Masks: A New Generation of Heroes

Game Master Cwethan

Condition(s): None

"I NEED A THETA SUIT," replies Atoms (with his mind).

Sorry for the delay. Downsizing a few games and hopefully increasing posting rate.

===========Tectonic and Wingblade============
The man looks down at both of you (he is taller) and frowns.

"What did you see?" he asks. "You saw the recklessness of the police in this area, and how the crowd cheers for the hero that saves them. I am that hero. You may call me as they call me, Libre. Who are you two? Why are you in my city?"

===========Deputy Atoms=============
A few moments pass, but the guard see your need.

"We will provide one for you on the condition you assist us with a project in the near future. One where your particular body composition will be extremely helpful."

===========Ghost Dragon, Hashtag, and North Star==========
Tycho is able to bring Ghost Dragon out of the scene amidst rubber bullets being shot at everyone who's trying to flee. Hashtag is under cover and relieved to see his friends make it out alright.

Back at the Hangout area, The NK are licking their wounds.

"Shit! Who called the [expletive] cops!" one member yells in frustration as he kicks a foldout chair over, picks it up and smashes it against the wall.

"They got Benson and Anthony. Shit, what are we going to tell their folks?"

I....I don't know..."

This is a weak point in the groups morale. Feel free to act to influence or such.

Poke for Eldritch

Tectonic raises an eyebrow. "Yeah. And why, exactly, were you provoking the police to shoot into the crowd in the first place? They're people too, and people get scared, especially of hulking, super-strong supers with a flair for the dramatic. Have you considered that your presence is the very reason why they need a hero? I'm normally one for duking it out, but save your strength for real threats, not for a bunch of people who are scared about what you might do to the citizenry."

Pierce the Mask + Superior: 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (3, 5) + 1 = 9

What does he want?

"that $#:+ was crazy yo! We should go get our peeps back. F the police. They can't take us!"

Wingblade's mouth pops open in surprise that the super just asked exactly what Tectonic had told him. Maybe the guy had some sort of chrono-temporal delay weakness. Or maybe he was just slow.

Tec apparently ignored that and went on to dress him down for provoking the cops and putting a lot of innocents in danger. Wingblade nods along in agreement and would have folded her arms across her chest but for the manacles still locking them together. She fights to make sure her irritation at the bindings does not show on her face.

"Exactly. You didn't 'save' anyone. Yeah, the police were reckless, but they wouldn't have shot at all if you weren't there."

She realizes suddenly that throwing a bunch of accusations wasn't going to do anything except make him defensive. So she quickly adds, "What are the police doing that makes them need to be roughed up? Other than being trigger-happy?"

Condition(s): None

"OF COURSE. ANYTHING FOR IMAGINE'S PEOPLE."

Split party arc is almost over, just a heads up.

I'll give Hashtag and Eldritch one more day before updates.

im sorry.
Hashtag doesnt say anything, keeping his cool guy demeanor and watching to see how this discussion all turns out.

no don't! he thinks at his teammates suggestion. thats gonna get some cops killed!

-Posted with Wayfinder

Note to self: splitting the party is a bad idea in most games. Sorry guys. Thought I could keep up the engagement and fun even if split into multiple groups, but it just restricted your interactions severely. Will fix soon.

===========Tectonic and Wingblade============
"But...but...I'm the good guy!" Libre claims indignantly. "I protect the good people from the police, and they cheer me as their champion!"

He seems irritated, and you can see that power seems to radiate off his body. The soft golden hue is now replaced by an eerie red aura, which swirls a bit more and seems to have more ethereal jagged edges.

===========Deputy Atoms=============

They agree to make your Theta Suit, but it will take a day to calibrate the special fabric to your new energy signature.

It occurs to you that you ditched Eldritch back on Earth who might be overwhelmed right now.

===========Ghost Dragon, Hashtag, and North Star==========

A NK member stands up and points a finger at Tycho.

"He's right! Let's go bust our boys out!"

First it was one, then another, and then soon the entire room is feeling fired up and inspired to go take on the police head on. Everyone is taking out their specialized knives and plans are being made. There are some calling other NK cells and soon an entire operation is going underway.

Work towards resolution. Sorry this "arc" will feel a bit shallow. Should spring to life when everyone get's back together.

