glowfic | witch's cape, not hat

Leaving Skitter to figure out how to talk Regent into taking down the guy who signs their paychecks or Coil into giving up whatever drugged captives he probably has. This should be fun.

Gren's last few weeks as a Ward are pretty uneventful. Interestingly, the Dauntless-charged amulet seems to have started making mana, which is very exciting. Long term immense power growth is the best kind of power. When the new Director comes to her about signing up for the Protectorate, she politely declines and just asks for her trust money. She turns in her costume unless they let her keep it (the amulet was hers to begin with, so they don't get that). To her teammates she says that being a full-time Hero just isn't her.

To the people trying to convince her to join the Protectorate she says that being a Ward was largely annoying and being part of the Protectorate would probably be moreso. She's not going to become a vigilante, though, she intends to wander the world selling healing or other nonviolent powers. She's willing to show up if they call her in on something, if they pay her for things she is called in on of course.

Rogues are officially something the Protectorate encourages, Director Calvert tells her, though they're disappointed about losing a cape as versatile as she is. (If she tells them her amulet started making mana, they'll be even more so.) But they don't have any way to keep her in the Protectorate if she doesn't want to be there, nothing stronger than dire warnings that trumps are second only to tinkers in being forced into factions and nobody poaches from the Protectorate.

She will have to leave behind the costume and the Citrine Mage name; apparently the lawyerly members of Glenn Chambers' department say those stick with the organization.

That said, she'll be in high demand wherever she goes for the healing alone.

She makes a tasteful purple (armored) costume complete with witch-hat (thank you, Parian's power!), a replica of that lighted mask, starts calling herself Copycat again, and hires someone to contact, collect, and sort people who'd like to hire her. And also finds a lawyer, to warn her away from illegal things.

She makes it known that meeting a new (non-tinker, she can't copy those) parahuman can be an acceptable alternate payment, and starts wandering the world. Healing is probably what she ends up doing most of.

Meanwhile, another unknown cape has been learning the ways of the internet, establishing contacts, and setting up her own business. She calls herself Places, and will teleport anything anywhere if the price is right.

Customers from rich civilians in a hurry to supervillains in need of a getaway. If she's not at least a little selective she'll get classified as a villain herself even though most of her clients are completely outside the cape world.

Officially, she doesn't do shady teleport jobs. Unoffically, the prices are much higher. Some of the worst ones she refuses outright, though. One of her regular customers arranges imports of Earth Aleph media.

She's pretty good at covering her tracks, electronically or otherwise. There doesn't seem to be a real person anywhere on Earth Bet that corresponds to the cape known as Places.

Edited 2015-12-31 06:00 (UTC)

It is not entirely unknown that Aleph and Bet aren't the only relevant Earths. A certain group of villains is better informed than most.

Is Places at all informed on what powers exist on the rumored Earth Gimel? And if there's much variety, is she willing to take people there?

Earth Gimel's version of the Protectorate (close enough) maintains a comprehensive list of all known powers. She names a few of the powers available - various Brute, Blaster, Shaker and Thinker types. There seems to be quite a lot of them. They don't seem to operate on the same rules as capes from Bet, though how exactly they're different is hard to pin down with only a few examples.

An expanded subset of the list will cost an amount of money that's significant for some random joker but close to pocket change for a supervillain group: $5000. The full list and contact information will cost more, she hasn't decided how much yet. Going to Earth Gimel (Terra, as it calls itself) will cost quite a lot, especially if they want her to keep it quiet, and comes with conditions, the first of which is an in-person meeting at a time and place that Places chooses. She'll have a bodyguard, by the way, and you do not get to know what powers the guard has except that Places thinks it's enough to keep her safe long enough to teleport away.

Edited 2015-12-31 06:53 (UTC)

This is all perfectly acceptable. As long as the meeting can be in costume and she doesn't insist on learning any secret identities.

They can pay whatever it takes for the full list; they've been successful so far. They're looking for powers that can transform people, powers that can heal, powers that can enforce action, and anything that Bet would consider a trump power.

At the meeting, even though they said transport for six, only five show up. And they want to make sure Places' power doesn't require physical contact.

Places appears to be a woman. Her costume is chaotically colored, and armored, but she doesn't seem to have trouble walking around in it. Her guard's costume is all black, the mask painted with an angry expression, and also armored.

"Let's get straight to business. You have the money?" They do. "Here's the list." A USB drive is handed over.

