Greywind

Is that pronounced "shawg"?

Angelique lay face down. Her arms were tucked under a pillow. Her spread legs were clad in pale green nylon. Part of her was covered with a sheet. One foot rested on something and there was a gentle weight on that ankle. She moved her foot and realized it was on Jason's leg. When her foot moved, Jason massaged each side of the tendon. Memories of the night before tumbled through her mind. She smiled and enjoyed the sensations that still lingered on her body. Jason's fingers massaged her calf. “How's the head?” Rolling over, the sheet slipping to the side, Angel said, “Clear. No hangover.” “You didn't act drunk like you did the other couple of times.” Angel shook her head. Jason smiled. “Good.” “I think it's safe to say that the situation was resolved.” She rose up on her knees. “What are you doing? Taking nudes of me?” she teased. Angelique straddled Jason's leg. “Let me see.” She reached for the sketchbook in his hand. He released it. Turning some pages, she said, “Planning on painting me?” “Well, I'm no Heinrich Wagner, but...” Her eyes turned to Jason. “Why do you say that name?” “The museum has a painting of you that he did around 1930. The Lady in Blue or The Blue Lady. The museum can't make up its mind. I've got a print of it. Decent artist.” “Wagner was the name Boris took after he fled Russia when the Communists took over.” “Oh.” Angelique closed the book and set it aside. She took the pencil out of Jason's hand and tossed it on the floor. “What now?” Leaning close, Angelique said, “Now I finish paying you for your services on my behalf. When I am satisfied I have done so, I will make use of your shower or bathtub while you prepare,” her eyes darted to the alarm clock, “a meal.” She smiled. “Too late to call it lunch. Too early to call it supper. And you foiled my planning of a bank robbery.” She kissed Jason fully on the mouth. They floated over the bed and Jason turned on his back and sank into the mattress. “A Guardian's job is never done.”

Yeah You are my fire The one desire Believe when I say I want it that way But we are two worlds apart Can't reach to your heart When you say That I want it that way Tell me why Ain't nothin' but a heartache Tell me why Ain't nothin' but a mistake Tell me why I never wanna hear you say I want it that way Am I your fire? Your one desire Yes, I know it's too late But I want it that way Tell me why Ain't nothin' but a heartache Tell me why Ain't nothin' but a mistake Tell me why I never wanna hear you say I want it that way Now I can see that we've fallen apart From the way that it used to be, yeah No matter the distance I want you to know That deep down inside of me You are my fire The one desire You are (you are, you are, you are) Don't wanna hear you say Ain't nothin' but a heartache Ain't nothin' but a mistake (don't wanna hear you say) I never wanna hear you say (oh, yeah) I want it that way Tell me why Ain't nothin' but a heartache Tell me why Ain't nothing but a mistake Tell me why I never want to hear you say (never wanna hear you say) I want it that way Tell me why Ain't nothin' but a heartache Ain't nothin' but a mistake Tell me why I never want to hear you say (don't want to hear you say) I want it that way 'Cause I want it that way

Baby I get so scared inside, and I don't really understand Is it love that's on my mind, or is it fantasy? Heaven Is in the palm of my hand, and it's waiting here for you What am I supposed to do with a childhood tragedy? If I close my eyes forever Will it all remain unchanged? If I close my eyes forever Will it all remain the same? Sometimes It's hard to hold on So hard to hold on to my dreams It isn't always what it seems When you're face to face with me You're like a dagger And stick me in the heart And taste the blood from my blade And when we sleep, would you shelter me In your warm and darkened grave? If I close my eyes forever Will it all remain unchanged? If I close my eyes forever Will it all remain the same? Will you ever take me? No, I just can't take the pain But would you ever trust me? No, I'll never feel the same, oh I know I've been so hard on you I know I've told you lies If I could have just one more wish I'd wipe the cobwebs from my eyes If I close my eyes forever Will it all remain unchanged? If I close my eyes forever Will it all remain the same? Close your eyes Close your eyes You gotta close your eyes for me

