Raised by Wolves

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

WHO: Jacob Taylor and OPEN
WHERE: Throughout the Porter cities (see prompts for details)
WHEN: October 1 - 20
WHAT: Jacob has a dog! And other developments
WARNINGS: Should be none

A - DOG!!! Park in Heropa

Meet Champ. Say hello, Champ. Champ is Jacob Taylor's new dog, adopted in Maurtia Falls and named with advice from the Network. He and Jacob are already getting along like a house on fire.

Maurtia Falls isn't the best place to play with a dog though, so Jacob has taken him to one of Heropa's many dog parks today. Champ's giving Jacob a run for his money in playing, dashing after balls and wrestling for sticks like a, well, champ. He's a gorgeous, friendly, good dog, yes he is, yes he is. However, he's not fully trained yet, and may sometimes be too friendly. Try as Jacob might to restrain his doggy enthusiasm, he may come bounding over to your character to sniff and say hi!


B - Helix Station, aka RISE headquarters, Maurtia Falls

Jacob has seen a fair amount of action lately, between the fight against 'Superior' Iron Man's creations and the fracas at WayneTech. That's no reason to skimp on his exercise and training routine, though. The base is a little more welcoming these days since the government mandated its disarmament after an inquiry into RISE's conduct. For RISE members or anyone who might have a reason to visit, Jacob can be found in the exercise room burning through a tremendous number of crunches and rounds with the punching bag, or gunning down targets at the shooting range.

He can also be encountered on the grounds outside the base itself, running laps with the steady, practiced gait of a trained soldier. Jacob actually likes exercise, and it shows on his face: serious, focused, yet also upbeat and fulfilled, like he would happily spend the rest of his life running laps and doing crunches if he didn't have other responsibilities.


C - De Chima, area around StarkTech

He used to live in De Chima, and he takes it hard whenever the city gets hit by, say, a megalomaniacal futurist with an army of artificial metahumans and cutting-edge battlesuits. Jacob feels responsible, and not just because a building got taken out during the crossfire between him and one of Superior Iron Man's armours (the Doctor was there too, but never mind that). With that in mind, Jacob can be found around the ruins of a Moonbux coffee shop near Starktech in the early days of October, using his biotic powers and his muscles to help move wreckage and make repairs. It's the least he can do after the damage that battle did to this part of the city.


D - For Kanaya, in Nonah - King LMK if you want to change any of this

All Jacob wanted was to get coffee with someone he used to fight crime with. Is that too much to ask? Apparently yes, yes it is. Jacob and Kanaya have only just sat down and entered the small-talk-catching-up phase of their encounter when a fireball streaks into a parked car outside the shop, exploding it into flames.

A voice roars out as pedestrians and customers alike scatter for the nearest cover. "Protector! Come on out!"

Jacob sighs. He always thought there would be trouble eventually from his secret identity being compromised during the fall of Archangel last year. He gives Kanaya the look of a man who is glad he brought his armour to this meeting. "Think you can 'port him someplace less crowded? I'd rather deal with this away from civilians." He doesn't want another destroyed coffee shop on his record if he can avoid it.


E - Open space

Anything you want! Jacob lives and works in Maurtia Falls, but regularly travels to the other Porter cities for various reasons.

Comments

C

[mathemagier]

Having worked in StarkTech for a year, they should have noticed something. But really, happy to have a nice lab and actual funding, he was content to work on his projects for the first time in twelve years.

Hermann skirted the building, circling the block and considering what it meant for their careers. They should probably take a break for a bit, and sort out what they were going to do from there. He'd already been drafting up a speech to present to Stark about switching focus from consumer production to pure research..

He stopped to view the wreckage of the coffee shop they'd usually visit on their breaks. He'd given a donation for repairs, though it both did and didn't seem right to donate with money he'd earned from the company responsible for the destruction in the first place. At least repairs did seem to be underway..

Hermann crossed the street for a better look, though staying well away from where workers were lifting and hauling bits of wreckage and materials. Didn't want to get in the way, but perhaps he could still assist a bit.

"Mr. Taylor," he noted with surprise. "I don't suppose you could use a mathematician's touch. I can also reshape objects if necessary."

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Jacob looked over his shoulder with reciprocal surprise, a shattered wooden beam floating in front of him, glowing blue from a biotic field.

