[IC] MnM 3e - The First Generation: the Apex

[Flynnarrel]

Russel

I envision Russel as asexual so I'll give +1 to DC from her attractive. As well as +1 from guys who are attractive. Representing a more 'pretty people are intimidating' kind of thing. That sounds more fair than just saying that their advantage has no effect. reading Maryanne:
Insight-Maryanne: 1d20+17 23

I guess I'll roll for Anika
Insight-Anika: 1d20+17 24

and Rodney
Insight-Rodney: 1d20+17 37

Russel Briggs takes things in stride, missing little.

"Rodney, you seem to have an aversion to order. Since you didn't evince a preference we're going functionality then color. And you should definitely not hide your contraband technological components with your underwear." Russel says making an educated guess based off what he'd seen. "Scuff it up and dirty it a bit. People assume scruffy things have less importance. Hide it among old toys. The association with childhood innocence will further cloud the perceptions of onlookers. You have sisters, hide it among their things. Searchers, especially from the world outside, mistakenly disassociate females and science/technology. Dummies." Russel shakes his head.

"This pile needs hangers. I assume I won't find any more contraband in the closet if I go get hangars?" he asks reproachfully. He looks over at Maryanne's folded shirt with approval.

"Or Mel likely has a place to hide it." he mentions. Anyone who could violently question a guard and get away with it has got to have caches and bolt holes at the very least.

[Sakuro]

Observing Anika for a reaction regarding his comments about wanting things to go back to the way there were … Russel doesn't see one. She hadn't been paying attention to Maryanne, Rodney, and Russel's conversation at all. Nor was she humoring Russel's idea of laundry sorting as some kind of game. Instead she was watching her boyfriend whisper to a pretty girl, Mel, across the room.

Rodney's case is similar. There is no overt reaction to support for Imperator's regime. Instead, he seems more upset by the present issue of Russel's dogged focus on the 'contraband'. Rodney is momentarily relieved when Maryanne avoids the topic. It is when Russel presses the issue that Rodney starts making more of a discordant mess of the clothes he is working with. Possibly in an effort to distract Russel from the topic he wants to avoid.

"Russel, you ever find yourself focusing on a topic? Ignoring other people's questions, like the one Maryanne asked you. Yammering on and on about something. But no one else is talking on the same subject. I'm going to do you a solid … it means they aren't interested or don't want to talk about it."

At the end of his bit of social advice, Rodney gives Russel a hard pat on the shoulder to send the message home. Not long after that Mel tried to convert the laundry ground into members of the dance group.

"There are hangers you can use in the closet. Sure. I'm going to take a break from laundry though. A pretty girl just asked me to dance and my dad once said to me 'when a lady asks you to dance, you take the time to dance.'"

After using his best deep dad voice for his impersonation of his father, Rodney stood up and made his way over to the trio. While Anika squared off with Jamie and created the image of dancing primarily with him, though still being part of the group, Rodney was the opposite. He didn't try to partner with someone. He just moved to the music in whatever weird and awkward way his body told him to.

[Flynnarrel]

Russel frowns. He had messed up again.

At Rodney's suggestion he had missed something he reviewed his memory. Maryanne's questions to him:

"Do they really? And how do you know that?" Maryanne teased Russel sarcastically. "I do hope you're not a spy sent to infiltrate this party and purloin our sordid laundry secrets."

"That sort of thing's just a little...heavy to talk about at a party, don't you think? Oh I just hate getting into politics talk, such a drag, you know?" she said to Russel, neatly folding a shirt. She flashed him a quick "sadly sympathetic" smile.

Had been either sarcastic, fishing for information, or rhetorical.

Still, it apparently was time for dancing. Russel had little interest in dancing and so finished at least the hanging part of the laundry. Simply sorted the rest into type in the hamper and left it for Rodney to put away. His movements were mechanical, any joy in the task was gone.

