Log:A Bottle of Spirit, Scene 1

A Bottle of Spirit 2021/07/02 	 Bob Epsilon Firefly Magda Moonshadow Natasha 1

It's gone 11pm on a overcast midweek night in Old Town, and this part of town is mostly getting quiet. Or it was until an alarm sounded!

Moonshadow is returning home after a workout at the Gym, when she hears the alarm. She invokes the Lunar Eclipse, vanishing from sight, and swoops down to investigate.

Firefly was getting ready to bed down in her shoebox apartment, which is literally a shoebox on a rooftop with some tiny toy beds. The alarm jolts her just as she takes off her helmet. She sighs and plunks it back on and flies out, heading toward the alarm.

Bob wanders the streets, stopping from time to time to check out any window displays. He doesn't seem to have a destination in mind.

Gideon Knight couldn't sleep. He doesn't normally suffer from sleepless nights but after all the old tricks didn't work, he decided to go for a run.

Of course being a genius inventor & avid power suit enthusist no late night run is a lap around a well lit park. Instead we find him suited up as Epsilon and crusing down the empty late night streets at an easy 72kmph (45mph)- at least until he picks up the alarm on his communications systems.

He accelerates towards the disturbance.

Magda has taken to the evening air in order to clear her head; getting back in touch with the world after deeply exploring its intricacies is a good thing to do. Floating on the planetary magnetic field, she drifts toward the sound of the alarm.

Epsilon skids to a halt in front of the shop and looks at the door curiously.

"That seems like a loud way to get in- efficency be damned." He notes as he vanishes and teleports to the otherside of the door with a moment's focus.

"Hello- I am a well armed & heavily armored metahuman. You don't want any more trouble than you've already gotten yourself in- so come out with your hands up, please." He says with his metallic timbre.

Bob watches the armored hero who he vaguely recognizes stop at the jewelry store door then disappear. He grunts in a questioning way then slowly makes his way towards the shop. Along the way, he keeps an eye out for something to grab to use as a club.

Moonshadow lands and steps Astride the Boundary (desolid), passing through the wall into the store. She remains invisible for the moment.

There's enough light to catch a reflection off the metallic orange scales of the intruder - and some of the jewellery she's carrying - as she breathes in the direction of the person who challenged her.

Firefly swoops down toward the shop as she sees Epsilon teleport and disappear. She's left stuck outside, lest she breaks in, so she pulls up to a hover and looks to Bob. "I...guess I wait until they come out?" she asks uncertainly to the person she's run into once or twice at Sentries.

Bob shrugs to Epsilon as he tests how well the parking meter in front of the store is bolted down. With a metallic ping, the bolts holding it down break free. Bob gets a look of dull surprise on his face, then just leans on it like it's a heavy metal cane.

Epsilon shield shis faceplate with his more heavily armored forearms at the last second expecting - well not expecting to be covered in sticky magic bubblegum.

"OK- that could have gone better." He admits. "Good thing its just you and me." He adds, perhaps a bit too soon.

A slight frown crosses Magda's face, and she closes with the store front. "Natasha!" she scolds. "Stop that at once!"

Moonshadow appears and calls out, "She's possessed!", and casts Dark Chains on the little dragon.

Natasha twists out of the way, and the spell wraps around a bust used to display necklaces and tiaras.

Firefly notices the hole in the door and flits through it, zigging and zagging as she tries to make out what's going on in the dark.

Firefly sends out a gout of flame from her palms, missing the agile dragon.

The display counter is now alight - the wooden parts of it anyway. On the plus side the small dragon is now clearly visible amid the flames!

Firefly gasps and cuts off her flames, clapping her hands over her helmet where her mouth is.

"She who?" Epsilon asks Moonshadow, hoping his voice modulation covers up how startled he actually is by Moonshadow's arrival as he thought he was alone inside.

In any case he is clearly not familiar with the impish dragon.

Epsilon attempts to teleport himself out of his bonds. He hopes this isn't a peanut butter situation. He'll never get it out of the nano-carbine amplifiers or the shoulder micro-struts.

Seeing a familiar sprite he is grateful- at least momentarily. The flames do cause some concern though.

Epsilon takes a moment to look around- hopefully for a fire extinguisher.

Bob listens to the various people shouting and hears the gout of flame. He thinks <>

Magda shakes her head, gesturing her cloak into its concavities to enhance her senses. A quick trace of the electrical systems of the store, and she has enough information to ... flip the light on.

The lights come on to show Natasha bedecked in jewellery. She seems to know what she's taking, too - she's gone for the best!.

Bob notes how the door is already damaged so, he just moves on forward, and gently pushes on it until he pops open. He then looks around chaotic scene in the jewelry store trying to figure ou the players.

Epsilon uses the light of the roaring fire to sport a fire extinguisher.

He runs to the one on the far wall.

Suddenly Moonshadow's vision goes red and she screams as her bones contort and fur sprouts all over her body. Not knowing the source of her pain, she springs at whoever's closest.

Moonshadow the werewolf slashes with her claws

However, an unoticed gem causes her foot to slip and she crashes into the wall instead. She turns and snarls.

Thankfully- Moonshadow's scream alerts Epsilon to the danger, but he's just lucky he was missed.

"Woah- what is going on here? What'd I do to you?" He asks urgently. This is clearly his first werewolf too.

Firefly lets out a little shriek of surprise at the jumpscare of Moonsshadow turning into a werewolf and attacking. But she was just on their side! It's too dangerous to let out another flame blast inside like this. Which means...she may have to try and get closer. To...claws. And fangs. She doesn't like that idea, but she's already caused enough damage. A fiery aura brightens up around her as she zips and around to get behind the werewolf, leading with a fist to try and use speed to clock Moonshadow and hopefully just knock her out.

Firefly stings when she hits. And so do her fists, because hitting something hard at this size hurts! "Don't let it bite you! Or claw you! That's how people turn in the movies!"

Moonshadow feels the attack, but is not stunned.

Epsilon steels himself. "Well keep her off of me please... because otherwise this place is going to burn down around our ears." He says, keeping a cool aire despite the circumstance.

He reaches for the fire extinguisher and if close enough attempt to spray the fire down.

The blow from behind knocks the werewolf to her knees.

The extinguisher's nozzle explodes, coating the counter & dousing the flames.

Epsilon continues spraying - silently hoping Firefly can keep a werewolf off him and keep from setting nay more fires.

As he moves the nozzle over the flames the retreat, and eventually are extinguished.

Natasha doesn't want to fight heroes - but doesn't want them to stop her from taking the treasure either! (It seems that even getting hit by fire-extinguisher spray wasn't enough to snap her out of the influence). So she takes to the air, laden with what she managed to collect before being interrupted, trying to dart out the now-fully opened door to escape!

Magda, floating outside, simply watches what is going on within the jewelry store.

Bob moves further into the jewelry store as Natasha flew past him without him before he could react. Seems he's not as slow as one might expect of a zombie though as he reaches down and attempts to grab Moonshadow. His attack seems quite smooth for such a large man.

Natasha is a small, agile little dragon; that is why Magda does not even try to entangle her. Letting her get some height and distance, the magnetokinetic makes a trap-jaws-shut gesture with both her hands, and englobes the normally-heroic dragon in a temporary force bubble.

Firefly's head turns as Natasha flies out. She's already restricted from doing too much inside because of the close quarters. Seeing someone else nabbed the dragon, she looks back to the werewolf and loops about, trying again to whack the creature in the back of the head. "Snap out of it!"

Bob says in a deep gravelly voice, "Calm down. Stop."

This seems addressed to Moonadow.

Moonshadow's eyes focus on Firefly and she snarls, snapping at her.

Magda moves to float above the englobed dragon, ready to repeat the feat as necessary.

Epsilon turns and nods to Bob. "Thank you." He says before turning to Firefly and adding, "Thank you both."

He's less concerned with the stolen goods and more with making sure everyone is alright so he does soemthing that might be silly.

He attempts to telepathically speak to Moonshadow. Well- the Moonshadow within- not that crazy werewolf.

He tries to think calming thoughts at her, crouching and reaching a hand toward Moonshadow but not close enough to have it removed or degloved by accident.

Waterfalls.

Beaches.

Mountain Views. Moving ever closer to more subtle things like symphonies & complex art arrangements.

With Epsilon's help, Moonshadow drives the spirit out from her body! Though of course she's the only one who can perceive this directly.

Forcibly ejected from Moonshadow, the spirit attempt to possess the strong mind that weakened it with the calming images!

The red starts to fade from Moonshadow's eyes

Natasha bites and claws at her magnetokinetic prison!

Epsilon shivers as he feels- somehow different.

He looks around as if he's seeing the store for the first time. Of course, with the armored fully visored helmet on its easy to miss the shift in the way he holds his face.

After a split second, he begins scanning the room a bit more specifically.

Natasha damages the barrier, but remains trapped.

The transformation process reverses itself, leaving Bob holding a pretty girl. Moonshadow looks at him and smiles, "Hey there."

Looking closer, she frowns, "You're broken, aren't you."

Bob makes a deep 'Hmph' sound as Moonshadow shifts forms then sets her down gently and releases his hold. The big man takes a step back as he shrugs at Moonshadow's comment.

Magda moves to float above the englobed dragon, ready to repeat the feat as necessary. "Natasha!! You put those back right now!!"

Natasha stops scratching at the bubble, and looks down at the jewellery. Then sort of tries to hide it behind her back as if pretending she wasn't doing anything wrong.

Moonshadow spots the spirit, now possessing Epsilon, and casts the spell (Flare Blast) she'd be prepping for Natasha before...well, just before.

Bob says, "The large zombie looks around slowly then he asks, "Done?" in a questioning tone."

Firefly hovers and is relieved things seem to be calmer without a big hairy wolf in the room. Her fiery field is still up, though.

Epsilon looks around, spotting plenty of raw materials for a number of experiments, upgrades & modifications.

Sapphires for laser wavelength modulation.

Diamonds for hyper-advanced data storage.

Gold for nano-circuitry.

He moves (via teleportation) to the closes display filled with goods and moves to take them all.

First up- smashing the display case!

Epsilon smashes his armored fist through the display case and begins cleaning it out right then and there.

Outside, Natasha finally shakes off the spirit's influence - which she attempts to convey to Magda by making the image of a halo above her head. She knocks on the barrier politely, rather than trying to scratch her way out.

Bob blinks at Epsilon's actions then says with a sigh, "Not done. OK." He rears back his arm and whips the broken parking meter at Epsilon sidewasy, trying to get that nice flat spin effect.

The parking meter does NOT go where Bob wants it. Instead, it misses Epsilon completely and buries itself in the door of the store's safe. As it vibrates, the 'TIME EXPIRED' sign flips up. Bob sighs again.

Magda eyes the small dragon, then states, "You're in time-out -- and the shield process collapses in one minute. Stay peacefully in there for that time, and I'll beleive you're contrite."

Natasha hmphs, discarding the jewellery from her body. Then curls up and lies down on it.

Bob trudges over towards Epsilon, his worn shoes coming down hard. "Just stop," he rumbles as he reaches out to grab the armored hero. "No."

"No wiggle," states Bob to Epsilon.

"You've got the wrong idea- I'm just getting a few things. You know- for science. Everyone will be better for I'm sure. Plus- imagine the alpha wave generator I can make with this stuff." Epsilon says as he struggles against Bob's grasp.

Firefly zips out in front of Epsilon, hovering close to his faceplate. "Not you, too! Snap out of it!" She drifts forward as she winds her tiny hand back and gives him an open-hand slap to the helmed cheek.

"Huh?" Epsilon asks, with surprise- finding the little sound of her hand striking his helmet adorable, but he's driven and now unhinged. It doesn't seem to have had an effect detering him.

"I'm not crazy. I've just had the distractions cleared from my mind." He tells Firefly, his modulated voice not quite sounding as compassionate as he'd like.

Moonshadow Shadow Jaunts to the opposite side of the jewlery case, directly across from Epsilon. She punches him in the faceplate, saying, "You have to PAY for those!"

Firefly's hand makes a pleasant sounding Tink! Like a little chime, really.

Moonshadow sees the spirit enter Firefly's tiny form...

Built on a long ridge rising slowly to Colonial Heights to the south, this is the oldest part of town. Narrow, often cobbled streets with cast iron streetlights still in the shape of the ancient gas lamps predominate, some residential, some commercial - even down side alleys delightful old shops can be found. Main Street runs its cobbled shop-lined length straight as an arrow from Colonial Heights to City Center, and feels to this day the heart of the city, for all that it plays to the tourists. Many of the buildings are old as the streets but as well maintained; others, like the main library, stand in contrast. The Main Street MagLev line runs the whole length of the road and farther, but parallel a bit to the east, to avoid disrupting its historic beauty.