Those Halcyon Days of Youth (Inactive)

Game Master Stalwart

So, a list of 'Why I'm Here At the new Museum of the Alliance':

Praetoria, Frostbite & Scorch: Kidnapped and brainwashed! Dusk is using these new heroes to send a message to the old guard!

Inquiry and Isaiah: Investigating, incognito probably, learning more about the city's history of its heroes, when suddenly DANGER HAPPENS!

Mosaic, Psyche and Gallowglass: School Field Trip! Seems like the best solution for why they were there. Though if Gallowglass prefers to stick with the homeschooled route, maybe she's there's on her own just for fun.

Horizon: I Fell Out Of A Tube! I like the idea of dumping him directly into chaos with no way until everything calms down to take a moment and realize things have gone completely awry. Appearing out of the old time chamber after it gets knocked around in the fight and causing a moment of bafflement for everyone seems right here.

I think we're waiting on Mosaic and Gallowglass' suggestions for their part of when the team came together. I'm happy to pitch ideas if you're stuck.

Hmm, the shapeshifting angle could actually be pretty interesting, I think I'll go with that; Profile updated. Amazing what you can do with creative use of modular parts and rapid manaforging, isn't it?

One interesting aspect that the other members of the team might want to note is that Isaiah and Inquiry know of solutions to a surprisingly large number of supernatural problesms... If you think to ask, and when its allowed to talk about them. Some things just work better if you figure them out on your own.

I'm OK with the mind control angle.... also, misread something (was scanning the playbook on my phone - I shouldn't have any moves from the Protege book, I think).

Also, to explain my Labels a bit:

Your Labels start off the same as your other half ’s, but you may
shift up any one Label, and shift down any one Label.

+1 to Danger (bringing it to 0): Mattie suspects that she may have actually been responsible for her mother's death - No one seems willing to talk to her about it though. Thus, she sees herself as a potential danger to others.
-1 from Superior (bringing it to 1): Mattie is a bit less sure of herself, and her control of her powers, than her brother.

Sorry about that. Hope the fix helps... turns out bolded stuff doesn't show bolded in the header.

As for Getting the Media on our side... that one's trickier. Maybe Mosaic was mic-ed, as she was going to speak at the unveiling, and the tape of the event was leaked... Hmm, I don't love it, but maybe something along those lines

What about using your mother's assistance by pulling connections at the company?

The Museum is pretty new, so it's likely there was already a news team on site when the attack happens doing a puff piece. They probably got a whole mess of people watching, including many of Holly's fans who recognize her in the middle of the fray. Despite the odds, we come out looking like the dawn of a new generation of heroes, and Mosaic (By the cameraman's focus on her) comes out looking like the leader. Media can then go nuts, maybe calling us the Mosaic Marauders or something like that.

Thanks, Mosaic. It does help.

As far as the major media outlet that's turned its attention to you and the team... I like the idea of you being mic-ed, maybe you were planning a podcast of some sort? Maybe it's an online teen magazine of some sort that's decided to bank on your rise to stardom. Or a television station determined to pull you out of the realm of scripted drama and into Reality TV!

Scorch: I noticed that too, though I'm not sure if that was intentional. It seems odd that you would have zero playbook moves. I looked for some errata, but my google-fu is weak. I'm seriously considering allowing you to have the two moves anyway. I really think you're meant to have them.

All: This is coming along great! I'm really excited to get the game in earnest started. We're very close to finalizing the "When the Team Came Together" event, so I'm looking ahead to the very first session.

What I need before that is for you all to put a brief synopsis (it doesn't have to be a full write-up, bullet points or some other means will be fine) of the next few days after the big event at the museum. No real team-worthy threats arise during that time, but the usual petty crooks and small-time thieves are still at work so there's room for heroics if that's your thing. But what I'm really looking for is how the group has settled in during the aftermath. I might have a few prompts for each of you, just to see how you're dealing with your own lives given this new turn of events -- forming the newest super hero team in Halcyon City!

Maybe this was the first time Mosaic fought crime outside the show? Then you've got people thrilled for her come back, and assorted media companies competing for the rights.

Oh, I totally love that. This was Holly's first time actually using her powers in a fight. She was... honestly, really surprised how effective it was, she had spent most of her life assuming her power was like stained glass, pretty fragile.

And, yeah. people are thrilled to see her actually doing, after a little while on the bench after "Behind the Mask" was cancelled. Her mom has had her on the interview circuit for the past few days.

