Kintsugi Plays Fallen Hero: Retribution (ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ …(^_^)…)

Spoiler: LP errata

"keltena did you accidentally omit the 'with no significant wounds' part for the past three chapters"

look.

at least I didn't erase Herald for half the game this time.

 

backtracks to check our motivations. at this point he is EXTREMELY unlikely to be helpful to us (much less turn against Hollow Ground), so.

>kill the mf. if he goes to the hospital he will eventually get out of the hospital, and be an even more dedicated thorn in our side after this provocation.

 

A partial list of the quickest consensuses this thread has ever reached:

• let Josie say fuck
• pet the rats
• eat the rich
• be spooky and mysterious
• pet the dog
• murder a politician

​

> I'll kill him fast.

Removing Deveraux permanently is a tempting possibility, and right now, with Captain Blaze out cold, you have the perfect opportunity. Nobody can stop you.

You can see him cowering, backed up against the wall. You feel nauseous, you know this is the simplest way to remove an obstacle, but you thought you were better than this. You tried so hard to keep your hands clean.

No hesitation.

Before he has the chance to react, you leap at Deveraux, jump-jets firing as you land a kick right in his face, slamming it back against the wall. You land lightly on your feet, watching as the body slides down the ruined wall, leaving a red streak behind.

No coming back from that, his head is nearly caved in. Dead.

Time to deal with the main attraction. Captain Blaze is out cold on the floor waiting for your decision.

　‣ I leave Blaze alive; time to go.
　‣ I'll kill him quickly.
　‣ Time to kill him, showily.

And what about him?​

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary.
Description: A tall mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short and styled curly dark brown hair.

Their sense of style is androgynous, secondhand streetwear, with many piercings in their ears, nose, and tongue. They have a short, scruffy beard and mustache.

Standard of Living: Josie is well-off.
Josie is living in a comfortable apartment.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are bruised, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy
Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Anathema
Anathema runs a criminal syndicate. They are a known killer.
Infamy: 46% / Obscurity: 54%
█████████▒██████████

Armored Suit
Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing. The cape conceals and obfuscates what's underneath.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores, functionally similar to having disintegration touch. The suit is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status
Need Repair: 15% / Fine: 85%
████████████████████

Leadership: 55%
████████████████████

Psychological Profile
Arrogance: 36% / Anonymity: 64%
███████▒████████████
Ruthlessness: 44% (+14) / Empathy: 56%
████████▒███████████
Daring: 59% / Caution: 41%
███████████▒████████

Back in the day, Sidestep was known as a vigilante working with the Rangers.

Main Puppet
Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: She is fine, and has no serious wounds.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Charge
Josie's Relationship with Ortega: Friend and ally.
Ortega's Connection with Josie: 80%
████████████████████

Ortega thinks Anathema has made some good points.

Barbara's Relationship with Ortega: Eternally flirting. Josie is using Barbara as a spy.
Ortega's Connection with Barbara: 59%
███████████▒████████

Dr. Mortum
Barbara's Relationship with Dr. Mortum: friend.
Mortum's Connection with Barbara: 66%
█████████████▒██████

Lady Argent
Josie's Relationship with Lady Argent: Distant.
Lady Argent's Impression of Josie: 1%
▒███████████████████

Lady Argent respects Anathema's abilities.
Lady Argent's Interest in Anathema: 43%
████████▒███████████

Marshal Steel
Josie's Relationship with Steel: Friendly.
Steel's Connection with Josie: 61%
████████████▒███████

Marshal Steel thinks Anathema needs to be brought in.

Herald
Josie's Relationship with Herald: Could be useful.
Herald's Connection with Josie: 60%
████████████████████

Herald thinks Anathema is a villain.

Other Characters

 

I am once again advocating for efficient murder, but also I've taken lead on the last two choices so if someone else has a vote I will gladly jump ship

 

Hmmm. I kinda want to leave Blaze alive. Partly because our narration is already unhappy enough about the expedience here, partly because I think it'd enflame the various other Hero groups if Anathema gets a confirmed hero kill, but partly... It seems really funny to leave Blaze answering for this death to all relevant parties.

