Society of Justice 3: Crisis on the Earth

[Lefthandofgod]

"Finally you're awake. You've been out for quite some time"
The simple greeting was like a jackhammer to McPherson this morning. He turned his head to see what was taking him away from his liquor-induced coma. He sighed heavily when he found the source of the noise.
"Why are you still here?"
"Did you know? Today is Halloween. You should go downstairs and see everyone again. You haven't left your room since the incident with Victor. It would be good for you to see someone again. Other than me, of course.
"I'm fine." he replied curtly. Slowly, he brought forth his golden armor of light, moving the armor with his mind, instead of his actual muscles. He took a few shaky steps around his room, trying to find a bottle that wasn't empty. After a few minutes, his search turned up fruitless. He didn't bother asking what happened to the full bottles; she was just sitting there, smiling like she always does when she's right.
"I'm sure they would love to see you again. You really should try to let them in to your life."
"I'll be back in three minutes." he said, quietly closing the door behind him. He was hoping he could get to the kitchen and back without anyone noticing; after all, it was rather early in the morning.

 

[NeoAC]

Brian was hurriedly putting together his costume. He was going to do his usual thing and just wear a hooded sweatshirt. It was a versatile costume. He could be either a drug dealer, or an undercover cop pretending to be a drug dealer. But this was his first Halloween with this group and he felt that he should probably try to put a little more effort into his costume this time.

Brian had already trimmed down his goatee, flattening it against his face. He put on the white dress shirt that he had picked up from a used clothing store. This was followed by the black pants acquired from the same store. Next came the blood, a lot of fake blood. He dumped out a quarter of the tube in a splatter pattern all over the shirt, getting a nice effect. Then he picked up another Halloween acquisition, a battered cricket bat from a sporting goods place downtown. He had been there multiple times for hockey equipment and now for costume shopping as well. He took the tube of fake blood and emptied a good portion of what was left onto the bat. It wasn't sticking too well but it was still giving the dark brown wood a healthy red tinge. Most of the blood expended, Brian then dabbed what remained on his fingers and ran it down the right side of his head, in a long streak, giving the illusion of a wound at the top of his head. To finish off the out fit he grabbed his final purchase, a block red tie, and wrapped it around the top of his head, tying it off like a headband. He gave himself a look in the mirror, the outfit was complete. All right. Time for some proper Halloween celebrating I guess.

Brian hoisted the cricket bat onto his shoulder and made his way down to the lobby. It was early, but hopefully the celebrations would be on already. There were some people in the kitchen already, he couldn't tell who, what with the costumes and all, except for Garrus. Still, it was time to show off the costume for all it was worth. "'Lo mates," he said, putting on his best British accent. "What's all this then? We starting the party early there?"

 

[RBMidknight]

"Sounds good." Taryn replied. She smiled briefly at Levi's gesture as she took the final step off of the boarding ramp. With her free hand reached over to hit the button that instructed the ship to withdraw the ramp. The ship shudder briefly before processing the command input. The hangar lights were on automatic sensors, an upgrade well worth the cost of the re-wiring materials, so Taryn didn't worry about those as she and Levi left the building.

There was more sunlight outside than Taryn expected. The Merriweather check had started early in the morning. So early that seen hadn't seen (or noticed) anyone else around. She wondered what people chose to dress up as. "Have you seen any of the others?" She asked Levi curiously.

 

[Pm0n3y]

With eyelids low and hazed, Jason managed to drag his feet into the kitchen, following behind Brian as he greeted the public. Jason replied with a low groan as he shuffled towards the coffee machine, the deep aroma of the grounded, dark liquid, wafting towards the boy's nostrils instantly rejuvenating him with energy.

"There. That's a lot better." He said to himself, spinning away from the machine, now able to fully admire the other costumed costumers in the room, greeting those around him accordingly. Taking a seat at the kitchen table, the fully awake Jason figured out something about the whole event.

"Um...doesn't it seem a little redundant that we're gonna be in costumes, while we have our own costumes? It's like Capes wearing capes...wearing capes." He pointed out as he went back towards the coffeemaker to fix his cup.

 

[socialtangent]

"Uh...no, actually," Levi replied as he and Taryn entered the Promenade. "Not yet, anyways". The trip through the interior of the grand building was a routine one, the two quickly passing through the First Generation section, into the Second Generation section, and making a left down the hallway that led to the lounge. Levi held the double doors open for Taryn to pass through before stepping in himself.

As he entered the lounge, he noticed that almost everyone was there, and in costume. Some, like Tommy, had a rather interesting choice of dress. Seeing the large man dressed as the Hulk was appropriate and somewhat amusing. He also noticed the brooding form of Steven heading towards the kitchen. Levi hesitated slightly. Taryn had told him about how the man had tried to kill him when Victor nearly took over about a month ago. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Steven at all recently. Well, until now. Odd. Levi cautiously kept his distance as he waved to everyone.

 

[elementsoul]

Leland's entrance killed Tyson's thoughts to continue to comment on Garrus' lack of a costume and instead shifted his attention to identifying the costumed members as they arrived. Leland is clearly dressed as Thor. Richard isn't dressed as anything so he's in the same group as Garrus. Eric is Link from the legend of Zelda and he's killing Katie's plants. Here's Katie as Cat Woman and she's now hanging Eric upside down, unsurprising. Rowan is, well I'm not sure who he's dressed as or rather turned into. Brian was Shawn from Shawn of the Dead for sure.

Tyson was about to comment back to Jason regarding his armor not being a costume but instead stopped as he saw a glow emitting from the hallway leading to the rest of the private area. Tyson grew a bit of a frown as his suspicions were confirmed. "Everyone look its a zombie!" Tyson shouted out, attempting to give his voice a bit of a joking tone, as Steven entered a visible view.

 

[CounterAttack]

As people filed into the lounge and kitchen, Rowan looked round from cautiously watching the altercation between Katie and Eric. He had no idea who Brian was meant to be, and Jason was, well, Jason, having not chosen a costume at the present time. Then Taryn and Levi walked in; he recognised their outfits immediately. "Ah, dammit," he thought to himself. They'd picked Zoe and Wash... that made him the equivalent of the third wheel, considering they were an item and had been in all the time he'd known them.

He gave a half-hearted wave in Levi's direction when he waved to the group, a little disappointed in his choice of appearance now that he'd seen theirs. It wasn't his fault, of course; it was pure coincidence. Rowan had had no way of knowing who they would be... but it was still a downer no matter what reassurance he gave himself.

 

[Pm0n3y]

"Shit, really?!" Jason replied to Tyson, rising out of his chair excitedly. After seeing that it was actually Steven, he lowered himself back into the upholstery, taking a long sip from his mug of coffee.

"Hey, I remember that guy. He helped us defeat Victor. Where has he been?" Erebus asked as the two watched him enter.

"I haven't seen him around in a while either...he probably holed himself up in his room."

"Dang newbies, trying to be like us." Erebus replied snidely as Jason finished his cup.

"Okay, I'm awake now. Let's go finish my costume." Jason said, putting his cup in the sink before heading back towards his room.

 

[blaze96]

"Morning love. You'll get used to it in time, besides it looks good on you. I guess I'll have to put my own costume on soon, knowing this place I won't have much of a chance later on down the line." Richard replied as he gathered a bowl, cereal, and milk. It wasn't anything fancy but it would be more than enough to suit his needs.

"So very glad this place hasn't gotten robbed again lately. Means we actually have some food here." he muttered as he sat back down at the table.

 

[socialtangent]

Levi couldn't help but chuckle at Rowan's choice of costume. A perfect Malcolm Reynolds outfit...along with a perfect impersonation of Nathan Fillion. "'Morning, Captain!" he called out to Rowan as he and Taryn approached the group. He had to admit, the fact that all three of them were Firefly characters was quite an amusing coincidence. Well, great minds think alike, I suppose, Levi thought with a mental shrug. "And 'morning, everyone else," he said to the others.

 

[Lizmichi]

"It's Halloween Katie besides I'm looking for rupees. I'm Like the Hero of Time. I need to have Princess Zelda from the evil Ganon. He could pop out of no where like Gandhi and steal her away. After all only I can stop him. MIDNA were are you?" Eric said getting way to into Halloween. He was going a bit insane.

------------------------------------

Alex took her toast and buttered it taking a bite as she peeled the orange. "I should get dressed after I eat as for not being raided again that is nice. I'm more then happy to have all of my treasures back. I sent years getting them all and I refuse to let it be taken out from under my nose." Alex said finishing her toast then worked on her fruit which was also quickly consumed.

She walked to her and Richard's room and proceeded to dress. She started with the tops and worked her way down to the pants. She tied the sleeves of the jumpsuit to her hips and cuffed the bottom of the legs. She wrapped her right wrist with bandages then pulled on the long fall boots strapping them to her legs and jumped up and down getting use to the boots them selves. As the finishing touch she pulled her hair up into a pony tail and grabbed the Portal Gun walking out and sat next to Richard. "How do I look love?" Alex said shooting a wall with some blue gel.

