Gidget
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Post by Gidget on Sept 19, 2021 15:45:27 GMT
Nighttime in Telluride could be scary. There were multiple groups of people milling about this way and that, all with nefarious purposes. The gangs filled the streets, the addicts searched for their next fix, and the deeper you went into the streets, the more of both you would see.
Gidget knew better than to go out at night. She knew she should stay home. However, her inquisitive mind wouldn't let her rest. She had gone to see the burnt out building with her own two eyes. It hadn't yielded much information for her, but at least she knew where to start.
On her walk home, her violet eyes were filled with strange red lines as she read article after article about the explosion. She even managed to get into the 911 logs and see what people had said when they called in. She didn't notice the people as they moved towards her, and she definitely didn't see the strange red ribbon they all wore around their wrists.
"What have we got here?"
When she looked up and mouthed off, she realized what a bad idea it was. Three men, all fueled on rage and some kind of substance... she had no way to outrun them. When one finally got his arm around her, she leaned down and bit him as hard as she could.
"Hey!" He yelped, dropping her. She hit the ground hard, and was immediately back on her feet and sprinting as fast as her little body could take her. "Get the fuck back here!"
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Post by WR Harthe on Sept 19, 2021 16:02:13 GMT
They spent most of their nights stargazing on whatever rooftop they could manage, if there was no gig or race to attend, which seemed to grow scarcer as the weeks went by. From so high up, they could ponder, sing and scream to their heart's content, and watch the city down below. They were an eagle of sorts, a vigilante the city didn't ask for.
Tonight, their head was empty. Their only thoughts were passing reflections of the past, and how that past was going to shape their future. They had honored their commitments: The band, even without Andre, straightening gang affairs, and of course, protecting this shithole of a city they called home. They were about to pick up another song when they heard the yelling and miscellaneous noises from below. Someone was in trouble.
Like a shadow in the night, WR leaped from the rooftop, landing on all four completely catlike, right between Gidget and the thugs. In an instant, their whole body was engulfed in flames, and they snarled at the men, barring their teeth.
"Beat it, clowns, unless you wanna learn the hard way you shouldn't play with fire."
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Gidget
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Post by Gidget on Sept 19, 2021 16:29:41 GMT
Gidget jumped, startled, as someone - or something - landed right behind her. It caused her to lose her balance and to tumbling to the ground again. Her arms and knees were already starting to bruise. Hissing, she crept behind a nearby trash can, and peered around it to watch what was happening.
"Get outta here, kid," one of them hissed. The others seemed more than willing to stay back. "This here's official business." He stepped up towards WR and growled, narrowing his eyes and holding up two fists. He seemed unbothered by the fire. "Stop hiding behind dem flames, pipsqueak. Fight me man on man if you wanna interrupt."
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Post by WR Harthe on Sept 19, 2021 16:54:35 GMT
"How 'bout you take a fucking hike and stop preying on people like a fucking pussy," they hissed back, confidently popping the collar of their bomber. "You wanna dance, I'll give you one!" They howled, before slinging a ball of fire right into his face! They would follow it up with a swift punch to the stomach, preemptively sidestepping to break away from any retaliation. Abilities:
Primary Ability - Conflagration ;; WR channels heat to a desired portion of their body and can choose to set it ablaze, enhancing their spiritual prowess and unlocking the rest of this skill set. For as long as part of them is engulfed in flames, they can manipulate any and all fire, regardless of the source. Damaging effects scale with 100% SPR, increased to 150% against Seared targets. Additionally, they are completely immune to fire damage.
DMG: 10 (Physical), 20 (Spirit)
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Gidget
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Posts: 608
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Post by Gidget on Sept 19, 2021 18:00:22 GMT
The man cracked a wicked sort of smile, stepping to one side to avoid the fireball that was aimed for his face. He took the punch, however, and as WR's fist would connect, it would almost be like hitting jelly. It wiggled and bounced, absorbing the majority of the blow. He seemed unbothered by it at all as he reached out, grabbing hold of their arm. "Whoopsie," he hissed, holding tight to them before yanking in an attempt to throw them over his shoulder and into the ground. Gidget winced at that, and started to work. She immediately pulled up the AI security website. She wasn't able to focus in such a quick situation, but she had to do SOMETHING. Without a name, it would take her just a bit more time. "Keep him busy! Just a little longer!" She called out to WR. Thug: Jelly Bean: The thug is able to turn his body into a gelatinous mass, absorbing 90% of physical impact damage.
Gidget: Brain Chip: Gidget has an implanted chip in her brain that allows her to access the internet in her own mind. She can Google information, access and monitor her bodily functions with a fit-bit setting, track signals, and send messages to people's phones or emails. If something has a signal, she can connect to it, thus pinning her Intelligence score, multiplied by a d6 roll, against it in order to hack into enemy programs, robots, AI, or security. Roll: 4 Score: 180
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Post by WR Harthe on Sept 19, 2021 18:15:15 GMT
They went wide-eyed as their fist sunk into the gelatinous mass, and they looked up at him with an "oh shit" sort of expression. That was... unexpected, to say the least. Expecting failure, they attempted to tug away, only to instinctively loosen up as he pulled them over his shoulder. At least this way, the impact wouldn't hurt as much. Hitting the ground with a grunt, they immediately rolled to their feet, snarling like a rabid dog. Gremlin's voice rang in their ears, and they knew what they needed to do. No wonder he taunted them into hand-to-hand. Good thing they were equipped for ranged combat. "That CANNOT be healthy. You really should consider that hike," they snickered, taking a few steps back to match any he made. They, again, slung a ball of fire, this one aimed for his "package", or in his case, probably lack thereof. Primary Ability - Conflagration ;; WR channels heat to a desired portion of their body and can choose to set it ablaze, enhancing their spiritual prowess and unlocking the rest of this skill set. For as long as part of them is engulfed in flames, they can manipulate any and all fire, regardless of the source. Damaging effects scale with 100% SPR, increased to 150% against Seared targets. Additionally, they are completely immune to fire damage.
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Gidget
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Post by Gidget on Sept 19, 2021 20:12:17 GMT
Gidget searched through the database as quickly as she could, looking for any sort of information that she could find that matched his ability set. Eventually, she found him: his name, his picture, and a description of his abilities. WR was already able to tell that physical damage wouldn't work, so that wasn't going to help. Then, it struck her.
She had to hope that the thug was too busy dodging (which he was) to hear her.
"Hey, human torch! Grab him! And then flame on!"
The thug shifted his rather massive weight in order to avoid WR's attack, but it took most of his concentration. Still, he grinned from ear to ear and stared the kid down, slapping his hands together.
"Come on! Hit me!" He shouted, completely unaware of Gidget or her advice.
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Post by WR Harthe on Sept 19, 2021 20:24:57 GMT
They raised an eyebrow at Gremlin's advice, maintaining proper distance away from the thug while he recovered from their attack. Yeah, that made sense. Heat was a natural enemy to gelatin, and in that moment they wondered if he was more Jell-O than flesh. Giving a shrug of their shoulders, they slung yet another ball of fire into his face, with the goal of blinding him. Then, they charged, and slammed their fist as hard as they could into his gut, wrapping their free hand around his arm. Looking up at him, they grinned. "Harder, daddy?" They teased in a super feminine tone, tilting their head to one side and fluttering their lashes. Then, with everything they had, they ignited, letting intense heat course through their body, focusing on their arms. Primary Ability - Conflagration ;; WR channels heat to a desired portion of their body and can choose to set it ablaze, enhancing their spiritual prowess and unlocking the rest of this skill set. For as long as part of them is engulfed in flames, they can manipulate any and all fire, regardless of the source. Damaging effects scale with 100% SPR, increased to 150% against Seared targets. Additionally, they are completely immune to fire damage.
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Gidget
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Posts: 608
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Post by Gidget on Sept 20, 2021 3:24:26 GMT
The blinding worked. The man stepped back in an effort to try to get out of the way and threw both of his arms up, as if to defend himself. It gave WR the perfect opportunity to grab him and set themself on fire.
The thug screamed, unable to defend himself against the attack. He threw himself back and away from WR, landing on the ground with a thud and rolling around to try to extinguish the flames. His buddies immediately ran up to him to try to help.
"Yo! Blaze! Come on! This way!" Gidget called, stepping out of her hiding place to wave at them.
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Post by WR Harthe on Sept 20, 2021 17:55:17 GMT
WR crossed their arms over their chest and stared, casting a smug smile over the thugs. At Gremlin's command, they walked over to her, slipping their hands back into their pockets.
"You good?" They asked, raising an eyebrow.
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Gidget
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Post by Gidget on Sept 20, 2021 18:59:31 GMT
She reached out to grab their sleeve, giving them a slight tug to follow her. She knew the others would be focused on their friend, but she didn't want to take any chances.
"Let's get out of here... I'll buy you coffee or something. Before the rest of them come."
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Post by WR Harthe on Sept 20, 2021 20:11:18 GMT
WR shrugged, allowing her to tug them along. They gladly would have stayed behind to beat the fuck out of the other two, but... It was probably for the better. They didn't need to risk another gang war...without their gang.
They didn't say anything, opting to instead turn their gaze to the stars as they walked. Well, "stars". The smog was so thick in some places that you couldn't even see the sky sometimes.
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Gidget
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Posts: 608
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Post by Gidget on Sept 21, 2021 0:41:47 GMT
Once they made their way through the back alleys and back towards the main road, Gidget seemed to relax. She dropped their sleeve and slipped her hands into the pockets of her hoodie.
"Do you usually attack random gang members?"
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Post by WR Harthe on Sept 21, 2021 1:04:10 GMT
WR shrugged, turning their gaze to her.
"Depends. If they're fuckin' up their own lives, whatever. If they're fuckin' with someone else's, yeah."
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Gidget
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Post by Gidget on Sept 21, 2021 4:14:23 GMT
She snickered and gave a shake of her head.
"I don't know if that is the bravest thing I've heard... or the dumbest. Those were Droog wanna-be's... and I wouldn't suggest fucking with the Droogs."
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Post by WR Harthe on Sept 21, 2021 5:12:34 GMT
"Oh, it's fuckin' retarded," they snickered, "But I'm not gonna let these rejects run around thinkin' they own this place, ya know? Some of 'em are harmless, some dangerous and stupid, some dangerous and... well, not stupid, and wannabes. Then you got the evil ones that are actually worth a damn. Takara, TFK, Ravagers, Wolves, Doli's, and, yeah... Droogs."
They sighed, giving a slow shake of their head, and running their hands through their hair, before folding their arms over their chest. "City's fucking chaotic, man."
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Gidget
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Post by Gidget on Sept 21, 2021 15:19:17 GMT
She fell silent for a moment. She hadn’t expected this little nobody to know all of the major gangs in the city, but maybe she shouldn’t be so surprised. She reached up and gently rubbed her fingers along her forehead, lost in thought. She knew people were itching to join the Droogs, and she had seen those little red strings on all of the initiate wanna-be’s. It was their way of catching Snake’s attention. But she wasn’t totally sure if it worked.
“Yeah....” she murmured softly. “Yeah, it is.”
She glanced over at WR and gave a shrug of her shoulders. “A whole bunch of villains running around. Not nearly enough heroes. Seems like the bad guys are winning, these days...”
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Post by WR Harthe on Sept 21, 2021 16:47:35 GMT
"Ya know, it's kinda funny. Andre used to say the same," they said with a reminiscent smile, "Said in order to inspire heroes, you need to be a hero. He had this vision of unity, through like, art and passion. Said you could inspire anyone if you reach far enough for their soul."
They shook their head, turning their gaze back to the sky. "Honestly, dunno if I believe that or not, but it never stopped him from trying. Any of us, really."
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Gidget
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Post by Gidget on Sept 21, 2021 16:54:38 GMT
Andre. She couldn’t remember if they had said his name before, but it was easy enough to figure out who they were talking about. The friend who had died for them. She meshed her teeth together and stared at the alley ahead of them. Not too much further, and it would open up into the street. The mere thought of being around that many people was enough to cause her anxiety and stress, but she had years of practice not showing it.
“Sounds like a good guy,” she murmured. The closer they got to the city proper, the quieter her voice became, but she hadn’t yet checked out of the conversation. “World needs more people like that.”
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Post by WR Harthe on Sept 21, 2021 17:02:46 GMT
They stuck close enough to the boychild, but didn't seem to mind the circumstances too much. This was their life, after all. Navigating shadows and playing games with punks was just another Tuesday.
At her comment, they scoffed a slight smile. "Yeah," they murmured, "Yeah, it does..."
Unfortunately, what was left of their band, their crew, was unwilling to reunite. Those who didn't straight up leave the city were in hiding. Part of them resented them for it, part of them didn't. Regardless, it made their mission a LOT harder than it needed to be.
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