 

Anathema's new internal conflict: taunt him about how Charge could have done better, or not? (On the one hand, hilarious; on the other hand, can't have anyone thinking we couldn't kick Charge's ass any day of the week...)

 

Let's not get carried away. It would be unfair to hog all the negative publicity for this incident.​

> I leave Blaze alive; time to go.

There is no reason for you to stick around any longer.

You've won. Captain Blaze is down, an unconscious pile at your feet. If you really were the villain they think you are, you should take the chance to kill him. It wouldn't be hard, not right now.

But you're not.

This time you are choosing to walk away.

You've won. That has to be enough.

> All In A Day's Work

It's a long trek back to your base, but your feet are light. Mission accomplished.

Your armor is starting to show signs of wear; you might have to do some tinkering to fix it.

It's going to be interesting to see what the news will make of it all tonight. This will certainly have done your reputation some good.

But now it's time for some well-deserved rest.

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary.
Description: A tall mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short and styled curly dark brown hair.

Their sense of style is androgynous, secondhand streetwear, with many piercings in their ears, nose, and tongue. They have a short, scruffy beard and mustache.

Standard of Living: Josie is well-off.
Josie is living in a comfortable apartment.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are bruised, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy
Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Anathema
Anathema runs a criminal syndicate. They are a known killer.
Infamy: 46% / Obscurity: 54%
█████████▒██████████

Armored Suit
Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing. The cape conceals and obfuscates what's underneath.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores, functionally similar to having disintegration touch. The suit is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status
Need Repair: 15% / Fine: 85%
████████████████████

Leadership: 55%
████████████████████

Psychological Profile
Arrogance: 36% / Anonymity: 64%
███████▒████████████
Ruthlessness: 40% / Empathy: 60% (+4)
████████████████████
Daring: 59% / Caution: 41%
███████████▒████████

Back in the day, Sidestep was known as a vigilante working with the Rangers.

Main Puppet
Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: She is fine, and has no serious wounds.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Charge
Josie's Relationship with Ortega: Friend and ally.
Ortega's Connection with Josie: 80%
████████████████████

Ortega thinks Anathema has made some good points.

Barbara's Relationship with Ortega: Eternally flirting. Josie is using Barbara as a spy.
Ortega's Connection with Barbara: 59%
███████████▒████████

Dr. Mortum
Barbara's Relationship with Dr. Mortum: friend.
Mortum's Connection with Barbara: 66%
█████████████▒██████

Lady Argent
Josie's Relationship with Lady Argent: Distant.
Lady Argent's Impression of Josie: 1%
▒███████████████████

Lady Argent respects Anathema's abilities.
Lady Argent's Interest in Anathema: 43%
████████▒███████████

Marshal Steel
Josie's Relationship with Steel: Friendly.
Steel's Connection with Josie: 61%
████████████▒███████

Marshal Steel thinks Anathema needs to be brought in.

Herald
Josie's Relationship with Herald: Could be useful.
Herald's Connection with Josie: 60%
████████████████████

Herald thinks Anathema is a villain.

Other Characters

 

Three days later.

Your fight with Captain Blaze made the news. Someone beating the leader of the Guardians is new, and you've got people who were uninterested before talking about you now. Deveraux's death made an impression for sure.

Time to update your plans and figure out what your next step is.

> But Not Today

Today, you've got other things planned.

Yesterday you had a training session with Herald, despite your bruises, and you mentioned that if he still wanted coffee, you were free tomorrow afternoon. Your meeting in the gallery made you curious, and coffee is suitably neutral ground.

At least Herald doesn't keep you waiting, unlike some. One of the perks of being a flier, you suppose, unable to get stuck in traffic. You put your face in order as you pick up his approaching thoughts. Mask on. Shields up. Be the person he believes you are.

