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1. 

   And Behind Curtain Number Two...

   April 22

   "I told him we'd get back to him, I basically asked for his number," Renata says defensively. "And I wasn't being a bitch, I was...expressing concerns." She paused, then admitted, "...in maybe bitchier terms than I absolutely had to. It's just..."
    
   She hesitated again. "He just reminded me of my dad, okay? It's the same bullshit. Offering the world, as long as you play by his rules. And the fact that he was being so coy about what he wanted...yeah no. I didn't trust him, and he didn't try very hard to change that. We can do better."
    
   "And as for knowing who we are...yeah. I dunno what to do about that. Any ideas? Because I have an idea...but it's not a very nice idea."
   
2. 

   And Behind Curtain Number Two...

   April 22

   Renata shook her head. "Too many red flags. I've seen guys like Carlyle before."
    
   She ticked a finger. "First, he never said what he wanted out of it. Not really. He wanted to sell us on the cool stuff, then when we were invested he'd hit us with what we owed him. It's like...'asshole investor 101.'  Look at all this cool shit! Batcave, awesome gear, sweet costumes! Now, if you want to keep it, here's what you gotta do. Monetize. Brand. Public appearances. The whole...fucking shitburger."
    
   Another finger. "Maybe I'm just paranoid, but he was being a real dick about our identities. Did you notice how he kept reminding us that he knew who we were, and that he'd 'help protect us' if we worked with him? Which implies that the opposite is true if we don't? Kept trying to imply that we couldn't do it without him? These guys...politicians and CEOs and rich assholes, they all talk in fucking circles like that. Like Mafia godfathers. You always have to read between the lines."
    
   "And finally? He gave up too fast. The second I didn't just agree, started asking questions and wanting time to think, he folded. That says to me he never had a winning hand. He knew that if he couldn't hook us with swag, we'd never go for the full deal. If he'd been on the level, he'd have been willing to work with us over time, develop trust and a relationship, you know?"
    
   She nodded. "I admit, I wasn't a hundred percent sure of myself before, but seeing that...I'm pretty sure now. This was a scam. What sucks is he might still out us, just out of spite."
    
   With a sigh, Renata looked at Beckett and reached over to put her hand on her shoulder. "Look, you're not wrong. We...could use some help. Just not that guy. There's gotta be somewhere we can go for this kind of thing. We just haven't really looked before. We'll find something."
   
3. 

   And Behind Curtain Number Two...

   April 22

   Renata felt her jaws starting to clench as Carlyle went on. On some level she was aware she was hearing everything he said in its worst possible connotation, and that it might not be entirely fair of her. On the other, she couldn't stop. It still sounded like someone who wanted to weasel in, grease the wheels, get them dependent. Then the sly bit at the end, where he mentioned their identities. Was that a very oblique threat? Served up with a side of negging?
    
   She didn't trust him.
    
   "We'll talk about it," Renata said. "Beck and me. We'll talk about it, and let you know."
    
   Then she held out a hand. "Got a card? So we can get back to you."
   
4. 

   And Behind Curtain Number Two...

   March 31

   "Alfred was Batman's butler. He worked for Bruce as an employee. Not to mention..."
    
   Renata stopped though, when Beckett urged her to listen. She rubbed her hand over her mouth, then nodded and held it out.
    
   "Okay. Okay, sure. We'll hear you out."
    
   She glanced around, seeing if this was a safe place to talk. At the moment at least, there wasn't anyone else around. She was fairly sure if anyone else came close enough to hear, she'd be able to sense their...their brain electricity. As creepy as that sounded even inside her own head.
    
   "What's your pitch?"
   
5. 

   And Behind Curtain Number Two...

   March 22

   Renata folds her arms, feeling a stab of annoyance that cut unexpectedly deep. Yeah, she and Beckett were shoestring, but they were doing fine. Who was this guy to tell them what they needed?
    
   "Yeah," she said slowly, keeping her temper in line for the moment. "You say that, but what I hear is 'you need control, dependence, and debt.' I'm sure you've got a persuasive case, but once we've signed on the line then it's pretty much over. Yeah? We'd be working for you. Doing what you think is best, with your gear, and your money. And once we're hooked on it, once we're used to it, it'll be ten times harder to walk away from it than it is just not to sign in the first place."
    
