The Adventure

Ragnar is so caught up in his libations that he's unable to dodge the shrimpy puke. Lightning crackles across his body as he glares at Tomo, and it appears she's about to get a bolt right to the noggin, killing her yet again.

But then he smirks, and his storm subsides.

"Do a better job of aiming, my former possible hook-up. Or perhaps you did that on purpose...hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, eh?"

"As for my apparent stench...you could be kinder, Iron Maiden. Did we not fight together just yesterday, and trounce a villain? Yet it seems there's little camaraderie...."

"Anyway, being a master of the storm means I can shower anywhere!"

In what seems like a split-second, Ragnar has stripped off his armor, clothes, and beer-sling, though he still holds Lightningfang, his sword. An updraft of wind suspends his gear in mid-air. He then conjures a storm cloud above him, which sends a downpour on his nude (and, admittedly, pretty toned) body. He uses the rainwater to wash his body, and his smelly and puke-covered clothes.

"Ah, this is invigorating! Cold rainshowers always wash the hangovers away!"

🎵"I'm a lumberjack and I'm alright!"🎵
🎵"I work all day and I sleep all night!"🎵

"Anyone have any body wash?"

Tomo kindly obliges Ragnar's request by throwing up on him again, too nauseous to even register anything Ragnar is doing or saying.

The white tiger scratches his chin in consideration, then nods. Still keeping a watch eye on a steadily more antsy Fei-fei, he guides her to the back yard. He shuffles her first, and clears his throat to announce himself.

"Good day, I hope we're not interrupting anything." His accent is a formal Indian, with a suggestion of someone very well educated. He has a hand on Fei-fei's shoulder partly to indicate a reassurance and partly to stop her from doing something they'd both regret.

She knows he doesn't expect her to run away anymore, quite the opposite. She'd been challenged, by an 11 year old sure, but challenged none the less. Her smirk had shrunk and had gained a wary stare. Even still, she places a fist against her palm in greeting. In a boisterous Sydney accent, she opens without hesitation.

"My name's Fei-fei, and a prophecy told me to seek this place. Told me a boat load of wild stuff was about to go down, and I figured I'd sidle up and see what's the happening." She cocks her head to the side.

The white tiger sighs heavily, rubbing the bridge of his nose. So much for going undercover, as much as a white tiger in a suit could. "Please forgive my... companions brashness. My name is Boodha Saphed Baagh, and my companion is Valentina-"

"Fei-fei."

"-Angilley. We heard there were enhanced individuals in this vicinity?"

The rainshower quickly washes Tomo's vomit off Ragnar's body, but that doesn't lessen the self-proclaimed demi-god's ire.

To Tomo: "Once I can forgive...twice is an insult I won't let slide! You need a spanking, weird woman...and I'm the man to give it to you!"

To Rocketeer: "My quarrel isn't with you, Armor Gal...but if you're intent on defending this vomitous idiot, then prepare yourself for the wrath of the storm!"

And yes, it appears he's fighting nude, at least to start....

"A prophecy, huh? You know, Gilliam proved in The Fallacy of Prophecies, Fate, and Chosen Ones that such things are mathematically impossible. But whatever gets you outta bed in the morning...."

"But you're both welcome to hang out! Seems my future underground bunker is the town's newest hot spot!"

"As for enhanced individuals, neither me nor my mom are enhanced. I'm just naturally super-smart. She's just...uhh...naturally a mom. There were two supes here, but they left...well, one's a supe...at least, she wears high-tech armor...the other's...well...."

Remembering the body in the CSoP, she trails off, and tries to flash a reassuring smile.

"And there's another supe that got left behind, named Rebound. He's connected to another dimension's power source! Lemme tell ya, those Newtonian violation levels of his are just elegant."

She glances around, but Rebound is nowhere to be seen.

"Huh. He was just here. Maybe he drank too much lemonade and had to take a piss? Anyway, you can have some lemonade too, if ya want. And maybe you can help me, if the other supes keep lollygagging and ignoring my important mission!"