Charley checked the address on the piece of paper Jason had given her. She was in the right block of the right street. She checked the numbers of the buildings again. “Five numbers there. Five numbers there. Four numbers there. All four match.” She approached the door. Charley found the missing number on the stoop. Picking it up, she saw that the screws were still in the metal number. Smiling, she put the number in its place and pressed on each screw in turn, embedding them into the siding. It wasn't lined up perfectly, but it was back in place. “One good deed.” Opening the door she found a steep narrow staircase. “And no good deed goes unpunished.” Charley ducked inside and started her ascent. At the top of the stairs there was a small office. Behind the counter was a black man. The hair on each side of his head was trimmed close in a fade, while the curls atop were full and thick. “Are you George?” Charley asked. The man stared and his mouth worked, but no sounds came out. “Goddess,” he finally said. “No. No, I'm Robert. George! George is working in the back. George!” “I've got a two o'clock with George for a fitting,” Charley said. “George!” Robert yelled again. “He'll be right out. George!” he yelled again, turning towards the door to back that George had just exited. George stuck a finger in his ear and wiggled it. “He said you were big. He just didn't tell me how big. Charlemagne?” “Charley,” she corrected. “Nobody uses my full name anymore. Can you help me?” Smiling, George said, “I make clothing. All I need is your measurements and I can pretty much make anything you might want.” “What about nylons?” “Except those. And shoes. I'm not a cobbler. Lingerie, pants, slacks, shirts, blouses, skirts, dresses I can do. All are custom made by me.” He lifted a section of the counter and stepped out from behind it. “Wow. Seven four.” “You can tell how tall I am just by looking?” “It's a gift,” George replied. “Bust...” “Ample,” Charley said. “Very ample,” Robert said. Charley sighed. “Why don't you come in back? I can play with the tape measure and do it official. Mr. Scott says you can have free reign on what and colors.” George indicated the door to the back. “Bob...” “You need my help?” Charley went into the back. “If I do need your help I'll call. Okay?” “Ask her to model! She'll look great modeling whatever you make for her. We can work on getting a catalog together finally!” Robert peeked through the door and watched Charley walk. “Damn!” “Bob, let me remind you of a few things. First off, you're gay.” “I know that. I'm just thinking about a catalog and your brand.” “Second thing, if you don't stop she's liable to break you if you annoy her,” George said. “Break me?” Robert's eyes went wide. “You've got free time. Play on your computer and do a search for women over seven feet. Focus on costumed types. Super strong costumed types.” George went in and closed the door behind him.

She says it's cold outside and she hands me my raincoat She's always worried about things like that She says it's all gonna end and it might as well be my fault And she only sleeps when it's raining And she screams, and her voice is straining And she says baby It's three a.m. I must be lonely When she says baby Well I can't help but be scared of it all sometimes And the rain's gonna wash away I believe it She's got a little bit of something, god it's better than nothing And in her color portrait world she believes that she's got it all She swears the moon don't hang quite as high as it used to And she only sleeps when it's raining And she screams, and her voice is straining And she says baby It's three a.m. I must be lonely Oh, when she says baby Well I can't help but be scared of it all sometimes And the rain's gonna wash away I believe this She believes that life isn't made up of all that you're used to And the clock on the wall has been stuck at 3 for days, and days She thinks that happiness is the mat that sits on her doorway But outside it stopped raining And she says baby It's three a.m. I must be lonely When she says baby Well I can't help but be scared of it all sometimes And the rain's gonna wash away I believe this Well it's three a.m. I must be lonely Well hell, when she says baby Well I can't help but be scared of it all sometimes

Keep the fire burnin' Let it keep us warm The world will keep on turnin' Let it turn you on Let us not stop learnin' We can help one another be strong Let us never lose our yearnin' To keep the fire burnin' all night long You've been changing so much I'm not sure you're in touch with what's real You just come and you go Never letting me know how you feel And I'm livin' here in doubt There's so much to talk about I know that we can work it out Keep the fire burnin' Let it keep us warm The world will keep on turnin' Let it turn you on Let us not stop learnin' We can help one another be strong Let us never lose our yearnin' To keep the fire burnin' all night long We've been through this enough It gets rough but there's nowhere to run This is where we belong We are strong, we can never give up If we wanted to we could But we've always understood To keep lookin' for the good

Have you tried not standing out in the open when you do it?

Run runner!

Teardrop on a fragile eyelash She's looking like a dream Hoping for some understanding And answer or at least Cunning word a single sentence To restore her heart Aching since the day I left her Crossing lonely seas Silent tears of a woman Make a warrior cry Heaven, I beg you Please release hopes from fears This is my elegy Do you know what I feel? This is my elegy Do you believe it's real? Will I hold you in my arms again? Dewdrops on a single rosebud This purity of rain Reminds me of the moment I left her Kisses filled with pain And if I should leave her waiting For another year Will she ever know the answer? Will she follow me? Silent tears of a woman Make her warrior cry Heaven, I beg you Please release hopes from fears This is my elegy Do you know what I feel? This is my elegy Do you believe it's real? Will I hold you in my arms Hold you in my arms again? Cunning word, a single sentence To restore her heart Aching since the day I left her Crossing lonely seas

I don't think I've ever read all the books in their entirety. At least not in one go. Read the rules as you need to. Reference characters as you need to. Look up the powers on the characters to help figure out how the character is supposed to work if it isn't obvious. Read through combat. Run a combat. Read the parts that you aren't sure of again. Also, feel free to turn to the board if there is something you have issues with in how it works, don't understand clearly, etc. We generally tend to be a friendly bunch.