"Hey," Herald says, walking up to you to prevent another awkward scene. His smile is brighter than the smog-filled Los Diablos afternoon, despite the black eye you gave him when he was too slow to dodge. It has darkened to purple like you knew it would, but his eye has not swollen shut. Interesting, he could easily have hidden it with makeup or a pair of sunglasses, but he hasn't. Why? "Thanks for saying yes."

"You know me," you lie, the shrug another layer of camouflage. "I'd do anything for a cup of coffee." At least the place he picked is good, a little more upscale than your usual haunts, so nobody should know you here.

"Yeah," a laugh, embarrassed but happy. "Ortega might have mentioned that's the case." He pushes open the door, holding it long enough for it to be a thing. Opening the door for you. The nerve.

"Knowing my weakness and using it to your advantage?" You push past, taking the offensive to pick a corner table with a good view. "Looks like someone's learning tactics at last. Now, if you could just use that in a fight."

"You mean bring a thermos along for distraction?"

"Are you making fun of my addiction?" You mumble the words, distracted. Looking around. Making sure it's safe. If he apologizes, you don't notice.

He apologizes a lot.

It's a nice place he picked. Looks like it is connected to a neighboring art gallery. Too many windows for your taste, but people will see Herald and not you. The place looks expensive. Styled conservatively enough to appeal to the buyers while still hip enough to be current. He takes a seat opposite you, showing no fear of sitting with his back to the room. Naive. Confident. More confident than usual.

He feels at home here, familiar environment. So he picked a battleground he's used to.

　‣ What am I even doing here?
　‣ Looks like he likes art; twice is not a coincidence.
　‣ Battleground? I need to stop thinking like that.

New villain career's going smoothly; how about our new "social life"?​

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary.
Description: A tall mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short and styled curly dark brown hair.

Their sense of style is androgynous, secondhand streetwear, with many piercings in their ears, nose, and tongue. They have a short, scruffy beard and mustache.

Standard of Living: Josie is well-off.
Josie is living in a comfortable apartment.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are bruised, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy
Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Anathema
Anathema runs a criminal syndicate. They are a known killer.
Infamy: 51% (+5) / Obscurity: 49%
██████████▒█████████

Armored Suit
Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing. The cape conceals and obfuscates what's underneath.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores, functionally similar to having disintegration touch. The suit is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status
Need Repair: 15% / Fine: 85%
████████████████████

Leadership: 55%
████████████████████

Psychological Profile
Arrogance: 36% / Anonymity: 64%
███████▒████████████
Ruthlessness: 40% / Empathy: 60%
████████████████████
Daring: 59% / Caution: 41%
███████████▒████████

Back in the day, Sidestep was known as a vigilante working with the Rangers.

Main Puppet
Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: She is fine, and has no serious wounds.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Charge
Josie's Relationship with Ortega: Friend and ally.
Ortega's Connection with Josie: 80%
████████████████████

Ortega thinks Anathema has made some good points.

Barbara's Relationship with Ortega: Eternally flirting. Josie is using Barbara as a spy.
Ortega's Connection with Barbara: 59%
███████████▒████████

Dr. Mortum
Barbara's Relationship with Dr. Mortum: friend.
Mortum's Connection with Barbara: 66%
█████████████▒██████

Lady Argent
Josie's Relationship with Lady Argent: Distant.
Lady Argent's Impression of Josie: 1%
▒███████████████████

Lady Argent respects Anathema's abilities.
Lady Argent's Interest in Anathema: 43%
████████▒███████████

Marshal Steel
Josie's Relationship with Steel: Friendly.
Steel's Connection with Josie: 61%
████████████▒███████

Marshal Steel thinks Anathema needs to be brought in.

Herald
Josie's Relationship with Herald: Could be useful.
Herald's Connection with Josie: 60%
████████████████████

Herald thinks Anathema is a villain.

Other Characters

 

>battleground? josie your ptsd is showing.

(secondary vote for >art)

 

At least to tone down the battlefield thoughts so it doesn't show in reactions. Secondary vote also art.