Tectonic throws back her head and laughs. "'But I'm the good guy! I'm doing what's right!' Do you have any idea how many crazy villains use the same justification for what they do?" She shakes her head. "If you're endangering the people you're supposed to protect, you're not a hero. You're a danger."

Wingblade chimes in right after Tectonic. "Yeah, and guess what the police do? Protect people from dangers."

She thinks back to a lesson that Whippoorwill once had drilled into her when she once made an offhand comment bad-mouthing law enforcement. Her mentor had stopped what they were doing immediately and disabused her of the notion that cops were a joke or a nuisance.

"Think about it," she tells Libre, repeating what she had been told, "if you had no powers, would you want to put on a uniform and go out to protect citizens with people like us running around?" She flaps her deadly wings to drive home the point.

"But they do, because it has to be done. Sure, some aren't the best of people, but most of them work hard and do their best in a dangerous job. They don't need to be beat up by some jerk in a mask just because a few people applaud."

She pokes the guy in the chest with a finger. "You want to be a hero? Protect the people from the threats the cops can't."

Condition(s): None

The former deputy thanks them, then flies back down to Earth to help Eldritch.

===========Tectonic and Wingblade============
Libre goes to a blushing red, but there's something in his eyes. Uncertainty.

You both watch as his massive muscular form begins to shrink and lessen. His muscles sink and constrict to thin bony arms, his massive chest begins to hollow out so much you can see his ribcage. His bright smiling face lowers to a frown and his head is gaunt, his hair faded.

The true form of Libre stands before you, a poor, hungry beggar child wondering if his actions were in line with what he believed was "heroic."

"I'm not a hero...?" he asks, feebly.

===========Eldritch and Deputy Atoms=============

You land to at the pier, and find Eldritch staring up at a funhouse type structure. The pier is actually starting to close, and the crowd has definitely thinned to stragglers, old folks with nothing to do, and young people who think hanging out at an amusement park at night is cool or something.

Eldritch gives you an annoyed look.

Make your next post the last for these scenes. I'll wrap up this "arc" in the next round of updates and the team will be back together.

Tycho will join the assault on the police headquarters, then once the gang is assembled and facing the police will attempt to use his superspeed to disarm the lot of them. He ties a bandana around his face and puts on a baseball cap Watchdogs style.

Unleash your power: 2d6 ⇒ (1, 5) = 6

Well, shapoopy.

There's a long pause as Wingblade stares at this kid who had once been 'Libre.' She feels a little guilty being so harsh with her words when it had just been a small child beneath his powerful build. But she shoves that aside, seeing that the boy was at a crossroads. She and Tectonic could steer him right, or they could send him further off course. She wished Whippoorwill was here.

"Hey, look," she says softly. "You're not a hero yet. That's all." She smiles and drops down on her haunches, although it becomes a bit awkward with her one manacled hand in the air.

"You're heart's in the right place. All you need is to get your head right, too. And that's not easy. We were hard on you because we thought you were older. But you're not, so no one's going to blame you for getting it wrong the first time you try."

She puts on the best, most encouraging smile she's capable of. "I'm sure you're going to be a great hero. One of the best."

Comfort Someone (mundane): 2d6 - 1 ⇒ (2, 3) - 1 = 4
Dang. Well, this isn't exactly in Wingblade's wheelhouse. Marking Potential.

Condition(s): None

"Thanks for waiting. I assume they're inside?" Atoms' glow intensifies as he examines the structure. "Lets get them."

"Not yet. But you can be," Tectonic says gruffly. "You have any ties to this place, kid? I'm pretty certain that we can wrangle somebody to properly train you back in Halcyon City if you're interested. And, believe me, with powers like that, people will be really fu-freaking interested."

Comfort Someone (mundane): 2d6 - 1 ⇒ (3, 1) - 1 = 3

Aaaand also a miss. Dang. Welp, at least I finally get to add Potential. It's bee a while, let me see if I have enough to advance yet.

Tycho will join the assault on the police headquarters, then once the gang is assembled and facing the police will attempt to use his superspeed to disarm the lot of them. He ties a bandana around his face and puts on a baseball cap Watchdogs style.

Well, shapoopy.

Fortunately, Hashtag isn't just sitting around. He slips out while the group's 'organizing'... quickly porting out and making an appearance at the police station that captured the thugs. He leaves them a warning that the thugs are going to attack and when.