"I don't need physical contact, but I do have a mass limit and a number-of-targets limit. As to the powers you inquired about: There are at least two who can transform people into animals. Another can transform men into women and vice versa. There are various healers depending on what you want healed, but none of them match Panacea. There are a couple flavors of enforced action. The first is geasing. When willing targets swear to a particular phrase, they become literally unable to break the promise. There are also curses, which are rather finicky but have been known to de-power people, among many other unpleasant things. Will you be wanting to go to Earth Gimel soon?"

Edited 2015-12-31 06:58 (UTC)

The red-costumed man in the top hat does most of the talking. "I imagine we will. It might take several trips, to prepare things safely. And what is this mass limit? Our sixth member might exceed it, in which case we'd need to bring all the candidate capes here one at a time."

"If I teleport anything over two tons I'll need time to rest. I can't safely 'port anything over twelve tons. There's more you'll need to know, though - Gimel's capes work differently than Bet's. They all get low level brute, mover, and blaster stuff, only women, no trigger events, they decay with age... And you can't buy 'em." She tilts her head inquiringly. "For my own safety, your sixth member is what they call a Case 53, correct?"

Edited 2015-12-31 07:32 (UTC)

"Yes. Over two tons, though less than three, and not always in control of herself. We'd need to go first with enough time to set up a place that can keep her contained.

Gimel capes can work however they want, so long as they work. If nothing does work, we'd probably want passage back when Bet is our best chance again. Wouldn't want to throw away our shot. Will we be able to contact you from there?"

"Gimel capes also don't do costumes so much. You'll catch attention as you are. Bet's dollars aren't much good in some places, but I'll exchange currency for 5% if you like. Contact between the worlds will be slow at best, but I can make sure to visit at least once a day. They were much lower tech than Bet when contact happened, but they're catching up fast. I'll give you a mailing address which you should not actually show up at, and a radio frequency that someone will be checking every day at midnight in Gimel's London's time."

"Now, my prices. Given the potential danger from your last member, the heat I'll bring down by moving known villains across the world barrier..."

They're high. Very high. But not completely out of reach, they can afford two round trips to Gimel for everyone and then some.

Places is oddly well informed on the available funds of successful mercenary villains. But the Travelers are willing to spend more of their money on this than most customers, at least going by how their leader talks. To minimize the number of trips they arrange for three to go earlier and arrange a place to hide their other member, then the remainder to follow with her.

"Where on Gimel would you like to show up?"

"Some city where where money is good, either currency, and close to some of the more promising capes." He scans the list. "Does a geas work on involuntary actions?"

"London would be my best bet. One of the transformers is there, at least three geasers, and probably someone who can do curses but I don't keep close track on them. And it's a big center of government and trade to boot, so Bet dollars are gold there. Geases work on obsessive disorders and nervous tics and the like, but not for example your heartbeat or that thing where you kick if someone hits your knee just right."

Edited 2015-12-31 08:09 (UTC)

"Worth a try. London, then."

"I need to arrange a place in London for you to land. Tomorrow afternoon earliest. Email me a time after that you'll be back here, bring the money for the first one-way trip."

And whenever the three that are going are ready and the money is counted by that guard...

They and all their luggage are in a nondescript but old-looking warehouse in Earth Gimel's London. "Go nuts."

They do. Going from being present in an unfamiliar city in an unfamiliar world with nothing but the clothes on one's back (and lots of money) to being in possession of a fortified vault isn't necessarily easy, but it works eventually. When it does, they contact Places again. The transport for the remaining Travelers is going to be the dangerous one.

She shows up at the designated place with two guards. The second one is wearing non-costume armor and a simpler mask labelled 'N'. "I need line of sight on your last member. Where to?"

Edited 2015-12-31 08:30 (UTC)

"This way. Light's low, it makes it easier for her around people." All the clients are speaking softly. They lead the way to a heavy steel door, which they open.

She follows, whispering, "Twenty-five seconds to build up juice once I see them. N is a telekinetic, she'll hold your last member back if they attack."

The sixth member looks like an ordinary young woman from the waist up. Everything else, the vast majority of her body, is an enormous mass of flesh. Three giant animal heads, prehensile slobbering tongues, too many legs to count which species they're all imitating, a handful of tentacles, and a tentacleful of hands.

She doesn't attack. She's studiously facing away from the strangers, and while some of her body is wavering and gesturing at them she doesn't make any especially sudden moves.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject