Disney Heroes [IC]

Character Name:Fa Mulan
Hero Name: Red Dragon
Date/Time:Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:10 PM
Location: Parking Garage next to the Powerline concert
Tagging:Raven and three goons

Mulan had heard the noise of the motorcycle echoing up through the parking garage, but didn't really pay it any mind. She knew that people would be coming and going throughout the night since it was a public parking place. She was about to ask Mushu if he had spotted anything when a scream for help came only a few feet away. Mushu had turned as well and growled, peering towards Raven.

"Another damsel in distress for you."

Mulan smirked and shook her head and stood up, turning to see what was going on. The bottom of her cloak flared out behind her for a second before settling down as she noticed the three goons with bats.

"Why do guys always spoil a girl's fun?"

She dropped down to the pavement, dropping into a roll on touchdown. She rolled forward a full roll before coming up on her feet in front of the three goons. She gasped for a moment as she arched backwards to avoid a swing from the lead goon as the other three fanned out around her.

"It's not nice to hit a lady like that."

Mushu just settled down on the edge of the enclosed stairwell to watch. Mulan brought her fist up in front of her, deciding to play with the three for a few moments. Though the black veil covering the lower half of her face and neck hid her mouth, she was grinning. She bent a finger towards the lead goon, egging him on. it only seemed to make the guy madder as he yelled, lunging forward.

Mulan blocked a few of the hits, let some land, even though the bodysuit absorbed some of the impact, there would be some bruises. She landed a few blows on the three before she leaped back, pulling out her sword as her cloak bellowed once more.

"You boys ready?"

...And so falleth the Goons

Character Name: Raven
Villain Name: Diablo
Date/Time: Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:11 PM
Location: Parking Garage next to the Powerline concert
Mentioned: Fa Mulan and her Dragon. 3 Goons.

Mulan said:

Mulan blocked a few of the hits, let some land, even though the bodysuit absorbed some of the impact, there would be some bruises. She landed a few blows on the three before she leaped back, pulling out her sword as her cloak bellowed once more.

"You boys ready?"

Click to expand...

Oh they responded alrighty. They turned as one and swung their bats towards Mulan now instead of Raven. They still chanted, "Tickets!" Over and over as they chased after the twirling, cartwheeling ninja. They cringed as Mulan's sword came out. Even idiots like them weren't thrilled with eminent death.

Raven clapped as Mulan vaulted onto the scene. "Excellent. Keep at it." Raven leaned against the railing, her fingers pressing against each other a small smile played along her black lips. "Never give up!" She yelled towards where Mulan and the Goons were fighting. "Not till your last dying breath." Her voice was colder now, more authoritative.

The goons sighed and kept swinging their bats towards the sword wielding, death ninja.

Character Name:Fa Mulan
Hero Name: Red Dragon
Date/Time:Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:11 PM
Location: Parking Garage next to the Powerline concert
Tagging: Raven and three goons

Mulan blinked for a moment when she heard Raven yelling about dying breathe, and then pushed it aside. She used the sword mostly for the scare factor, and had thought it would get the goons to run away. Unless the criminals had guns, most of them usually tried to run when she pulled out the sword. Mushu had growled a bit when he noticed the seeming change in Raven's attitude, but he stayed out of the fight unless Mulan called for him.

The fight was over in the blink of an eye. It would have looked as if she had barely moved. After images of her circling around the goons and wind everywhere was the most to show anything had really happened. She was sheathing her sword as the bats hit the pavement in three pieces, the three goons falling onto the pavement as well. There was no blood though, since she held her strikes to cut away their clothing and hit the back of their heads with the hilt of her sword.

Mulan took a moment to take a deep breathe before releasing it.

"That's always a rush. Now then."

She picked up a few strips of the cut clothes, using them to bind their hands and ankles together before she looked towards Raven as she stood up, dusting her gloves against each other.

"Are you alright miss? These three should be out for a bit."

Elsa

Character Name: Elsa
Hero Name: Snow Queen
Date/Time: Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:27 PM
Location: Powerline Concert - North
Entrance
Tagging: Hercules
Mentioned:

Elsa sucked in a sharp breath as he mentioned her accent and commented on her looks. What the hell did 'beautiful for a Norwegian mean?' Her fingers tightened their grip on her bet, a calming breath attempting to clear away the red haze that threatened to fall over her vision.

"I was born in Crown City." She commented with a cool tone, his glance towards the front row making her narrow her eyes in suspicion. "Why I'm here tonight isn't any of your concern, sir. If you would like help to your seat, an usher would be glad to help you. Otherwise, I'm going to have to ask you to move along and leave me to my duties."

She didn't like being distracted. It made her feel as if something were about to happen that was beyond her control. He was one of the richest men in town and she supposed that meant something. However, she was there for work, not pleasure.

Another sigh left her lips as he brought up an envelope, pulling out a picture and showing it to her. She knew the scene immediately. Even if she hadn't been the one to cause the incident, she would have been the responding officer. How he had ended up with crime scene photos, she had no idea. Her gaze slowly lifted from the picture to his eyes.

"That information is classified." Elsa said in an even tone. "How you ended up with this picture is something you can explain to your lawyer. We'll be in contact."

She tucked the photograph into her pocket, glancing him up and down once more before she turned on her heel to head back towards the entrance. She had work to do.

How do you reward a hero for "saving" your Powerline tickets?

Character Name:Raven
Villian Name: Diablo
Date/Time:Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:12 PM
Location: Parking Garage next to the Powerline concert
Tagging: Mulan, her dragon, and three goons

Mulan said:

"That's always a rush. Now then."

She picked up a few strips of the cut clothes, using them to bind their hands and ankles together before she looked towards Raven as she stood up, dusting her gloves against each other.

"Are you alright miss? These three should be out for a bit."

Click to expand...

"Yes!" Raven's grin never left her face. Because birds didn't grin, her expression was more open mouth and pulled lip than anything expressing true happiness. Her laugh was a mixture of giggle and caw-caw. When she settled a little so the annoying sound died down, she said, "My hero." She clapped again, perhaps to try and convey her excitement? Or because she didn't know what to do with her long, black fingers. They looked like the arms of a black widow. Her narrow hands could have been the sleek torso of those same black widows. The only thing she lacked was the bright red hourglass to warn people to stay away.

Her smile was better than her grin, just lips pulled back and half-slanted eyes. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown. I heard some growling over there," She pointed towards where Mushu had growled just seconds ago, "Do you think they brought backup?"

She waved it away, "I'm safe with you around, that's all I care about." She pushed off the railing, fanning herself with the three Powerline tickets. Her voice dropped, and she frowned as if she was talking to herself. "I'm not sure how this works, I don't think it's bribery if you pay someone after they do a good or service for you." She shrugged, looking back up at Mulan. "What I wanted..." She stopped and huffed. "Oh, I don't know how to do this. Would you come to the Powerline concert with me?" Her face brightened in a way that wasn't the way a human would do it, but it conveyed the same hopeful positive optimism.

Hercules
Character Name: Hercules
Hero Name: Prince of Power
Date/Time: Evening, March 18, 2016,
9:27 PM
Location: Powerline Concert - North
Entrance
Tagging: Elsa, Anna
Mentioned:
He nodded understandingly when she revealed her birth place to be Crown city. The look in her eyes as she stared at the picture would'be been enough a clue to any suspicious reporter or investigator. Her gaze slowly drifted from the picture to Hercules' eyes.

"That information is classified." Elsa said in an even tone, Hercules couldn't hold back the smile which gradually progressed into a soft laugh. "How you ended up with this picture is something you can explain to your lawyer. We'll be in contact."
She finished then turned from him, heading towards the entrance.
Hercules stood transfixed for a moment, watching her ass sway rhythmically to her steps... with great perseverance Hercules tore his gaze from her backside and started towards the front seat.
"That didn't go as plan." US voiced in his head.
"Yes, not as planned but as expected." He mentally replied back.

Hercules sighted Elsa's sister Anna at the front shouting on top of her voice and moving her hips to the sound of the music. His intention was to sit close to the damsel, keep her from doing anything stupid and probably get closer to Elsa. He figured since Anna was the only person Elsa cared about, taking care of her will earn him her favors.
"Hope you don't mind." Hercules asked Anna gesturing to the empty seat beside her.

Character Name:Fa Mulan
Hero Name: Red Dragon
Date/Time:Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:17 PM
Location: Parking Garage next to the Powerline concert
Tagging: Raven and three goons

Mulan blinked for a moment at the offer of going to the concert with Raven. However, she knew it wasn't easy as just saying yes at the moment. Chances are good that she wouldn't be allowed in with her sword by security. She certainly hadn't planned on attending as she didn't bring any spare clothes to wear. And she also didn't want to change her outfit now since it would give away who she really was. She really didn't feel like disappointing the woman either.

Trying to stall for time, she decided to go ahead and set things up for the police to gather up the goons. She frisked one of them for a moment before pulling out his cell phone.

"Can you hold that thought for a moment?"

It must have been her lucky day, since he had left his phone passcode on the default 1111. She dailed the number for police, hearing it ring twice before picking up, a female voice answering.

"Crown City Police, what is your emergency?'

"Yes, this is the Red Dragon and I have three hoodlums for pickup on the seventh level of the parking garage on the west side of the Stadium."

There was silence on the other end for a moment before she heard the operator, only not speaking directly to her. The mute button didn't quite take.

"---owe me five bucks sir. Red bagged a couple near the concert. Ok ma'am, we'll have someone come and pick them up shortly."

"Thank you."

Mulan ended the call before tossing the phone on top of it's owner. She turned back towards Raven and sighed.

"I thank you for the offering, but I'm not exactly in position to attend, at least up close. I have a pretty good view from here."

She pointed towards the top of the enclosed starwell for a moment.

Terrible, heart wrenching rejection...

Character Name:Raven
Villian Name: Diablo
Date/Time:Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:18 PM
Location: Parking Garage next to the Powerline concert
Tagging: Mulan, her dragon, and three goons

"Can you hold that thought for a moment?" Mulan said.

Raven didn't even blink when asked to hold her thoughts for a moment. It wasn't any easy thing to do, especially with the various dissonant voices of the horde that weren't incorporated into her or the bike's seeming. Stopping every single thought across thousands of raven's over hundreds of acres really hurt her brain. As time stretched out, she couldn't really pay attention to what Mulan was doing. Pain erupted in the back of her head in explosions of pulsing purple flashes in her vision. She heard roaring and thumping sounds in her ears, but still she resisted any attempt at thought. She held onto the one thought that mattered in the face of complete mental collapse. Would you come to the Powerline concert with me? It was a dangerous thought. Now it was killing her.

Raven staggered back to the railing, her breath coming out in short pants. Sweat rose up along her forehead and cheeks. It was too much. She couldn't hold her thoughts back any more, she just couldn't! She felt several of the weaker ravens plummet from the sky. A few tittered and dropped from trees. Three got ran over by cars. It made her want to cry.

Mulan sighed. "I thank you for the offering, but I'm not exactly in position to attend, at least up close. I have a pretty good view from here."

Raven was beaten. She sagged to the ground. She let her thoughts fly free. The Powerline tickets dropped from her hands. Her head rolled up towards the dark sky. A single tear rolled down her black cheek. "Why do I even try?" Another tear welled up in the other eye. "Why did he abandon me?" She was staring up at the stars. Her body was contorted in an unnatural way as she slumped even further into the pavement.

The forgotten Powerline tickets fluttered around the top of the garage by the uncaring breeze flitting through the trees and high structures. One of the tickets got caught in an updraft and rose ten feet into the air, did a summersault, and started heading deeper into the garage. Another was propelled towards the stairwell like a fired bullet. The third had gotten lodged beneath the tire of a Toyota Crownolla.

Character Name: Donovan Blake
Villian Name: Maleficent
Date/Time:Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:20 PM
Location: Blake Tower
Mentioned: Diablo


Wings

Yes wings

Black as night

So soft to the touch

So...not his wings

He frowned and looked up from the report he was busy reading. Why would he suddenly remember raven wings?

He shrugged and turned his attention back to the report, but instead of words, he saw ravens, ravens who flew with wings as dark as his own. Wings strong and sure, wings that wouldn't tire and could carry him for miles and hours.

He scoffed and wiped the mental image aside, only to be confronted with the words forming a statue, the last time he had seen Diavlan. His second biggest failure in his time in the realm of man. But when he blinked, the image was gone and only the words remained.

This had happened before, but he knew better than to meddle in the future...but could it mean that after all these years?

"Diavlan..."

He spoke the name softly, like a child's silent prayer. With a sigh, he turned his formidable attention back to the report on alternative energy.

Character Name: Madame
Hero/Villain Name: The Shadow Lady
Date/Time: 03/07/2016, 3:10 PM
Location: Magickal Childe
Tagging: Belle, Deirdre

She turned the ring over in her palm, feeling it as opposed to looking at it. It fairly pulsed with warmth - wild, pure magic, subtly tamed by the ring it was encased in. Hm. It was rare to find a magic that didn’t constantly fight against what held it captive - usually only subdued by a stronger magic. And, maybe, centuries ago, that had happened. It was hard to tell; the ring was old, older than her, it felt like.

And she hadn’t felt anything like that in years.

Rolling the ring between her fingers, she savored the magic leeching from it like one would enjoy the fragrance of hot coffee. Pleasant, but not hers to control - nor was it something that she truly wanted. To think, after all of these years, after all that she’d read and heard of, she’d stumble across this ring in this city. She chuckled softly to herself. Perhaps she still had more to see of the world yet.

“You don’t need to do anything. The ring has told me all that it needs to. Though perhaps your friend should have been more honest with you about this shop.” She shot Deirdre a sly look, complete with faintly lifted eyebrows. “So, Belle, tell me what it is that you want this ring to do for you?”

She’d ignore the comments about the shop; small talk, as a whole, had always bored her. If people realized how much of their lives that they spent on these little meaningless trivialities…oh, the panic, the horror. The re-evaluation. Or, at least one would hope. Her shadow’s shoulders shook in laughter, as it seemed to read her mind. Her violet gaze darted back to it, shared a secret smile, and then, in a flash, her gaze was back on Belle.

Character Name:Fa Mulan
Hero Name: Red Dragon
Date/Time:Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:18 PM
Location: Parking Garage next to the Powerline concert
Tagging: Raven and three goons

Mulan blinked for a moment at the reaction she had gotten from Raven for being turned down. She had never quite seen anyone act like Raven did. She acted almost like it was going to be the end of the world or something.

She snagged the powerline ticket that was flying towards the stairwell, letting the other two go where they wanted. She walked over to Raven and knelt down, holding the ticket to her.

"I didn't mean to upset you miss. I do appricate the offer very much, but I just hadn't planned for the concert tonight. Here, there's no need to get upset because I can't go."

She reached out and placed the ticket in Raven's left hand, closing her fingers around the ticket carefully. She stood back up, offering a hand to held the woman up.

"I don't think it would be right for you to miss the concert on my behalf. After all, I'm sure we will probably meet each other again sometime. I'm Red Dragon."

The wind threatened to blow Mulan's hood off in a sudden breeze, but she was able to keep it in place with her free hand.

Rejection denied! Dragon found!

Character Name: Raven
Villian Name: Diablo
Date/Time: Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:18 PM
Location: Parking Garage next to the Powerline concert
Tagging: Mulan, her dragon, and three goons

Raven blinked at the ticket, puzzled as if seeing it for the first time. She wiped away the tears with the back of her hand. She pulled her lips back. "Red Dragon?" Saying the name made her eyes crinkle. There was a ray of true, genuine happiness. "Yes..." Her black eyes trailed over the Red Dragon's body. "Yes of course, your grace." She ducked into a quick courtesy. "I've been looking for a black dragon, but a red dragon is a dragon none the less."

She clapped her hands, jumping up and down. "And you say we can meet again? When? Not now of course," she laughed, "Your much to busy, but for breakfast? You need to eat don't you." She tilted her head, appraising the Red Dragon's taut lines and soft curves. "Even dragons need to eat, right?"

As to the ticket, she waved it away. Careful inspection would note it was a second row ticket, center stage with VIP pass backstage afterwards. "I've got no one to go with now." The other two tickets were gone, no doubt due to the mischief of the night's breeze. "Sitting with an empty seat on either side of me is not my idea of a good time. I was hoping to hang on the arm of someone smoking hot." She sighed. "I'll just have to find another way too occupy my time."

Character Name:Fa Mulan
Hero Name: Red Dragon
Date/Time:Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:20 PM
Location: Parking Garage next to the Powerline concert
Tagging: Raven and three goons

Mulan smiled seeing the woman happier now and in much better spirits than before. She thought about Raven's offer of breakfast, though she didn't usually wear her suit during the day.

"Well, I've not seen any black dragons around lately, but I am sure one or two may be running around the city."

She watched the ticket fly away for a moment before turning her attention back to Raven.

"Well, I do know of a place a friend of mine works at, called Mama's Noodle Shop. It's near the Crown City Bank near the heart of the city. I do patrol around there from time to time."

She frowned for a moment at hearing that Raven didn't want to attend the concert, but then it was her decision.

"Well, you might not have anyone to go with you, but there's nothing wrong with finding someone smoking hot at the concert to hang with or meet. It is the major event to be at right now. You should go."

The will of a dragon can not be argued with.

Character Name: Raven
Villian Name: Diablo
Date/Time: Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:21 PM
Location: Parking Garage next to the Powerline concert
Tagging: Mulan, her dragon, and three goons

The red dragon's smile made Raven happy. She tried her best to use the same expression she saw. The red dragon did a better job, but dragons were often better at seeming human than ravens. "More than one?" Raven gasped and clapped. "But I'm happy with the red one I've found. Maybe I don't want to find a black one right now." She leaned back against the railing, arching her back. People interested in fucking her usually liked this posture. She winked.

"Well, I do know of a place a friend of mine works at, called Mama's Noodle Shop. It's near the Crown City Bank near the heart of the city. I do patrol around there from time to time," The red dragon said.

Raven rolled her head around until it rested on one of her hands. "I love slurping fish soup..." Her eyes roved the red dragon's body. "Among other things. Is there any fish or pussy..." She licked her lips, "Cats served there?"

"Well, you might not have anyone to go with you, but there's nothing wrong with finding someone smoking hot at the concert to hang with or meet. It is the major event to be at right now. You should go," the red dragon said.

"I think I've already met all the smoking hot people I can take for one night." A sudden thought occurred to Raven. Perhaps she was being too forward. Would this dragon taken offense to such fawning? But who didn't want a beautiful, supple body to worship their every waking desire? There was the command, which she couldn't ignore. She wanted to linger, but these days they had stalkers. She knew being considered a stalker or clingy was bad. That was probably why Maleficent had left her. She sighed, removing herself from the railing and approaching the red dragon. She ducked into a curtsy again. "If that is your grace's will."

Character Name:Fa Mulan
Hero Name: Red Dragon
Date/Time:Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:21 PM
Location: Parking Garage next to the Powerline concert
Tagging: Raven and three goons

Mulan almost giggled at the way raven decided to curtsy her. It was a first for her to have someone do that to her. She gave a bit of one in return for a moment.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I didn't catch your name. So I know what to call you when we meet again?"

Yet another (relatively) pointless post.

Character Name: Gene
Hero/Villain Name: Gene
Date/Time: 03-07-2016, 1:57 PM
Location: Tower Crest Building
Tagging: None
Mentioned: Belle, Madame Medusa, Abu, Carpet, Ella, Powerline, Mr. Snoops

Sung to the tune of: Great Day - Lonely Island




Waking up was always a bitch. Usually it took several hours to accomplish, sometimes it never actually happened. There were days that Gene had spent entirely asleep, or more so passed out under the heavy influence of various substances. The girl partied hard, what could they say? Gene was really feeling it today, though she had managed to crawl her way out of her bedroom and was sitting on the sofa in the living room. The TV blared some afternoon talk show with some middle aged man screaming “You are not the Momma!” to the ringing applause of the crowd behind him. She was hunched over the coffee table, shuffling around some items as she half-paid attention to everything around her. She had managed to get dressed; a T-shirt with the sleeves ripped off, along with most of the bottom half to make it a belly shirt, along with a pair of skinny black jeans and her customary red belt and shoes. Her hair was still a wild mess, but this time it was a styled wild mess, even her makeup that had been touched up still looked a little rough. The look on her face was equally crude, like someone had pissed in her cheerios and she only realized it halfway through.

Next to her on the couch lay a beautiful Persian rug, sprawled out with the top resting against the couch itself. The little frayed knobs at the edges twitched lightly as if caught in a steady breeze, though the ceiling fan hadn’t even been turned on at this point. Sitting between Gene and the rug was her backpack, along with the tiny monkey stuffed animal that had been attacked to the right armloop of the bag. It was old and ragged, its brown fur smudged and missing on places. The tiny little red hat adorning the top of its head had been re-sewn several times; at this point it was barely hanging on by a thread.

“You know what’s weird?” A voice asked that didn’t belong to Gene. It was lower, masculine with a touch of a curious accent. Gene gave a light snort of acknowledgement, though her attention was mostly focused on the small tray sitting on the coffee table. She was busily clicking the edge of a credit card (Belle’s of course – Gene’s credit was shit) against the tray, sliding about some fine white powdery substance. She began to section it off into thin lines, her blue gaze drifting up towards the TV screen.

“What’s weird?” She finally asked, her tone dripping with exhaustion and boredom. She gave the card one more clack before she licked the tip of her index finger, ran it over the card on both sides and promptly rubbed the tip of said finger over her gums. The card was tossed causally aside before Gene hunched over the tray.

“This is a Disney thread. So far no one has even got close to busting out into song besides the first post. I mean…C’mon! Disney!” The voice proclaimed with a certain amount of disdain.

Gene snorted sharply, inhaling a line with a swift flick of her head. She grunted, pinching her nose and squinting. “Gahn, fuck. Well you know what that means?”

“Song time?”

“Fuck yeah, song time! Queue the music!” Gene bellowed, pointing skyward before she proceeded to lean back over the coffee table for another loud snort. She shot up almost instantly, just as the camera switched to a higher elevation. She popped up from the bottom of the screen with wide eyes, red-rimmed eyes and a ridiculous smile that stretched from ear to ear. The music started quickly enough, upbeat and cheerful, very much out of place (mostly since it came out of nowhere.).

“I don’t know why but today seems like it’s gonna be a great daaaaaaay!” Gene sung shrilly, her voice off key and rising in all the wrong places. She snapped up her backpack and flung it over her shoulders before she shot her attention towards the dangling stuffed monkey.

“There’s something in the air that makes me feel like things are gonna go my waaaay! The birds are chirping tweedly-deet!” She sang, flinging the front door open and leaping out of the apartment like a ballerina doing a pirouette midair. She landed with a crash, her shoes skidding over the well-polished surface of the floor as she zoomed towards the elevator. “The sun is shining Briii-ight!”

She rode the elevator down with a generous and needless ‘squee!’ The music followed her as she went, rising and falling with seemingly no reason. The elevator binged and the doors swished open, Gene side stepped out and spun on the balls of her feet, ending on standing right beside the unsuspecting Mailman sorting through the mail. He had a handful of letters and magazines, so intent upon sorting it that he barely noticed Gene’s presence.

“Hey there mailman friend, any letters from my ex or my parents?” She asked with that massive infectious grin. The mailman looked up and offered a grin of his own, promptly answering with a flat,

“No!”

“Fantastic news, Hahahahaha!” Gene burst into a fit of ridiculous giggles before she grabbed the bundle of mail in his grasp and tossed it into the air, much to his chagrin. With another flourish of her hands and a awkward kicking of her feet she was out the front door and on the streets of Crown City, strung out and high as a fucking kite.

“Wonderful day makes me feel so happy that my face is Nuuuuuuumb!” She clawed at her face, tugging down her cheeks making her lovely red-rimmed blue eyes bulge obscenely. “My heart is racing along barapa pampaaaauuuuuuUUUUM!”

Gene slid off the curb and danced into the street, the people around her following suit, bursting into song and dance behind her like the great bunch of backup singers and dancers they were. It was a whole gargle of Village People, even a lady with a newborn that she bounced just a little too hard with the beat. And look at that doctor in the background! Pah, he’s like a shark at a Katy Perry concert!

“So many places and people to meet!” Gene sang, busting out some fancy dance moves at the head of the flash mob. The front row started to crowd in, reaching for her shoulders and sides. “They say, ‘Young woman, the world’s yer oyster’!” Their hands clamped down on Gene suddenly after that last verse, much to her surprise. She jolted, bucking them off with a loud and off-key “Hey!”

“Hey get the fuck off me! No, Fuck! No!” She roared the words, her brow furrowed and the agitated anger crackling in her voice. The flash mob slowly came to a halt, most confused or annoyed by the sudden turn of events. Even the most abrupt cut off. Gene sniffled, running the back of her hand under her red inflamed nostrils. She gave another sniffle and held up her other hand for everyone to wait a moment.

“Just gimme a second,” She muttered, disappearing underneath the level of the screen and giving a loud snort and grunt. She popped back up, still wiping at her nose as she gave another sniffle, her eyes blinking rapidly. Suddenly that smile returned, the music picked back up and the background dancers took off with a happy smile themselves. Everything picked up the pace, the music, and the lyrics even the dancers.

“I-don’t-know-why-but-today-seems-like-it’s-gonna-be-a-great-daaaAAAAAAaaay!”