[mrdent12]

Mel Sarah
HP: 2
CND: Tired, but fine

"Or Mel likely has a place to hide it." he mentions. Anyone who could violently question a guard and get away with it has got to have caches and bolt holes at the very least.

Mel made a teasing face at Russel on his comment. "Enough conspiratorial talk now", says Mel jokingly mimicking the previous remarks made at her. While she had been trained as a shock trooper of sorts, she was still taught to have fun. Whatever Russel did before the war must not have trained him to have fun. While tomorrow she had plans to make and patrols to scout, tonight she danced!

[melonLord]

Maryanne Fairweather
HP: 1
Condition: Still has this under control, thank you very much

"Oh come now Russel, what kind of an accusation is that to make? It's probably just something embarrassing he doesn't want us to see, I don't think Rodney's building a bomb in here or anything like that!" Maryanne said with a light chuckle.

"Oh, I'll join you guys in a minute! I just want to help Russel get this done first. Just hate leaving a job unfinished, you know?" Maryanne responded to Mel's invitation. Once Rodney left to join them, she looked over at Russel, dejectedly folding his laundry, and decided to take a calculated risk. Leaning in close to him, pretending to closely examine a bit of clothing he was folding, she whispered, voice barely audible over the blaring pop music: "You know, next time, you might consider using just a tad more subtlety."

She continued, speaking quickly while the music was still going and the others were still distracted. Her previous saccharine demeanor was completely gone now, her voice a low, serious monotone. "I know you favor the direct approach. So I'll be direct: neither of us are normal teenagers, and we both know that we aren't here to partake in mediocre potluck offerings. You're here for Jacob Fitzgerald, correct? Don't say anything actually, just nod. I'd rather you not accidentally make this even more difficult."

She waited for his response. If it was a "yes", she continued, with a small, genuine grin: "Then we share a common interest. Frankly, you lack the social capacity to get much more out of Rodney Foster. But, as you've seen," her smile crept a little wider for a moment, taking on that sickly-sweet quality again, "I can help you with that. Or hurt you, quite badly, if necessary. But it's so much easier when we followers of Imperator help each other out, yes? I can get far closer to him and his secrets than you can. But, help has to go both ways. So. Give me your phone number - you have one, yes? - and we'll meet, sometime after this party. I'm sure someone of your talents must have dug up plenty to tell me about Jacob Fitzgerald."

If relevant, she'll be routining the Deception check to keep her conversation unnoticed/unheard, taking a 25.

[Flynnarrel]

Russel

... he'll learn that Maryanne doesn't seem to actually care that much about Imperator's regime one way or the other. She doesn't seem terribly surprised or upset that he supports it, but thinks it was a bad move to mention it here.

Russels voice is a hairs breadth above the sound of the music so his words would dissapear into it at any distance beyond the two of them not intending for anyone else in the room to overhear. "Threats are the refuge of a smaller mind than yours, Maryanne." Russel says, not with malice. "But, I admit, you are right, I am deficient in the areas of tact and subject manipulation. Though you aren't really invested in the Imperator's Dream so that wasn't your best tactic of approach with me." He says as a small criticism. "And you're narcissistic, quick to anger, and relatively easy to fluster. Though I'm sure you know all that."

"Nevertheless we can help each other. That is if your ego at my perceived slights still permit it." He states, again without malice but a simple statement of fact. "I'm told I can be unpleasant to be around. It was an average of 3.72 times a week."

"Oh, In answer to your earlier question I am looking for Jacob because of a pre-war paper he published with surprisingly accurate predictions. All accounts have him as a charismatic leader and intellectual. I want to meet him." Russel says, though that last is said in a small voice, full of cautious hope.

"My phone was confiscated early on. I have e-mail and I continually monitor the old DIA emergency frequencies and commlink channels, should you have a way to tap into those." he says, and now that she's close enough, Maryanne's sharp eyes can tell the lenses in his glasses have no visual adjustment to them whatsoever. His eyes are just naturally large (though not freakishly so, just notably so) and owlish.

