Tales of the Legendary
[A Hero Sandwich Production]
Smouldering Decay: Staking a Claim (pt 5)
It was three days before I left the apartment. Much of that time is a blur of drunken self-recrimination and pounding hangovers. When the beer ran out and I sobered up I was still angry. I'm not sure if I was angry at Gamma for not being who I thought she was, or myself for freaking her out so much that any sort of relationship is now fubar.
So I did the one thing I always do when I'm angry about something I can't fix. I beat up Rikti. It helped to deal with the frustration and fear that boiled up whenever I saw them. I remember months of living in fear of the next attack, hoping that the bombs wouldn't fall on top of us. Those feelings don't go away just because I left my world behind. But making them choke on radioactive smoke and watching my imps cut the monkeys into julienne fries hepls. It lets me feel just a little bit better about not doing enough back home. There were always some to be found in Creys Folly, and it was less risky than the war zone. There were far too many things there that can stomp me flat.
Two hours later I had spent my rage. I liked to think I was having an effect, even a small one, on the rikti forces there. But they always seemed to crawl out of metaphorical woodwork when I wasn't looking. I didn't know what they were looking for in this polluted mess. But the knowledge that I frustrated them was enough. Exhausted and feeling empty inside I returned to my apartment and had a shower. Then I collapsed back onto my empty bed, tired but unable to sleep.
My thoughts kept circling back to what Gamma had said in the bar. I had been so certain that she was making a veiled proposition, but I was obviously wrong about that. Which left me wondering what she had meant about talking to my Hero Corps liaison.
One answer was that she was being literal, and she actually expected me to talk about my relationship problems during my next meeting. I just couldn't see that happening. My contact at Hero Corps was very helpful about all manner of things; making sure I knew what the regulations where about applying my warding to my apartment; getting me in touch with a shrink to talk to when the almost-but-not-quite-the-same-ness got to be to much; pointing me towards the local magic groups when my interest in the topic became obvious. But I could imagine his expression if I hinted at using their database as a personal dating service. I had seen that disappointed mien often enough when I first got here and was still thinking like we were losing the war. It took me a while to realize just how many rules slid by the wayside towards the end back home. He would never get mad, or angry, or even condescending, he would just frown a bit and then deliver one more variation of the 'things are different here' speech, and how I needed to accept that.
If the literal interpretation was out, and my original guess of a proposal was wrong, that just left something in the middle. The general gist of Gamma's idea made sense. Don't waste your time trying to start a relationship with people who you can't be with. Get a list of people who are safe to be with first, and then try to make a relationship work with one of them. The problem was where to find a list of people I wouldn't hurt. I'm sure the hospital had one, but they were probably more uptight about access to their database than Hero Corps. And I didn't have the contacts here that I had back home. Nobody who would be willing to bend, or occasionally break, the rules for me. Vanguard might, but had no official standing with them, I had only heard about them. And while I could get behind the 'band together against a common enemy' bit they seemed to be promoting, I wasn't going to sink the months of work it would take to become trusted enough to peak at their database just to get a date.
Which left me drawing a blank. After a quick glance at the clock on the wall showed it wasn't too late, I reached over to my nightstand to grab my communicator. Maybe Corrine down in MAGI had an idea, she always seemed to have a different boyfriend every week. As I flipped open my communicator to give her a ring, I was hit by a realization so obvious I felt like banging my head against a wall. I didn't, mainly because my recent hangover was still hovering at the back of my mind, but I was tempted for a few moments.
My communicator was hooked into the computers at the Riot Force base, which had a detailed listing of every member, and probably enough basic information about the legendary membership as well to come up with a short list. The fact that I would have already met, at least in passing, most of the supers in whatever list was spit out made my job all that much easier. And if there was anyone who I didn't recognize, well it shouldn't be too hard to track them down for an after mission beer or two.
But any such database querying would have to wait until tomorrow. Once the stress of not knowing what to do faded, the desire for sleep made itself know. And since I was already on my bed I didn't put up too much of a fight.
----------
Ok, so here is where I ask for help.
I'm assuming that Decay will have enough clearance to get a list of names (on the job, not secret identities), ages, sex, and basic power information from the Riot computer.
I'm looking for any heroes in Riot or Legendary that have radiation based powers (or would be immune to their effects), and don't have a weakness towards fire/heat.
I will need:
1) a few names she can dismiss after a brief check (person is in a relationship/uses technology to generate the effects/or has an obviously incompatible personality)
2) a few names that can be dismissed after a drink or two (person has established backstory/personality/sexuality that won't work)
3) hopefully, a name or two from people who would be comfortable with Decay attempting a relationship with their character.
Depending on how compatible my muse is, I can see coming up with a few short humorous pieces about after mission dinner/drinks going wrong. As Decay isn't going to make assumptions about how the other person is reacting, and will pretty much state her intentions if things seem to be going well. If the other hero is male and gay, or female and straight this could lead to some amusing rejections.