"Dr. Gottlieb?" He asked rhetorically. "If you want to help, I won't say no."

He finished floating the wreckage into a nearby waste receptacle, then turned around, spreading his hands to encompass the rubble around him. "Not sure where to start, though," he admitted. "That last missile collapsed this place. The fires finished off the rest. It's going to have to be completely rebuilt. Not sure if the owners have insurance for shit like this."

He cast his eyes downward on that last note. While Jacob didn't exactly aim to have this place become a casualty of this fight, he knows that probably doesn't mean much to the people who ran it and who enjoyed it before the battle.

[mathemagier]

Hermann leaned on his cane, casting a more speculative look about the wreckage. He was no architect, but he could fix and move objects without trouble.

"Well there are public funds available for these eventualities, so between that and charitable workers such as yourself, I'm sure they'll manage all right. Was anyone injured?"

Buildings could be fixed, but lives couldn't be restored, and it seemed as though Jacob was taking it a bit hard.

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Jacob shook his head. "This area was evacuated by the time the fighting really started," he says. If any civilians had been hurt, he'd have been taking it a lot harder than this. "Good thing, too. Things got pretty intense. Were you all right during it?"

He wasn't sure if Hermann lived or worked in De Chima, but considering his scientific bent it seemed like a safe bet to make. Besides, he also knew that the Dr. had been thinking about getting more involved in heroism- he might have been part of the fight, for all Jacob knew.

[mathemagier]

"Oh yes, I was alright. I work remotely and I'm capable of changing location at a moment's notice, so I'm not generally in much danger."

And now he had a large hulking Kaiju to protect him if ever he was.

Suddenly aware he was slouching, Hermann straightened up and moved a bit closer to the pile of wreckage. It was difficult to recognize the shop in its current state.

"Well I can at least supplement the cost of repairs and replacements a bit.."

He looked about for anything salvageable, or else not terribly difficult to repair. Splinters everywhere and on top of fire damage, they'd probably still need some supplementing material, but..

Bits of chair blinked out of the pile, and a half minute later, appeared fully formed in reach of him. Hermann hit it with his cane and nodded to himself.

"Tables and chairs are trivial matters, but if you see the owners, let them know I can assist on a larger scale when the rebuilding efforts are underway."

A is clearly for adorable pups, right?

[dejerate]

[Dogs. Animals aren't as much a common sight back home as they are here, where a lot of people seem to keep pets, Yuu is learning. He has yet to get one himself, but he's still not against the possibility some day, maybe.

Some pets can be cute. Like Champ, who eagerly comes bounding over and luckily doesn't quite manage to entirely bowl Yuu over with his enthusiastic greeting. It's instinctive for Yuu to laugh, reaching out a (ungloved, since he isn't in his uniform from home) hand for the dog to sniff at before petting.]

Hey boy! Ah, but where's your -- oh, Jacob?

[He recognizes the other soldier who seems to be now chasing after the dog, anyway. So he's guessing.]

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Champ! Down!

[Jacob jogs up and snags Champ's collar, reattaching his leash and getting the furry bundle of friendly back under control.]

Hey, Yuu. Sorry about that. I'm still training him.

[dejerate]

Heh. It's okay. He's just excited to be out, aren't you, boy? Champ, was it?

[The training would come. Yuu figures that probably takes time. Even if he's never had a pet himself. There's a laugh and a smile once Jacob arrives and gets Champ back on the leash.]

I've never had a pet before. But he seems friendly enough!

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Yeah, that's him. Friendly- and curious. He really likes meeting new people.

[Jacob doesn't know the details of Champ's life before he adopted the dog, but clearly whatever he experienced didn't dull his instincts for socializing. Even with the leash on, he's still pushing his nose towards Yuu, still trying to smell all that's possible about this new friend.]

dog park

[redigere]

[Naminé is walking around the perimeter of the park at the moment with Shiro, coaxing him away from chasing some sparrows. He's an obedient dog with Riku, and isn't at all difficult around Naminé either. It's just that he can get away with more puppy enthusiasm when his human is a tiny girl instead of a giant man.]

Shiro, you won't be able to catch them no matter how-- oh?

[She turns when she feels a wet nose that's not Shiro's skimming the back of her legs and then towards her canvas bag.]

