Spoiler: Sonic Roll D100: 67+10 "So, kid, are we going to- Oh, cyka, what now?" He grunts in anger turning in the direction of the gunfight, as his fingernails begin to lengthen and taper to a fine point, until they can no longer be called nails, but claws.
Spoiler: Psychic Roll D100: 72+20 (Crit Spoiler: Combat Roll D100: 50+20+20 (Psychic Roll Crit) Reaching out, Psychana feels her presence penetrate the thug's mind, his already brainwashed state making it easy, as she experiences the disconcerting feeling of seeing herself through someone else's eyes. When the man goes to attack, she's ready, and her blast catches him in the chest. He slams into the concrete divider of the highway, knocked out - though even as Psychana removes the ring he's wearing, the effects only loosen their hold on her body slightly, leaving her tense.
Letting out a sigh as she easily dispatched the guards, Vanessa however froze the moment she heard a familiar voice. "You..." She said in a low tone, glaring as she turns to face the speedster, her cheeks blushing a bit as she recalled how their first encounter went. "Don't think things will work out the same as before." She growled, preparing to fight.
Jenny let out a heavy breath and rested against the stopped vehicle as she waited for the police to arrive. The heat in her body that the rings had generated was diminishing slowly and she'd grown covered in a light sheen of sweat. She fanned herself even in the cool night air. There was a small part of her that wanted to take off the chest and shorts part of her costume but that was easy to fight down; yet she was surprised it existed at all. With the rings recovered her eyes turned towards the idol that she still held in her gloved hand. She was reminded that she had to get back to the museum quickly, both to return the idol and to try and pick up the trail of the redheaded woman she'd encountered. Psychana huffed as she waited for the authorities to arrive.
The cocky villain grins, shrugging his jacket off his bare, muscular chest, as he looks at her, doing some exaggerated stretches that are clearly unnecessary given his powers, mocking her. "Oh, really? What, are you going to get on your knees even faster than before, or something?" He stands, and then in a second he's gone, before reappearing, this time with a leash in hand. "Sorry, had to fetch this from the car - it goes so well with your accessory."
Amethyst Heart smiled. It looked that the woman simply needed time. "Very well..." The heroine said, not pushing farther. "Now, let us celebrate." She raised her glass and drunk. The duo then joined the celebrations.
As he disappeared from her sight, Vanessa took a step back to brace herself for an attack. Only for him to suddenly reappear with a leash in his hands, "Bastard." She growled, No, that time must have been a fluke, maybe it was whatever they used on that reporter. She thinks to herself, still unaware of the fatal flaw in her collar. "Just try it, we'll see just how fast you can run into my fist." She growled, figuring how he'll be aiming to attach the leash onto her collar. Vanessa aims to bait him into it, before delivering a low kick to catch him off balance.
Looking at the idol, Psychana's glad that she's wearing gloves - even with them on, she can feel the energy it contains, along with a sense that it has some kind of will, or at least it was imbued with some traces of the will of its creator. That said, the feeling's hardly unpleasant. Back at the museum, Psychana's disappointed to see that both the redhead and her invisible lackey are gone - no trace of them being left psychically or visible. Already, a number of police cars are surrounding the building with flashing lights, as they arrive too late to investigate the attempted theft. In charge, she sees a familiar figure - blonde haired and built like a quarterback, her acquaintance in the police force, Detective Jackson.
The team spends the afternoon bonding, the exuberance of Erik and the young men rubbing off on Mantis, who reluctantly, and then less than reluctantly, shares some stories from before she became a villain, and consequently a hero. The boys focus a lot of attention on Heart, boasting about their victory as they make sure she never has to ask for more liquor, though she judges they're not being arrogant or trying to get her drunk and vulnerable, and are more just trying to impress and please her.
"Detective!" Psychana greeted the man with a friendly smile as she dropped out of the air near him. "It's wonderful to see you again! Although I wish it was under better circumstances." The superhero made no move to hide her body in her new costume. On the contrary she struck the same superhero pose she had in the judge's office with her hands on her hips; allowing the idol to come into contact with the skin on her oblique muscle. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to capture the Invisible Lady or her... benefactor; but I did detain her two accomplices on the highway. Your men already have them in custody."
