The Unmasking

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((3rd of November, Sunday, Evening. Edison, Cepheid and Nerys only for now, please contact me or Mouse if you want to hop in.))

A man named Edison Thompson is carrying a rather large box of parts and is on his way back to his home. It was rather late, and he wanted to get back as soon as possible, he comes across an alleyway, which he knew would provide a shorter route to his destination, albeit unsafe.

Against his better judgement, the man decided to take the shorter route to his destination, still carrying the box of brand new parts.

It wasn't long until he attracts unwanted attention from strangers and possibly muggers.

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Ceph had, on one of the few occasions, gone off on his own to keep up the ruse that The Star Man and Andromeda were unrelated persons.

After a long day of peddling charts, the Star Man walked casually down the streets, yawning under his mask as he did so.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ceph caught a glimpse of a scraggly looking young man carrying a box of valuable looking parts. Having nothing better to really do, he struck up his scope and followed the man in silence and stealth, remaining undetected as he followed the fellow for the sake of watching out for him on his trek home. He spent far too many years in Dula to ignore an obvious mug risk like this.

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Edison turns into a corner, completely unaware that he was followed, when he bumped into a group of sinister looking people.

"Oh...sorry." Edison said as he looks up. The men were looking at him with smiles that suggesting malice. He quickly regretted taking the shortcut upon seeing this, these gentlemen obviously seems to be up to no good.

"I'll... be going then, gentlemen." He smiles nervously, before starting to walk backwards, he haven't taken a few steps before he was bumped by a buffy looking man who had blocked off the way he had came from.

Oh dear, he's efficiently trapped.

Edison started to retreat to the side until he reach a wall. Nervously, he spoke as the group started to surround him. "Um, how can I help you?"

"Why don't you drop yer nice looking box there? Maybe we'll let yer walk back home." The buffy looking man cracked his knuckles. "In one piece."

Edison looks at the group, he counted 5 people, including the buffy looking one that seems to be a group leader, all wearing clothing that suggested they worked in the docks previously. 3 were carrying pipes, the leader is wearing knuckles. Unfortuantely he had left his tesla gun at home to be recharged, he had no way of defending himself.

"Can I say no?" Edison said nervously, there's no way he's letting go of his recently acquired parts, moreover, his research notes are in the box!

"Then you get to get home in pieces." The group leader smiles, and advances upon the young man

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Not surprised his assumption was correct, The Star Man nimbly leapt up onto a cart and a crate, leaping up to a nearby roof before quietly walking across it's tiles, dropping in a controlled decent to land directly in front of Edison, his brass scope at the ready. "Why hello gentlemen, a pleasant night, is it not?" He asked merrily, reaching back and gently guiding Edison against the wall and out of the way. It looked like he was cornering them against the hard brick, but The Star Man seemed calm and in control.

"Look at you all, you certainly are incredible. A perfect example of genetics gone wrong. Now go stand in the corner and dribble or do something just as intelligent and leave this lad alone, no?"

Assuming his jab got a negative reaction, The Star Man would move in an almost blur like movement and, with his solid brass scope, slam it against the back of three of the goon's heads, hitting them so hard that they'd be knocked unconscious and likely given nasty concussions.

He'd look at the others and, resting his now once-again dented scope on his shoulder, put his free hand on his hip. "So, any of you wanna play?"

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Edison jumped and nearly dropped his box when a man suddenly jumped in front of him, upon closer inspection, it was none other than the rumored masked individual known as: The Star Man.

The young man had his back on the wall and holding his box closer to himself. He watched speechlessly as the Star Man proceed to mock the men, it was funny, but he felt so tensed he couldn't find it in himself to laugh. Then Star Man went knock out 3 of the muggers carrying pipes.

Oh, this has turned into a fight! Edison decided he should remain where he was, he will get in the way anyways.

The one without a weapon decided to ran for his life after seeing 3 of his comrades fallen unconscious in front of him. However, the burly man looks livid.

"Why you mutha f****...!" armed with his brass knuckles, the group leader charges at Star Man to deliver a flurry of punches.