 

Don't call it a battleground; that's the wrong mindset for this mission. …Or is "mission" is the wrong way to think of it too?​

> Battleground? I need to stop thinking like that.

Battleground? No. You need to stop thinking like that. This isn't a fight, it's coffee, and you need Herald to be relaxed. So you need to be relaxed.

That's not hard, right? Just take a few deep breaths. Stop thinking catastrophic thoughts. There are no dampeners here; you can sense every single mind surrounding you. No threats. The people who notice you are easy enough to divert, make them stop…

Oh. Oh no.

Are they jealous? You catch a stray thought, a woman with her friend at a window table, thinking about you…who are you to be here with someone like Herald? With someone that smiles at you like that?

Wrong. She's wrong. There's nothing to be jealous about, and Herald smiles that way at everyone. You snip that annoying thought in half, make her ignore you both.

Jealous? Of you? Preposterous.

"Oh, hello there." Herald interrupts what he was talking about to smile up at the waitress that has arrived, meeting her polite smile with a charming one.

Familiar. It's like being out with Ortega. Herald is a magnet for people's attention, letting you sit comfortably in the shadow. Familiar but also unfamiliar, because while you can read the waitress's mind as she takes your orders, you can read Herald's as well. The friendly attention he pays her, the little joke about coffee that makes her laugh. Is that a tactic to put her at ease? Yes, it is.

It's just like the way he treated Barbara. With gentle, friendly caution, just in case he was recognized as anything other than an art aficionado. Making sure everyone knows he's just another guy right now. Not a hero.

Huh. Interesting. You haven't seen that side of Herald before, the way he can shift his tone fast and smooth when he needs to. The way he's aware of how he is perceived and can choose to adjust his behavior. What does that say about you? That he's awkward and bumbling and slightly starstruck around you? Is that the truth or just another mask? Looks like you're not the only one that can manipulate people.

As the waitress leaves with your orders, Herald's face drops back to nervousness, his thoughts agitated like a cloud of butterflies. Oh, this feels like the truth alright, open heart and dry mouth. "I hope you know I wasn't making fun of you before. I know you're not addicted; I just wanted to—"

　‣ "You need to stop apologizing for everything."
　‣ "It's fine," I say with a smile.
　‣ "Hey, I don't mind a smart-ass," I grin.

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary.
Description: A tall mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short and styled curly dark brown hair.

Their sense of style is androgynous, secondhand streetwear, with many piercings in their ears, nose, and tongue. They have a short, scruffy beard and mustache.

Standard of Living: Josie is well-off.
Josie is living in a comfortable apartment.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are bruised, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy
Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Anathema
Anathema runs a criminal syndicate. They are a known killer.
Infamy: 51% / Obscurity: 49%
██████████▒█████████

Armored Suit
Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing. The cape conceals and obfuscates what's underneath.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores, functionally similar to having disintegration touch. The suit is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status
Need Repair: 15% / Fine: 85%
████████████████████

Leadership: 55%
████████████████████

Psychological Profile
Arrogance: 36% / Anonymity: 64%
███████▒████████████
Ruthlessness: 40% / Empathy: 60%
████████████████████
Daring: 59% / Caution: 41%
███████████▒████████

Back in the day, Sidestep was known as a vigilante working with the Rangers.

Main Puppet
Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: She is fine, and has no serious wounds.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Charge
Josie's Relationship with Ortega: Friend and ally.
Ortega's Connection with Josie: 80%
████████████████████

Ortega thinks Anathema has made some good points.

Barbara's Relationship with Ortega: Eternally flirting. Josie is using Barbara as a spy.
Ortega's Connection with Barbara: 59%
███████████▒████████

Dr. Mortum
Barbara's Relationship with Dr. Mortum: friend.
Mortum's Connection with Barbara: 66%
█████████████▒██████

Lady Argent
Josie's Relationship with Lady Argent: Distant.
Lady Argent's Impression of Josie: 1%
▒███████████████████

Lady Argent respects Anathema's abilities.
Lady Argent's Interest in Anathema: 43%
████████▒███████████

Marshal Steel
Josie's Relationship with Steel: Friendly.
Steel's Connection with Josie: 61%
████████████▒███████

Marshal Steel thinks Anathema needs to be brought in.