[melonLord]

Maryanne Fairweather
HP: 1
Condition: Still has this under control, thank you very much

Though you aren't really invested in the Imperator's Dream so that wasn't your best tactic of approach with me.

Maryanne's smile hardened slightly as she folded another shirt. So he'd sussed that out then. She'd rather hoped he wouldn't; a thoroughly stupid assumption on her part. Needed to keep in mind the sort of training and observation skill she was dealing with, here.

"Without indulging you with my entire life story, I can assure you that I am just as invested in the restoration of the old order as you. My precise motivations are hardly your problem, no? You're a gifted face-reader: tell me, am I lying?" she waited for a moment, giving him a quite intense stare directly in the eyes.

"But yes, email, then. We'll arrange a meeting and compare notes at a later date; I'd rather this conversation not go on much longer." she continued, giving the still-dancing others a quick glance as the song began to build towards the final climax.

She made a mental note of his email address if he gave it (and gave hers, if he asked) and, once he'd concluded his response (if any), she folded the last little bit of remaining laundry and went to join the others for a bit of dancing.

[Flynnarrel]

Russel just shrugged a shoulder at her assurances of her motivations. He did want her e-mail address and indicated she should type it out on her phone. He simply glanced at it and turned back to folding.

[Sakuro]

The evening went on, with song, dance, conversation, and food. For most it was easy. Russel may have been awkward and occasionally off putting, but Rodney was a respectable host and made sure to find some way to involve everyone in the social gathering. He even went back to working on the laundry with Russel until it was invariably finished. Maryanne and Russel were thanked for their help with the laundry. In the end, hours had passed before anyone realized how late it was getting. Finally leaving Rodney's room well after nine o'clock, more than an hour past curfew, the group of teens find that the rest of the party goers have departed and Mr. and Mrs. Foster were just finishing up cleaning duty. As was often the case, no one had paid any real mind to the teenagers until it was too late. Catherine insisted that everyone stay the night, warning that Stronghold has been known to shoot people on sight when caught out past curfew.

Rodney, for his part, apologizes for keeping all of you past curfew and offers up his bedroom to Anika, Maryanne, and Mel. It is also suggested that the boys occupy the living room. The issue of staying the night is not forced on anyone, though everyone is warmly encouraged to stay. For those who do choose to stay, Rodney and his siblings help get those people toiletries and see to their sleeping arrangements. Well, Jessy helps by making the process more difficult as only a mischievous eight year old girl can. To those that decide not to stay, if there are any, you get mom'ed by Catherine for awhile before she eventually relents and asks that you call the Foster family when you arrive at your respective homes.

Scene one comes to a close, and everyone receives 1 HP for their RPing.

Your character's will not be forced to stay the night at the Foster home. There will be consequences for leaving, however.

Going out after curfew should be considered dangerous. If you decide to go that route we'll be making some checks, depending on the methods used to get back to your hideaway, and possibly play out an encounter.

What I am looking for in your next posts is: how do you react to the curfew issue? Do you stay at the Foster home? Do you leave and make your way somewhere else? If you go somewhere else, where do you go and by what means do you make your way there?

Those of you who choose to stay may write up some narrative leading up to the point that your character finally goes to bed/sleep.

Rodney, naturally, is staying. Anika will want to stay, and encourage Jamie to do likewise. If Jamie wants to try to convince Anika to leave, he'll need to make a Persuasion check. Bear in mind the DC will be high, because Jamie would in effect be asking Anika to put her life on the line for nothing.

[Flynnarrel]

Russel

"I'll stay." Russel says quickly and with a look indicating a bad experience in the past regarding curfew.