Hello there. Did you smell Shiro's treats in my bag?

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

[Yes he did, and his tail is wagging a mile-a-minute as he nuzzles the bag, pushing himself deeper into that treat-y scent. It doesn't last long before Jacob catches up with Champ though, and pulls him back.]

Hi. Sorry about Champ- playing works up his appetite.

[redigere]

[She perks up at the familiar face.]

Oh! Hello again. And it's fine. I don't mind giving Champ one, since Shiro shouldn't have all of them for himself anyways.

[She digs into her bag and pulls out two, one for each dog.]

Does he know how to sit?

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

[Champ starts lunging at the treat the instant it's out of the bag. Jacob's firm hand on the collar is all that keeps him from snatching the treat out of her hand.]

Champ! Down! C'mon boy, sit!

[Champ continues lunging. Jacob gives Namine an apologetic look.]

Not yet, he doesn't. I haven't had much time for training him so far.

D - lemme know if any of this needs changing!

[glowsferatu]

It's late when Kanaya lights a cigarette and heads back out into the Maurtia Falls night. She's already visited a handful of gambling dens tonight, and she has another handful to look into before she's done for the night, all to paint a picture for herself of born loser Robert Durden. She's certainly learning a lot about the man, so far, but nothing has yet illuminated for her why he died.

She's so preoccupied with checking over the notes she's collected on her phone that she almost misses the thread above that's been following her for three blocks. That's not suspicious at all. Maybe it's an imPort, someone who's after a visit. Either way, probably best to get away from any late night stragglers out on the street, so she ducks down an alley, somewhere isolated. She gets about halfway before she feels a heat on her back, and barely ducks a fireball in time.

Wheeling about to face its origin, the alleyway is empty, but she takes a sudden strike from behind. She darts back to her feet, honing in on his thread as her glow explodes out of her in a bright flash. The man standing in front of her is dressed in black body armor, a white mask covering half his face.

"I know who you are, Echidna! Tonight, an angel will fall!"

Jesus, really? What the hell kind of line is that? Maybe she's starting to see why people keep secret identities a little.

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Jacob- or rather, 'The Protector'- is out in Maurtia Falls tonight too, in the armour Kanaya made for him last year. Breaking up drug deals and interrupting burglaries may not be official RISE business, but Jacob hates how strong the criminal element in town still is despite Archangel's work last summer. Sometimes, he still feels the need to step in.

The flash of fire down the street, followed by a familiar glow and the sound of someone yelling cliched threats, all brings him running. Rounding a corner, he takes the scene in immediately- Kanaya facing a costumed assailant who is either an unknown imPort or an Extremis native with better resources than most of the amateurs Jacob has faced so far.

He doesn't hesitate before hitting the man in the mask with a biotic attack that floats him off the ground, yelling. Then he steps toward Kanaya, checking to make sure she hasn't been charred by anything.

"You okay? Who is this guy?"

jesus, sorry how late this is

[glowsferatu]

Oh. Kanaya's surprised to see her assailant suddenly fly up in the air, but upon seeing the company they'd attracted, that explained plenty. She relaxes a little, but not enough to give him the smile she might under kinder circumstances. She only spares him a glance, keeping her eyes on Asmodeus.

"I've never seen him before in my life. I think he might be faster than I am, so we should be careful. How long can you hold him like that?"

Asmodeus, of course, is not at all pleased with his present circumstances, squirming and fidgeting as he floats in the air. The best he manages is to crane his neck towards them. "Ah ha! And more flock to posture at their false heaven. Don't think I won't drag you both with me to hell!"

And then, he graciously stops talking long enough to spit a fireball in the Protector's direction.

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Jacob is about to answer Kanaya's question when Asmodeus bursts out with... that. His eyes widen and he's about to ask if this guy is actually for real when a fireball flies at his face, thereby confirming that yes, yes this person is for real.

Jacob gets his biotic barrier up just in time to absorb the brunt of the fireball safely, flame washing over him and charring nearby brick in its passage. But when the barrier goes up, the biotic Pull field goes down. The villain lands on his feet and loses no time darting away with his enhanced speed, yelling out again as he readies his next attack from somewhere in the shadows:

"Judgement comes to all, you fools! Even self-appointed angels. Prepare to embrace the torment you've earned!"