   She shook her head. "I don't even really know you, and you want to just swoop in and buy us out? I don't see that happening. We'll get by. It's not always easy, but we'll figure it out."
   
6. 

   And Behind Curtain Number Two...

   March 13

   Renata gave Beckett a glance, then focused on Carlyle. She had a notion that he thought he knew something, and was trying to bait them into confessing more.
    
   "That is...I don't even know where to go with that? You mean because my parents are rich and I hang out a lot with Beckett that makes her Robin? Or she's a little older than me so I'm her youthful ward?"
    
   She shook her head. "You're gonna hafta give me more to work with here. I'm not really a comic book fan, so if it's some kind of really really overspecific reference, it's going over my head."
   
7. 

   And Behind Curtain Number Two...

   January 19

   Renata shrugged at Beckett's badgering, mollifying her stab of irritation with a bite of the apple fritter she'd treated herself to.
    
   "We're not professional though, is the thing," she said. "Because professionals get paid. I'd love to get something better than a ski mask and an old jacket to fight crime in, but there's a reason I went with that stuff before. It's what I didn't have to pay for. Spare clothes I had lying around."
    
   She shook her head quickly and added, "And I know what you're going to say, but getting money from Dad to buy costumes is a no-go. He only acts doofy. Anything I buy on his dime will be..." Renata tapped the tabletop as if typing on it. "...scrutinized. He'll figure it out."
    
   "I'll tell you what though. Lets...do some window shopping, alright? Maybe we can work out how much money we need to get the costumes of our dreams, and that'll give us something...you know, solid. To work towards. We can have a fucking bake sale or something." Renata grinned at this, imagining Beckett in an apron, making cookies.
   
8. 

   [Plot Thread 2.1] Fear and Loathing

   June 28, 2021

   Renata sat up straighter at that and her eyes flicked sideways as something occurred to her.
    
   "Actually...I met some people that might be able to help," she said slowly. "I mean, I don't know how on board they'd be, but...one's a Stormer and one's not. I think between the two of them, maybe we could stage something."
    
   She looked back at Evo. "Is there like a confidentiality thing here? Oh, and...you said Stormers are allowed to pull this kind of thing off, but if we involve non-Stormers is it okay? I'm thinking it might help us sell this."
   
9. 

   [Plot Thread 2.1] Fear and Loathing

   June 9, 2021

   Renata considered that and nodded. "Yeah...I guess so. Makes sense if you think about it. Most Stormers...what's a cop realistically going to do?"
    
   "Okay then, I guess the next step is to try to get a meeting with this guy. I still would really rather not have a big public display of violence though. Even if no one gets hurt, people don't forget that kind of thing. I'll be living it down...I don't know, for a long time. Maybe there's something else we can do to get his attention though? Something less public?"
    
   "I like this trap idea. What do you have in mind?"
   
10. 

    [Plot Thread 2.1] Fear and Loathing

    March 27, 2021

    Renata shook her head with a grin and stabbed a tater from the pile she'd made of them on her plate.
     
    "Awright, 'Clyde,'" she said, affecting her best impression of a 20's era gangster voice, "What's the woid from the speakeasy? We running moonshine and hootch over state lines? Is that G-man rat Ness after us again?"
     
    At Evo's expression Renata laughed and shrugged. "Okay, I actually have no idea what any of that is. Seriously though, what's up? What did you find out?"
    

Topics I Participated In

1. 

   And Behind Curtain Number Two...

   Started by Divine Right Co-Storyteller · November 27, 2021

   They had beat the racist murderer. It had taken all of them, Renata, Evo, V and the hockey girl who turned out to be Beckett, not a Stormer as far as they could tell but still possessing extraordinary skill and luck. The cost had been heavy. A historic frat house destroyed, a dorm building nearly burned down multiple injuries, luckily no more deaths.
    
   They were hero's with Evo and V catching most of the attention while the two masked vigilantes faded into the background. In the end the attention proved to much. Evo found it impossible to return to his studies and decided to move to the big city to capitalize on his Nova status, while Velma who had come to escape her fame, realized she had simply been running away from a different challenge. After a call to her ex she decided to return home to try to work things out with him.
    
    
   And that left the two masked vigilantes, they continued to patrol the city masquerading as a collage. Students needed protecting crimes the police missed needed solving and the two hero's were on the job. But even hero's need a day off.
    
