Log:Nuclear Head Cold

2013/05/16 	 Cobalt Queen Bee|Rashmika Regan 1

''The smell of fresh coffee is the first thing that assails you. The next is the very old style. It seems the owner has gone for the Edwardian style from early last century. Lots of imitation wood panelling and prints of old English countryside. There are many partitions between the tables, affording some privacy and the sound seems hushed in the room, this has been achieved mainly through very good design, which muffles sounds. At the counter service is quite quick and cheery, conveying a welcoming and friendly attitude. The menu boasts the fact that for a little extra real coffee is served along with light hot and cold meals and snacks. All in all a pleasant place to pass a bit of time. ''

Jeremy lifts his head with a soft groan, which seems out of character for the guy. He lifts his hands up to catch his forehead at the temples and plant his elbows down to support the weight of what must feel like a gargantuan head judging by the reaction. He opens his blue rimmed eyes, "What's up Regan?" He asks, glowing neon blue veins of energy running through his eyes in what accounts for 'bloodshot' for him.

Cobalt 

''Blue. It's the first thing that probably comes to mind when first seeing this tall young man. Both his skin and his hair are different shades of blue. His hair is the darker of the two, so blue as to appear almost black while his skin is a lighter cobalt blue. Once past the blue however he is an attractive man with short hair styled in an urban business cut, swept back from his face, and out of his eyes. His features show a slavic ancestry if he were caucasian, classic square jaw, high cheekbones, and a straight nose over expressive lips. He's taken to allowing his facial hair to grow out into a neatly trimmed and styled 'warriors' beard running along the line of his jaw and into a goatee and mustache. ''

Standing at 6'1" tall with a broad shouldered and well muscled frame he is definitely not the scrawny nerd type, he's grown thicker over the past few months, no longer lean but adding in some well defined muscle mass giving him a more traditional hero's build. Like many meta's he's wearing a fairly skin tight outfit. The costume is of nearly one piece design, sleeveless with a muscle shirt top. Primarily black and dark blue it leaves little to the imagination enhancing his impressive physique by hugging every contour. Breaking up the black is blue darker than his skin trimmed in yellow in angular design over his lower sides and stomach. The costume leaves his arms bare but short black gloves cover his hands. 

''From the waist down the costume is baggy and billowy over skin tight thankfully and is tucked into a pair of knee high boots with hard soles and angular shapes. ''

Regan watches the sluggish teen hoist himself upward. She locks eyes with him and speaks clearly but softly. "You're unwell, it is possible you need treatment, even if you don't think that's necessary I would urge you to considerwhat might happen if you had a siezure in a public place." Her brows lift fractionally. "I'm going to get us some transport to take us somewhere where you can get some rest and some expert treatment, ok?"

Regan 

''Lustrous jet black hair is cut into a stylish bob, highlights of royal blue subtly shimmering as she moves, bouncing softly on her cheeks. Her skin is the colour of mist-veiled moonlight, pale and ethereal over a round, intelligent face still flush with the strength and promise of youth. High, full cheeks and soft, expressive lips hint at both the dazzling intensity of her smile and the dark and dangerous thunderclap of her temper, hovering for the moment somewhere in between. Above a fine, slightly upturned nose slate-grey eyes glitter mildly as they take in her surroundings. At 5'5" she is compactly built rather than statuesque, but her posture and bearing carry the languid, self-assurance and poise of an accomplished athlete. ''

''A magenta linen tunic drapes loosely around her form, clasped at her slender waist by a black patent leather belt. It is intricately patterned with a network of midnight black tendrils and though rather loose seems carefully tailored. It flares slightly over her hips to stop mid-thigh, its sleeves coming to a few inches above her wrists, and is very loose around the neck, occasionally threatening to fall from her shoulder. ''

''A black skirt of some heavy fabric falls to mid-calf where it meets the top of a pair of black satin and leather boots. The skirt's piping and pleats are of an eye-catching scarlet silk that shimmers with every graceful movement. She wears a minimum of makeup, a pair of black opal earstuds, an intricately worked necklace of amber, and a gold bangle on her left wrist. ''

And of course, Ally went inside the shop to grab a new espresso. She got totally distracted by a headline in the tech news, and was absorbed in reading the story. She snorts as she finally comes outside, sipping her coffee as she mutters, "I totally should've patented that thing. Damnit."

Allison 

''Standing at five foot seven inches tall, this young lady has a shining mass of reddish-gold hair that hangs down to her shoulders most times. She isn't a supermodel, but nobody would really call her ugly. Her face shows a small mass of freckles on her cheeks and up to the cheekbones and a slender neck leading to a trunk that shows she takes care of herself most times. She moves with a lithe grace and has a definite athletic muscle tone, like someone who plays soccer or swims a lot or perhaps both. Overall, she's a somewhat pretty girl in her mid to late teens who still has a bit of growing to do. ''

''Today she's not dressed for the dance floor so much as the factory floor. This girl doesn't seem to understand the meaning of the term 'dress up'. Her top is a simple teeshirt that conforms to her toned form well enough. It's navy blue in color with a small logo over her left breast. The shirt ends just above her waistline where a belt fastens to help hold up a pair of loose fitting bluejeans. The jeans have been lived in and show wear and tear on the knees. There's even a chain with a clasp hooked to one beltloop while the other end of the chain goes into her left rear pocket. The bulge of a wallet in there gives some indication as to what that chain is attached to. A pair of canvas converse hi-top sneakers fasten up on her feet. They appear to have been white at some point. But that was before she got her hands on them and her feet in them. Now they appear to be roughly off-white... as off as it gets. The overall appearance is casual and comfortable. Though she is a bit of a technophile, with the latest model smartphone in a holster attached to her belt and a high tech wristwatch on her left wrist. ''

"Haven't felt right for a while..." Cobalt says as he rubs his face with his hands, rubbing at his eyes with the heels of his palms. "I'll be fine. Whatever it is, will go away, I regenerate. Besides I'm not epileptic... Not going to have a seizure..."

Rashmika steps in the coffee shop and pauses to look around, adjusting her new yellow sunglasses. 'Blue. That's new,' she thinks silently.

Porter glances over at Regan and Cobalt. He's not sure how bad whatever is, or could be. That Regan seems concerned is a bad sign as far as he knows, though. For now, he's content to just nurse his coffe once it's cool enough. That and look around as others come and go.

Porter 

''This young man is several inches under six feet with an average build. Brown hair is cut in a short but current style and coffee eyes are bright yet generally unremarkable. As a whole, he could probably be overlooked in a crowd fairly easily. ''

''His clothes are fairly common, with comfortable jeans, name-brand sneakers, and a tee that varies by mood. Most common are popular bands or catchy quotes. When it's cold or wet outside, he covers up with a jacket. ''

Regan's lips compress into a slightly exasperated smile and she nods. "I understand that you are a fiercely independent young man but this is bigger than you. You shuddered just a minute ago, that wasn't a voluntary muscular reaction, that was the body reacting on a physiological level."

"That was because I have a migraine that won't quit." Cobalt says and rests his head back down on his forearms, folding them onto the table again, "It just keeps getting worse..." He mumbles then he sits up and scowls, "Even if you're right Regan, and this is more than a massive headache, the last place I need to be is around sick people whom I could hurt accidentally if something weird happened."

Rashmika tsks and interjects, "It is so much better to hurt healthy ones, right? You are assuming trained medical personnel can do nothing. I doubt you are the first meta they have seen."

Cobalt looks at Rashmika, "You have no idea how my powers work... When I let energy out the strain of keeping it contained and reigning it in is what tires me out. If I go critical... I need to be where I can get into orbit as fast as I possibly can." He shakes his head and then rests his forehead back down on his arms with a thump and a wince.

Regan looks to Rashmika and blinks slowly. For a moment she says nothing before bringing up the holographic menu. "Would you like anything?" She asks the teen opposite her.

"No." Jeremy's muffled response comes from his arms. "Thank you." Weakly follows, still muffled and then for all appearances the blue skinned teen stops breathing. Because he does, stop breathing. Not that he needs to except to talk but still it's pretty unnerving for those not used to it.

Rashmika nods, "Is that the feeling you are getting now? I assume you have other options - safer ones - for releasing energy than 'going critical' ... a way to 'ground yourself', to use an electrical analogy. "

Regan places her order via the menu with a series of deft sweeps of her hand. "I am certain that if Jeremy considered that even a remote possibility he would have already taken precautions, the fact that he's here means that he is very confident that is not an imminent threat."

Jeremy can apparently hear just fine, he lifts his head to look at Rashmika through his glowing blue 'bloodshot' eyes, "Who /are/ you lady?" He asks somewhat incredulously. He straightens up, looking at Regan for a second then back, "What's your name? Are you like, random meta health inspector girl? Is that your super power?" HE closes his eyes and rubs his temples briefly before he stands up, wobbly, and plants his hands on the table to steady himself.

Rashmika says, "No. Just an innocent corpse in your path if you are wrong. One of the people that gets hurt every time a meta goes 'oops'."

Regan looks from Cobalt to Rashmika and back again, her lips pursed slightly. She blinks at Rashmika's response and sits back in her seat inside the booth. Her shoulders rise as she inhales deeply and then softly exhales before her lips curl into a strained smile. "Jeremy, please allow me to respond on your behalf." She looks to the suited young woman. "How would you prefer that I address you miss?" She watches Jeremy lurch out and launch himself unsteadily into the sky.

Rashmika sighs and pinches her nose, letting out a deep breath and only then allowing herself to tremble with pent-up stress. "How much of what he said was accurate? Is he flying off into orbit so he doesn't 'go critical'?"

Regan says, "He's leaving because he feels very unwell, and he isn't really in the mood to deal with confrontation. You haven't met him, you don't know him. So it was not perhaps very prudent to confront him when you had the option of leaving his vicinity if you were genuinely concerned."

Rashmika says, "He said he was only safe in orbit. I assumed a block or two wouldn't cut it. Is he nuclear?"

Regan says, "No, he is not radioactive, but he does wield immense quantities of power. that being said his physionomy is unique and the person with the most experience of containing and manipulating that power is him." She shrugs. "It is therefore very difficult to demonstrate that his judgement should in any way be second guessed.""

Rashmika says, "But *you* were telling him he needed treatment and possibly wasn't the best judge of his condition right now."

Regan says, "Yes, I was, and I agree that he does, but I know him and I know how resistant he is to manipulation, if he does not respond to gentle suggestion, pushing the issue is only going to aggravate him." She nods toward the door. "Which it did, and which I could have told you would happen ahead of time. Regardless, I don;t think he needs to be unduly agitated when he's in this state.""

Rashmika says, "What does he do when aggravated? Does he need to be restrained?"

Regan says, "When aggravated he storms off in a huff. When angry at an individual he will often attempt something spectacular but appropriate. Being ill I expect him to fly off and collapse and feel unwell. Which I would have liked to avoid but such is life."

Rashmika says, "Oh. The way he was talking, it sounded more serious."

Regan says, "Well, he was assuaging my concerns. I voiced my concern, he responded to them. Now he has lived with these powers for many years, so how they work and how they are best controlled is something he has lived with all that time. So whatever my concerns his judgement has so far proven trustworthy and not something i would lightly second guess." She gestures with an open hand. "I made a suggestion, he asserted his own, direct confrontation was avoided." She then looks at Rashmika. "For a moment or two at least. Now I can understand that you intervened in good faith, but I don't know you, he doesn't know you. So I have to ask on what basis you concluded you had a better grasp on the situation than either of us."

Rashmika says, "I don't have a grasp of the situation, I thought I was supporting you."

Rashmika says, "... and perhaps saving my own skin if what he said about orbit was right."

Regan's brows lift slightly. "Then thank you, your intention was laudible. As it turns out however I have fought WolfGuard assassins and interdimensional terrors, I have beaten the monster Thog into unconsciousness and I can fight Cobalt to a standstill in open terrain, and tear him apart in a confined space." She speaks with a cultured English accent. "I know very well what I'm doing and I rarely need people to take up my fights for me."

Rashmika's eyes go wide. "So what he said about only being safe in orbit was all bluster? He couldn't have flattened the city?"

Regan blinks slowly. "Yes and no. Given enough time and no interference he could easily devastate a city. But he is not that sort of person, in an instantaneous release of energy he might devastate a building or destroy a bus. But again, if there were an imminent possibility that that might happen he would be more aware of it than we would. His illness may have impaired his judgement, that is true, but given his lassitude and enfeeblement it is not likely that he poses a significant threat at this point. Would I prefer him to be under supervision? Yes, but not enough to pick what I know will turn into a fight."

Rashmika says, "Low earth orbit is 2,000 kilometers and a twenty kiloton nuclear explosion only causes first degree burns out to 60 kilometers. For low earth orbit to be the only safe place, would mean that he was capable of generating an explosion of ..." She pauses to calculate a moment, then giggles, "I guess he had to have been exaggerating, by a lot." then a worried frown crosses her face, "Right?"

Regan says, "Low Earth orbit ends at two thousand kilometres. There are plenty of satellites in orbits of a few hundreds of kilometres which is still inside the atmosphere, but considered orbital. He would be safe at an altitude of a few hundred metres I think. He just likes to use the orbital thing whenever he can. I'm not sure you want to be attaching too much significance to literal interpretations to what was a non-technical discussion.""

Rashmika says, "Sorry. I've spent the last week reviewing technical specifications for force field belts. Recharging ablative resistance versus multiple field array systems, etcetera. I'm up to my eyeballs in techno-babble sales-speak. The week before that was flight rigs. My nightmares are starting to prominently feature tech manuals."

Regan nods slowly. "Well, if Cobalt recovers you can apologize to him in person. I have had some migraines in my time and they really put you in a bad place for dealing with any sort of confrontation."

Rashmika says, "I will. Thank you. My name is Rashmika Ghandi, by the way."

Regan inclines her head. "And I am Regan Scorby, or Gemma Campbell or Obsidian Butterfly, whichever you find more convenient."

Rashmika smiles warmly, "Which do *you* prefer?"

Regan's shoulders lift in a supple shrug. "I am most used to being called Regan at this point."

Rashmika nods, "Then Regan it is. Sorry for the panic attack earlier. I'm still getting used to all this. We had metas in India, of course, but not in the population density and power levels that you have here."

Regan nods once again. "It takes some getting used to." She concedes. "But I think that the more established of us have earned the right for people to respect our judgement. I've defused nuclear weapons in the heart of the city. I'm not likely to let Cobalt undo all my good work."

Rashmika says, "I and about a dozen other women all came here with my manager, the superhero Queen Bee, from Dehli. At the time, Bee thought a grapple gun, some trick boomerangs, flash bangs and a bullet resistant costume would be sufficient. The force field belt etcetera is part of a major upgrade."

Regan inclines her head. "Yes, a very wise precaution, there has been considerable upgrade in the level of firepower being thrown around the city."

Rashmika nods, "I worry for the rest of us. The company doesn't have enough money to armor the dozen people that came over with me from India, let alone the hundred plus people that work at Hive, Inc now."

Regan blinks. "I've heard the name before but I have been out of the city for some time on UEMS service. What is it that Hive does?"

Rashmika says, "It is essentially a temp agency. We find people passionate about the work that they do and find them employment with companies that are interested in more than a body filling a chair."

Regan inclines her head. "That doesn't sound like it would necessarily involve a lot of combat situations."

Rashmika nods, "It shouldn't, but since we've been here we had an employee visiting a bank during a robbery, three muggings, one get attacked by giant ants on the beach, and one get his car stepped on by a giant kitten."

Regan nods. "Well, yes, it isn't what one might describe as the safest of urban environments and natives of the Bay area adjust their social activities and transport to minimize exposure. I don't think that body armour is necessarily appropriate."

Rashmika says, "I'm sure we would all love to learn that trick. Is there any chance I could talk you into teaching a class?"

Regan's shoulders lift in another shrug. "Certainly, I offer courses in self defence and personal safety at the gymnasium opposite." She nods in the direction of Steel's Gym.

Rashmika gets Regan's contact into and hands Regan one of her cards. "Thank you. I'll be in touch once I get Queen Bee's approval. (OOC: I can't see this class being very fun for you to role-play "on camera", but imagine it would be fun to read if you wanted to write up a few suggestions for non-native normals living in Colonial Bay.)