I've had this idea rattling around in my skull for a while now, and this looks like a good place to let it loose. The setting will be near-future Earth: a crowded suburban mall and the surrounding environs. Discipline, my PC, has been contracted to kidnap a certain individual. YOU, should you choose, have been hired to protect that same individual. I would also need someone to play the victim him/herself, cops that might arrive on scene, and various innocent bystanders. The mall is two-tiered, with two sets of escalators on each end. There is a crowded parking lot outside, and the food court is located on the lower floor. The high ceiling is glass, and lets in a lot of natural sunlight on this bright day.

You can use characters with ‘extraordinary’ abilities; just don’t expect Discipline to know about anything that is universe-specific.

Basic fighting roleplay rules apply:
• Absolutely no godmodding. You cannot say that you actually HIT your opponent; you have to wait for them to acknowledge the strike.
• Be fair about taking damage. You are not superhuman (even if you are).
• Disputes settled via PM.
• Two day time limit for posts, or the other side gets to take your turn for you.
• No present tense. I don’t care if you use first or third, as long as it’s past.
• Large damage moves need multiple post prep-time.

That’s it! I’ll wait until people have replied to decide who posts first.

Name: Eric Montrose
Height:6'5"
Weight: 220 lbs.
ethnicity: Caucasian(white)
occupation: bodyguard for $60 an hour
background: no known family, master of several hand to hand disciplines
weapon: caarries a 9mm handgun in holster
clothing: black tuxedo, black shades
Hair color: brown
eye color: unknown, always wears shades.

I'll take the job as the bodyguard.

Sweet. Any special abilities on this guy, or is he just your normal bruiser? Take a look at Discipline's charrie sheet to get an idea of who you're facing.

Alll we need now is someone to play DM for us.

He has some abilities but that will be seen later. Mostly because I'm still deciding what they are.

If you could edit your initial charrie post as you add abilities, I'd appreciate it. Making abilities up as you go along tends to lead to godmodding and power issues.

I understand. This is a list of the powers he will use during certain moments in the storyline.

1. Gun Clone: a spiritual clone of his 9mm appears to be used. Can kill all forms of life, even the unlife.
2. MAX: His abilities increase for a short time. He can jump higher, run faster, et cetera
3. Dual Spirit Pistols: At a certain time he will lose his 9mm. At this point, he will wield two spirit pistols.
4. Blood Blade: After a certain point, he can use his blood like a sword. It is dangerous, however, since he can bleed to death.
5. Crowd Control: His ultimate move. Charges soul energy with one finger, then with a second of the same hand. When it is the size of a beach ball, he slams his fingers to the ground, creating a shockwave that knocks back his foes. The, he maneauvers and fires a high energy shot capable of hitting anything from any distance. This leaves him incredibly tired and vulnerable. however, so it is best used as a method of last resort.

Playing the victim and causing all sorts of mischief for you two sounds pretty appealing, I must say. I'll take the target's position.

Name/Gender: Anabelle "Ana" Dolohov
Age: 19
Appearance:

Hair. A rich honey-brown color that reaches just past her shoulders. The ends are slightly blonde due to the last dye job (which was several months ago). Slightly wavy.
Face. Heart-shaped with a milky complexion, cheerful. Almost always carrying an easy smile and a ready laugh. Conversely, her eyes are a very narrow, cold gray- think sharp bits of metal.
Clothing. Black jeans, brown long-sleeved shirt and a dark green pocketed jacket are today's outfit. Black sneakers for comfort and convenience, leather belt for attachments. One wristband, two rings and a small necklace, one-strap backpack.

Personality:

Despite her appearance, which most would say is harmless, Ana is very intelligent and cunning, and while it is true that she is a kind person at heart, business does not allow her express that type of personality. She has honed particular traits in order to survive the profession her family has chosen. As the daughter of a Russian mobster, Ana does not have the time nor the luxury to relax.

Occupation:

Underboss and boss's only daughter. Does not do much in the way of command. Her very job is to stay out of sight and out of trouble.