"Ha!" The villain laughs. "Good! I look forward to it!" Spoiler: Combat Roll D100: Vanessa: 71+10 Villain: 52 Damage: 29 Villain Health: 71 The villain comes at her with single minded determination, eager to leash and humiliate her once more. He runs into her kick, his force meeting hers and sending him flying backwards, hitting one of the great cylindrical machines and bouncing off of it. Grunting in pain, he quickly stands, not out of the fight yet.
As he was sent flying, Vanessa gives him a grin to taunt him into making another stupid move. Baiting him probably won't work, but he also doesn't have any other way to beat me. The heroine thinks to herself, beckoning him to come charge into her fist once more. This time she tries to hit him right at the center of his chest to knock the wind out of his lungs.
"Any circumstance is a good circumstance if I get to see you again, Psychana." The detective smiles broadly, eagerly eyeing her. "Wow! I love the new costume!" He says, voice genuine. "Don't worry about it - you saved the goods, that's what matters. We'll get 'em eventually. I'm just glad it's not Jetstream - the guy's been quiet so far, but every call I get I worry it's that maniac." The detective shakes his head. "These girls don't seem violent, which makes them low priority." As he talks, Psychana feels the gold of the idol on her skin, pleasantly warm where it should be cold, and sending a tingle over her skin that makes her shiver, muscles relaxing where it travels. For the briefest of moments, almost too brief to register, an image flashes in her mind - she sees herself lying on her bed, the hulking detective atop her, naked, as her husband stands watching, moaning, manhood painfully hard in his hand. "You okay, girl? You look like you've seen a ghost." Jackson's voice stirs her from her thoughts. "Alright, so it's just the stuff in the van, and that idol, right? We should be able to get it out of the lockup and back in the museum soon." He slips on plastic gloves and holds out his hand for the idol, though Psychana gets the impression that it doesn't want to leave her. Though not overriding her will, Jenny feels an urge to keep it, at least for a little while - nonsensically, it feels like it's hers to keep as long as she wishes.
Psychana flushed at the image in her mind before she looked at the plastic bag then rubbed her eyes. She turned her attention to the idol and shook her head. She knew she should give it to the detective, as a chain of evidence she had to give it back to the detective. But there was something about it that was just so hard to part with. "M-my apologies detective, I know it's against the rules, but... would it be at all possible for me to hold onto this for a little bit? I-it's just the thief may try again and if she thinks it'll be easier to get if it's with me we may have and easier time catching her." It was a flimsy excuse, especially since she knew the redheaded woman wanted the idol to remain with her and that the Invisible Lady likely wouldn't try for it again. But she felt compelled to ask. "If the answer's no I completely understand. And I don't mean to insult the officers of this city's police force, it's just... I feel like I have to ask."
Spoiler: Combat Roll D100: 56+10 Villain: 48 Damage: 18 Villain Health: 53 The villain goes reeling back as Vanessa lands a solid hit on him again, and he groans, getting to his feat, hurt, but not yet out of the fight.
"Say no more." The man raises his hand, and Psychana's worried he's about to say no, before she sees him smile. "Hang onto it as long as you need - I'll just write in my report that it got stolen by Invisible Lady, and when you're done with it, we'll just say you recovered it. No offense taken - I trust you. Of course, if you were willing to take me up that offer for dinner I made last time, it wouldn't hurt." He grins.
"Give up yet?" Vanessa continues to taunt him, trying to get into his head to make sure he'll keep on trying the same thing over, and over until he's out for the count. "Just tell me what these machines are for, and I'll make sure you won't feel any pain while I knock you out." She said as she once again prepares to keep him from attaching the leash to her collar.
"I-" Psychana started before she paused to consider how to best reply. "-let me get back to you on that detective... thank you." With a friendly smile, Psychana flew into the air. She had a meeting with Infinity to get to.
"You won't care what they're for. You won't care about anything when I get this on you..." He grunts and moves to his feet. "Besides getting my cock in you." Spoiler: Combat Roll D100: Vanessa: 41+10 Villain: 82 Damage: 31 Vanessa Health: 69 The villain surprises her with his next action, neglecting the leash, to slam a fist into her gut at near terminal velocity, the sheer speed driving the air out of her lungs despite her powers.
"Guh!" Vanessa's eyes widen as his fist suddenly lands on her gut, but, as she's still quite durable. She uses the chance, aiming to grab his wrist to keep him fro getting away. The heroine returns the blow, aiming for quick jabs on his stomach, chest, and then his face.
