<strong>Hero Points:</strong>4 (Sleeping Wyvern), 4 (Scarab), 2 (Chlorophyll, H2GO!, & Hornet);<strong>Luck Points:</strong>3/5;<strong>Conditions:</strong>None<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=331796.msg15972868#msg15972868">Quote from: Raku on 05-09-2021, 00:23:07</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">”Your in charge?” Despite being surrounded by SWAT, he walked up to the man with the mustache. ”Those three are the only attackers. The one with metal skin is obviously a meta. Super strength and durability. If the skin wasn’t a dead giveaway. The other two aren’t, but they have gauntlets on their wrists. I tried to pull one off, but it was bonded to their skin. They were after the office manager.” The vigilante explained to the man while pointing out the three.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>“Of this group, yes,” the man responded. “Captain David Wrath, Emerald City Police Department.”<br/><br/>He listened to Rakutsu’s explanation before speaking. “Thank you for telling us this. “We’ll find room to contain them. I take it you’ve read up on the CENTURION Act?”<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">The CENTURION Act</div><div class="spoiler_body">Rakutsu knows from Social Studies that the Centurion (Certification Empowering Nonaffiliated Teams United to Restoring Institutions of Order and the Nation) Act was a Congressional bill that relegalized certain forms of vigilantism by non-state actors in 1995. It was named in recognition of that superhero’s sacrifice in driving Omega’s forces from Earth. The Act permits civilians to aid in the prevention of criminal activity, albeit under some restrictions (see Superhumans &amp; the Law in this post for more information). (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=320607.msg15427007#msg15427007)</div></div><br/><br/>“Yes!” Kaitlyn answered for him. “We did what was necessary to stop them while prioritizing public safety. As listed under Section 1205’s (a), (b), and (f), we focused on powers which subdued and restrained the assailants once we got an accurate understanding of their capabilities.”<br/><br/>“At least we got superheroes who did their homework,” Captain Wrath said as he exhaled a sigh of relief, his mustache hairs blowing ever so slightly. “That’s one worry off my mind now.”<br/><br/>He took another look at the demolished front door and then addressed the Menagerie as a group. “But really, thank you for what you’ve done. We’re happy to know that not everyone who came out of the Silver Storm is a menace.”<br/><br/>The police naturally had more questions for them and the other witnesses, mostly of what people saw before, during, and after the attack. Once this was done the Menagerie was free to go on their way, with some friendly waves and camera shots from onlookers as they departed.<br/><br/><hr/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">”Amy.” Assuming his position as current leader, he placed himself between her and Amrita. The helmet pulled off so she can see the seriousness in his face. Not just hear it in his voice. <br/><br/>“Amrita did what was necessary to make sure you listened. You froze and she acted to keep you moving. If it wasn’t for her they would have assumed you were resisting. Maybe even panicked and shot you. You need to stop acting as if she’s planning on revealing your deepest and darkest secrets and trust how she uses her abilities. That means you need to deal with hearing her and all of our voices in your head.”</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>Amy was sweating, her fists shaking. “But, I can’t...I don’t think I’m cut out for this. And my brain, my mind, is my last private place. If I lose that…”<br/><br/>She looked over to Leslie and Kaitlyn. “Please, back me up on this!”<br/><br/>Kaitlyn looked off to the side. “Sorry, I’m with Scarab and Sleeping Wyvern. It was a last resort. It wouldn’t have happened otherwise.”<br/><br/>Leslie nodded at Kaitlyn’s explanation. “She said it’s like a lake and won’t go too far in. I trust her on that. And if we’re going to be a team, you have to trust her on this, too.”<br/><br/>Amy slouched forward. “I’m tired of this, I don’t want to argue anymore. I’m going back to the hideout, and hanging up this costume for good!”<br/><br/>And she took to the air again, not waiting for a response. Amrita covered her face.<br/><br/>“Oh God, this sucks, I don’t want to lose my friend! I should’ve said something, anything, differently!”<br/><br/><hr/><br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: impact;"><strong>Hokkaido, Japan</strong></span></span><br/><br/>(https://i.imgur.com/VsbevcA.jpg)</div><br/><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/hj14pOt.jpeg)</div>“No time for tears, Rakutsu!”<br/><br/>Shuji Hayasa flung several clumps of snow to the side, digging into the soil with little more than a thick tree branch used as an improvised shovel. Being rather advanced in age, he long since learned to ignore the aches and pains of his body and push onwards. Although dressed for the cold climate it was -8 degrees...Celsius, marking a particularly chilly winter for the area.