Abilities:

She is only human, so her main defense is the ability to run very fast and very far. However, while in a jam, she is extensively trained in the usage of firearms. She knows some hand-to-hand combat, mostly a mix of several martial arts styles such as Karate, Jujutsu and Taekwondo.

Weapons:

Two glock pistols with clips, one in her belt, the other in backpack's zippered pocket. One Heckler & Koch Mark 23 with suppressor, hidden in backpack. USP Compact just in case.

I look forward to the start of this.

(OOC: I'll go first, then Siddy, then Peryite. Let's get this show on the road!)

Discipline parked his unmarked white van at the service entrance in back of the mall, where there was the least chance of getting seen. Getting out, he adjusted his janitors uniform and walked around to the back of the vehicle. The van doors opened to his palm print, revealing an interior that resembled a ward in an asylum - padded white walls with a small window into the front seat. A set of neural restrains sat on the floor, next to three large metal briefcases. Discipline picked up the cases, closed the doors, and headed into the mall.

It was absolutely packed. The mall today was running at full capacity, and the food court was totally jammed with people. Every table was occupied, and the air was full of shouting and the smells of fast food. Settling his blue janitors cap more firmly on his head, Discipline did an initial scan of the area immediately outside the service corridor. He was fairly sure his target couldn't have arrived yet, but it didn't hurt to check. Not seeing the distinctive hair anywhere, he ducked into the men's restroom situated just inside the service corridor. Heading to the farthest stall, he set two of the cases on top of the toilet seat and then hung an 'out of service' sign on the door. Moving quickly, he exited and headed to the nearest escalator. People automatically moved out of his way - one of the perks of wearing the right uniform; though he'd be changing into a far different one pretty soon.

The top floor of the mall was just a donut of stores around a big space looking down on the food court below. Benches and tables were scattered at intervals along the railing, with potted plants adding some much-needed green to the scene. Discipline headed over to an unoccupied bench and knelt down in front of it, glancing to both sides. No one was paying attention to him. With a sudden burst of efficient movement, he set the case on the bench and opened it, revealing a disassembled sniper rifle. Practiced motions withdrew each part from the case and screwed it together. Within 120 seconds the gun was sitting completed underneath the bench. Discipline withdrew the last two items from the case - a cloth the same color as the mall tile and an orange 'Caution: wet floors' sign. The cloth he draped over the gun, hiding it from view, and the sign went on the floor just in front of the bench. Smiling slightly, he snapped the case closed again, then sauntered back towards the down escalator, whistling.

Oh, God.

It was like clockwork; every time a group of exhausted shoppers exited the mall area, another four or so tightly-knit groups of young adolescents entered en masse. The place was absolutely jam-packed. It was wonder the mall hadn't exceeded the 'net amount of persons allowed' before instant suffocation, or however that went- in any case Ana was not entirely happy to be among this babbling throng of shoppers, or shopping centers in general. The mere presence of so many people was triggering her paranoia.

But, she reminded herself, while in the presence of many, one is as invisible as the next. Or something.

Heaving an irritated sigh, she pushed her way past several tightly-packed groups of young blondes. The trick was to be in constant movement. If she was going to stop and have lunch, she would buy it and eat it on the run. The main focus of this outing was to buy some new clothing, and maybe a trinket for her father, not to have fun- no matter how appealing it sounded. She would have fun once she was back inside her father's sight. Still, a woman had to do her shopping somewhere, and Ana was not to going to do it in some rundown old vintage store where anything could happen. The presence of the weight at her back and hip eased this suspicion, but she couldn't be too careful. Hadn't she hired a bodyguard for today?

If the heat and crowding bothered Eric Montrose, it didn't show. He followed Ana through the shoppers, pushing aside anyone who got in his way. It would be hard to miss him in a crowd, for he stood at least three feet taller than anyone else. He had no reason to complain. $100 an hour from a Russian crime boss was a nice score. Besides, the lady Ana was easy on the eyes. He would never say this out loud, for he was to protect, not ogle, her. He pushed away someone who got too close to her.

