knew that a short time ago several people where in a fight, so she scried to find out what was happening now at the museum. There was no sign of the locusts. Two of the indistinct figures where still there with Lady Nova and the Curator. The guard was moving briskly down the hall, and the third figure... swept his mop right into her viewpoint. A flare of energy came through the apple, knocking Hypatia into the side of her warded circle. The scrying spell faded, and the apple spun around and came to rest with the inscription τη καλλίστη facing Hypatia, glowing briefly with residual magic.

She needed to check with mundane means, then. Hypatia rolled up her circle and got dressed, then walked down to the lobby to check the name on the mailbox of 2B...

At the landlord's pepper introduction, Anthony Clay responded with a returned smile.

"Sure! Just moved into Titan City for my job. Need a place to stay on permanent." The new guest wore a baggy sweater and gloves, along with cargo pants. All this despite the hot weather. The landlord noticed but made no mention of it. Regardless, Anthony wanted to be upfront about who, and what, he was. "Had an operation recently done." He explained as he lifted up his sleeve to reveal some bandages. "An extensive one." He pulled his sleeve up further to reveal the smooth black polymer of a prosthetic arm.

"I'm so sorry." He afforded the younger man.

"Don't be. I'm not." Anthony rolled back down his sleeves. "Just don't want to give a new community a bad first impression is all. This isn't a problem though is it?" Anthony asked, pointing to the arm he exposed.

"Not at all good sir! We're pretty relaxed around here. Just have a no fighting rule and that's basically it."

"I like it! Easy to remember." Anthony laughed. After signing the papers and getting things paid for, Anthony brought his possessions up to his new apartment. He got some things spaced out before finally tearing off his garments. Just because his on-board cooling system kept him from sweating like a pig didn't mean he still didn't like to feel the breeze coming in from the window.

Anthony was alone in the apartment but anyone observing would be able to see that his implants were far more extensive than a prosthetic arm. Both limbs and a significant portion of his torso were made of black polymer and gold colored metal plating. Dashed here and there were small, grey, stylized logos for "Trans-tech Int." Aside from his more striking features, Anthony had a somewhat uncanny valley effect to his appearance. His roundish, Irish face and German jawline were natural. His short, curly hair was a dark brown. However, a certain facial feature would betray his true nature. Namely, his eyes. Upon deeper inspection, they had an odd greenish hue and the iris occasionally focused with a camera like lens. In addition, he always seemed to have a permanent, golden brown tan. Which wasn't out of place during the summer, but was a shocking contrast during the colder seasons.

Anthony opened the cooler he had with him and cracked upon a can of pop. The only other significant item he had was in a gold bag.

"I haven't played golf in years!" Anthony chuckled to himself, as he drew the wrapped up item from the bag. After setting it in his coffee table and taking another sip of his soda, Anthony unwrapped the package to reveal a sword. Drawing it almost reverently from it's scabbard, Anthony admired the weapon. Shaped like a German longsword but with the similar black and gold color scheme of his cybernetics. Anthony nodded and replaced the weapon in it's scabbard. He then sat back down on the couch and just enjoyed the feeling of the sun's rays as he sipped his cola.

"As much as I know the universe won't be able to resist this, it would be nice if I could just relax today."

The second night staying at the apartment, Anthony found he couldn't sleep. Sitting up in his bed, he brought up an AR display. No new messages. Guess his boss wanted to give him some time to acclimate.

Shaking the sleep from his eyes, Anthony, made his way to his closet. He put on a pair of cargo pants and a sleeveless jacket, he looked at himself in the mirror, his eyes switching to night vision. Meh, not the best costume, but he would worry about that later. For now, all he needed was the last piece, his mask. With his disguise complete, Anthony had donned the identity of Cutting Edge!

Cutting Edge hung off the side of his fire escape and pushed off, landing on the adjacent building below. With the pneumatic pistons built into his legs, running great speed and leaping across rooftops was not a challenge.

Later in his patrol, Cutting Edge came across a suspicious van. He followed it and made his way to ground level. The van pulled up to a warehouse and a group of suspicious characters stepped out, a few toting rifles. The workers walked out of the warehouse to help the men unload the van. It was carrying packed bricks of a powdery substance. Cutting Edge managed to sneak himself close enough to sample the cargo and it's chemical signature told him it was not sugar.

"HEY! Who's that?!" One of them raised his rifle and aimed it at the shadows. Cutting Edge rose from his crouching position and stepped into the light.

"It's a cape! Shoot him!" Another commanded.

"Gentleman!" Cutting Edge raised both his hands to calm them down. "Don't mistake me, I've no intention of stopping you . . . yet anyway." The drug runners looked at each other with confusion.

