Masks 2

"Well, I've been taking your mom and dad around on a very exciting cross country trip...I'll let him surprise you with the result once we're done, though! We have had....some very weird vacation stops," she laughed. "Let me pop out and see if they're down for a hunt..."

She exited the room, and texted Sydney, asking if she wanted to reveal her own identity to Candy, since she and Charlotte had done so already. And if she did...did she want to make Candy put her detective work to work, rather than just out and out telling? Seemed like it could be a fun party game for her.

Sydney responded that she was totally down for the game...

Lux went back into the room and explained the rules! Candy would go around the party and try to figure out which of the guests was Lex's other sibling. She was not allowed to directly ask this, or ask leading questions about their family, but she was allowed to ask if they knew Lux.

In several hours, Candy would report back to Lux with her guess about which one was her sibling! And then she would be introduced to the person to see if she won!

Oh! Someone else joined the conversation too! That's exciting. Well, one thing at a time...

"Um, okay, okay, so," she started, looking at Zil. "Um, for the human shape thing, yeah, I can do that. It's... I guess a sort of advanced disguise device... thing? Here." Theraea tapped the computer-thing on her forearm a few times, and again rapidly shrunk to a pretty convincing human form. "I use this to blend in, mostly! It's kind of a little uncomfortable, like... wearing a full-body costume everywhere, but it's worth it to not really call any attention to me. I feel like most people wouldn't take it quite as well as you all do, probably? Especially not the omnicorps."

Tap, tap. Back to moth form with Theraea. "Um... 'Blackstar', was it? That's a, um, good point about heroism and all that. I mean... I guess where I'm from the idea of someone being a big flashy hero is kind of a weird one? Like... okay, okay, I don't know, um, I guess I don't really think about anything I do as stuff that will make people see me as a 'hero' or compare me to people like Lux or anything. It's just kind of... there's stuff I can do that people in this universe can't, and even if there's infinite universes out there where infinite things could happen in infinite ways... I guess it still matters to me that I do what I can to help out. This whole omnicorp thing isn't even what I came here for, but... I like this planet. I can't solve everything - I mean, that's an important thing for us, that we don't try to decide the course a society that isn't our own takes - but if I can help nudge things in a useful direction, I want to."

Theraea's antennae twitched. "I hope that makes sense??"

Sam looked definitely confused.

"Ok, so the society isn't yer own... Are ya, like, above all this or...."

He shook his head.

"Naw, ok, so I'm totally fine with the whole nudgin' stuff bit, as long as yer helpin' I won't gripe none at what it means to ya, but... You can be as much part of this society as anyone else. Just because ya came from the fifth dimension or whatever don't mean ya don't deserve a place here alongside us if ya need or want it. Don't think yerself such a stranger. You can talk, you can make nice, well, I don't care what infinite universe ya came from, yer a neighbor to me."

Blackstar. Okay, she can remember that. Maybe? This is a lot to remember and a lot of people and damn is Zil upset she didn't have a notebook.

When Theraea does her little human trick, though? Oh, that gets her excited. Zil watches, and a smile forms on her face as she gets the explanation. Because holy shit, this person was kinda like her. Well. Her if she were taller and better at talking to people...and a moth? Shit, she's not sure what she's like in her other form. Maybe a bear? Furnace bear.
"Yeah, I know what you mean." She presses a hand to her own chest, then sort of waves it to gesture at herself. "This is a disguise, too, but I think the shifting is sort of a thing we do. I'm not sure? Uh. Anyway, thanks for indulging me in that. It's...it's nice to know I'm not the only, uh, big alien person around here, I guess. I was sorta alone in that back home." Though she also doesn't fucking know anyone and doesn't have a home anymore, but she leaves that out.

"So, like what Blackstar said, Nimue, I'm sure you'll do much more than just find the right tools for other people as your only way to help. You're hard on yourself right now, but in my experience, ah..." Her eyes dart to the drink, and then to Theraea, then to Blackstar, and then back to Nimue. "In my experience, that's sort of what happens to people who are already upset and then decide to drink. I think you're probably much stronger and more resourceful than you're giving yourself credit for, especially if you've got magic or whatever. All this...power hero stuff is really, really new to me, but magic as a big umbrella concept sounds huge and powerful. I mean, I don't really have any experience, just a lotta faith in the idea that most people like us want to and are capable of doing good things for other people."

Esen waves to Sam as he leaves.

"Nice meeting you, Blackstar! Seeya around sometime!"

She finishes her food and looks back to Ken.

"Say, Hackerman, do ya got anything that can help me hide from drones? They're a real pain my ass, ya know?"

"Well, usually, I just think the drones away," Ken laughed. "But that isn't particularly useful for you. I could try to figure out a program to give you invisibility, sort of a cloaking rid but for drones. Drones are pretty easy to fool, you see - regardless of quality."

Ken ponders. "Say, Aura. What made you join the Resistance? I kind of got dropped here but like, I feel the moral imperative to help them. Even if I'm a scuzzy-ass criminal."

She laughs. "Not like I'm a 'paragon of lawfulness and virtue' ya know? Hell I've been on the wrong side of the law more times than I can count. But I keep doing it 'cause my fight's personal. They shot my dad. Disappeared my mom to god-knows what prison. I can't let the corps keep doing that. Not to me. Not to us."

"Damn, that's rough," Ken said sincerely. He had no ruler to compare parents to but he sympathized with Aura. It was always tough to lose people you liked a lot. "And yeah, I agree with you - Omnicorp has no right to frisk people off the streets, as they please." He pondered for a bit. "You sound like you have an interesting history. You don't really strike me as a run-of-the-mill contractor."