Summon brings in minions of some flavor. Duplication brings in another version of the character itself.

Baby let's move cause you know that the light here Really hurts my eyes I come from a world where the light is dim And the people not so jive So fine, you know it's gonna be So come on, come on, come on, come one baby Come on if you want it to be Oowatanite, everything'll be alright Come on, come on, love me tonight And I'll be yours till the sun comes up Ooh baby, you know the time is right We are the light of two foreign ships, passing in the night So fine, you know it's gonna be So come on, come on, come on, come on baby Come on if you want it to be Oowatanite, everything will be alright Come on, come on, love me tonight And I'll be yours till the sun comes up, again Oowatanite, everything'll be alright Come on, come on, love me tonight And I'll be yours till the sun comes up Ooh baby, don't hang me on the line Life don't wait if you hesitate, come on quit wasting time I know, you wonder if it's right I just need a straight-shootin' woman to get me through the night So come on, come on, come on, come on baby Come on if you want it to be Oowatanite, everything'll be alright Come on, come on, love me tonight And I'll be yours till the sun comes up, again

“You're pissed. I get it,” Warren said. “The nerve strike was a nice touch. He's still crying about it.” “Do you blame me?” “Dude, we were worried. We thought she might have laid the whammy down on you.” Warren tapped the button on the controller. “Come on, come on... Ah! Damn it. Fifteen seconds to respawn.” Using his own controller, Jason unloaded his weapon into the alien that had killed Warren. “Did any of you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, the only magic she needed she has just by being a woman? When she isn't being a demonic hellwitch she's actually pretty nice. Third floor. There's some grunts laying down covering fire.” “Got them.” Warren slipped into a stationary gun and started chewing up the third floor balcony. “I guess we didn't think of that. Mostly that would be her fault for being a demonic hellwitch 98% of the time we run into her.” Running for the stairs, Jason cleared the landing and reloaded before going up. “How's Kate settling in?” “She's fine. Her and Jennie are pretty much inseparable. So fully integrated and adopted. Mom loves her. Kate's going to bake some magical cookies to win dad over. Rail's clear. Let me head up these stairs.” “Don't!” There was an explosion. “Tried to tell you those stairs were mined. It isn't like she gets invited to tea every Tuesday.” “How did you run into her anyway? Switching weapons.” “Birthday party. Use the shotgun. There's some alternate ammo for it in a room down the hall.”

They aren't the same power. They don't do the same things. Following that, do they need to be balanced against each other?

Approaching the roof of Guardian's Tower, Pulsar watched the flight shaft open. A section of roof sunk in several inches and pulled back to one side. Without slowing his pace, Pulsar flew to it, did a forward roll, and dropped into freefall down the shaft. Once past, the flight shaft closed above him. Power flaring, Pulsar slowed his descent. The access to the common floor opened and he flew through it. He flew down the hall and landed in front of the common room. “I'm here. What's the emergency?” Kris and Ash sat on one sofa. Warstar stood behind them. On another sat Dani and Trese. On the third was Warren and Brad. Off to the side, Spellbinder floated holding a lotus position. Her eyes aglow with witchsight. The entire scene looked entirely too much like a tribunal. “We're worried about you,” Warren said. “Why?” Ash pointed at the wall. It lit up with a picture of Jason and Angelique from the charity event. “Trying to figure out why you would be spending time with her.” “Because you didn't want to get dressed up,” Pulsar said. He looked at Kris. “Because you were spending time with your sister.” He looked at Dani and Trese. “Because you two had a date. Sorry, Binder. I didn't think to ask you. Anyone else who I might have considered asking wasn't here.” “He isn't under any undue influence,” Spellbinder said. Pulsar's chin dropped and she felt his glare. Warren stood. “What about Leah?” Pulsar's head turned to look at him. Then he turned to walk out. Flying over, Brad grabbed him by the shoulder. Pulsar's fingers jabbed into Brad's arm. Brad's hand slid off Pulsar. “Bastard! What did you do?” Pulsar walked out.

It ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babe It don’t matter, anyhow An’ it ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babe If you don’t know by now When your rooster crows at the break of dawn Look out your window and I’ll be gone You’re the reason I’m trav’lin’ on Don’t think twice, it’s all right It ain’t no use in turnin’ on your light, babe That light I never knowed An’ it ain’t no use in turnin’ on your light, babe I’m on the dark side of the road Still I wish there was somethin’ you would do or say To try and make me change my mind and stay We never did too much talkin’ anyway So don’t think twice, it’s all right It ain’t no use in callin’ out my name, gal Like you never did before It ain’t no use in callin’ out my name, gal I can’t hear you anymore I’m a-thinkin’ and a-wond’rin’ all the way down the road I once loved a woman, a child I’m told I give her my heart but she wanted my soul But don’t think twice, it’s all right I’m walkin’ down that long, lonesome road, babe Where I’m bound, I can’t tell But goodbye’s too good a word, gal So I’ll just say fare thee well I ain’t sayin’ you treated me unkind You could have done better but I don’t mind You just kinda wasted my precious time But don’t think twice, it’s all right

Talk on the town says I might go solo A good friend of mine saw you leavin' by your back door I need to know I need to know Well if you say you're gonna leave then you better say so I need to know I need to know Because I don't know how long Well I can hold on If you're makin' me wait And you're leadin' me on Ooh I need to know I need to know Who would've thought that I'd fall for her lies All of a sudden it's me on the outside I need to know I need to know Well if you say you're gonna leave then you better say so I need to know I need to know Because I don't know how long Well I can hold on If you're makin' me wait And you're leadin' me on Ooh I need to know I need to know I need to know I need to know Well if you say you're gonna leave then you better say so I need to know I need to know Because I don't know how long Well I can hold on If you're makin' me wait And you're leadin' me on Ooh I need to know I need to know

You say I have everything Well, I'm living on dreams and chains But, I sing for the things money can't buy You say you don't believe Well could you just look at me Look deep into my eyes...my love Well, have you ever been in love Have you touched the soul of someone Did the fear inside you make you turn and run I'll take off my cape for you I'll take down my hair for you Anything you want me to do...my love Well, I'll sit home and wait for you Oh, darling there's nothing that I'd rather do Anything you want me to do...my love Have you ever been in love Have you touched the soul of someone, baby Did the fear inside you make you turn and run You say I have everything Well, I've been living on dreams and chains I sing for the things that money can't buy me Have you ever been in love Have you touched the soul of someone Did the fear inside you make you turn and run Anything...my love Anything...my love Any thing...

I realise the way your eyes deceive me With tender looks that I mistook for love So take away the flowers that you gave me And send the kind that you remind me of Paper roses, paper roses, Oh how real those roses seem to me But they're only imitation Like your imitation love for me I thought that you would be a perfect lover You seemed so full of sweetness at the start But like a big red rose that's made of paper There isn't any sweetness in your heart Paper roses, paper roses Oh how real those roses seem to me But they're only imitation Like your imitation love for me

Go away little girl Go away little girl I'm not supposed to be alone with you I know that your lips are sweet, But our lips must never meet. I'm dating somebody else I must be true Oh, go away little girl (Go away little girl) Go away little girl (Go away little girl) It's hurting me more each minute that we delay When you're near me like this You're much too hard to resist So, go away little girl, Before I beg you to stay. Go away little girl (Go away little girl) Oh, go away little girl (It hurts me more, the more that we delay) When you're near me like this You're much too hard to resist So, go away little girl Let's call it a day little girl Please, go away little girl, Before I beg you to stay. Go away little girl (Go away) Go away little girl (Go away) Please, go away little girl (Go away) Go away little girl (Go away)

Is it that we´ve been together much too long The answer may not be in black and white We´re always trying to prove who´s right or wrong Yet now we´re giving up without a fight But I know when you´re gone I´ll wish I´d held in So baby surrender to me There´ll be no holding back now So baby surrender to me tonight I don´t want our love to cause you so much pain If this is how it´s going to be, I´ll walk away Neither one of us should ever say goodbye Let´s forget about the past and who´s to blame ´Cause when this is all gone We´ll wish we´d held on So baby surrender to me There´ll be no holding back now So baby surrender to me tonight How could this love be in danger? That used to be so good, so right To think that fate could make us strangers Has thrown me in your arms tonight So baby surrender to me There´ll be no holding back now So baby surrender to me tonight