Herald
Josie's Relationship with Herald: Could be useful.
Herald's Connection with Josie: 60%
████████████████████

Herald thinks Anathema is a villain.

Other Characters

 

>we are all smart-asses

 

C'mon, Danny, what do you take us for?​

> "Hey, I don't mind a smart-ass," I grin.

"Hey, I don't mind a smart-ass," you say with a grin. His apology feels like an ingrained reflex and an old one at that. Parents? Teachers? It tastes like the former; looks like the Rangers' poster boy wasn't always perfect. Is that why he pretends to be?

"I know," Herald returns the smile. "I mean, you're friends with Ortega. I just didn't want to hurt you."

"Come on, I can take it. It's like when we're training, you'll never be good if you're holding back."

"I know you can take care of yourself," he protests, and you give him a stern look, tapping your eye. He touches his own in return, an echo that turns into a wince. The bruise is still fresh enough to be tender.

"If you really did, you wouldn't be nursing that bruise right now."

"I know. It's my fault." He looks down, the smile turned inward and the thoughts pulling together again. "I should have been faster."

"You should have been," you agree, but your frown has deepened because he's missing the point. Again. "You should just have hit me when you had the chance." When you sparred, there was an opening. He didn't take his shot.

"What?" There's a panicked flutter of Herald's lashes as he realizes that you've seen through him.

"I'm not an idiot; I know I messed up. I was off-balance." You were. But why?

　‣ I really did make a mistake. That's not good.
　‣ I faked an opening to see what he would do.
　‣ I hesitated. Hurting him felt…bad.
　‣ I got distracted; he's way too hot.

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary.
Description: A tall mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short and styled curly dark brown hair.

Their sense of style is androgynous, secondhand streetwear, with many piercings in their ears, nose, and tongue. They have a short, scruffy beard and mustache.

Standard of Living: Josie is well-off.
Josie is living in a comfortable apartment.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are bruised, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy
Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Anathema
Anathema runs a criminal syndicate. They are a known killer.
Infamy: 51% / Obscurity: 49%
██████████▒█████████

Armored Suit
Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing. The cape conceals and obfuscates what's underneath.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores, functionally similar to having disintegration touch. The suit is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status
Need Repair: 15% / Fine: 85%
████████████████████

Leadership: 55%
████████████████████

Psychological Profile
Arrogance: 36% / Anonymity: 64%
███████▒████████████
Ruthlessness: 40% / Empathy: 60%
████████████████████
Daring: 59% / Caution: 41%
███████████▒████████

Back in the day, Sidestep was known as a vigilante working with the Rangers.

Main Puppet
Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: She is fine, and has no serious wounds.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Charge
Josie's Relationship with Ortega: Friend and ally.
Ortega's Connection with Josie: 80%
████████████████████

Ortega thinks Anathema has made some good points.

Barbara's Relationship with Ortega: Eternally flirting. Josie is using Barbara as a spy.
Ortega's Connection with Barbara: 59%
███████████▒████████

Dr. Mortum
Barbara's Relationship with Dr. Mortum: friend.
Mortum's Connection with Barbara: 66%
█████████████▒██████

Lady Argent
Josie's Relationship with Lady Argent: Distant.
Lady Argent's Impression of Josie: 1%
▒███████████████████

Lady Argent respects Anathema's abilities.
Lady Argent's Interest in Anathema: 43%
████████▒███████████

Marshal Steel
Josie's Relationship with Steel: Friendly.
Steel's Connection with Josie: 61%
████████████▒███████

Marshal Steel thinks Anathema needs to be brought in.

Herald
Josie's Relationship with Herald: Could be useful.
Herald's Connection with Josie: 64% (+4)
████████████▒███████

Herald thinks Anathema is a villain.