"Who are you?" They asked. The cyborg sauntered toward them casually, his hands in his pockets.

"Cutting Edge, I'm new in Titan City. And just because I fight bad guys doesn't mean I'm against your enterprise on principle. After all, you're just providing a service to your customers. Drugs aren't my vice, but hey, different strokes for different folks." He leaned against the van, causing it to tip a bit from his weight.

"You have a point to make, tin man?" One of the gunners asked. Cutting Edge chose to ignore the derogatory remark for now. He pinched a bit more of the drugs between his fingers.

"This stuff is bad, and I don't mean it's quality. My tactile chemical scanner shows even small doses of this stuff would be lethal."

"We didn't know that. Nor are we going to 'know' it if some junkie bites it." The apparent leader retorted. Cutting Edge stood up straight, his voice taking on a darker tone.

"Here's the thing, markets should be free to self-regulate and people should reap the consequences of their actions, to glory or defeat. You however, neglect to inform your customers of your product's effects. Fine and all, caveat emptor. But! As long as you have the guns and muscle for it, you're not allowing any competition to provide an alternate."

"Why in the Hell would we WANT competition?!" The boss asked.

"Because you are a business, and a business without competition provides stale products. After awhile your customers either abandon you, or in your case, die." Cutting Edge straightened his jacket. "Consider me your customer's insurance from now on. If anyone in the city dies because they were using YOUR product . . ." Cutting Edge drew his sword, and sliced part of the van's back end off. Bricks, half of the license plate, and pieces of the bumper and chassis all slid about. " . . . . I will come to compensate them."

Cutting Edge then walked over to the stunned boss, the guards not lifting a finger to stop the cyborg. "If you want to stay in business . . . make a safer product." Cutting Edge then pulled out a card and gave it to the boss. "That's the information to an account of mine, good for one use. You can bill me for the car." Cutting Edge then disappeared back into the shadows with a smirk on his face.

Shepherd had just gotten his new apartment for Luna Samson and himself. They entered the building as the 2 legged anthro dog man Samson drew attention to them. Shepherd figured this would be better than staying at the abandoned church which was used as their base.

The heat absorption wouldn't be that great he only absorb the warmth about one foot around his body. The foot prints would soon warm up again from the heat of the rooms below. "What if one is neither friend or foe. If one doesn't wish to harm that doesn't mean that person is a friend. Nor will a foe always seek out destruction of another. We have learned that much humans often don't fall into this or that classification." The black feline like mass rippled and then sat down on a warmer spot on the roof it's tail swaying like a house cat studying a fish in a bowl.

"There is hate in us for the poison sellers. Why we feel such emotions we do not know. So we were watching them when you came. We haven't shown our selves to those types yet, to others we are known as Unknown. Much of us is Unknown even to ourselves." The cat form shifted becoming human in shape thought still solid black and without detail features.

"Vexing... yes good word." Unknown looked out in a random direction "Your different then other life forms here. Less carbon and water... Matters not we guess. You still hunting prey this night?"

Hypatia came down the stairs quickly, only barely stopping before bumping into Ron and his mail.
"Just who I was looking for! Would you know if Lady Nova was at the Museum about a half-hour ago?"

"We were about to make a statement about hunting down memories, but it seems you have a new quarry." He shifted to his feline like form and gave chase however he had no intention of getting involved. This was just interesting.

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Ron feeling a tap on his shoulder he turned to look at Hypathia. "Hmm... Nova at the museum, yeah I was there to. Oh she's behind you."

As Shepherd and Luna came down along with Samson to greet the movers when he saw Ron talking to the girl they met at the museum. Luna and Samson went to show them where to move the new furniture since they had recently gotten one of the penthouse apartments in the upper levels. Shepherd walked up to Ron and then waved at Hypatia.

"Wasn't fun either." Ron looked at the woman wondering much the same as Nova was

Hypatia grinned. "Magic. I had a weird dream, I thought it might be a warning or a premonition, so I tried to check out the cause by scrying. I saw you, the curator, a guard, and three other figures that were hidden from me, and a bunch of bugs attacking, at some point in the very recent past. I guess one of the other figures was Ron, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn another was Shepherd over there." She returned Shepherd's wave. "No clue about who the third was, except that he swung a mean mop. Then the vision went somewhere else, didn't seem nearly as urgent, and then faded. So I tried scrying again, this time for that place at what was then the current time, and saw the same people and presumably the same indistinct figures, but no bugs. Then a mop went through my point of view and I was out of it for about ten minutes. Like I said, a mean mop."