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With a movement borne of experience, The Star Man lifted the scope just as the brass knuckles descended, causing them to sink into the scope and have the item take the damage and not his soft fleshy body.

As soon as his attacked was distracted with preparing another blow, the masked man would then flip the scope and land it solidly on the larger man's cranium with as much force as he could muster, hopefully, at the very least, knocking the man unconscious.

The Star Man would look at their surroundings to see if that was all of the attackers, and only once it was deemed safe would he turn to his charge. "Are you alright?"

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The group leader hit the telescope instead of his intended target and before he could land another hit on The Star Man, was hit on the head, hard, by the said telescope.

The man fell on the floor face first with a thud.

Edison was watching the fight without a sound, when he was addressed to, he looks up, and the shifted his weight so that he could carrying with one hand, and moves his glasses up a little.

"Um, yes I'm alright." He then smiles thankfully, and walks towards Star Man, while extending a handshake. "Thank you, really. I don't know what would happen to me if you-?!" Edison stepped on one of those pipes, and staggers forward, his box nearly slipping out of his hands. "Woah!" Struggling to find balance, Edison blindly reaches forward to grab anything in front of him. He managed to grab something though, or rather hooked on something hard with his fingers.

He ultimately fell forward onto the floor, dropping his box on the side with a clatter.

"Ow..." He winced as he gets up, that would cause some bruises. It was then Edison realized that he was grabbing something.... which happens to be a mask, wait isn't this Star Man's mask?

Edison instinctively looks up, and saw Star Man's face. The young man's mouth is open and is momentary speechless.

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The Star Man watched in silent satisfaction as his final adversary went down with a solid thud, and he let out a breath, releasing the built up tension from the scuffle before he looked to the other man.

As the other reached out to shake hands, a gloved hand reached out to accept it, though before the two could continue with the gesture, Edison had stepped onto one of the dropped pipes and pitched forward, sending the box of parts flying and, much to the masked wanderer's surprise, rip his mask off his face in his decent as he scrabbled for something to hold onto.

For the very first time in his life, someone was able to remove his mask forcibly, and it was a complete accident. He felt terror and panic well up in his system as his gloved hand instinctively reached up and placed itself on his now bare face, surprise evident on s features.

He met Edison's gaze and it didn't take a genius to know what the man was thinking. "L-Look. I know what you're thinking-."

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A million thoughts went through the poor lad's brain as he behold Star Man's face beyond the mask. But it's clearly evident that in his thoughts Star Man is really the equally famous (in a negative aspect) Andromeda.

Unless Andromeda is his evil counterpart from another timeline, poor Edison can't think of any reasonable explanation with his panic stricken mind. One immediate solution pops up though, that is to run the living hell away from this place before anything else happens.

"Erm..." Edison blindly tries to scoop up all his parts and research notes on the floor all at once with a kind of speed he had never seen himself displayed before, and along with Star Man's mask, dumped them into the box,

"Iwillbefinenowthankyou!" and then he scoots off as though his life depends on it, still carrying the box.

He didn't ran far before he manage to get himself tripped forward by another pipe, his box went flying.

"Aaaaaaa-"

Flying out from the box is a particular heavy looking mechanical gear, and it landed on the poor lad's head with a loud thud as fell. He pass out before he even hit the floor.

His injury wasn't that severe, but he does need some medical attention.

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When the lad panicked and went to depart, it occurred to him that A; He was running off with his mask, and B; this man had seen him without the mask, and thusly likely mistook him for his twin brother.

Awwww hell.

"W-Wait! Stop!" He had to get his mask back and convince this guy he wasn't Andy! He chased after the blonde, though the distance they traveled was quickly cut short as he tripped again and sufficiently knocked himself out. Ceph stood there in a stunned silence as he processed what just happened, and checked on the man. Okay, nasty concussion, likely. Plucking his mask from the box, he'd look at the fellow for a moment before sighing, and hauling him onto his back after gathering up the box's contents.

He'd haul his cumbersome load back to the docks, and whistle loudly as to get Nery's attention so he could get some help getting this guy into the ship.