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy
[A Hero Sandwich Production]
Smouldering Decay: Staking a Claim (pt 5)
It was three days before I left the apartment. Much of that time is a blur of drunken self-recrimination and pounding hangovers. When the beer ran out and I sobered up I was still angry. I'm not sure if I was angry at Gamma for not being who I thought she was, or myself for freaking her out so much that any sort of relationship is now fubar.
So I did the one thing I always do when I'm angry about something I can't fix. I beat up Rikti. It helped to deal with the frustration and fear that boiled up whenever I saw them. I remember months of living in fear of the next attack, hoping that the bombs wouldn't fall on top of us. Those feelings don't go away just because I left my world behind. But making them choke on radioactive smoke and watching my imps cut the monkeys into julienne fries hepls. It lets me feel just a little bit better about not doing enough back home. There were always some to be found in Creys Folly, and it was less risky than the war zone. There were far too many things there that can stomp me flat.
Two hours later I had spent my rage. I liked to think I was having an effect, even a small one, on the rikti forces there. But they always seemed to crawl out of metaphorical woodwork when I wasn't looking. I didn't know what they were looking for in this polluted mess. But the knowledge that I frustrated them was enough. Exhausted and feeling empty inside I returned to my apartment and had a shower. Then I collapsed back onto my empty bed, tired but unable to sleep.
My thoughts kept circling back to what Gamma had said in the bar. I had been so certain that she was making a veiled proposition, but I was obviously wrong about that. Which left me wondering what she had meant about talking to my Hero Corps liaison.
One answer was that she was being literal, and she actually expected me to talk about my relationship problems during my next meeting. I just couldn't see that happening. My contact at Hero Corps was very helpful about all manner of things; making sure I knew what the regulations where about applying my warding to my apartment; getting me in touch with a shrink to talk to when the almost-but-not-quite-the-same-ness got to be to much; pointing me towards the local magic groups when my interest in the topic became obvious. But I could imagine his expression if I hinted at using their database as a personal dating service. I had seen that disappointed mien often enough when I first got here and was still thinking like we were losing the war. It took me a while to realize just how many rules slid by the wayside towards the end back home. He would never get mad, or angry, or even condescending, he would just frown a bit and then deliver one more variation of the 'things are different here' speech, and how I needed to accept that.
If the literal interpretation was out, and my original guess of a proposal was wrong, that just left something in the middle. The general gist of Gamma's idea made sense. Don't waste your time trying to start a relationship with people who you can't be with. Get a list of people who are safe to be with first, and then try to make a relationship work with one of them. The problem was where to find a list of people I wouldn't hurt. I'm sure the hospital had one, but they were probably more uptight about access to their database than Hero Corps. And I didn't have the contacts here that I had back home. Nobody who would be willing to bend, or occasionally break, the rules for me. Vanguard might, but had no official standing with them, I had only heard about them. And while I could get behind the 'band together against a common enemy' bit they seemed to be promoting, I wasn't going to sink the months of work it would take to become trusted enough to peak at their database just to get a date.
Which left me drawing a blank. After a quick glance at the clock on the wall showed it wasn't too late, I reached over to my nightstand to grab my communicator. Maybe Corrine down in MAGI had an idea, she always seemed to have a different boyfriend every week. As I flipped open my communicator to give her a ring, I was hit by a realization so obvious I felt like banging my head against a wall. I didn't, mainly because my recent hangover was still hovering at the back of my mind, but I was tempted for a few moments.
My communicator was hooked into the computers at the Riot Force base, which had a detailed listing of every member, and probably enough basic information about the legendary membership as well to come up with a short list. The fact that I would have already met, at least in passing, most of the supers in whatever list was spit out made my job all that much easier. And if there was anyone who I didn't recognize, well it shouldn't be too hard to track them down for an after mission beer or two.
But any such database querying would have to wait until tomorrow. Once the stress of not knowing what to do faded, the desire for sleep made itself know. And since I was already on my bed I didn't put up too much of a fight.
----------
Ok, so here is where I ask for help.
I'm assuming that Decay will have enough clearance to get a list of names (on the job, not secret identities), ages, sex, and basic power information from the Riot computer.
I'm looking for any heroes in Riot or Legendary that have radiation based powers (or would be immune to their effects), and don't have a weakness towards fire/heat.
I will need:
1) a few names she can dismiss after a brief check (person is in a relationship/uses technology to generate the effects/or has an obviously incompatible personality)
2) a few names that can be dismissed after a drink or two (person has established backstory/personality/sexuality that won't work)
3) hopefully, a name or two from people who would be comfortable with Decay attempting a relationship with their character.
Depending on how compatible my muse is, I can see coming up with a few short humorous pieces about after mission dinner/drinks going wrong. As Decay isn't going to make assumptions about how the other person is reacting, and will pretty much state her intentions if things seem to be going well. If the other hero is male and gay, or female and straight this could lead to some amusing rejections.
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy