Pizza time is winding down. Link - or Leo, since he’s left his armor behind - asks Stingray for a few moments of his time.
“Hey man. A-Holes, Jackoffs, better than the Menagerie, all that stuff. Son of Nautilus, the famous HHL member.”
“Some of that shit is rude, but I think you already know that. What I haven’t heard you talk about at all is you. Who are you? What do you want? What do you got going on?”
author: Bill G.
url: https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/6032515
Stingray bristles, visibly. “The only thing I’ve got going on is wondering why I’m the white knight’s new target.” He gestures over his shoulder at the departing group. “A room full of capes and they need you to leap to their rescue? They can’t stick up for themselves, or take a little shit?” He shakes his head, muttering. “Jesus I was just relaxing and having some fun; I’m the only guy walking out of here with literal bruises, and you’re in my face.”
author: Doyce T.
url: https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/6032843
Leo shakes his head and smiles. He’s been on the other side of this conversation before. This isn’t new to him.
“I’m serious. This training was good. You guys showing up was unexpected, but good. I thought you were gonna make trouble, I was wrong, there. We’re all gonna do this again in the future, and we’ll all be out there for real, in the city.”
“And when we are, someday, I’m gonna be in the crosshairs, and you’ll be the man who saves my ass. I don’t want to have to tell people ‘Yeah the son of Nautilus saved me’ or ‘yeah, I was rescued by that rude asshole from JHHL’. I want to hear about you, from you. You’re worth knowing about. And now seemed like a good time to ask.”
author: Bill G.
url: https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/6032909
[If it’s all right with you, I’d like to jump right into Provoking him to open up. If it works, great, and if not you can probably pierce the mask on him while he’s blowing up in your face. Is that okay?]
If I went there too early, just let me know and we’ll save this.
author: Doyce T.
url: https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/6033442
Stingray starts to puff up even further, eyes shifting around the room. Looking for an audience? Looking for a way out?
Seeing neither of those things, or perhaps no reason to pretend, he deflates before another angry word gets out. “Dude… Nautilus would have to be my dad before I could be his son. I don’t -” He blows air through his lips, letting it fade off into a kind of exhausted raspberry, while combing his fingers back through his hair. “I dunno. Who do you want me to be?” He shrugs. “I’ll be that. I don’t have anything better to do.”
[I’m not dodging the question on this one - this is a spin on the delinquent’s vulnerability team move.]
author: Doyce T.
url: https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/6033511
Haha, I was actually about to ask about Piercing the Mask, once I got around to this next bit. This move + roll comes at a good time, so.
Agent Waters is an old-fashioned sort. Leo asked him, once, what would happen if AEGIS decided to interrogate him, or another villain. Would they use galvanometers, measure dilation of the pupil, observe uncontrollable facial micro-expressions?
Waters chuckled. “The thing about interviews, kid? Most people just want to tell their story.”
Leo knows the storm, knows what happens when it’s not given proper outlet. Here’s a kid with another famous father - him and Jason and I need to go for coffee every Saturday and just bitch at each other. He’s trying hard to be a hero, he and his team did come, he did get hurt, everything he says is right. What does he want to tell me when he points that out?
Nautilus is a big star to orbit. So what is it? Did the old man push you into the life? Were you pulled in, trying to impress him? What do you want him to give you? What should he see? Or worse - are you like this, constantly cutting people down, because your dad trained you this way and is proud of you?
I’m guessing nobody ever did this before. Just offered to listen to you, asked you about yourself, not about your dad, your team, your legacy. You. If so, it’s gonna be strange. You’ll be suspicious. You’ll think I’m looking for a weapon against you. All I can do is unbalance your expectations. If it makes you shout, scream, suspect, go ahead, bring it on.
Come on, tell me your story.
author: Bill G.
url: Community Forums: Masks 23.3 - Link and Stingray [Cutscene] [RP] | Roll20: Online virtual tabletop
“You showed up with your team, you got bruises, you’re totally right on all counts. Doesn’t matter what I want. But I mean, if you really are that bored, us, and the Irregulators, will need some solid training partners again. You fuckin’ delivered today.”
“My name’s Leo. Leo Snow.”
[edit: fixed The Irregulars reference]
author: Bill G.
url: https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/6033535
“Leo?” He nods, mulling it over. “Cool. I --” He stops. “Names are hard, you know? My dad. Secret identity and all that bullshit. I’m out as Nautilus’s son, but I can’t be out as me, since no one knows who he is.” He shakes his head. “It’s messed up.” He extends his hand. “Call me Trace?”
“And I’m not bored, man, I just --” He scratched the back of his head. “I can’t step wrong. I c- I can’t. Doesn’t leave a lot of options.”
[… and you clearly have his number on Pierce the Mask (actually, the last one should have been 12, and THIS would be a 13, since you have Influence over him. What do you want to know?]
[I’ll also note that Leo’s picking up that this guy is … very flinch-y about his dad.]
author: Doyce T.
url: https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/6033612
“You have no idea how much I understand. Trace is cool. Thank you.”
What do you want me to do?
What do you intend to do?
How could I get your character to … trust my good intentions?