Are you watching closely: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (6, 2) + 3 = 11
Before the attack starts, he shows up early and hides a police ambush with an illusion of the station being completely unsuspecting of an attack. Just as the gang gets committed to the attack, he drops the illusions, revealing just how out of their league the knives really are.

Whoo! Just what I needed! I create an opportunity, expose their weakness/flaw, and confuse them for a time!

Nice. Good save Hashtag!

Yep, I have enough to Advance. Unlocking my Moment of Truth.

Scary as this sounds, I have only marked potential once.

I think we lost Eldritch too, he hasn't posted in any of his alias's since late March, meaning we're down to five. Whew, no more splitting the party.

Eldritch looks at the Deputy and shakes his head.

"I think....I think I need some time to myself. My power...its just...its just not all their. I need to go track down the missing parts. I'm going to regret it if I don't go now. Give the others my best."

He smiles, really smiles at you Atoms. Then he places an arcane rune down on his location and starts to fade away.

"Friends right?" he asks, moments before disappearing. A scared, but determined look on his face.

You get a call shortly after from headquarters that the deviants have been rounded up, and you should head home. They did not sound happy with your choices.

=========================================================
Both of you swing....and miss.

The beggar child looks unsure. and he backs away from you both.

"I need to think. I cannot be Libre now. Not now. Not yet."

He takes off running, dipping over the roofs edge. If you rush to the edge in concern, you find him gone, a small hole through a series of canvas hangovers and a large crowd of people, on their business, most likely talking excitedly about the events that transpired.

You think your words got to him, you do. But perhaps it wasn't enough to convince him now. Perhaps later. Hopefully soon he'll come around.

You both hear a loud beeep! Both of you feel the gut-wrenching of teleportaion as you are sucked back to your base at Halycon City. You feel the manacles release and fall to the floor.

You're back home, mission over.

===========================================================
"What gives!"

A series of angry teenagers and kids rail against the bars of the police lock-up as parents are called and reports are filed.

Privately, the chief thanks you both for letting them catch the criminals behind rampant disregard for the law.

"Those punks are either gonna shape up or face consequences. We've locked up those knife gadgets too, so you boys did some good work today."

But both of you can't help but feel that the Knives felt betrayed, they don't know who, but they do have a suspicion they were set up somehow.

Feel free to RP meeting up and discussing what happened in your missions.

As Hashtag and Tycho leave, Tycho will say "well, I almost screwed that up. Way tp save the day!"

-Posted with Wayfinder

"Hey, wait!" Wingblade calls after the youth, but being shackled to Tectonic prevents her from giving chase effectively. She eyes the small hole the boy crawled through, wondering if she could slash her way in and follow him by scent. Then she tugs at the manacle and realizes she wouldn't be able to keep up with him shackled like that.

She shakes her head in frustration and opens her mouth to say something when the twisting of the teleportation hits. Suddenly, they were back at Halcyon City.

When the bindings come off, she rubs her wrist and eyes the manacles and shouts at it like it's a microphone, "We're fine! We didn't kill each other. Signing off." She finishes by slashing out with her wings and dicing up the bindings.

When the manacles are ribbons, she turns to the earth-channeler. "So. Lesson learned, right? We both grew up in a lab. We were both built to do things we don't want to do. Blah blah, something something, the feels."

Wingblade crosses her arms and her wings fold up behind her. She leans in. "One thing I was not built for was to lead. I did the best I know how. I guess I should be sorry for expecting you all to, I don't know, actually follow. So I'm not interested in the job anymore, you don't have to worry about that. The only question that remains is whether you and I can work together as teammates.

"So. What do you think about that?"

I'm trying for a Protege Team Move here, asking if I've been an effective teammate.

Tectonic, for her part, crumples up the shredded manacles into a tight metal ball, growling. She snorts at Wingblade's initial speech, but her face softens slightly once her teammate confides in her. "Look, Wingblade..." Tectonic sighs, rubbing the back of her head. "I can't really say I'm sorry about what happened. You were way out of line. But... I was too. I was kinda scared, really. I just got my ass beat by that alien lady, and I saw a bunch of weird, f$@!ed up shit I don't really understand." Tectonic laughs harshly. "Shit, I'm still scared by it. I was built to be a soldier, not some weird, spiritual thing that thousands of people are apparently arguing over. I... I wasn't really in the best emotional state to begin with when I figured out what you said. So I guess this is a weird, roundabout way of saying that, yeah. I am sorry. And, as far as all of this bullshit goes, you're a good teammate. We keep each other in check, I think." Tectonic shakes her head and smiles. "Ugh. F%%#ing Christ. After all of that stuff, I really could use a night out if we have the time. I think you need to loosen up a bit too. Wanna come with?"