“Lalala blah blah blah I should spend more time with my friends! It’s carpe diem, gotta seize the day, I’m gonna move to Spain and run with the bulls! And my ex and boss and parents will sya ‘We were wrong about you Gene!’”

“Hey Gene!” A sudden voice cut in, the very same one from earlier. Gene snapped her head dramatically to the right, looking straight at the monkey perched on her shoulder.

“That’s my name!”

“Are you really gonna run with the bulls?”

“Haha! Why would I do that??” She scoffed, rolling her eyes at the stuffed monkey.

“Cause you said you were gonna!”

“Come on, Abu! That was like three days ago –“ Gene said with a smile before dramatically turning to the screen, her eyes wide and red, smoldering with the fires of the abyss. “Or was it???”

Cut to a new scene. Somehow Gene made it across town while keeping the music and the dancing going. How she ended up near Madame Medusa’s Pawn Shop Boutique was anyways guess. Probably Magic, muthafuckah. Gene skipped down the street, grabbing a hold of a signpost as she spun herself around several times with her free arm outstretched.

“Something today makes me feel fine and fancy-freeeeEEEeeee!” She sang, snapping to a picture for a crudely drawn beach and dolphin making love to Pamela Anderson from Bay Watch.

“Much of the ocean is still unexplored, how did I get up in this treeeeeEEEeee?” She glanced down, finding herself up in a tree. With a shrug she plucked the kitten from the branch and held it down to the children waiting below.

“I’m over here!” She spat, suddenly on the different side of the street.

“Now I’m over there!” She continued, now down the block.

“Now I’m under this dude!” She smiled cutely, resting upon a park bench with a rather rotund man with a beard sitting on her.

“Now I’m back in the tree!” She added quickly, once more snatching up the kitten, this time just tossing it off the high branch.

“Now I’m hanging out backstage with my very best friends: Powerline and Ella GlaaaaaAAAaaaass!” She flopped down between an unsuspecting Powerline and Ella Glass. They were in some kind of backstage area, on a couch with Ella holding a microphone. Neither seemed very happy to be sitting there with Gene, who was grinning like an idiot.

“Get the fuck out of here!” Powerline hissed under his breath.
“What?” Gene blinked, casting a dubious glance at the pop idol.
“Now!” Ella spat.
“Ella??” Gene turned to her, eyes wide with shock and surprise.





The scene cut dramatically to Gene standing under a spotlight, nothing but blackness surrounding her. She wore a tux, because why not, clutching a single red rose.

“Whyyyy would they disssss meeeeee? I thought they were my hoooooooomies!” She belted out the lyrics, tossing her head back as she held the tune for far too long. She cut the tune short, brought the rose to her nose and snorted sharply. The scene changed once more, flashing back to the street in front of Madame Medusa’s Pawn Shop Boutique. Her flash mob backup dancers were back, covering the street from side walk to side walk as they rushed towards the pawn shop, groove in every step they took.

“Any problem is solvable; we can feed the hungry and cure disease! But all of that would be a huge waste of time because we live in the matrix!” Gene stomped down the street, arms pumping in front of her before she stopped. She stomped her right foot out, flung her arms out to her sides before she threw herself back. She bent back over herself, arms waving as she dodged the non-existent bullets zipping past her.




From within the pawn shop, a balding old man peered out the window, narrowing his beady gaze behind his thick rimmed glasses. Mr. Snoops watched as Gene stood in the middle of traffic, waving her arms and making swishing, electronic sounds with her mouth. The people on the streets gave her wide berth, watching anxiously as to what would happen next as they scurried by.

“What’s wrong with her?” Mr. Snoops asked incredulously. From behind Madame Medusa emerged, her angry face already twisted into a frightful scowl.

“She’s on drugs,” She said matter-of-factly before turning and walking off.

“Oh,” Mr. Snoops muttered, glancing back at Madame Medusa, watching her go. His attention finally turned back to Gene, who stood on the sidewalk right in front of the shops window. She looked strung out, her eyes bloodshot and lined with bags. She scrunched up her face before spitting a gout of saliva out from between pursed lips. Mr. Snoops jumped at the sight, though his freight was short lived as his gaze followed the glob of saliva trickling down the window.

“Shit,” He sighed, knowing full well he was going to have to clean it up.

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

Character Name: Raven
Villian Name: Diablo
Date/Time: Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:22 PM
Location: Parking Garage next to the Powerline concert
Tagging: Mulan, her dragon, and three goons

Raven was tempted to take offense when most of her questions were summarily ignored, but then she remembered she was dealing with a red dragon. Any dragon was wont to do whatever the fuck they wanted. That usually meant ignoring lesser beings when they bored them. Which was starting to make Raven sad, but then she heard the giggle. Was the red dragon laughing at her? Perhaps she was mocking her curtsy? No that couldn't be. Raven thought harder. Of course, the red dragon had a Chinese seeming. To her knowledge most red dragons were from China, so that made sense. Their custom dictated a 90 degree bow over straight legs with hands pressed together. Damn, how could she have missed that breach of etiquette? At least Mulan was nice enough not to kill her over it. She'd seen Maleficent destroy entire villages for smaller offenses.

Raven smiled and flatted both of her hands together, palms facing inward. She bowed low over her waist. "Honored One may call us Raven, if she so wishes." Raven rose from her bow and accepted the Powerline ticket. "This one will depart, unless she wishes otherwise?" Raven was still hopeful that she'd be asked to linger. Perhaps to cuddle beneath the stars? No, that was foolish, the red dragon had been quite clear. She was stupid to push it by asking again. Damn it. She'd ruined her chances at breakfast now.

Raven was reaching on the proper etiquette and formalisms they employed. It'd been a few hundred years, but if this form of address worked for the Divine Emperors of that era, surely it was appropriate to for a red dragon?

Character Name:Fa Mulan
Hero Name: Red Dragon
Date/Time:Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:22 PM
Location: Parking Garage next to the Powerline concert
Tagging: Raven and three goons

Mulan shook her head a little at the question of having Raven stay. The cops would be here soon, and Mulan didn't think Raven should be stuck here answering their questions. Even if these three were just booked and released, at least Raven would have been able to enjoy the concert.

"No, that's quite alright. The concert is just tonight and you shouldn't have to miss it by getting stuck answering questions from cops. These guys will probably be out in a few hours anyways. Go, go enjoy yourself."

As if on cue, the sound of sirens could be heard a few blocks away, coming towards the concert venue, just barely above the noise of the concert.

Mulan probably gets arrested for assault. Raven finds some play toys.

Character Name: Raven
Villian Name: Diablo
Date/Time: Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:21 PM
Location: Parking Garage next to the Powerline concert
Tagging: Mulan, Elsa?, Hercules?

Oh they would be out in a few hours. Raven would call one of the BFF attorneys as soon as she left. It wasn't a crime if there was no victim. It was hard to prove the goons had done anything with no witness around. Raven was torn at the thought of the police trying to arrest the red dragon. They would be justified in doing so. Last time she checked with her lawyer, it was illegal to beat the hell out of people and tie them up. It was illegal to carry bladed weapons longer than 5-inches, and the red dragon's sword was much larger than that. In fact as Raven thought the situation over, she was pretty sure the police would be required to arrest the red dragon if the red dragon was present when the police showed up. If the red dragon wasn't around when the police arrived, then the police would be obligated to release the goons. If the police didn't and arrested the goons without cause, then even a law student could win an Abuse of Power lawsuit against the city. Raven couldn't keep back another bout of caw-cawing giggles.

"If that is the Honored One's will." She bowed over her palms again and then accepted the ticket to the concert.

Raven crossed the upper deck to the stairwell. She looked back once more to lock away the picture of the red dragon in her mind. She would savor it this night. She was unable to smell the ample amounts of piss and vomit. She did step over them though.

Outside of the garage, she looked up at the red and blue lights projecting from the roof top. That must be the police. The sirens were very loud.

Raven melted into the throngs of humanity. She brush passed a man groping his girlfriend, snagging the dope's wallet. She extracted forty bucks from his wallet and dropped it on the ground. She kept walking. Forty bucks should do for tonight, so she didn't bother pick pocketing anyone else. However, it was hard to resist snagging the lollipop from one of the mobile merchants hawking their over priced wares to the masses. She could have paid with the two twenties in her pocket, but in one casual gesture, she swiped it instead.

She whistled a little ditty while she milled with the rest of the crowd pushing to get through security at the North Gate. Raven couldn't help but check out the statuesque blonde policewomen taking vantage of everyone. Raven's vision was sharp, so she had no problem reading "Elsa" on the women's badge. She didn't like the look of that women. In fact, Raven was pretty sure an "Elsa" had tried to arrest her a few times. Raven tilted her head to the sky, when was the last time? Perhaps it was during the massive venting of poisonous gas into the air at the refinery in New Jersey. Had it been a Herc Oils or a Blake Industries one? All the big oil companies were the same in her eyes. She'd stopped trying to tell them apart decades ago.

The venting had killed thousands of migrating sparrows. Of course, the police had protected the refinery from the protesters Bird Friends Forever, BFF, had shipped in from around the country. Venting gas was "legal" in certain conditions. That protest had resulted in a satisfying amount of destruction. Not the eye for an eye that she would have liked, but millions in damages was all those oil companies cared about anyway. Maybe it hadn't been this super model in a police outfit. She could be mistaken, humans all looked so much alike. Hells bells, she was afraid she might not be able to recognize the red dragon tomorrow morning. It wouldn't be the first time.

A raven flew by, dropping off the other two tickets. Raven snatched them out of the air.

"Hey girls," Raven said to two smoking hot blondes nearby. If Raven had to say, they were sorority sisters. In her experience, it wasn't common to find two twenty-something females with tan skin and bleach blonde hair, wearing tube tops and mini-skirts. At least, it wasn't common outside of the collegiate Greek System.

The pair turned as one and giggled like marionettes controlled by the same puppet master. "Us?" They looked Raven up and down. Their smiles widened.

"Yes, I have these extra tickets. I don't like being alone at concerts."

The girls bounded forward, taking up the tickets in their unnaturally bronze hands. "Oh my gosh!" One of them said. The other added, "No ways!" The girls hooked their arms around Raven's. "You aren't alone anymore," one of them said. The other licked her lips. Raven was good at spotting lesbians. In her experience, most sorority girls were willing to at least let you feel up their dresses in a crowded stadium. That was the downside, because Raven preferred not to be in control. Ah well.

The trio descended down to the second row and took their center stage seats behind one of the largest men Raven had ever seen. Raven didn't mind, she had sufficient entertainment on either side of herself. Listening to the concert was a bonus.

Character Name:Fa Mulan
Hero Name: Red Dragon
Date/Time:Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:22 PM
Location: Parking Garage next to the Powerline concert
Tagging: None

Once Raven left, Mulan breathed a sigh of relief. That had definitely been one of the more interesting encounters she had had with a rescued victim. Hearing the police siren echoing up through the parking garage, she climbed back onto the hiding place, the top of the enclosed stairwell. Laying down flat on her back, she listened to the police car come to a stop on the ramp.

Mushu was doing as he always did when Mulan left the baddies tied up and waiting for pickup, sit a few feet from them to let the cops see him for a few moments. He was part of how she got the nickname Red Dragon, she would call, and he would be there for the cops to see. The first few times she had done this, animal control would get called, but that was abandoned since Mushu always got away.

It took a couple of minutes for the goons to get thrown into the back of the squad car. After that, the two officers stood there talking for a few moments, hoping they would get a sight of her. However they left quickly to take the goons in, after which Mushu laid down beside Mulan.

Powerline Concert
Time/Date: Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:30 PM
Weather: Clear, starry sky and warm
Prominent Characters Mentioned: Ella Glass (FC: Katheryn Winnick), Pete, Goofy, and Powerline.
Player Characters Mentioned: N/A


The concert was alive with lights, strobes, and screaming fans. Powerline was on stage singing and dancing, and Ella was in her studio, copying his moves. The Ella fans were grooving in their chairs, some standing and swaying. They all started to clap their hands, cheering the talk show host on:

Go!

Go!

Go!

The entire stage went black when the song finished. The roaring crowd could be heard for a good mile down the road from the Crown Arena. When the stadium lights came back on, the synthesizer cued the next song, and the Powerline fans went even more ecstatic. Dancers started appearing on stage again, and in another flash of lightning, Powerline appeared wearing his trademark yellow cosmic suit.

YEAH! YEAAAH!

The music suddenly died and the lights shut off on stage, but the microphones were still working. Powerline’s voice slowly died into silence as he stared around at the dead stage. The dancers were looking just as lost. Figuring that the crew would try to fix the problem promptly, with quick thinking—because the show must go on—Powerline decided to make his hit song “Eye-to-Eye” a soft love song. He started walking down the runaway, unaided by music or any soundboard. With but the purity of his voice, he started to sing:

Got myself a notion.
One, I know that you’ll under-stand.
Set the world in motion,
By reaching out for each other’s hands…

Spreading his arms, he smiled as he saw lighters and cell phone screens coming out like stars as the crowd started to wave them.