   Beckett stirred her coffee, and leaned across the table toward Renata, “I'm just saying it's not going to take much for the media or the police to come looking for me. I mean come on I'm wearing a freaking Hockey mask and using a stick for a weapon. And you in a ski mask? I just think we should look more, professional.” She picked up her coffee and took a test sip, grimaced and added another heaping spoon of sugar, “I'm just saying, is all.”
    
   It was Saturday morning and the two met for breakfast and would probably spend most of the day together doing something, after all it was hard to lead a normal social life when you were masked vigilantes. But it was also another Carlyle dinner party night and that was a good source of socializing and dare they say it fun.
    
   
2. 

   [Plot Thread 2.1] Fear and Loathing

   Started by Malachite · March 25, 2020

   March 20th, 2020
    
   Demonic Stormers are threatening our world and our SOULS!
   Christian spiritual warriors must stand up to this Satanic invasion! Join the Garrison today!
    
   Below the garish printout were tear-tabs with the phone number to the Faith House, a large residence just off campus that had been left with a trust for Christian-based groups on the Penn campus to use. Across the poster was spray painted Είμαστε θεοί! in bright blood red letters. Neither Donald nor Renata needed Google Translate to tell them what it meant - they’d seen the graffiti around campus for nearly a week now and already knew. “We are gods!”
    
   There was another Stormer on campus and it was Not A Good Thing. It had started with a rash of thefts, trashed dorm rooms, and petty scares when coeds were walking alone outside. A month ago the leaders of the conservative Christian group The Garrison had been alone in Faith House working on similar posters and pamphlets to litter campus bathrooms with. They were now both in ICU units and phrases like “long-term arrangements” and “managed expectations” were being quietly murmured to exhausted parents. Even if the two twits had tried to exorcise Donald’s entire dorm building (“To make sure his demon didn’t try jumping into another student’s body,” Merideth had explained with a sincerity that made everyone in the Dean’s office wince), they hadn’t really deserved what happened to them. Something had been born that night, ugly and twisted and hateful, and it left the word ΦΟΒΟΣ spray painted across walls, ceilings, floors throughout Faith House. On Merideth and Gregory, it had been carved into their skin over their hearts.  
    
   In the week following, a half-dozen other Garrison members were attacked, though none were beaten to the extent of Merideth or Gregory. After that week though, the assailant spread out to other students: some were attacked, others chased around campus by illusions and just dread until they found a group of people or collapsed from exhaustion. Campus moved to a mandatory buddy system, then a mandatory five+ group system. Even the boys traveled in packs to the restroom now. Anywhere they’ve found a lone victim, Phobos has left their signature; as the campus has locked down more and more on providing targets for the attacker, those that do tempt fate have been found beaten. 
    
   The first death was Darren Evans, a Garrison member beaten to death with the large Bible he’d been carrying away from the meeting. Garrison meetings had been made secret in time and place after Meredith and Gregory were found, with current low-ranking members taking on the title of “Scouts” for the organization to bring those interested to the clandestine meetings. Darren had just been promoted to “Lieutenant” and had been gifted the bible in the meeting. Campus was closed the day of the funeral; some parents were already pressuring the Dean to close the school until the murderer was caught. 
    
   Donald stared at his door. When he’d left for class in the morning, he’d cleared off the religious tracts, pleas for help with everything from schoolwork to apparently a “Stormer case” of the crabs (ewww), and just a large marker-drawing a dick on the wood. Typical morning at this point, really (the dick drawings weren’t even new or unique to him - they were drawn on all the dorm rooms down the hall, each one in a different color. Apparently someone had gotten to Walmart over the weekend and restocked).
    
   What was new now was the bold sharpie covering most of his door: 
    
   Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
   John 4:6-7
    
   The penmanship was even passable, given the doorness and sharpie pen of it all. 
    
   Sighing, he pushed his way inside and dropped his backpack next to his desk. When he turned to flop onto his bed, he found two crisp black envelopes laid carefully on the bedspread. One read “Donald” in flourishing emerald handwriting that put the door to embarrassing shame; the other had “Mask” written in the same handwriting but in scarlet ink. On the back, pressed into the black wax seal, where the letters ΦΟΒΟΣ.
   

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