After the big fight, when the dust settles and the authorities swoop in for the clean up, Horizon finds himself under a lot of scrutiny. This is where he finally comes to terms with being trapped in a strange future with odd people around him, and the fact that his future self is a really bad guy!

He'll answer questions to the police or other big name heroes that show up, knowing that he can't really hide the fact that he's completely out of place in this time period. Hopefully someone like Praetorius or Silver Shield will help to take him in - he needs a place to stay in the city, like Frostbite and Scorch's hidden base or on the Inquiry if its big enough for him to get a room for himself.

His next step will be trying to catch up on the time period and figure out the bullet points of history - he'll be pretty shocked about how the country entered the Second World War, as he probably left before America got involved. He'll also be looking for his family, his kid sister and younger brother, trying to trace their paths and maybe find family of his own here.

Researching Dusk's history is also on Horizon's agenda, as is catching up on a host of scientific journals to try and figure out how all of these new consumer goods and electronics work. He's going to probably ask Gallowglass to help him and Isaiah acclimate and show them the ropes, since one's an outsider and the other isn't used to the idea of frozen yogurt shops. He might try to get Praetoria's help if he needs to access secure files on his counterpart.

The last thing on his list is important - finding a safe space to test out his powers and what he can do. He saw his future self do a ton of impressive feats - create walls, create an armor of energy around him, even make weapons that could cut through steel and concrete like butter! Learning his own limits and training to be better and more proficient with his powers will make him a better hero when it comes to the next team up.

One more thing - he's got to register for school! Hopefully someone can help him get into Halcyon Prep, because he's got to keep up with his studies for when he finally goes back to his own time. He doesn't want to fall behind, and going to school helps him feel normal and connected to what other people are doing. Course his placement tests might stick him in the same class as either Mosaic or Psyche, so that's good for some fun.

Lots of ideas! I my get to add them tonight, otherwise tomorrow.

Scorch: I noticed that too, though I'm not sure if that was intentional. It seems odd that you would have zero playbook moves. I looked for some errata, but my google-fu is weak. I'm seriously considering allowing you to have the two moves anyway. I really think you're meant to have them.

Would be great if I did get them,... just getting an extra resource seems comparatively weak in comparison to what The Joined gets from other playbooks. Even just one would be good (i'd go with Venting frustration.. I think that Scorch isn't quite as committed to their mentor as her brother and is a bit more frustrated by the commitments of training etc. - If Frostbite thinks we should go to school then she's annoyed at not being able to join in extra-curricular activities. If homeschooled then she's annoyed by not being able to go out and do stuff like a regular person (I'm happy with whatever schooling arrangement Frostbite thinks would work best for them)... Either way, she's really loving the idea of being in a team and getting to know some new people.

Scorch, the more I think about it (and reread the playbook), I think you're supposed to get the two moves -- one shared with your other and one for yourself. I doubt it'll be game-breaking if I'm wrong.

As for your other question about the extent of your powers -- the great thing is that there's no defined limits to them. What you've described certainly works for me. It certainly seems like the proper dichotomy of the ice/fire dynamic. So unless Frostbite has some other ideas that take both your powers in another direction, I'm good with what you've got.

Mosaic and Psyche, that's awesome. I'm happy to say that several media outlets are circling around Mosaic like sharks, but there should be one that's a bit more aggressive -- thoughts on what that one would be? Your mom's company? Or a rival to hers?

School
Being in school together would be fun. That said, I'd gone with home schooled and from in the country outside of town because it's hard to imagine her finding the time to train obsessively enough to become a strong archer and acrobat (and maker of trick arrows) if she was in school. (Archery seems easier to practice in the country too.)

If we stick with homeschooled, I'd say she moved to the Big City a few months ago, to try her hand as a hero. She met Frostbite (and maybe Scorch and their mentor) and worked with them a bit. Through Frostbite she met Praetoria and Mosaic.

As far as the first big battle...Ness moved to Halcyon City without her parents. She probably has a cheap apartment and a job. Maybe she'd just gotten hired as a docent for museum (a job she'd be excited about)..and now need to find another way to pay the bills quickly (since the museum has been destroyed) or she'll lose her apartment.

I'm open to her keeping her apartment and getting a new job, or moving into The Base and living off of someone's generosity.