Admitting vulnerability and weakness and marking Wingblade as my current Love, replacing Atoms. No Rival currently. Wingblade now has Influence over Tectonic, and I hold 2 to help Wingblade as if it's Team in the pool.

Wingblade arches her eyebrow at the invitation for a night out, then slowly nods. "Okay, sure."

She pauses. "Just a sec," she says. She walks over to the charging station, grabs a communicator and pops it in her ear. Truth be told, she really wanted to talk with Whippoorwill about a lot of things but she knew the hero would have her plate full dealing with the Givers and all the other messes going on. She pings her, deciding to give her the courtesy of letting her know she was home despite Whippoorwill probably knowing that.

She turns back to Tec after grabbing a backpack and throwing it on over her tightly compressed bundle of bladelike feathers. "All right, I'm ready. Where do you want to go?"

And your vote of confidence gives me another potential marked! I'm going to pick up a new move from my playbook, but I'm going to see where this (or a conversation with Whippoorwill) leads before I make my decision.

Tectonic shrugs. "Kinda have a place in mind. Don't know if you'll be interested, though. Ever karaoke'd before?" Her eyes widen. "It's, it's not a bar! I'm not that much of a delinquent."

Wingblade ignores the bar comment and considers the strange term, scrunching up her nose as she thinks. "Karaoke? Is that a martial art? I don't think I've heard of that before, but I'll certainly try it," she says.

Tectonic palms her forehead. "Oh, right. You don't have a big sister who goes and forces you to partake in human culture. Well... heh. I'll explain when we get there. And it's not a martial art. Shall we?"

"Yeah, let's do it," Wingblade agrees and follows Tectonic out. She chews on her lip while thinking about what it might be like having a big sister to show her stuff that's not all about fighting or superheroics. That thought caused an odd sensation in her belly, a sort of uncomfortable twisting that stayed with her as she tagged along with Tec and glanced around at the ordinary people they passed.

She tries to push the strange feeling aside, and focuses on the earth-mover. "So your sister makes you go out? Does she have powers like you?"

Condition(s): None

Rearing to go, Atoms is stopped in his tracks when Eldritch makes his sudden announcement of his intent to split from the team. The tables had certainly turned since they first met. Unable to add anything, but understanding Eldritch's situation, the former deputy extends his fist towards the mysterious magician in a gesture of brotherhood. "Friends."

The symbol on Atoms' chest continues to emit its strange lightning, clawing at Eldritch's form until the moment he vanishes. Unbeknownst to either of them, this glyph, which appeared after Eldritch hit Atoms with a powerful burst of magic, held a portion of the magician's power. Overflowing with energy, spilling tendrils of strange lightning into the area around Atoms, the power had always attempted to return to its master, reaching out for him. Even now, after he had gone, it continued to search, grasping uselessly at thin air.

Atoms was alone.

Then came the call, not from a communicator (Atoms had lost his ear piece after the incident at the school), but from the boardwalk's PA system, presumably hacked by Matrix. Atoms wastes no time in heeding their instructions, flying off at extreme speeds, not exactly sure where "home" is, but presuming that they meant to head back to the Defenders' HQ.

Maneuvering through Halcyon City, the former deputy happens to come across North Star, Hashtag, and Ghost Dragon leaving the police station. He stops mid-air to greet them.

"Are you guys done with your mission too?"

Tectonic shakes her head. "Nah. Kinda the opposite, really. She was born, well, um... she can't move her legs, so Barney and Jill threw her out when she was born. River actually was the one to track down the lab in the first place, though. Pretty much adopted me. She's cool, but... it's been a bit rough lately." Tectonic sighs.

Surprisingly, Tectonic is leading Wingblade to one of the nicer parts of town. It's artsy, almost homely really. She stops and pats her jacket pockets as if to check something's still there, then breathes a sigh of relief.

Wingblade hooks her thumbs in the false backpack straps as she keeps pace with Tectonic. "I still have some money," she says, noting the brief distress. "We never actually paid for that room at the hostel," she ventures, not sure if that's what she's concerned about.

"Rough... how?" she asks after a moment of thought. "I mean, if you want to talk about it, that is."

"Nah, it isn't money. I mean, it might be, since I think it's worth more than what's currently in my pocket. Heh." Tectonic stares up at the starry night sky and gives a heavy sigh. "You know that scrap with the idiot wannabe we had a bit ago? I, um, well, I went a bit too deep with my powers. Brought a bunch of bad memories back. That plus the fight kinda made me pissed the f++~ off. When I went home River was right on my ass about the fight, saying I endangered too many people. She might've been right. I dunno. But I just kinda snapped. Went ranting and stormed off to my room." Tectonic chuckles, although there's no humor in it. "Real mature, I know. Things have been tense since then. No, scratch that. Things have been super shitty since then."

Wingblade nods sympathetically. It felt like ages, but the fight with Haxxor had only be a few days ago. While she had shrugged the fight off, she suddenly remembered that several of the team had taken it pretty hard. A couple of them had opened up to her, but Tectonic hadn't. That doesn't mean she was okay. Now you know she wasn't. Some leader. If you'd have figured out that, maybe she wouldn't have chewed you out after that business with Hashtag, she chides herself.

Wingblade mulls over what Tectonic had said about her fight with her sister, trying to imagine how the fight had gone between the two siblings.

She turns to her abruptly. "That's... well, that sucks. Your sister, her legs still don't work, right? So how does she know any better than you about putting people in danger? The guy came out of nowhere; we didn't have any choice. Why would she get on you like that?"

She steps in front of Tec as they're walking, turning around backward to face her yet unerringly moving through the crowd. "Yeah, I'd be mad too. Even Whippoorwill didn't get on me about that fight, and she's always going on about not endangering people. Uughh! It's so stifling! I want to cut loose sooo bad and really tear into something, you know?" She feels her wings twitch in their confinement, pressing against the flimsy canvas of the backpack.

She spins back around to face forward and strides alongside Tectonic. "Well, I think Whippoorwill gets it. I mean, I'm sure she does. I dunno about your sister. Maybe not having legs, she doesn't really know what she's talking about? She's your sister, though. Could you cut her a break, maybe? What good is staying angry at her?"

Wingblade suddenly shuts up and tenses, afraid she let her mouth run too much. She didn't have a family, so she had no idea if she just further enraged the earth controller. She swallows and looks contrite. "Sorry," she quickly blurts out.

Wingblade's awkward method of comforting and supporting.
Comfort and Support (Mundane): 2d6 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (6, 6) - 1 + 1 = 12

I kinda want to move on, kinda want to let you guys keep going, kinda let Dep. Atoms play out his scene, and everything else. Gonna give you guys an extra day or two. Unless you want to move on immediately.

As Hashtag and Tycho leave, Tycho will say "well, I almost screwed that up. Way tp save the day!"

-Posted with Wayfinder

"Eh... I'm already expected to be a dirtbag, so I might as well take advantage of it, eh?" Hashtag replies in a self-depreciating laugh. "Besides, they were going to get someone, probably themselves, hurt. Busting into a police station like that would attract adult superhero intervention and then that... would suck."

"My plan was to get them all here so they could all be arrested at once, so we didn't have to fight them individually. It half worked."

-Posted with Wayfinder

The team meets up and kinda cools off on in their own. The Deputy meets up with Hashtag and North Star as they swap stories of what went on. They learn of Eldritch's departure and Ghost Dragon's decision. It's a bit of a sadder event than usual. Meanwhile, Wingblade and Tectonic bond over loud singing and swapping stories of difficult past times and even more difficult present times.

You are all summoned to the Defender's HQ the next morning, and the receptionist leads you into the meeting room you were in previous. All of you are gathered, but none of the defenders have shown yet. The receptionist asks that you wait patiently, and leaves the room to you all.

Allright, everyone's together. Whew!

"So, what did you ladies do? We got to stop a gang! Hashtag was pretty cool."

-Posted with Wayfinder

"... Well it was pretty cool." Hashtag admits, chuckling. "Still, I dint know you were so fast!"

-Posted with Wayfinder

"We struck down evil with the mighty sword of teamwork and the hammer of not-bickering." -- gold star if you can name the quote.

Wingblade flexes her hand, now fully healed. Apparently Matrix's high-tech shackles had kept the bones in their proper alignment so it could heal. "We practiced a little light bondage," she smirks, glancing over to Tectonic.