Russel will help clean up after the party. He'll pick up and wash dishes, dry them, go to put them away, frown, and suggest a more optimized method of dish, utensil, and spice configuration to Mrs. Foster. "... if we put the cooking utensils in this drawer here they'll be equidistant from the oven and the mixing bowls. The plates and serving bowls can go in this middle cabinet, bowls on the bottom, of course. The younger demographic of your family would suggest more meals eaten out of a bowl than off a plate. And a wall-mounted magnetic knife holder is more hygienic and easier on your knives than a slotted wooden knife block, plus quicker access in the event of a home invasion." he says cheerily.

[CaptainChaos]

Jamie Kane
HP= 3

Jamie started enjoying himself during the party. The music and dancing helped him relax a bit and temporarily forget his worries. When they finally stopped the group realized just how late the time was. Being well past nine, Jamie began considering how to get Anika and himself home. It would be extremely dangerous. When Mrs. Foster insisted they stay, Jamie visibly relaxed. He had been more concerned with Anika's safety than his own even though she was very capable of taking care of herself.

"Thank you for your hospitality. I enjoyed the party. Let me help you clean up."

Jamie helped with the trash and general clean up. The girls would be taking Rodney's room while the boys were assigned to the living room. None of them, to his knowledge, had thought to bring a change of clothes. They would be forced to wear the clothes on them. He and Anika had done that a few times during training and their limited deployment so it wouldn't be a big deal. Jamie suspected the others were more than they seemed and had perhaps received advanced training as he had. If so, they should have no issue with wearing the same clothes more than once. Except for that kid Russel though. He was different than the rest of them. Jamie felt that Russel might be a germaphobe.

[mrdent12]

Mel Sarah
HP: 3
CND: Tired, but fine

Usually, this would be an easy choice for Mel. Sure, she would do better than most navigating in the night due to her training, so getting back to her home would be simpler than for most although still risky. Sleeping over though reminded her of the happy times. A few times she had almost gotten caught, but it was fun still chancing it to return to her parents every now and again to sleep there. There was times she could have sworn she messed up while sneaking out early on. Nothing ever came of it though. So, she learned every time and got to sleep at her parents.

This time was different. She had a mission to scout out some routes, prepare for another go at interrogation, and plant some pipes or stones to use as weapons along the assault routes. Inside, she felt a bit guilty of having fun while her sister was out there somewhere. Navigating the city at night was in her wheelhouse. There was always risks of course, but the night time navigations meant she got to see her sister without the glaring eyes of daytime shift nurses. Nights were usually lighter staffed.

Before making any choices of staying, she walked over to the window to get a lay of the land. While it might have been a simple scan to the untrained eye that anyone in awe of it being so late might make, anyone trained could tell she was scanning for patrols or drones. Patrols were semi randomized, so she always had to check. Rule one of getting behind the enemy lines. Rule two was apply previous knowledge of paths and overlay them in your mind. Just getting to the party was an exercise in itself to avoid the check points, so it wasn't like she was naive of the layout.

As the others went to help out, Mel's brow was furrowed and had a frown as she thought. There was also the third option of sleeping at the apartment, waking up early, and sneaking out just as curfew broke. Just another homeless teen in dirty clothes wouldn't draw too much attention. She wasn't at her best, so the third option seemed like it would best, but the more she delayed getting back to her base for planning the longer Becky would be out there somewhere.

Taking 10 on Hadron City expertise for 21 for figuring out viable routes to get back to her underground base avoiding the least patrols she can recall.
Expertise Tactics 19 for drawing on her background for the risks associated with staying vs risking heading back at night vs leaving just after curfew is over taking into account the need to get to work on her mission asap.

[Sakuro]

Given her familiarity with the city Mel can chart a route to her hide out that is relatively low risk, if she is careful … and if patrols don't shift outside her estimations. I'll want a Stealth check to see if she goes without detection.

From three stories up Mel does not have the best lay of the land. She can see the street infront of Rodney's building and the structures around it but the lines of sight are narrow beyond the straight line of the street. If you want to try to spot drones or patrols in the immediate area, a Perception check is going to be needed.

Staying the night at the Foster's apartment then leaving in the morning after curfew is over has minimal risk associated with it. You wouldn't be breaking curfew. Heading out after curfew, regardless of time, has the same relative level of security.