We found signs that this incident was just the start of something bigger. What were the signs?
My first thought was that we found evidence of Infini-Corp tech (let's say tht mind control device used the proprietary chip set)...and my second was that we found evidence that the space time continuum was fractured by whatever brought Horizon here: perhaps we saw echoes of past and future events starting to blend together, and we suspect that there's some repair needed or the fracture will get worse.

Might as well say both!

EDIT: The last few days
Ness is fully enrolled in Shin's project. She's offered to teach him about computers and the internet and Google (and maybe hire to type) and is trying to help him understand Dusk's history.

She's also gone back to the drawing board, looking for a job that'll help her pay rent. She's sent her resume (such as it is) out and is answering help wanted ads.

Given that she feels he needs her help, let's make Horizon the 3rd person Gallowglass gives influence to.

-----

Oh, you mind opening Gameplay to dot?

Edit: had posted some post-get-together-stuff, but I was falling asleep during writing it and wanna wait until I’m actually awake to make it better.

As requested, the gameplay thread is up for dotting!

Please, to avoid the inevitable string of posts that just say "dot", delete the post immediately after making it. It'll still show up on your campaign page, and it won't clutter the gameplay thread.

Thanks!

Isaiah will spend some time settling in; if he's going to hang around for a while, he needs to get some things set up. Most importantly, either locate a local source of compatible fuel, or spend some time and effort putting together a small mana distillery to siphon off some of the excess energy floating around (Halcyon certainly has enough of it) and condense it down into starship fuel.

Isaiah is likely to be quite interested in any mind-control or time travel related stuff showing up; both technologies are pretty heavily outlawed in the Iron Federation, and for Very Good Reasons. These are the kinds of things where he can actually justify interfering; both have the potential to make major, world-scale messes, not just irrelevant localized disruptions.

Kayla will also try and settle in, but after her incident in the park with Frostbite, her family will mandate her to return to Praetor Tower for a couple nights for some lecturing. But she will be back after a couple days and face the awkwardness of it all.

She's not had much actual field experience, so while the Taylor family is watching the team's actions closely, they are going to let Kayla have a bit more free reign to see how she handles herself, to see if she can possibly fill some of the void left in the superhero community by her parents disappearance.

Psyche doesn't have a lot of patience for the mundane aspects of getting Isaiah and Shin acclimated or otherwise installed into the real world, but she's quietly thrilled about Praetoria and Frostbite's entanglement. Publicity and interpersonal consequences aside, she's a shipper at heart too.

She quickly claims a room/bunk in the girls' dorm in the Hideout (which needs a name). She's not particularly invested in training with the group, but it's obvious that it's important to her that they are a Team, and she's the first to push people to go out and patrol in small groups. "What better way to grow some bonds while doing some good?"

Psyche specifically keeps up a high profile for herself in the next couple of days. A part of her is definitely concerned that some of the established heroes (especially Gothic) are going to have a sitdown and tell her to get back on the sidelines, so she's trying to preempt that conversation by riding their publicity wave into the lenses of as many cameras as she can manage.

She'll show 'em. She's got it all under control.

Age: I like the Upperclassmen/Underclassmen idea. Frostbite would be an upperclassman hence having a vehicle.

School: I figured I'd do homeschooling/online schooling, less commuting; more training.

Powers and such:My idea for Frostbite is having powers nearly identical to Sub-Zero from MKX, throwing ice balls, freezing stuff, sliding around, ice wall/ice clone for defense, that sort of and maybe some oyher stuff here and there. If we want to play it up as Tank (Frostbite)/Striker (Scorch) I think we can pull that off.

Hey all, I found the playbooks in text here, which makes it much easier to make a text-based profile.

Hmmm... while Psyche might not really pay much attention to Isaiah on the acclimatization front, as the local telepath she's probably the first to notice that his mind is far from normal. While she can contact it, even read it, if she does any real poking she'll find that under a thin veneer of fabricated, innocuous surface thoughts, his actual mind is more of an incomprehensible mess of quantum computing, alien languages, seemingly random gibberish, indecipherable arcane runes, and so forth (though it does have a great background soundtrack).

Still need to decide who the recipient of Isaiah's 'crush' is going to be. Probably whoever has the most unusual powers, though that is a highly subjective question...

Okay, cool! I was going to ask what your thoughts were on how opaque Isaiah would be to her telepathy.

Oh, and also, we've heard what Praetoria and her family think about the kiss. What has Frostbite's reaction been?

If we're all piling into Frostbite and Scorch's Hideout, then that's where Horizon is probably going to be as well. Which hopefully gives him the opportunity to test out the limits of his powers. Isaiah with his alien knowledge might be able to help Shin out with that, and maybe even Scorch can help him out by them comparing each other's powers (And Shin's always there to lend her an ear about her and her issues with her brother and Praetoria).

Horizon is less enthused about going on patrol however, especially if the media is able to make the connection to him and the notorious Dusk. He's also not entirely sure that he deserves to be out in the field until he's gotten a better opportunity to control his abilities and adapt to this strange future. Learning how to use a computer from Gallowglass seems like the first step for him, as well as answer any of the extreme culture shock questions that he'll have. Things that might be really awkward to talk about to the group.

He'll also need a superhero outfit, as he appeared in this world in nothing but his glasses and clothes more fashionable for 1940 than now. Hopefully Silver Shield will take a little pity on him and help to get him equipped with something that provides a little protection. He'll be happy to tinker around to make it more suitable for his powers - maybe even modify a mind control device to slip in for protection against mind powers after his incident with Psyche.

Yeah, the idea is that Isaiah is 'alive' enough that he does show up for psychics, and he projects enough of a façade to fool casual brushings with telepaths, but there's only so much he can do to conceal that ultimately, if an ordinary human's mind is a book, Isaiah's is a misleadingly labeled box of weirdly formatted cassette tapes...in Klingon. You could theoretically read it, but would need specialized training and an understanding of the language it is in first.

And yeah, we do still need to hear what Frostbite and Scorch have been up to. Are they loving the media attention? Hiding from it? Desperately hoping people will get over the whole kiss thing? There's plenty of options.

And to Horizon (I started that last post before you did yours, so I didn't see it);

Isaiah might be able to help with your powers... but these things tend to work better if you figure them out yourself. He'd encourage practice, and maybe some creativity; powers sometimes act the way you think they will, or can be improved with effort. Just because you can't do something now doesn't mean you never will... and its possible that you may even find applications Dusk hasn't, if you try.

Give him some fabric and a request, and he can easily fab up an outfit for you (or for anyone who thinks to ask, really). Anti-mind-control is trickier, though; that'll take some work to do (at least without using tech he isn't allowed to spread around).

Psyche will definitely offer to give Horizon a quick memory dump (not that I expect he'd agree). Sort of a 'Close your eyes and get a 10 second migraine-montage of 70 years of history.'

Also, if there's ever something that he really wants to ask, but feels too awkward to say, but he keeps thinking about it, there's a reasonable chance he might get a very quiet answer whispered into his mind. e.g. ...and that's what she meant by twerking. Don't be so embarrassed, I've overheard worse.

Scorch's thoughts:

Frostbite: My big brother - he's waaaay to trusting and kind of embarrassing to be around - especially when he treats me like a little kid, but he's all the family I've got left and I love him.

Inquiry and Isaiah: Is just kind of,... weird. Not really sure what to think of him.

Gallowglass: She's nice - much more than the other girls and not as stuck up. She does kind of hero-worship Mosaic and Praetoria but she's OK.

Praetoria, Mosaic & Psyche: Remind me a lot of the popular kids at school who used to think they were so much better than me just because they had money.

Praetoria: Kind of intimidating that we've got someone on the team with her background... I'm not sure what she sees in my brother but she'd better not hurt him or else I'll kick her ass, no matter what her background is.

Mosaic: Is massively spoilt and we don't have all that much in common - I wasn't really a fan of Behind the Mask but lots of kids at school were - but mostly the rich stuck-up bimbos and jocks who I didn't hang out with. - They'd die if they new I was on the team with her.

Psyche: Kind of stuck-up and I do not like the idea of her reading my thoughts.

Horizon: So, usually Scorch is a bit slow to trust - so why does she already trust Horizon so much?.. Makes sense to me that the person he saved Frostbite from was,.... Scorch herself (while she was being mind controlled), this has particular resonance since she (secretly) suspects that she might have killed her mother\. This also helps explain why Frostbite isn't Horizon's biggest fan - In stopping her hurt Frostbite he somehow hurt Scorch.

He stopped me killing my brother. That's kind of all that needs to be said, although he seems nice too. I can't imagine how he's supposed to become Dusk, but I'll help him avoid it if I can.

..., we do still need to hear what Frostbite and Scorch have been up to. Are they loving the media attention? Hiding from it? Desperately hoping people will get over the whole kiss thing? There's plenty of options.