Other Characters

 

>fake it. very much not into the last two, and the first does not jive with us pulling off a perfect assassination 3 days ago.

 

On the one hand, agreed, on the other hand, funny if we were distracted by thoughts of the assassination or taking it easy since Herald's not feeling like a real threat or something...

A vote for 1 or 2, either works for me

 

Obviously we faked it; it would be very out of character for us to make a mistake!​

> I faked an opening to see what he would do.

"Why didn't you use the advantage you got?" You give him a stern glance. If he doesn't even use the openings you give, he might as well retire now.

"That would mean that I had to punch you in the throat." You can feel Daniel's internal wince without even trying. "I didn't want to actually hurt you."

"Even if that meant I hurt you instead?" You tilt your head and focus more on his face; his eyes reveal as much as his thoughts do. He's telling the truth.

"It's a black eye, not the end of the world." The smile is an easy one, almost fond. That doesn't make sense.

Does he see the same image you do? Of your fist connecting to his side, leaving him gasping for breath, recovering just in time to see you ready yourself for a throw. An opening. A split-second opening you left on purpose.

He could have hit you. A blow to the throat can be a winning move, but he didn't take it. He hesitated, and you threw him, slammed him into the concrete hard enough that his powers didn't soften the blow. Pushed him down when he tried to get up, a punch to the side of his face hard enough to end that training session prematurely.

"The point of training is that you're supposed to hit back." Your voice is harsh because you know he doesn't see it that way. His punches are pulled. Defending works fine, but attacking you worries him.

"It's training," he protests, defending himself as the waitress returns with your order, paying attention to you, not to the coffee she puts in front of him. "I could see you were already sore." You divert the waitress, make her not remember the tone, the black eye, the implications. None of her business. "It would be different if it was a real fight," he continues.

"Would it?" You toss the question like a challenge. There are a lot of ways a flier can hurt people, but would Herald?

"I'm a Ranger. I fight villains." His voice is quiet, soft. For your sake or the sake of secrecy? "You're not a villain."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this." You look down at your coffee, trying to parse what you are feeling here.

　‣ Uncomfortable, he cares too much about me.
　‣ Annoyance, he's unprofessional.
　‣ Pride, he really has no idea who I am.
　‣ It's dangerous, feeling this soft.

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary.
Description: A tall mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short and styled curly dark brown hair.

Their sense of style is androgynous, secondhand streetwear, with many piercings in their ears, nose, and tongue. They have a short, scruffy beard and mustache.

Standard of Living: Josie is well-off.
Josie is living in a comfortable apartment.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are bruised, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy
Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Anathema
Anathema runs a criminal syndicate. They are a known killer.
Infamy: 51% / Obscurity: 49%
██████████▒█████████

Armored Suit
Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing. The cape conceals and obfuscates what's underneath.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores, functionally similar to having disintegration touch. The suit is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status
Need Repair: 15% / Fine: 85%
████████████████████

Leadership: 55%
████████████████████

Psychological Profile
Arrogance: 36% / Anonymity: 64%
███████▒████████████
Ruthlessness: 40% / Empathy: 60%
████████████████████
Daring: 59% / Caution: 41%
███████████▒████████

Back in the day, Sidestep was known as a vigilante working with the Rangers.

Main Puppet
Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: She is fine, and has no serious wounds.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Charge
Josie's Relationship with Ortega: Friend and ally.
Ortega's Connection with Josie: 80%
████████████████████

Ortega thinks Anathema has made some good points.

Barbara's Relationship with Ortega: Eternally flirting. Josie is using Barbara as a spy.
Ortega's Connection with Barbara: 59%
███████████▒████████

Dr. Mortum
Barbara's Relationship with Dr. Mortum: friend.
Mortum's Connection with Barbara: 66%
█████████████▒██████

Lady Argent
Josie's Relationship with Lady Argent: Distant.
Lady Argent's Impression of Josie: 1%
▒███████████████████

Lady Argent respects Anathema's abilities.
Lady Argent's Interest in Anathema: 43%
████████▒███████████

Marshal Steel
Josie's Relationship with Steel: Friendly.
Steel's Connection with Josie: 61%
████████████▒███████

Marshal Steel thinks Anathema needs to be brought in.