While Eliza is babbling, several of her robo-animals have shuffled up to Boodha. They stare and sniff at him, unsure if he's a construct like them, or a truly living being.

Tomo looks at Ragnar blearily.

"Um...please don't. I'm going to be late..."

"Oh come on Ragnar, you didn't like the 'body wash'?" Rocketeer chuckles. "If you're going to give out some wrath or whatever, at least cover that sorry thing up first."

Boodha scratches his chin, looking down at the robotic constructs warily. "I don't know this Gilliam, but I'm sure they know what they're talking about. Either way-"

"We arrived at the right place, so they can't all be that wrong huh?" Fei-fei gives Eliza a flat stare, already liking the girl less and less with each passing minute. "Half of the twelve are itching to get out and do something, so clearly there's some kind of ki in 'round here one way or another."

She crosses her arms, childishly amused by the offer of lemonade. "And no lemonade; that stuff rots your teeth and hits your performance. Can't be like me and indulge in kiddo stuff, you have to pick one or other. Since we know which one you picked how about you point us in the direction of the power armour lady and we get on our way."

"With thanks, of course." Boodha interjects, gently pushing the robots aside while holding up a placating hand. "And an apology for showing up uninvited like this."

"Oh, and we can deliver that hard drive you mentioned, too. Since we're just that good." Fei-fei offhanded continues to needle.

Sarah can see the tension building between the newcomer and her daughter. She rubs Eliza's shoulder tenderly, but the girl genius smirks, her look saying "Watch me humble this egomaniac."

The irony isn't lost on Sarah, since Eliza is usually the one yelling about her tech prowess....

"Um. The lemonade is low sugar, so you don't have to worry about all those negative effects. Unless you're on a zero sugar diet. In that case...maybe I can get you some water?"

"Forget the lemonade! And the water! We're not gonna put out a vegan spread or something because she's too uptight to gulp down a few grams of sugar!"

"As for delivering this flash drive...you seem mighty confident, but I don't know nothin' about you! And overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer! I would know! So I'm wondering if I should enlist your help...."

"Rocketeer took down Elias Raines yesterday, so I trust them to get the job done. Rebound also seems legit. I wish Small Fry hadn't left, though...she's tougher'n she looks...anyway...."

"How about you show me what you got, Valentina? If I like what I see, I'll give you the drive and send you off after Rocketeer and what's-her-face. If not...well, maybe you can go grab a super-healthy smoothie to make you feel better?"

She grabs her Dustbuster-scanner-thing, ready to collect data whenever Fei-fei demonstrates her ability. That is, if Fei-fei chooses to do so. Maybe she'll reject Eliza's little test?

Rocketeer can't fight effectively while holding Tomo, so she briefly lands to put her down, then takes to the air again.

Commanding her armor technopathically, she pops a pair of missile launchers out of her gauntlets and fires off two bottle-sized missiles that carry a liquid sedative. As they home in on Ragnar, their cones open up to reveal large needles that will deliver the sedative into Ragnar's bloodstream if they hit their mark.

The missiles get closer...and closer...and closer...until with a wave of his sword, Ragnar summons a lightning storm that destroys all of them!

"Did you think such a pitiful attack could phase me, Rocket Female? I let them get close just so I could blast them with a flourish!"

"I'm disappointed that you insist on defending Puke Female...but maybe after I spank you too, you'll learn the error of your ways!"

He sends a bolt back at Rocketeer, knocking her out of the air and sending her crashing down into a pine tree...in fact, the very pine tree he was sitting on at the beginning of this encounter!

By the way, this fight occurs over a residential area, so some of the residents have already noticed the brouhaha, and are craning their necks at the combatants!

Though (somewhat) angry at Rocketeer, Ragnar now focuses on Tomo, his original target. He swoops down to where Rocketeer dropped her off, and then advances, twirling Lightningfang in his hands.

An elderly woman in the neighborhood gasps when she sees Ragnar's nudity (but still peers through the fingers she fake-prudishly covers her face with), but Ragnar ignores her.

"Just take your punishment like a good lass, OK? Even two-versus-one, you all are no match for me!"