(OOC: That's it for tonight. I'm off to bed, and Sidhefaer said he she needed to get some rest too.)

Wow. Talk about an easy job. Discipline would have had a hard time spotting his target if it wasn't for the huge man in a suit that was pushing through the crowed toward her like a cruise missile. He marked them once and then kept his eyes pointing straight in front of him as he strolled across the food court, still whistling. His path brought him right near Ana and her brute as he headed back towards the service corridor men's room, but he didn't even glance at them. Just another janitor doing his janitor thang.

Pushing the door to the men's room open, he slapped an 'out of order' sign on it as he brushed inside. Some preppy kid loitering by the sink and smoking a cig, something that Discipline hadn't counted on, but a short tap with the nerve rod he'd had strapped to his thigh convinced the youth it was time for a nap. Discipline opened the cases on the floor, first taking out his combat suit. Stripping down, he slipped into the taught leather like it was a second skin, taking time to ensure that it didn't pull anywhere. Knives went into shoulder, hip, and ankle sheaths, and his sword clipped across his back. Discipline considered which armor plug-ins to use for a moment, before deciding on stealth and antipersonnel. He took out the matte-black stealth unit and clipped it into the chest armor slot, listening to it hum to life and seeing it's startup sequence display on his visor feed. Next the antipersonnel pack was slid down into the back slot where it locked into place with an audible click. Green text scrolled across his visor feed: gas - check, flare -check, sonic -check. Opening the final case, Discipline removed two handguns, which he quickly check over before holstering at his hips. Finially, he lifted out his pride and joy - the modified pump-action depleted uranium flichette shell shotgun that had killed very many competent bodyguards in the past.

"Stealth toggle. Inertial barrier toggle." He subvocalized the words as he jogged toward the door. The suit responded, the LED's activating to hide him from view. He heard a low hum that signaled the field was up and running as he cautiously opened the door and stepped out into the service corridor.

[D'ohmigawd, sorry for the delay, guys. I'M HERE.]

Just as the janitor waltzed on by, various rustling noises and disgruntled murmurs indicated to Ana that there was a small ruckus occurring just behind her. Immediately on realizing this, her hand went to the glock holstered at her waist, fingers brushing the leather grip with an almost loving suspicion. Internally she rolled her eyes at herself. The chances that the commotion was because of her was about a ten to one ratio, but the nagging paranoia was not a particularly helpful factor.

Since the mall was so packed, it was difficult to turn around to actually see what was happening in between trying to sift through little cliques and navigating the lines of people. Turning her head slightly, she managed to catch a glimpse of an inhumanly tall man wearing shades on her trail and pushing people out of the way.

Holy shit. She turned right around again and quickened her pace. The fact that she'd hired a bodyguard floated somewhere in the back of her mind, but she wasn't going to take any chances. If he was here to hurt her, he'd have to catch her first.

And if he was here to protect her, well- that was his own problem.

The lady Ana quickened her pace upon glimpsing him. She apparently had short-term memory loss, as they had just met this morning. He quickened his pace as well, not showing any annoyance. If she was playing a game with him, showing that she was being antagonistic to him would just keep it going. He had noticed a knife in the back pocket of the janitor, but let it go. Causing a commotion would not be smart in a crowded mall, and could possibly work against him if she disappeared into the ever-growing crowd. This could let this assassin take her out efficiently, then disappear into the crowd.

This is unbelievable. The target is running away from her protection. Could it possibly go any better? Discipline moved silently and lithely along the periphery of the food court, dancing in and out of the fast food lines. He brushed past people a couple times - unavoidable because of the sheer people density - but the therm-optic was quite adaptable and he remained unseen. It looked like Ana was headed for the far set of escalators, so he aimed to intercept her path there.

"Flash charge prep queue one. Gas charge prep queue two. Sequence toggle name CROWD CONTROL. Arm and set set on standby. Sonic charge prep queue three, sequence toggle name BACKUP." Disciple sub vocalized the suit commands as he jogged, drawing the nerve rod from it's thigh holster.