"Then we ended up fighting some cops. And gave a lecture about heroism. Then sang karaoke." The young weapon project looks rather sheepish about that last admission.

Tectonic smirks at slugs Wingblade lightly in the arm, with enough force to probably shatter a normal human's shoulder, but is nothing for the two supers. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," she chuckles. "Some young kid with high-end 'shifting powers showed up in India. Scared the cops, scared him, he shifted, which scared the cops, and it ended escalating into this whole thing. We calmed him down, but he's still somewhere out there."

"And come on, girl! You have to agree that the duo Tubthumping we sang was great."

Cheeks coloring, she nods her heads. "Yeah, that was pretty fun." Then she looks up, glowering. "But I wanna know who chose 'I've had the time of my life,' because it was not me. I still can't believe you made me sing Bill Medley's part."

"I try to just use my physical gifts, because the mental ones are too dangerous. I'm really strong, too. I once pushed a city bus. Well, at first the driver was helping me..."

"but that's a story for another time."

Condition(s): None

Atoms stands alone on the far side of the meeting room, staring at his hand. While the rest of the team seems to be in pretty high spirits, Atoms is somber. Three of his good friends had left the team, and though he was somewhat happy that they were now out of harms way, he continued to be burdened with the knowledge of their circumstances. They wouldn't see Imagine for years, Eldritch may never be seen again, and Ghost Dragon...? Well, things had never been the same after the fight with Haxor.

The former deputy raises his eyes, turning his attention away from his meditation, and toward the people still around him. He didn't have any stories of success or fun, only loss and failure. He desperately wanted to share these stories, to processs through them and ease the burden on his mind, but he wasn't about to bring down the mood.

BAM!!!

The doors slam open as in the threshold stands Nick. He has a pile of folders under his arm, with papers and sticky notes sticking out out every which way.

He does not look happy.

"No phones." he orders, whipping his hand in the air as if to snap it. Instead, anyone who had a cellphone immediately finds it gone, and miraculously in Nick's hand. He sets them on the table. He slides folders to each of you, each one detailing the team missions inn detail.

"The life ain't for everyone, but two members leaving during a bonding exercise is not a good sign for folks we're trusting to look after things when the Defenders can't, or does the peanut gallery have excuses at the ready?"

"Maybe that's why those shitheads left, because you lot couldn't get your acts together."

He looks at all of you, expectant of juvenile teenage angst or anger.

Feel free to deliver it

"Dude, don't be a d!(k. We stopped people from getting hurt and got super powered gangs off the streets. You apparently got folders."

"Good job on that, by the way."

Wingblade smirks in approval of Tycho's sarcastic remark, but the smile fades fast and a scowl appears. "Excuse me, but Tec and me happened to be in India when Ghost and Eldritch decided to leave. How exactly is it our fault that the team starts splitting up when you guys actually split us up?"

Condition(s): None

The air burns with the distinct smell of ozone as Atoms listens to Nick's inflammatory remarks. The former deputy had said goodbye to two friends, two good friends. Maybe he and the rest of the Team didn't have their "act together", but he wasn't about to hear anyone call Eldritch or Ghost Dragon such a derogatory name.

"EXCUSE ME?" Atoms' voice bellows from across the room, the first words he had said since the Team had arrived.

He marches towards Nick. A chair is in his path, but instead of maneuvering carefully around it like he usually would, he physically grabs it and moves it aside. The chair erupts in a fiery glow at his touch, and before his hand can even leave its surface, it crumples and dissolves into a mix of gas and dust. And that's not all: the cellphones and other devices in Nick's hand vibrate strangely, the lights flicker softly, and the floor tiles literally melt under each of Atoms' footsteps.

"Shitheads? SHITHEADS!?" The former deputy's tone turns menacing. "You need to show some respect." He stands closer to Nick than he has anyone else in his 'unsuited' state, towering above the young Defender. "Dragon and Eldritch are like brothers to me; they're both kind, selfless individuals, and they both had serious personal reasons for why they needed to step away from our team. So how about you cool it with the insults, show some professionalism, and start. over. Otherwise, you and I are going to need a 'room of punching the shit out of each other' real quick."

Provoke Someone (+ Superior): 2d6 - 2 ⇒ (5, 6) - 2 = 9
Atoms wants Nick to apologize and be somewhat nicer.