His intent is to spank Tomo with the flat of his sword!

Tomo pales as Ragnar approaches, sword in hand. Paralyzed in fear, Tomo curls up into a ball and starts crying.

"S-stop...! I'm sorry!"

But then, something weird happens. A necklace is ejected out of quantum space, smacking Ragnar in the nuts with a flaming uppercut. Ragnar must've made someone very small, very angry.

Somehow, Tomo gets two chances to evade Ragnar...and the demi-god gets his jiblets rattled!

"What sorcery is----?! Oh, never mind! I recognize Meghana's work. The necklace gave you an extra boost, didn't it? But it's still not enough!"

Taking a few deep breaths to recover from the low blow, he then stares down at the curled-up Tomo.

"It's almost not any fun if you're gonna just give up...almost!"

He sends the flat of his blade against Tomo's bum for five good hits! Each blow slides Tomo across the ground a few feet. She'll have quite a bruised posterior.

"Ah, that makes me feel marvelous! If your parents hadn't spared the rod, maybe you wouldn't callously puke on demi-gods!"

"Now where is the armored one? Time for her discipline!"

---

Tomo used up her advantage roll for the day. It's now Round Two, so the pump damage plus losing the roll means she's defeated!

Round Two

11: Rocketeer – down to Mad Rocket Scientist (3)
11: Ragnar
5: Tomo– down to Another Weird Day (0)

Rocketeer, you're up!

"Ask and you shall receive!"

As if on cue (though really she only just now recovered), Rocketeer bursts into the sky, scorching the remnants of the pine tree she landed on with the backblast. She hangs in the air for a second before accelerating rapidly enough to produce a vapor cone, swooping down for Ragnar as if to tackle him head-on. However, she feints by flying past him at the last second and grabbing onto a nearly streetlamp to reverse her momentum. She aims a rocket-powered kick right at his hopefully unprotected back.

Boodha delivers the largest, most world weary sigh he's given yet and suggests quietly that Sarah and he put some distance between them and the two. He's aware of how much damage can be done by even the best intentioned people. While still putting the scene unfolding in front of him to the back of his mind, he takes out a flip phone and starts using it with clumsy clawed digits.

"You want to challenge me little lady? Maybe I underestimated you." Fei-fei takes off her glasses and throws them aside. She cracks her knuckles and her neck, giving herself some space. She's clearly misunderstood the situation, but that's more stupidity than anything else. "I'd say nothing off the table but you might be a little young for that. How about one touch? Or maybe get one of those bots to stand in?"

Casually, she settles into snake stance. The astral energy in her blood starts to tingle, and in her minds ear the sibilance of snake rolls over her. She can't quite hear its voice yet, and she knows using one of the twelve here is overkill, but when had she ever been one to hold back?

"Bring it on, you tin can!"

Rather than defend in any way, Ragnar uses a gust of wind to deliver his Bud Light to his side. He cracks open two cans at once, guzzling them Stone Cold Steve Austin style.

His eyes go wide as Rocketeer hurtles towards him...but then he laughs heartily as she "misses."

"Just as I thought! My aura of power (and sexiness) thwarted you! I----"

Then Rocketeer's kick slams into his back, propelling him face-first into yet another pine tree! Bark flies everywhere, and pinecones fall from the tree like rain, but the tree is a thicker one, and doesn't fall.

After peeling himself off the tree, Ragnar turns slowly towards Rocketeer, a wild grin on his face. With another wind-burst, he summons his gear to his side, and finally puts some clothes on. The bystanders boo or cheer this, depending on their feelings about Ragnar's physique.

"Well played! I think that scratched my cheek!"

Several gashes can indeed be seen on his face, but the warrior is too proud to let on how much they sting.

"Have at thee!"

At least now you're fighting a fully-clothed opponent....

---

Round Two

11: Rocketeer – down to Mad Rocket Scientist (3), High-Flying Daredevil +3 pump this round
11: Ragnar – down to Alcoholic (2)
5: Tomo – down to Another Weird Day (0)