“Uh oh!” said Ella. “It looks like the Crown Arena just had a technical difficulty!”

Maybe we’ll discover,
What we should’ve known all along,
Yeah…One way or another,
Together’s where we both beloo~ong…

The crowd started to sing along with him:

If we listen to each other’s hearts,
We’ll find we’re never too far apart,
And maybe, love is the reason why,
For the first time ever,
We’re seeing it eye to eye…

The microphone squealed, causing the crowd to groan and Powerline to wince as a deep bellowing voice sounded:

BOOOOOO!
You’re so persistent.
Sheesh, and here I thought the show was over.

The stadium screen flashed and distorted until the ugly mug of a pudgy black cat appeared. He grinned dastardly at Powerline with his hippo-like teeth.

“Mwuah-ha-ha-ha! Looks like the show’s over. I always hated your music. Your music is why my boy P.J. would never join me!” the cat growled.

Powerline arched a brow. “Pete?”

The cat had been wearing a black and toxic-green suit with an eye-mask. His pointy ears perked in startle when Powerline had deduced his secret identity so quickly.

“Uh, no! I am Techno Lord! The Master of Machines!” he announced.

Powerline crossed his arms before his chest and smirked. “You’re Pete. You kind of gave that away when you mentioned your son P.J. aka Pete Junior. He’s a loyal fan of mine.”

“NOT TODAY!” Techno Lord bellowed and ripping through the arena floor, causing several members of the crowd to flee were large, snake-like cables.

Powerline uncrossed his arms defensively and attempted to escape before the cables snagged him and started to coil tightly about him. The cables lifted the singer off the stage into the air and as they constricted further, Powerline could be seen baring his teeth in pain. He was about to be crushed!

Ella was watching in horror from her studio.

“No! Powerline! Somebody help him! What is going on here? Who is this evil Pete?” she exclaimed as she continued to provide commentary on the concert.

Hold it right ‘dere Pete, guhuk!

The cables stopped as Techno Lord stared stupidly at some bony hero who clanked onto the stage in a suit of armor. The silver clunky knight faced the big screen with a hand on his sword. He attempted to draw it, yanking the entire blade with the sheath still connected and removing the belt. CLANK! The knight’s pants struck the floor, revealing his bright pink undies with red hearts all over them.

“GWARSH!” the knight exclaimed.

Jumping in startle, the knight bent over to quickly jerk his pants up and secured the belt back on. He tried again, sssshk! The sword successfully came free as he directed its just blade at the screen. By then, Pete’s eyes were narrowed and bottom lip poked out in an expression that spoke for itself: You can’t be serious?

Powerline still captured looked at the knight and then closed his eyes, hanging his head in defeat.

“I’m doomed,” the singer thought.

“Oh! It looks like a hero has stepped on the stage!” Ella announced.

“Unhand Powerline!” the silver knight declared.

“…Is that you Goof?” Pete muttered.

The silver knight lowered his blade to nervously glance around. “N-no! It is I, the Silver Goof Knight!”

“You even put ‘Goof’ in your name. You’re also the only imbecile I know who goes Gu-huk! I’m giving you one chance to leave before Max loses a father.”

The silver knight tilted his head curiously. “Pete?”

The Techno Lord’s palm slammed into his forehead before he waved his hand. The stadium lights cut on and the bulbs popped as a spear of lightning shot out to strike the Goof Knight. His body flashed as he began contorting around in mid-air from the excruciating shock. The audience gasped in horror as they witnessed the knight’s skeleton flashing before the surge threw him into the air, sending him fading into the night sky like a smoking rocket.

YAAAAAAAAAHOO-HOO-HOO-HOOEY!

He winked out into the distance and the Techno Lord lowered his hand into a fist clenched in determination.

“BWUAH-HA-HA-HA! Crown Arena is now under the control of the Techno Lord. I will finally be able to exact my revenge on Powerline!”

“I didn’t do anything to you!” Powerline shouted.

“YOU BRAINWASHED MY SON!”

“He just likes my music!”

“SHUT UP! I hope you’re watching P.J. This is how your dreams really come true!”

Powerline felt the cables starting to constrict on him again. This was it. He was going to die.

“Oh no! Silver Goof Knight was vanquished by Techno Lord. Who will save Powerline? Who will save the Crown Arena?” Ella speculated.

Character Name: Donovan Blake
Hero Name: Maleficent
Date/Time:Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:31 PM
Location: Blake Tower
Tagging: None

He was busy scanning the production and sale figures when a faint sound caught his attention. A frown creased his brow just before a loud thud rattled the window of his office. As he looked up, it was to see the body of some sort of medieval knight plastered against the glass. Before his very eyes the body started to slide downwards, then lost all grip on the glass and toppled backwards.

Since when did human filth fly?

He got to his feet and walked to the window, looking down, his eyes adjusting enough to see a figure sprawled down on the road. Seems that humans could not fly after all.

"Mrs Jenkins!"

The door to his office opened almost immediately and the frightened Mrs Jenkins appeared. She became frightened when he cursed her cat four months hence. He motioned to the blood smeared window.

"Have that cleaned up will you? And tell any officer reporting that the man crashed into the building, the lack of glass pieces outside should tell them that."

She nodded and murmured her understanding.

"Oh and Mrs Jenkins..."

She paused like a deer caught in the headlights.

"You have not taken maternity leave. Why?"

She tried to stammer out a reply, but he cut her off.

"Take two weeks paid leave. Get your things sorted and come back for your normal shifts."

The bug-like eyes brought a grin to his lips, "I am not all bad Mrs Jenkins."

Again she tried to speak, but he held up a hand for silence, "In fact a gift for your daughter is in fact a good idea."

He returned to his seat and looked at the young woman. A beast like the rest of them. "She will grow up without a fuss, without illness. She will be loved and cared for where ever she go. She will be the perfect daughter in every way."

He turned a page and then looked up, "Oh you wanted more? Fine then. She will become a single mother at nineteen."

Mrs Jenkins fled for the door, his last words catching her at the door, "To triplets." He started laughing, his menacing laugh following her as she fled his office.

"Silly beast, she must be present for it to actually work." He scoffed at the closed door and turned to his work, quite unaware that baby Jenkins was asleep in the reception office just outside his own.

Character: Elsa
Hero Name: Snow Queen
Powerline Concert - North Entrance
Time/Date: Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:33 PM
Player Characters Mentioned: Powerline, Pete, Goofy

The sounds of screaming from the arena had Elsa turning from her spot, her hand automatically going towards her gun. She entered the arena again as the crowd scattered, Powerline lifting into the air as the cables that had been running across the stage started the crush him. What was going on, she thought to herself. Pushing her way through the running crowd was an uphill battle. It made getting to the stage that much harder.

Her eyes scanned the stage, taking in the scene as Goofy was launched from the arena with a distinct yell. What was there to shoot? Suddenly having a gun felt incredibly futile. There was something that she could do, but it wasn't the best idea.

"Out of the way!" She called out over the screams, pushing her way towards the stage where the wires and cables whipped back and forth violently.

Stripping off her leather gloves, she gripped them with her bare hands, freezing them to stop their movement and to try and save Powerline's life. She tried to be sly about it, hiding against the side of the stage as the cables began to frost over.

Powerline Concert
Time/Date: Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:30 PM
Weather: Clear, starry sky and warm
Prominent Characters Mentioned: Pete and Powerline.
Player Characters Mentioned: Elsa


The cables stopped and Powerline could feel them no longer trying to crush him. He heard a crackling noise as ice traveled up the lines and seemed to snap them before the ice even reached them.

“Woah!” the singer exclaimed as he struck the stage with a wince.

I’m free! he thought and hastily started squirming and kicking his way out of the coils.

“HUH!?” Thunk! “Argh!”

Pete screamed in pain after he had smacked his forehead against the screen. “That’s impossible! How did you escape?”

“DOH-EERRGGH!” he growled and shook in rage. “NO MATTER! Shows’ over folks! The Techno Lord has stolen the show!”

Dusting off his suit, Powerline righted and turned to Pete with a determined scowl. “I think not.”

Suddenly, the music returned to the stage, the lights and lasers started bobbing and firing over the heads of the lingering audience. Powerline started dancing down the runway as the crowd started to lose fear and gain courage.

If a wall should come between us,
Too high to climb—too hard to break through,
I know that love will lead us,
And find a way to bring me to you…

Pete snarled and bore his hippo teeth in anger. Thrusting out his hand, the stage exploded as a hydra of flashing, electrical cables started dangerously whipping about. Some cables lashed out at the crowd nearly electrocuting those too slow to run out of their way, and the lasers turned from blue to red and began sending cutting beams through the stage floor as they pursued Powerline.

The singer didn’t once stop dancing or singing as he continued down the runway away from the stage. He knew that he hadn’t escaped himself. There were heroes out there in the audience, he had faith that they would show themselves and help him. The crowd started to move away from the stage and only when they were at a safe distance that they turned to watch the battle. It was making Powerline look brave. As though he was fighting the villain with his uplifting music.

So don’t be in a hurry,
Think before you count us out..Oooh,
You don’t have to worry,
I don’t ever let you down…

Raven jumped onto the stage.

Character: Raven
Hero Name: Diablo
Powerline Concert - The Stage
Time/Date: Evening, March 18, 2016, 9:33 PM
Player Characters Mentioned: Powerline, Pete, Elsa, Mulan


Raven was reclined in her seat with her feet kicked up. She enjoyed watching Powerline dodge around the cutting laser beams and the mass of wriggling electrocuting cords. She didn't have much of an opinion about Powerline either way, although she had a lingering sense of annoyance that Techno Lord had not only interrupted her fun with the Britney's but that the power being consumed would no doubt double or quadruple the amount of pollution being generated tonight. Crown City had only one way to adapt to surges in power thanks to the energy companies, and that was to fire up the coal plants. Raven frowned as that thought played around among her disparate consciousness. She might have remained so, content to watch the demise of Powerline if her cellphone hadn't run.

Raven glanced at the contraption for a moment, surprised that she even had it with her. She shrugged and answered it.

Yeppa started talking the instant Raven flicked her phone open. "Oh my god you gotta save P-line! Like Arriba Arriba Andale Arriba!"

Raven frowned some more, her black face smooshing up like a wad of paper. "Huh?"

"It's Powerline!"

"Yup."

"He's like one of our biggest donors!"

Yeppa was always so excitable that Raven was tempted to ignore her, like Raven was won't to do. However, Raven replayed those words once more. "Him? He's a dog, isn't he?"

"YES! HIM!"

"Why?"

"I don't know why! 'cause he's a star? They all love the environment. I don't know. But if he dies we lose big. He's supposed to sing at our next fund raiser."

Raven ran a hand through her hair, then she shrugged. "Okay, if your sure about this."

"I am! I am! C'mon hurry. Oh my god no!"

Raven raised an eyebrow as a red laser sliced a chunk of Powerline's baggy pants off. Raven was even more surprised to see that a chunk of Powerline's leg hadn't followed suit. He was a great dancer. That much couldn't be disputed. Raven chucked the phone aside. She'd get a new burner later, and Yeppa's shrill voice was starting to annoy Raven.

Raven jumped up until she was perched on the back of the chair. She raised her hands as she caught a disjunction in reality. She plunged her hands through the small warp and withdrew her keysword. Fenrir was dark and angry in her hands. The tip of the sword blossomed into blackness. Raven cut through the air, leaving wisping trails of light devouring night. Her legs bunched. She dove onto the stage, rolled once and then plunged the length of Fenrir into the stage. "Mother Night! Fold your dark arms about me. Protect me in your black embrace. I sit alone, an impotent exile, whilst this form, this presence, returns to torment me!" Raven spread her arms wide and gestured at all the light being emitted by the lasers and the electrical wires and the Jumbotron. "I require the solace of the shadows and the dark of the night. Light is my destroyer! Protect me!"

Raven's hands dropped back to the sword's hilt, twisting it in the stage and unlocking the darkness. If her grasp of the arcane was still there, the stage should be completely enveloped in the dark of the darkest night. Since lasers were just light, and even electricity was just electrons moving and emitting light, maybe this'd work. Worst case, it made it harder for Pete to target Powerline and perhaps she could whisk him away in the confusion.

As she waited to see if her first spell in five years worked the way the old man had taught her her, Raven called to her motorcycle. Summoning it to her. Maybe if she was lucky the red dragon would ride it in and take her up on her offer of hanging out at the concert. Maybe Powerline could join them for some noodle soup afterwards.