HQ: The 'Ready Lounge'

[Hand of Vecna]

Dr. Archeville turns in the air from Mr. Jones to face Zenji, and moves to extend his hand in greeting, then suddenly pulls it back once he gets a clear view of Zenji. "Er, guten tag, Herr Zenji," the doctor says, though it is apparent that he is uncomfortable at seeing the newcomer. More astute viewers would notice that Archeville seemed particularly perturbed at Zenji's staff.

[sblock=inner monologue]Only one type of staff would have a gem that size set in it, thought Archeville, and that's a magical one. Bah! Non-scientific nonsense!*[/sblock]

"So... ummm... that staff you've got there" Archeville asked Zenji, his eyes running up and down the length of it, ".... it looks very... special. I'm guessing you're no simple Weapons Master, hrm? Most I've come across specialize in just one weapon, not two, and never two as diverse as a sword und staff...."


* Thoughts translated from German.

[sblock=OOC]Archeville's flanked by two mages (though he doesn't yet realize tAMJ is a mage). He's not a happy lil' mad scientist [/sblock]

 

[Asmor]

"You are observant indeed. No mere staff is this, but the fabled Galdron Stave which Aluthrius the Benevolent used at the Battle of... of..." Zenji begins to trail off as he racks his brain, and then exclaims proudly, "the Battle of Colodon! It's something of a family heirloom. My father left it to me..." his eyes trail to the floor as his voice fades out. "Oh, I'm sorry. I tend to ramble sometimes... May I inquire as to your name?"

 

[Hand of Vecna]

Dr. Archeville forced a smile to his face as Zenji related his staff's provenance, though the smile seemed to have a hint of a grimace to it. "You don't say... ah, yes, introductions, of course." Archeville snapped the heels of his black boots together -- the sound of which resounded slightly due to the fact he floated a few inches off the ground, thanks to his gravimetric belt -- and did a half-bow to Zenji. "I am Herr Doktor Viktor Archeville, newly arrived from Germany. I have been active as a solo crimefighter there for some time, pitting mein amazing intellect against those who would sow chaos und evil, und I was recetly invited to join the Resolutes. It is my hope that I can do as much good for the world as I have for mein beloved Deutschland."

Archeville paused a moment to smooth a wrinkle in his lab coat, then re-addressed Zenji, "I take it, then, that you are a mage of some sort, ja? I... I do admit, magic und I have never gotten along that well; Science und Technology are more mein areas of expertise."

[sblock=Inner Monologue (Translated from German)]Well, he may be a magic-user, Archeville thought to himself, but at least he's on my side... for now. I'll have to be sure to keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't Fall like so many other mages I've seen. Besides, really, it can't hurt to be polite to the fellow. He is my teammate, so it's best to do what I can to build a sense of comaraderie....[/sblock]

 

[Asmor]

"A mage? Oh, I wish! No, no. I'm really more of... an antiquarian. My family has collected many artifacts of significant magical power over the generations. Honestly, I don't even know exactly how they all work, though I'm always seeking to learn more about them. All I know is that it would be a crime to let such power collect dust when it could be used in the service of humanity." Zenji pauses thoughtfully for a moment as he regards the doctor. "If you don't mind my asking how is it that you are floating?"

 

[rgordona]

Dr. Archeville shook Mr. Jones's hand, as excitedly as he had The Jesters, "A pleasure, Herr... er, vhat vas your name?" Archeville -- still floating an inch or so off the ground -- then gave Mr. Jones a quizzical look, "You are... on ze cooking staff? If you're taking orders, I'd like to try something I've heard is an American delicacy, a "pulled-pork barbeque" sandwich. Can you make this for me?"

"My name, of course, Mr Jones or, um, David." Nods the magician.

"No, no I am not a chef. But I am sure we can arrange something. This place seems well supplied" Stepping behind the bar Mr Jones rummages under the counter for some minutes. Finally as though in frustration he removes his hat and a few seconds later produces a sumptuous looking burger, real beef with obvious pieces of onion, presented in a warm toasted bun with all the trimmings.

[sblock=ooc]It was a ham/beef burger Archeville wanted. Comprehend language is probably enough to ensure no misunderstandings.

Also Mr Jones has English accent. I am not sure if a German would realise this, but native English speakers would certainly know.[/sblock]

 

[Hand of Vecna]

Dr. Archeville regarded Zenji, and when he replied it was with the barest hint of disdain in his voice. "I am floating, Herr Zenshi, due to mein gravimetric belt, which I designed und built myself. I know exactly how it works, as I do mit all mein Technological devices."

Archeville floated around Zenshi as he continued. "Ze belt harnesses gravitons und photons, und allows me to alter gravitational fields in mein immediate vicinity. This means that not only can I move up and down, but I can also move side-to-side, mit a great deal of precision." Archeville ran his fingers across the surface of his belt, and he was suddenly surrounded by a field of energy, glowing the same soft blue as his belt; as he talked his tone and mood loosened up and became more a lighthearted ramble. "Ze belt can also generate a protective force field around me, increasing the gravitational pull on physical projectiles such that they fall harmlessly to the ground, und generating a 'lens' effect to disperse electromagnetic energies."