<br/><br/>Hokkaido was the northernmost prefecture of Japan, and also its least densely-populated region. Its proximity to the Kuril Islands of Russian territory and harsh weather made it a favored spot for ninjas, both in using the region for training in extreme environments and keeping a lookout for agents of the Tsars and later the Soviets.<br/><br/>“If Jōnin Okada-san was in my place, he’d be telling you how a proper Shinobi would be at two-hundred percent one-hundred percent of the time,” Shuji explained. “Or how ninety-nine percent is one drop closer to one percent...or that one percent taken from one-hundred percent is…bah, you know what I mean!”<br/><br/>He stopped digging, grunting as the branch connected with a hidden stone. “But he’s thinking like a sportsman: a rest between matches, the best trainers and doctors at your side everyday, a mutual understanding of rules that everyone abides by. But that is not our way.”<br/><br/>Shuji took the now-shorter branch, snapping off the broken part. But even then it was too short to continue digging, so he shrugged and dug his bare hands into the earth.<br/><br/>“Gimme a hand on the other side. There, atta boy. Now as I was saying, a warrior, protector, whatever they call themselves, aren’t at one hundred-percent most of the time. They are under stress, burning through calories faster than they can replace them, dealing with dull pains in their chests and limbs even long after the wounds have healed. Most of the time you will not be at your best.”<br/><br/>The stone was finally lifted and pushed aside, exposing a hidden shaft and ladder descending into darkness.<br/><br/>“You can be at 100%, sometimes, but other times you’ll be at 75% from a sprained ankle. Or 50%, where half your body is numb, you can’t feel anything, and you see yourself moving on autopilot. And sometimes you’ll be at 30%, fumbling around in the cold and dark, with tetanus from a rusty falling log trap and a pair of boots fraying at the edges.”<br/><br/>He unstoppered his canteen, taking a swig from it before going first. “Ah, that’s the spot! That right there should knock three percent off!”<br/><br/>Reaching the bottom, the two were in the darkness of an abandoned mine. Rakutsu couldn’t see anything, but at least it was warmer down here. Although his footsteps were loud enough to follow, the ground was uneven, too dry in places and uncomfortably moist in others.<br/><br/>“A lot of the time, for whatever reason, you’re gonna feel like shit,” Shuji said, continuing on the lecture to give Rakutsu a voice to follow. “But you have to keep going anyway.”<br/><br/>A slip, then a slam echoed down the tunnel as Shuji lost his footing. “Ah,” he said, wincing in pain. “This is<em>exactly</em>what I’m talking about! Best you learn what it’s like to be at 10% now, so that 10% won’t put you at 0% later.”<br/><br/><hr/><br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: impact;"><strong>An Impromptu Debriefing</strong></span></span><br/><br/>(https://i.imgur.com/yCDFv74.jpeg)</div><br/>Scene Music (Persona 4: Signs of Love) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76AMhJM9hxQ)<br/><br/>Amy did return to the warehouse, although she undressed and left her suit in a crumpled mess with her other gadgets on the floor of the break room. Thankfully the rest of the Menagerie was there to claim it before it could be found by an after-hours security guard or someone else who wasn’t supposed to be there. The rest of the girls said their farewells, feeling rather deflated in spite of their first “victory.”<br/><br/>They expressed this in different ways. Kaitlyn had been updating the rest of them in group chat, not talking about their work or secret identities, but linking news articles and YouTube videos detailing the Red Jade attack, how Daedalus and Dr. Metropolis were simultaneously dealing with some “Stormers” (the parlance for those empowered by the Silver Storm) making a mess of things down at the Cannery, and some statements by private security firms offering to help bring order to Emerald City.<br/><br/>Leslie was more preoccupied with thinking of ways to cheer up Amy. Maybe she needs some space.<br/>But we don’t want her to think we’re ignoring her! 😢<br/>We need Amy to know that we 💕 her!<br/><br/>As for Amrita, she reached out to Rakutsu in a one-on-one text while he was having dinner with Teruko and Ryoko:<br/><br/>I want to talk about what happened. Can we meet at your 🏠?<br/><br/>“You look like you have something on your mind.”<br/><br/>Ryoko was the one to broach the subject. They were sitting around the table in the kitchen, having some philly cheesesteak sandwiches from Charley’s, a local restaurant chain. It wasn’t part of their regular diet, but Teruko was eager to pick something unconventional as a “cheat day.”<br/>