[[OOC: There you go Lil. One nice fat opening for you to toss Nerys in. XD ]]

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<sub>Nerys stayed in the ship, not really aware of the situation at hand, and she decided she would set up her own little room at The Super Arrow, which held a nice little mannequin with the pretty dress she had made as The Star Man's assistant and she's probably called Galaxy Girl now.

She was putting up some blank charts and clearing up the messy place, as well as trying to dodge Clucky as she figured the hen was trying to plot Nerys' end. She'd hear a whistle and then plop her mask on, despite wearing her plain nightgown. She'd hop outside and then her eyes widened when she saw Cepheid had... a man over his shoulder.

"... Are we taking in homeless men now?"</sub>

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Ceph rolled his eyes from under the mask. "Yea, I figured if my brother could pick up random tag-alongs I could too. Now can you help me get this bloke up into the ship without knocking him around too much?"

Once they managed to drag the poor guy into the ship and get him lain into bed, Ceph took a breath and began to explain, taking off his mask and running a hand through his short hair, removing the hairpiece that he was now using to pretend his hair was the same length in costume. "This fellow was attacked by muggers. I saved him and when he went to shake my hand, he lost his balance and accidentally got my mask off. He saw my face." That wasn't good.

"He tried to run, but knocked himself out in a spectacular manner. I didn't do anything except watch. Can you see to his head, I'm afraid I don't know that much about head injuries."

Clicky stuck her beak out around the corner and watched curiously as Cepheid and Nerys spoke. She's waddle into the room and look around idly.

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<sub>Nerys would giggle at Cepheid's reply. Well yeah, Andromeda did pick up Loki, on top of the two boys that actively play a part in visiting his ship and being... well, boys. Plus, LILA had managed to get on the ship that one time totally a noodle incident and Andy decided that would be the first and last time a horse ever gets on his ship for shelter.

"You saved him, huh?" Nerys would jump down and assist Cepheid in helping the other man up. He was messy, she would notice, and he definitely didn't seem like he took care of himself. Looks like she would have to cook up a spectacular meal for him.

"Oh dear. Irony that it would be a man who would do that~." She'd tease the man before she would lay him down and put a wet washcloth over his forehead. "Hm... there's a bit of a bump, I see, but feeling it, I don't see any cracks or open wounds." She'd murmur. She'd put her ear up to his head, just for measure.

"I don't feel any internal bleeding or unnecessary pressure, so I think he's just got a bit of a concussion, I don't be able to tell until he wakes up though." She spoke up, before standing up, dusting her hands off and then turning to kiss Cepheid on the lips, obviously a little worries about the revelation.

"Let's try and think of what we can do. Now that I'm here this man might relax a bit. .. I don't know what we'll do though, I mean this isn't Reuben or Caden..."</sub>

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"Ngh...."

Edison groans as he comes to, the first thing that he's aware of is that he have a throbbing head. He instinctively put his hand on his head.

Oh what in god's name....

The next thing he realize is that he's on his bed, oh, is he at home now? He thought he had a nightmare where Star Man turns out to be Andromeda, oh it was a dream, it wasn't real.

He can see, but everything's on the fuzzy side, where is his glasses? Oh, there's some people there, is that the landlady?

"Hrmph....glasses..." He mumbles as he fumbles around for them.

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Ceph let out a small breath of relief. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if this guy wound up dying so soon after he saved him. Hopefully there was no real damage, he took a pretty hard knock.

He looked concerned, and Nerys's affections came gratefully, as he held her close and thought over what might happen. The Star Man and his assistant were the crew's best form of legitimate income. Even Loki's exploits only brought so much in.

When the man on the bed began to stir, Ceph reached over and picked up the glasses removed by Nerys and handed them to their charge, setting his mask and hat aside on a table and prepared for the imminent panic.

Clicky, being the spoiled chicken she was, flapped her wings and managed to hop up onto the bed and stand on Edison, looking at him with a tilted head.

"Clicky, be careful." Ceph warned lightly.