"Contractor? Who the hell do ya take me for man?"

She gives Ken a light punch to the shoulder.

"Dude, I'm just a girl on the streets. I work part-time. Run packages for extra cash. Fuck, I just started with this resistance shit a couple months ago when some folks from my past decided to pay me a visit."

"Sorry," Ken looked a little self-conscious. "I keep on forgetting that my normal is really distorted compared to other people's normal."

"...so what sort of folks? Family? Was it your mom?"

"Ain't a talkin' of shit - I just ken I'm nae anythin' special. I'm happy with it. Prefer tae be o' the common folk, rather 'n the gods, er whate'er. I prefer tae be o' the broken folk an' basterts tryna make it all make sense. Might be down t'nite, but that's fer such a broad set o' things I wouldnae want tae bore ye with it. Capable in terms o' power? Maybe. But not personality, aye?" She chuckles and takes another long, long swallow.

"Honestly, though, all o' yer powers are lovely soundin'. Livin' healin' furnace? Dimension hoppin'? Gods! Real special shite, there, I'd say. What about you, Blackstar? What's yer deal?"

Raven returned from obscurity and gravitated over to Nick and the Demon. He told them things about fae and bullshit, and how there is going to be an announcement about it soon.

Candy nods. "Well I hope the Vacation was fun!" she chirps before Lex walks out.

She nods and accepts the rules when she comes back! It shouldn't be that hard since there was a pretty decent age gap to work with between new and old heros. She messes with her visor a bit to show sound waves. A nice way to help with this since they were family is to look for similar speech patterns as well. Some things as simple as word choice might be a clue! With her gameplan in mind, and the rest of the night to work with, she is going to go back and grab her drink. She waves goodbye to Lex and sets off.

Cadence simply walks over to Zil and the crowd that gathered and taps her shoulder and smiles. Her hand is out and expecting her drink. "Hey there. Is this seat taken?" Candy sits on the barstool next to Zil.

"Someone she knew," Esen replies to Ken. "Turned out to be part of the Rainbow Network, which I guess is Nocturne's group?"

"Oh can I join the Rainbow Network? Is it a world-wide thing?" Ken said excitedly. "I mean we are already part of the Resistance but I feel like I should cover my bases and join TWO groups."

"HA! Not special my ass, you know how many magical types I've met? Not many! I can count 'em on one hand, and I've met a LOT of folk! As for me, pard, I shoot guns and dodge bullets. Ain't that special at all. I'm mostly a jack of all trades myself, do what I can to get by, but haven't done TOO much serious anti-corp work yet. What I have done I've done under the handle I'm usin' now, normally plus a bandana over the face and a pair of shades."

He smiled a bit softly, leaning back against the bar.

"I've been opposed to their bullshit ever since I was a kid thanks to my raisin', but I developed a stronger grudge against 'em when they blew my mom off a highway. They're the reason she ain't been around since I was a teen. Don't get me wrong, I'd want 'em dismantled because of everything they've done to the entire danged world, but it's been just a little bit personal since."

Raven moved on from Nick and Demon, heading over to Theraea.

"Excuse me, Theraea?" he began, he took off the Raven mask to speak normally, being one of the heroes with nothing to lose if everyone saw his face. "Sorry its taken so long to say hi, can I ask your opinion on something?"

Off in the distant periphery of the other player characters, Lux seemed to be flitting around the party, socializing.

It didn't take too long before she spotted a certain old man. She made a bee-line right up to him, magically manifesting a silver wand with a five-pointed star on the end, and after a brief conversation blasted him full on in the chest with a massive fireball, followed by a small jump and fistpump into the air.

She seemed happy!

"You're special and do magic, Nimue. This is just some down on yourself shit right here and it's gotta give eventually. Magic by definition is special. It's like-- well, I'm not gonna explain it and honestly don't know a damn thing, but give yourself credit."

The seat beside her is not taken, and she gestures to it and hands Cadence her drink with a smile.

"Sorry about your mom though, Blackstar. They've fucked with tons of families, and it's high time they get their comeuppance from you in particular, I think." She's a cheerleader, here. A dry, black lipstick wearing cheerleader. "Uh. More introductions, I guess? Cadence, this is Blackstar and Nimue." It seemed her moth alien friend was now busy, and that's okay. She could ask space questions later.

"Oh, um, sorry, one sec," Theraea said to everyone who wasn't Raven, before swiveling her barstool to talk to him. "Sure, Raven, what is it?"

She did take an aside glance at Lux blasting an old man, but... he seemed fine, right? That's just normal human stuff, probably.

Blackstar tipped his hat to Cadence.

"Howdy."

He doesn't notice an old man get roasted in the background. He probably sips a Red Bull Hyper Ultra Lite he ordered with a pen and cocktail napkin, right as the fireball blooms, in fact.

"Is Weaver science aware of any way to personally affect an indivual so that they themselves act as a walking dimensional tear? In the sense they are a tear in this dimension itself, for the purposes of fundamentally affecting or altering it?

Solar Flare got blasted by Lex, absorbing the solar energy.

"WHOA!" he shouted. "Whaho...been a while!"

It was getting towards night now and Solar Flare's powers were inactive at the moment. However, upon seeing Lux blast her father with a solar beam, Lady Light rushed over.

"Dad!" she shouted, like a fucking idiot. "You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he told her, leaning in to whisper. "Same thing that powers us. Also don't call me dad here."

He looked to Lux.

"This is Lux, old friend from the war," he said to her.

"Hey!" Lady Light said, offering a handshake to Lex.