Archeville's force field lowered as he moved to float in front of Zenshi again. "Seeking to learn more about how your items work is certainly a noble endeavour, though... almost as noble as working for the betterment of humanity," he added with a wink.


Archeville then turned to tAMJ, "Ah, excellent, Herr Jones, I... vas?" The magicophobic (?) super-scientist paused as he watched in the magician produce a delectable puled pork BBQ sandwich w/ coleslaw from his top hat. Archeville stared at it a moment, his disdain of magic & magicians warring with his hunger and the olfactory bliss wafting from the offered food, and in the end the latter won out. "This... this... this is good... ja...." Archeville took small bites and spoke between them, "I take it, then, they you, Herr Jones, are some sort of mage as well? Or is your power, like Zenshi's, bound in the top hat and cloak you wear?"


[sblock=OOC]Archeville was actually hoping for a pulled pork BBQ sammich [in part b/c pulled pork BBQ is my personal favorite type of BBQ, what with me being a North Carolinian, and in part b/c pork is a staple of German cuisine], but a hamburger w/ onions'll do fine And he has been speaking English, though with a German accent, so no Comprehend Languages is needed; only his thoughts/inner monologues are in German.[/sblock]

 

[rgordona]

"I am glad you like the burger" Replies the magician "But no it is not magic, just a little sleight of hand and misdirection. I got the burger out of the dumb waiter while you were looking the other way. I am a stage magician and mentalist, The Amazing Mr Jones maybe you have seen my act on the television."

Looking closely at the Gravitonic belt Mr Jones continues "This is most impressive; you must have worked through many prototypes to come up with such an efficient design."

[sblock=Bluff or SM check >32]TAMJ is certainly not telling the whole truth, maybe a partial truth but it is NOT all just misdirection.[/sblock]

[sblock=Know Pop culture]I doubt any one has heard of TAMJ he is not that famous, but since it is in the history that he has been on TV ... :>[/sblock]

[sblock=OOC]

Archeville was actually hoping for a pulled pork BBQ sammich [in part b/c pulled pork BBQ is my personal favorite type of BBQ, what with me being a North Carolinian, and in part b/c pork is a staple of German cuisine], but a hamburger w/ onions'll do fine And he has been speaking English, though with a German accent, so no Comprehend Languages is needed; only his thoughts/inner monologues are in German.

Sorry I have no idea what pulled pork is (Never heard of it, presumably its a pork product but ...) I took it to be an mistranslation of Hamburger, ham meaning part of a pig and burger potentially meaning something to do with pulling. My German is not that great either.

Comprehend language is to understand the mix of German and English the Doctor is speaking. The intention was to provide exactly what he asked for. Never mind though.
[/sblock]

 

[Hand of Vecna]

[sblock=OOC]Yeah, there's no way Archeville can make that Sense Motive check [/sblock]

"Ah, stage magic," Archevile says between bites, "I had considered for a time to be a sort of "Professional De-Bunker" of such things, to try and work out just how those tricks are done and reveal them to the public... but, in the end, decided mein mind would be best put to use on other problems, like working on ways to break free of reliance on fossil fuels, or figuring out why so many superpowered metahumans have begun appearing." He glanced back and forther between Zenshi and tAMJ, and wondered who else might be joining them.


[sblock=OOC]Pulled pork barbeque is only one of the most delicious pork products in existence! It's basically just slow-roasted/smoked spiced pork meat, cooked for a long time [approx. 10 hours] over low heat, so that all the collagen & gelatin that binds the muscle fibers together (to each other and to the bones) loosen up. The end result is meat so tender it can easily be pulled off in shredded bits by hand or with a fork. You can read more about it here. I'll edit my posts to show that tAMJ did indeed give him what he had asked for.


Doesn't matter if your German's not that great, I've/he's really only been using three words of it. Mein = mine/my, mit = with, und = and. That's about half the German I know, 'till I break out my English-German dictionary. [/sblock]

 

[Asmor]

"Truly, Dr. Archeville, your belt is a wonder of modern science. I must wonder, though, how science is so different from magic? Do you not think the great magi of history knew how their artifacts and formulae worked as well as you do? In fact, I believe there is a saying... Something about sufficiently advanced technology being indistinguishable from magic."

Turning to The Amazing Mr. Jones, Zenji continues, "Now that you mention it, your name does sound familiar... Did you have a special on the comedy channel? Wait... no... That was The Amazing Jonathan. I'm quite the fan of magic, though, how would I find your act so I can record it on my TiVo?"

 

[Raylis]

The intercom crackles, “Attention! All available Resolutes report to the docking bay via Briefing Room D! All available Resolutes to Briefing Room D!” a young feminine voice announces over the intercom.

OOC: under Stolen University