Waiting to hear from Frostbite, but I'd suggest we're been being trained and debriefed with our mentor following the fight. - That and showing people around the base... Scorch would have had to spend at least a day tidying the girls' room after having had it to herself for so long and not being a naturally tidy person. - She's secretly loving the media attention - depending on what Frostbite thinks about whether we have secret identities, she's either kind of annoyed that no-one knows who she is, or loving the thought of the stuck-up kids at her old school knowing that she's a superhero and knows real celebrities.

Great stuff, everyone! Though, there's lots of good stuff to mine actually in character. I kept it at a couple days so there's a little time for everyone to get their bearings, but all the good interpersonal drama can be explored in-game.

I'm just about ready to get the first real game post up. I think the only real question we have to resolve is... Why does Frostbite have a leopard as his avatar image? :-) Hopefully it's just a result of the wonkiness of the avatar image selection these days.

Although, I think we'd also like to know what sort of "hidden base" your mentor has provided to you. Let us know, or if you need the group to throw out some ideas. Underground cave? Disguised building? Abandoned observatory? Haunted dormitory? The possibilities are endless!

Also, I think we've got everyone figured out regarding who's got Influence over whom. If I'm not mistaken, it's:

Frostbite: Has Influence on Praetoria, Psyche, Scorch, Isaiah
One thing: you're supposed to give Influence to two characters, though Scorch gets Influence on you for free. You can give Influence to another character, if you'd like.

Gallowglass: Has Influence on Praetoria, Isaiah

Horizon: Has Influence on Praetoria, Scorch, Isaiah

Isaiah: Has Influence on Praetoria, Horizon,

Mosaic: Has Influence on Gallowglass, Praetoria, Psyche, Isaiah
I don't see where Holly has given Influence to anyone

Praetoria: Has Influence on Gallowglass, Frostbite, Psyche, Horizon, Isaiah

Psyche: Has Influence on Praetoria,Isaiah

Scorch: Has Influence on Praetoria, Frostbite, Isaiah

Please put these in your headers on your character sheets, so you'll know for easy reference who has Influence. Remember, if you have Influence over someone, you get a +1 on every Move made towards that character.

Whoops, totally forgot to say

I think Mosaic is very insecure in her position/abilities as a real hero. As such, I think She'd listen to:

Rory, because He's been training for this, an knows what he's doing.

Praetoria, because her family has been prepping her to tak he mantle (she assumes).

And toss up between Mattie, for much the same reason as Rory, And Gallowglass, because She's been training so hard for this, and she's just going for it.

on the Balance, Mattie is kinda young, and that shifts the balace to Gallowglass

Frostbite initially tried to have a secret identity but having been caught on camera with Praetoria he figures the media will put 2 and 2 together, so he really puts no real effort into it anymore, although he recommends that Scorch keep her identity a secret if possible but wont chide her if she chooses not to.

I will give Influence to Isaiah.

Psyche: Frostbite is cautious of her due to his recent experience with mind control.

Horizon: Silver Shield asked Frostbite to keep an eye one him warning that time travel can be both marvelous and disastrous.

Isaiah: Weird, pretty awesome but weird, real nice guy.

Gallowglass: Worked with her twice before, might be too into Mosaic.

Mosaic: Not sure what to make of her.

Scorch: Little sis, 'nuff said.

Praetoria: ... uh yeah... so... I'm going punch that photographer....

Quick tip: if you post with the wrong avatar and catch it within an hour, you can always hit the "edit" tab and change it to the correct one.

Psyche's expecting Praetoria to take the lead.

Should we post our goal now, or wait till we've established our leader for this battle?

If you all would have chosen a leader at some point during the media frenzy, then I'd say discuss it here and choose. If you don't think it ever came up, then you'll need to figure it out quickly in-game, in character.

As far as your goal, I'd prefer you put it in your post, either as an in-character thought or using OOC text. I don't think it's necessary to wait for the leader to be established first.

Isaiah generally shies away from the leadership position, unless we encounter situations where his infiltration abilities or familiarity with alien/precursor technology become important.

Ah, I don't think we've been organized enough to have voted on a leader or anything in the last couple days, so unless someone starts shouting commands, Psyche's not even going to wonder who should be leading.

I don't see where Frostbite has described the secret base that his mentor has provided for him and Scorch. Any thoughts on what it might be?