 

[CounterAttack]

"Eric Hersten, if you even think about ruining another of my plants I am going to drag you up to the Promenade roof by that which no man wants to be kicked in, and I'm gonna throw you straight into the gardens... specifically, an Eric-sized field of razor leaves. Simple as that," Katie threatened, eyes practically slits in her anger. "I don't care what your reasoning is, I will hurt you if you hurt my plants again. Do I make myself clear?" She was not going to put up with him - or anyone else, for that matter - wrecking her decorations.

[hr]

"Hey, Wash, Zoe," Rowan half-heartedly joked with a weak smile as Levi and Taryn walked over, still a little annoyed with himself about picking Mal when the Electric Couple had dressed up as, well, the only real couple on Firefly. Again, the notion of him being the third wheel crept into his mind, along with a minor flashback to watching a certain episode of the show, and he felt the need to act on it.

"Y'know, if you guys want me to, um, change outfit, I can do that... it's just 'cause, well, you two are together and I figure it's kinda weird if I'm hanging around as a character from the same show," he explained, feeling a little awkward as a result of doing so. Tugging at his collar a little to demonstrate his point, he added, "But, y'know, if you have no problem with it I'll stick with being Mal for the day. There are just so many awesome lines I can use."

 

[RBMidknight]

Taryn spent a moment looking over Rowan's costume. It was rather well done, though she suspected that part of it had been shifted into. 'A handy trick for instant costumes.' she noted. Something tugged at her memory and Taryn smiled as she recalled that Rowan had entered the Promenade as Nathan Fillion. It was interesting to see him now in a costumed version of the actor. As far as him changing outfits...

"You can stay like that if you'd like...sir." she replied. Taryn gave a quick grin. She turned slightly, raising her free hand up to tug at Levi's shortened sleeve. "Right?" Taryn asked her partner quietly. Firefly was a good show, it deserved to have some loyal fans showing appreciation.

 

[socialtangent]

Levi flashed a friendly smile at Rowan. "Uh...no problem with me, Captain," he replied to the Nathan Fillion lookalike. "By all means, keep the costume. We could always use another member of Serenity around these parts". Had there been more Firefly fans in the Society, there could have been potential for a rather interesting gathering. Levi also noted the humor in Rowan mentioning his desire to use Mal's "awesome lines" in Nathan Fillion's voice. It was amusingly meta to him.

 

[blaze96]

"You look like Chell, which is good considering who you are trying to be." Richard replied with a laugh as he finished his cereal before placing the dishes in the sink.

"Now it is my turn." He said before heading back up to his room where he had gathered everything the night before. He started with the camouflage pants and vest with an olive green tank top underneath. This was quickly followed up with the standard military socks and boots before it was time to get down to actually making himself look like a character that would fit at home in a Vietnam film.

He started by tying a green bandanna over his head and followed it up with a boot of shoe polish and some cammo makeup to not only make his face seem dirty, but to make sure he looked like he was supposed to be in a jungle war flick. He grabbed a bullet belt that went around his upper body and put that on with an actual belt with grenades and magazines for the M16 he would be carrying with it. One of the perks of his suit being its own superweapon was that a gun was actually a reasonable step down for him compared to his usual attire. Honestly, it was probably safer for everybody else too by comparison.

To finish it off he lit a cigar from a case and placed the cigar in his mouth before putting the case and lighter in a pocket of the vest. With his look complete he walked back out to where his wife had been with M16 in hand and fully dressed and done up.

"I think the live ammunition and explosives give it a nice feeling don't you?" Richard said around the cigar in his mouth.

 

[tsatoma]

Garrus had gone back to cleaning out the pumpkins once the kitchen quieted down, placing the ones ready to be carved over next to the stove. 'I wouldn't have to be doing this if that stupid thunderstorm didn't come out of nowhere and make the other pumpkins rot,' he thought to himself as he wondered if he should get the smaller pumpkins ready or just leave them as is.

As he debated in his head he heard some people come into the lounge, briefly looking up each time someone entered. He recognized everyone in their costumes except for someone wearing suspenders that was talking to dressed-up Taryn and Levi. He shrugged to himself, figuring it was simply Rowan in his own costume before saying out loud that the new pumpkins were ready for carving if anyone wanted to. Leland quickly grabbed one and went to work after grabbing a marker and carving knife, being sure to move to the far side of the table opposite Renton.

 

[Captainguy42]

"Thanks," Tommy said as he gave Leland a high-five, the resulting double super-strength clap was loud enough to make everyone's ears ring, " This stuff was a ***** to get on, but I think it was worth it, or not, considering someone didn't get the hint." He added as he sent a dirty look Richard's way.