“Mercury and Concord, both have to look good to their family in their own way. I’m trying to help them get some time off, outta the spotlight. Today helped that in a big way.” There’s an implied invitation there, but Leo’s still wary. Hey, come hang with those losers, the Menagerie might be a bridge too far so early in the conversation. He’s probably talked us down enough that he’d lose face if he went along with it now. But if I give him something to think about, maybe that’s enough?
author: Bill G.
url: Community Forums: Masks 23.3 - Link and Stingray [Cutscene] [RP] | Roll20: Online virtual tabletop
“Cool. Gale said you’re coming to Gardner next week?” He smirks. “Can’t wait for whoever to attack us during mid-terms. Happens almost every semester. Gonna be hilarious.”
**[What do you intend to do?]
**His eyes get a distant look. “You know I don’t there’s been a group at Gardner this bad ass since my dad was there. Maybe not even then.” His eyes lower to the floor, but he’s still looking at something a hundred miles away. “It’d be pretty cool to show them what we can do. Really do.”
_
[Answer: he’s looking for a big win. To really show up the silver gens.]_
**[What do you want me to do?]
**“You know, there’s going to be a back to hell party the first weekend after we get back. You should come. Get all your… team to come.”
**[How could I get your character to trust my good intentions?]
**“Are you…” he gestures at his face in a circular motion. “Out? I didn’t think you were. Damn. I was all set to pry into that.” He smirks. “You got any other bodies buried in the back yard?”
[Answer: share something secret, or something very few people would know. Note: you don’t have to DO this - it’s just the answer to the question - that’s what would do it in 10 seconds or less.]
author: Doyce T.
url: https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/6033726
Leo grins. “I’ll tell them, I’m sure they’d like to be there.”
“I don’t make a public thing of my identity and never plan to. I said I understood the whole keeping a secret thing. I’ll tell you why, since you might get a punch in too, if he comes for me.” Or you’ll be in the line of fire of someone or something, and if you’re hurt it’s my fault.
“My dad is Rossum, the Minion Maker. It’s nobody’s business but those I choose to tell. But I know you get how that works.”
author: Bill G.
url: https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/6033749
Stingray barks a laugh straight at the low, suspended ceiling, shaking his head in amusement. “Ahh. Heh. That’s --” he trails off as his eyes come up to you, then widen. “ShityourfuckingSERIOUS?”
You watch his eyes move around the room again - not darting, but mapping. Connecting the dots. Every few seconds he whispers another expletive. Then he raises a hand. “I’ll never breathe a word, man.” Then: “Shit…” Then: “Let’s… let’s catch up before your girl thinks we eloped.”
author: Doyce T.
url: https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/6033772
Sounds like I’ve achieved my immediate goal, which is to get him to open up and dial his shit back. If he’s got more, I’m happy to talk to him, but I feel like we made good and sufficient progress.
Cell number, email address, Twitter username, Leo offers whatever Stingray will give and take for now. It sounds like a private channel to talk will be helpful, and an inside line to the JHHL will be useful as well.
Leo smiles inwardly, then feels a moment of regret. Shit. I’m being diplomatic and stuff again. This is gonna look bad when I try to push leadership back on Jason and tell him I just punch stuff. Nobody’s gonna believe me.
author: Bill G.
url: Community Forums: Masks 23.3 - Link and Stingray [Cutscene] [RP] | Roll20: Online virtual tabletop
[good scene!]
Stingray gets you his twitter ID (NOT @capester420, you’re mildly surprised to see), but mentions that he never really looks at it. “My dad monitors it, so… you know.”
He pulls a burner feature phone out of a pocket and sends a text to the number you give him. “I’ve got a normal phone, but I don’t use it.” He waggles the burner. “This one is shit, but it’s mine.”
author: Doyce T.
url: https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/6033814
_It’s shit, but it’s mine.
That’s the Menagerie in a nutshell, bro._
Thanks for making time for this.
author: Bill G.
url: Community Forums: Masks 23.3 - Link and Stingray [Cutscene] [RP] | Roll20: Online virtual tabletop
Really good stuff here. Peeling back layers of motivation are always cool, and Leo is doing great here.
Yeah, Jason is happy to take a vacation in the Sepiaverse, knowing that Leo is doing so well leading the team.
author: *** Dave H.
url: https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/6034018
Jason and his philanderin’ poetry-spoutin’ hologram-charmin’ ass needs to get back here pronto. Leo doesn’t care how many cooked lizards he’s got on the fire.
author: Bill G.
url: https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/6034057
Well I’d suspected it before but this scene solidified it: Leo’s super power (other than the smarts) is that he’s a Magnetic Hero. A few more Renegade Interrupts and alien recruits to the team and we’ve got the second coming of Commander Shepard.
author: Mike
url: https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/6034097
Bill G. said:
Jason and his philanderin’ poetry-spoutin’ hologram-charmin’ ass needs to get back here pronto. Leo doesn’t care how many cooked lizards he’s got on the fire.
That warranted an actual LOL.
author: *** Dave H.
url: Community Forums: Masks 23.3 - Link and Stingray [Cutscene] [RP] | Roll20: Online virtual tabletop
We’ve talked about genius in various threads, and it’s clear that Jason and Leo both have that “super-high INT” thing going for them that allow a polymath array of skills and knowledge whenever “science” or “engineering” comes up.
But while I think people consider Leo’s actual genius focus to be more in the fields of engineering and robotics, I think his true genius is in psychology / neurology. He deeply understands (and can influence) people, he’s created actual thinking people, and they in turn understand and influence people as well.
author: *** Dave H.
url: https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/6035068