As for the kind of trouble you can expect to get into, some Stronghold officers may allow a grace period in the early minutes just after curfew has begun. In such instances you might get an escort to your residence if you aren't too off from curfew. That's if you come across a nice patrol. You could get detained for as long as they want to hold you, or even shot on sight for violating curfew. As it is well over an hour after curfew, hoping for a grace period from someone is a reach.

Stronghold patrols are not singles or pairs, as you might expect from police. They are squad sized with combat drone support. Should it come to a fight Mel would be outnumbered by a significant margin and up against trained soldiers who can always call in backup.

[mrdent12]

Mel Sarah
HP: 3
CND: Tired, but fine

Sighing a bit, it all becomes clear to her. While she needed to get moving and fast, if Becky wasn't out of her mind she would tell Mel to wait. This wasn't like before when she had Becky to charge in and the others to follow quickly enough. Going to see her sister was worth the risk, after all, the hospital wasn't that far from a sewer exit. Now was different. It was the higher security area of the city.

Staying and not getting out soon enough meant being asked for breakfast most likely, further delaying her, but a small delay was worth it when compared to the voice of Becky in her to not take too many chances. She got a right and proper scream by the rest of the unit when she blew a war game taking too big of a risk. This wasn't a game. Somehow, she had to keep reminding herself that. Besides, she was tired. All she would be able to do is get back and rest.

Turning and trying to put a happy face on, she helped out cleaning a bit and staked out a place to sleep near enough to something to use as a weapon if something happened. The clothes she had on were clean enough, so she didn't even bother asking for new ones. If she timed it right, she would be out and about a minute after curfew broke. Before sleep, she thought of asking Jaime for his contact info, but with his girlfriend around not even Mel was that socially blind to think it was a good idea.

I was tempted to give it a go to play up the relationship complication more, but the constant leaking of info on herself works for now. I'll save the rash thing for later.

[melonLord]

Maryanne Fairweather
HP: 1
Condition: Still has this under control, thank you very much

Maryanne graciously accepted the offer to stay (after a few token "Oh I couldn't possibly"s and "I wouldn't want to intrude"s, of course). She almost couldn't have planned it better herself. More opportunity to squeeze further information from Rodney, more opportunity to ingratiate herself to this group of odd (but potentially quite useful) allies. And...maybe even another, quite intriguing opportunity, if she was careful.

She spent the evening helpfully assisting with the party cleanup and chatting casually with the others. Jokes, little games, anecdotes both real and invented, whatever was needed to make herself seem a bit friendlier. Inch just a little bit closer.

She accepted the offer of Georgia's (slightly oversized on her) PJ's and made as much smalltalk with Mel and Anika were willing to, then proceeded to lie down and go to sleep.

Well, pretended to.

Once the lights went out, she slowed her breathing and kept her eyelids open only a tiny, imperceptible fraction; just enough to keep an eye on her roommates. If the deception was successful, she kept alert for more than an hour, listening and watching for any trace of activity at all from the other girls, or any sound from the living room.

Once/if she was absolutely certain that everyone really was deeply asleep, (and if there were no other unwelcome interruptions), Maryanne silently rose from the bed and headed towards Rodney's dresser, opening the drawer he'd deposited that mysterious object in as carefully and quietly as possible, gingerly lifting the boxers stacked on top of it.

Let's see what dear Rodney was so desperate to hide, shall we?

Routining the Deception check for sleep, taking a 25.
Rolling Perception to detect any activity from the living room or the other girls: Sleep Perception: 1d20+9 17
If her Perception check tells her everything is fine, rolling Stealth to quietly open and investigate the drawer, if necessary: Drawer Stealth: 1d20 6
...oof. Spending a Hero Point to reroll that (again, if this check is necessary, otherwise disregard) Drawer Stealth (Reroll): 1d20 13

...man, these dice are just not really loving me today.