For the last two weeks Tommy had been trying to influence Richard to be Ironman for Halloween, in what he thought was a subtle way. This included leaving issues of the "Invincible Ironman" under Richard's door, commenting how Richard and Robert Downey Jr. looked alike, and painting Richard's Blue Steel armor red and gold. Obviously he hadn't been successful.

"Well, I'm going to go my room to see if I can't scare up some ghosts to spook this place up a bit, not real ghosts of course, illusionary ones, my dad used this cantrip when I was a kid and I think I can pull it off."

With that Tommy went to his room and began rooting through his shelfs for his books of cantrip spells. As he rooted through the books he accidently knocked over the book his father gave him. With the shock of the impact the paper and twine burned off in purple flames, revealing the scared black leather underneath.

"Shit gotta be more careful with this thing." Tommy said as he bent down and picked the Tome up. The Tome was The Book of The Dead, and for as long as the Stitch family could trace it's roots, it had been their duty to keep it out of the hands of those who would seek to use it's power. The Book contained everything one could want to know about death, what comes after, how to avoid it, how to speak to the dead, how to raise them, how to bring the death of another. A thousand and one forbidden rituals where written inside, scrawled in blood by pens of bone, each ritual said to be powerful enough to topple cities, nations, even entire worlds. For that reason it was the Stitch families sworn duty to ensure that it's vile ways were never released.

Tommy knew this but he was skeptical of how powerful the tome truly was, and had therefore procrastinated in properly securing it. This skepticism of his was rooted in a belief that the old ways would be no match for more modern spells, but soon he would learn just how horrifying the magics of old could be. However for now Tommy replaced the tome back on the shelf and found the book he had been looking for originally. He flipped to the proper page and began to collect the necessary ingredients for the spell.

 

[Lizmichi]

"Oh lighten up Katie you can regrow the plants and I wasn't going to go out in the gardens. God can you please let me down?" Eric said. "You don't see Alex yelling at me for drinking water and that takes away from her powers." Eric said rather confused as to why she was so pissed off. It was nothing to Eric. He was confused as to why she was pissed but he didn't really give a damn.

------------------------------------------

Alex looked at Richard and examined his costume and laughed some. "Very nice love very nice. I must say I approve and you look really good but you're missing something." Alex said getting up and looked him around running her hands through his hair then shoot him in the gut with some blue gel and ran out side giggling. "Come after he Richard." she teased.

 

[CounterAttack]

"I can regrow them, yes, but it's the principle that matters," Katie stated as she begrudgingly let Eric's ankles go and retracted the vines, causing him to fall to the floor in a heap. "As long as you don't destroy any more of them, I won't come after you with a sword of my own." She gave the alchemist a half-smile at that, though she didn't help him up. Rather, she turned to the wrecked flora scattered around the lounge and began to fix up the plants. She would have to go out and buy new vases, though, and some of them had been expensive at the time.

The thought of Leland repairing them crossed her mind, but he probably didn't know how to put a broken vase together. And some of them had been crystal or glass, so they were most likely out of commission until they could be replaced.

[hr]

"All righty then. Just getting any... awkwardness out of the air before things start up proper," Rowan answered Levi and Taryn with Nathan's winning smile that he had seen many a time. "Of course, I could pass myself off as anyone from the crew." On that note he flicked through a few different forms: first that of the well-dressed Simon, matching the appearance of Sean Maher perfectly; then the more diminutive and cheerful Kaylee, and lastly Shepherd Book and his shock of white hair before resuming his first choice of Mal.

Then an idea got into his head. How would the others react if he only shifted his vocal cords and ended up speaking in someone else's voice? That would be amazing, both for Halloween and any Society missions revolving around stealth. Speaking in someone else's voice while in a different form was a brilliant concept. Why Rowan hadn't thought of it sooner, he didn't know. He would have to try it out sometime.

 

[Lefthandofgod]

Somewhere, someone is laughing at me , Steven thought sadly. I just wanted to grab some booze and go back to bed. She probably did this on purpose. Can't believe I fell for it. He slowly floated through the kitchen to the liqueur cabinet, greeting everyone in a cheery-albeit forcibly so-fashion. He grabbed his preferred bottle(s) of Everclear, and drank until everyone looked good. Putting the now empty bottle down, He turned to the group and finally spoke. "Happy Halloween, Bitches! Tell me, what do we have planned? Something zany I hope!" Maybe if I act like nothing happened, everyone will just forget about me disappearing for over a month Steven knew it was wishful thinking, but it was better than nothing.