Jacob moves closer to Kanaya, hands raised in a protective stance as he gets back-to-back with her. "Either this guy has a problem with Archangel, or some serious religious issues. Maybe both."

A. Puppies!

[voicelessresistance]

Champ might have been enjoying fetching balls, but apparently he wasn't the only one, as a ball that he missed went rolling away only to be snatched up by a very strange looking dog, who wagged her tail excitedly before bounding away from Champ and his owner. Finders keepers, maybe? Or she wanted him to chase her. Who could tell with dogs?

She didn't go very far though, bee-lining for a red-headed woman in jeans and a red blouse, who was just shaking her head, somewhere between embarrassment and amusement. She was holding a beach ball in her hands, but that clearly had not been enough to entertain her dog.

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Champ was right after the odd dog, taking the ball theft in good fun despite how different this new playmate smelled. And Jacob was after them both. He recognized Luna from when Red showed her to him on his Network post- the 'process' a difficult dog to forget.

"Hey." He greeted her as he watched Champ chase Luna around the two owners. "Looks like our dogs have hit it off. That's Luna, right? I remember seeing her on my last post."

[voicelessresistance]

Red laughed silently as the two dogs were suddenly racing around her, and when Jacob approached and spoke, she offered him a nod and a smile as if to say 'yes.'

And then she turned back to the dogs, giving a short whistle that had Luna slide to a stop, peering up at her eagerly. So Red through the beach ball and the strange dog took off after it.

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Luna was going to have to race Champ to get that beach ball. Champ was after it the second it was in the air, seeing nothing more than another fun colourful thing he could chase after. And he was a fast dog, running his heart out. The ball Luna had snatched from him was already forgotten.

Jacob watched him go with a smile on his lips. "Yeah. He's going to sleep tonight, all right."

C

[pretendtoneedme]

Clint's coming back from visiting Betty and making sure she's still stable - she was shakier than he liked to leave people, but he didn't know her well enough yet to fully pull her under his wing, so to speak - and has to cross through one of the areas of the city that got smashed in order to get back to the Porter. It wasn't like he wasn't familiar with the fallout of superhero battles, considering that was what the Accords back home had been about from the ground up, but that had been on a level he'd never seen before. Then again, his world just didn't seem to have as many superheroes as others he'd heard about, and of course the world they'd been pulled into. Six versus six had pretty completely trashed an airport at home - this one had been more like sixty versus sixty, what with all the suits Tony had at his disposal and villains he'd created.

"Damnit, Tony," he mutters under his breath as he passes by one such area of wreckage - and groans when he sees that the Moonbux he vaguely remembered had been a victim of the rampage. "Damnit, Tony!" He needed coffee, even if it was too expensive, overly-processed coffee that came out of those types of chains. Looks like that'll have to wait, though.

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Clint's curse prompts Jacob to emerge from the wreckage, covered in dust from his work and still glowing a faint blue from the use of his biotics. He pauses to wipe his brow with the back of his forearm before calling out.

"You know Stark?"

Ordinarily he would have asked if he was a friend of Stark's, but for obvious reasons Jacob is pretty sure Stark doesn't have many friends these days.

[pretendtoneedme]

He's not surprised when a man comes out of that mess - moving chunks of building around isn't exactly a quiet occupation, after all - but having someone take interest in his idle (if heartfelt) curse isn't exactly what Clint was expecting. The fact that the other man is glowing a little doesn't throw him; he's seen enough weird crap in his life to not be surprised by much, and Clint throws a halfhearted glare at the demolished Moonbux sign before he answers.

"Sorta - I know Tony Stark, but the one here's not the one I know. We're from some sort of parallel worlds or something, with a lot of the same people around but different histories." He glances around again, this time taking in all of the destruction of De Chima, before shaking his head. "The Tony I know's done some crap things, but nothing like this."

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Jacob sighs, then stretches out his shoulders, stiff from rubble-shifting. "Too bad we don't have your Stark here, then," he grumbles. "I don't know what happened with this one, but..."

He gestures wordlessly behind him. Waste of a perfectly good coffee shop, what a shame. Oh, and now there's hundreds of people with powers they never asked for out there, too.

"Anyway, if you're here for coffee, you'll need to go to a different block," he says. "But if you're helping with the clean-up here, I wouldn't say no to another pair of hands."