Perhaps she was being slightly insecure. If the man in the shades was really after her, he would have caught up to her and taken her out by now. Ana wasn't flat-out running, exactly. Just walking fast. Still, he may be a sentinel of some sort and was just tailing her for the hell of it, or, (she gritted her teeth) he may actually be the hired help.

She didn't slow down, but she didn't speed up either. If he was her so-called bodyguard, it would be easy for him to let her know this and stop her in her tracks. Her current destination was leading her to the escalators, which were loading and carrying several sets of people up to the second floor. Goddamn it, she was only here to buy shit. What happened to a perfectly normal outing? Ana almost felt like rolling her eyes at this idiotic situation, but knew that it was quite a lot more serious than that. The fact that she had hired defense was testament to that fact.

Abruptly, she changed course and began to head to the stairs. It may not be easy on the legs, but it was faster and more navigable.

Montrose followed without breaking stride. Something caught his eye. A man in military garb was making his way through the crowd toward the Lady Ana. The only way he could do that and not attract attention is to be using a cloaking device built into his suit. When the fool got close enough, Eric would attack him. If he was going to attack her, he would not be deterred by a simple "Step away." His glasses were custom made and could see through and jam electronic devices. He smiled and pressed a button on his glass rim. It sent out a special electronic jamming signal that the suit could not reflect, exposing this would-be assassin to the public.

Someone screamed right next to Discipline, making glance to the left, expecting to see some spilled soda or - wait... the lady was staring... at him? Looks like the defense is more prepared than I anticipated. Murmering "suit power assist 80%" under his breath as he turned squarely to face Ana and the bruiser, Discipline crouched and leaped forward over the heads of the people in front of him. As he reached the apex of his leap, he muttered "Crowd control." The suit recognized the command and began executing the sequence: the LED's sprinkled just under the surface of the suit whined for a split second before releasing a blinding flash of white light. He grinned at the screams from the crowd. Optical and gas attacks always went well together, because everyone was busy screaming and gasping for breath from the flash - a lovely chance to change what they're breathing in. The back suit plug-in hissed as it emptied the first gas charge into the air around him: colorless, odorless, but distorting the air like heatwaves from it's difference in density.

Disipline came down from his leap about 10 meters away from the bodyguard, and 13 from Ana. He landed right in front of a 300lb whale of a suburban mom, who was wailing and covering her eyes like some sort of walrus. Holstering his nerve rod, he reached to the small of his back and unclipped his shotgun. Putting a shoulder against the woman's back, he leveled the shotgun next to her neck, using her shoulder as a shooting platform and her body as a shield.

"Prep internal barrier toggle, keyword 'SWITCH', birnary mode." The suit was now prepared to turn the inertial barrier on and off at a moment's notice, as he wrenched the woman's arm behind her back and took a bead on Mr. Sunglasses.

Post deleted.

Shit-

The flash of light erupted into her vision like the preliminary blaze of an atomic bomb. Immediately Ana dropped like a sack of lead, hitting the floor. Her eyes were shot. She blinked them, but sparks of multicolored dots were all that she could see. She reached for her glock, but recoiled. People were screaming- they were everywhere. Firing a shot into the masses was definitely not a good idea.

Then the tell-tale hiss of gas wafted to her ears.

Shit, shit, shit-

Ana needed to get to higher ground, and fast. Scrambling madly from her positon on the floor, squeezed her eyes multiple times. Sight was returning to her. Blurily, she could see the flight of stairs before her, but the pathway was crowded by frantic masses of people who were trying to go the exact same way as she. Panicked people were never a good thing, never.

She raced forward and was blocked by an elderly gentleman. Roughly, she shoved past him, trying to get as much distance from the gas attack as possible. There was absolutely no way that the attack was a coincidence. Somebody was here for her, but like hell if Ana was going to let them catch her.

She removed the gun from her belt, checked the clip, and cocked it.