Herald
Josie's Relationship with Herald: Could be useful.
Herald's Connection with Josie: 64%
████████████▒███████

Herald thinks Anathema is a villain.

Other Characters

 

Telepath voice: lol. lmao, even.

 

any of the first three I'm cool with, maybe leaning >pride if no one else has stronger opinions

 

I'm torn between 2 and 3, but pride does have the potential fun of the 'lol, lmao' energy

 

Great news! We've been certified Not A Villain by one of the Rangers themselves ​

> Pride, he really has no idea who I am.

"Were you this frustrating when Ortega trained you?" You deepen your frown, hiding your smile. He really has no idea what you have become.

"Probably," he admits. "But it's hard to—"

"Hard to what?" Please let the answer be anything but what you're reading in his mind.

"Hit you." It's not. Of course it's not. You should have known.

"Why?" You don't want the answer, but perhaps he'll spare you both and lie.

"Because…" Daniel's mind lights up like misfired fireworks, a little here, a little there, a semblance of a pattern but no clean answer. Too many answers. You're his hero, and there are new undertones to the admiration you can sense, softer, more tender, but you don't have time to delve because he opts for the ugly truth, flinging it in both of your faces. "I think too many people have."

"Have what?" How does he see these things? Ortega never did.

"Hit you." He looks down, giving you some privacy, but there's no escaping his thoughts, bright, invasive, too honest. You tighten your shields instinctively; you need to block him out. You don't want these feelings. You want clarity. Anger. Even despair is preferable. Why is he so hard for you to ignore?

　‣ Maybe…I don't want to.
　‣ Herald is a lot stronger than he thinks.
　‣ It's just another way of hurting myself.

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary.
Description: A tall mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short and styled curly dark brown hair.

Their sense of style is androgynous, secondhand streetwear, with many piercings in their ears, nose, and tongue. They have a short, scruffy beard and mustache.

Standard of Living: Josie is well-off.
Josie is living in a comfortable apartment.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are bruised, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy
Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Anathema
Anathema runs a criminal syndicate. They are a known killer.
Infamy: 51% / Obscurity: 49%
██████████▒█████████

Armored Suit
Anathema's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing. The cape conceals and obfuscates what's underneath.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores, functionally similar to having disintegration touch. The suit is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status
Need Repair: 15% / Fine: 85%
████████████████████

Leadership: 55%
████████████████████

Psychological Profile
Arrogance: 36% / Anonymity: 64%
███████▒████████████
Ruthlessness: 40% / Empathy: 60%
████████████████████
Daring: 59% / Caution: 41%
███████████▒████████

Back in the day, Sidestep was known as a vigilante working with the Rangers.

Main Puppet
Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: She is fine, and has no serious wounds.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Charge
Josie's Relationship with Ortega: Friend and ally.
Ortega's Connection with Josie: 80%
████████████████████

Ortega thinks Anathema has made some good points.

Barbara's Relationship with Ortega: Eternally flirting. Josie is using Barbara as a spy.
Ortega's Connection with Barbara: 59%
███████████▒████████

Dr. Mortum
Barbara's Relationship with Dr. Mortum: friend.
Mortum's Connection with Barbara: 66%
█████████████▒██████

Lady Argent
Josie's Relationship with Lady Argent: Distant.
Lady Argent's Impression of Josie: 1%
▒███████████████████

Lady Argent respects Anathema's abilities.
Lady Argent's Interest in Anathema: 43%
████████▒███████████

Marshal Steel
Josie's Relationship with Steel: Friendly.
Steel's Connection with Josie: 61%
████████████▒███████

Marshal Steel thinks Anathema needs to be brought in.

Herald
Josie's Relationship with Herald: Could be useful.
Herald's Connection with Josie: 64%
████████████▒███████

Herald thinks Anathema is a villain.

Other Characters