I was thinking abandoned warehouse? That way we're close to the action, another idea was underground base beneath a lake house. I am open to input from others.

I'm thinking that it would be fun to have a secret hideout underneath an inexplicably still open movie rental business. No one goes there anyone, but for some reason they still have employees who are paid by a dummy corporate office to keep it up.

Ooooo I like that

Man, is that how the video store down the street stays open?!

Missed Shin’s post... will head in to help Praetoria in a mo.

You guys have been taking powerful blows like champs. But since that's a regular part of the game, I thought I'd post some of the commentary about what happens when you roll a hit.

If you get a 7-9, you have to choose one:

If you choose lash out verbally, you're required to provoke a teammate to some sort of ill-advised action, or you have to take advantage of the influence you have on someone to inflict a condition.

If you choose to give ground, you fall back, or you hesitate or otherwise leave an opening for the opposition. The GM gets to decide what that opening is.

If you choose to struggle past the pain, mark two conditions. You're hurt, but can keep going.

If you get a 10 or higher, you have to either choose two of the 7-9 set, remove yourself from the scene. That means you're out until the next scene, either knocked out, you've retreated, or some other way. You get to decide, but it should make sense for what's going on in the story. If you lose control of yourself or your powers in a terrible way, the GM gets to say what ultimately happens (you've lost control). If it's your powers, they go haywire, usually causing lots of collateral damage. If it's you, you say or do something awful.

The fight is about winding down, so if there's any rules questions, let's ask and answer them here in the discussion thread.

How many actions are you allowing per post? I don't want to overdo it on the dice rolls, and I know there are also actions that don't really require rolling, such as making conversation or flying around or making a snowman. I know we're getting better at determining for ourselves what needs a role and what doesnt, and I thought we should discuss it when it starts to get to pvp rolling - because TEEN ANGST.

Mainly I'd like for there to only be one action per post while we're in combat, so no one really gets left behind too much. But things that can be accomplished in a comics panel -- or even things that would logically happen "in the gutters" (i.e. in the space between panels because it's not too interesting), feel free to write them up. I want to keep the fights kinetic and interesting, but I also hate for someone who can't post for a day miss out on half a fight. Certainly, if you have to take a powerful blow, you can also perform a follow-up move.

If, during downtime, you want to do a write-up on a day on the town, or a little solo heroing that will explore you're character, the sky's the limit. You really don't need to roll unless you want to let the dice decide something for you.

When PvP comes up (which is usually frowned upon, but like you said, this is TEEN ANGST), you really should limit it to one move at a time (not counting taking powerful blows).

Okay, I know that part of the Influence means that we can semi control other PCs if we exert that influence. I'd call that pvp when the result is something that the character doesn't want (if not the player, for dramatic tension).

Like, say that Psyche has Influence on Horizon, and uses it to tell him how the world works. The GM gets to shift Horizon's Labels accordingly, but Horizon can try to resist this change with a roll.

Likewise, if Psyche takes advantage of her Influence to effect Horizon, she loses it but can cause powerful effects like add a condition to him or boost a roll on him like Pierce The Mask.

I fully expect that all of us will try to Pierce each other's Mask at one point or another, so I think it would be good advice to figure out the answers you'd probably give to the others for the specified questions.

When you start piercing each others' masks, it doesn't always have to be the same answer every time. There's always a time and place consideration. If you ask 'How can I gain influence over you?' when someone is feeling down and depressed, it would be a different answer than if you ask that question when you're both at a party and having a good time.

The use of influence is to encourage interaction and growth, even if sometimes it's growth in the opposite direction -- there's a lot of ups and downs in teenaged relationships, so explore it! Don't feel like that's something that automatically will be a negative. Even if characters come to blows, it's not necessarily the end of the team. Sometimes a little physical conflict resolution is just what the doctor ordered!

We can note that exercising influence and piercing masks and so forth doesn't necessarily have to be malicious. We could be trying to find out how best to comfort someone, or attempting to get them to grow/realize their full potential/etc. (though what one thinks is improvement might not always be felt as such by another). Of course, there will probably be a fair share of plain old snooping and trying to figure each other out as well.

On a related note, I think I'll put up that Isaiah has probably let the whole team in on the 'alien robot spy' thing, but has yet to tell anyone that Inquiry is the one with the AI core, not Isaiah. People outside the team likely know even less, to the point of not even knowing he's a robot and not organic, much less that he's spying on everyone (albeit in a rather friendly fashion).