The Super Hero RP Deluxe! (Closed, Started)

[hiei82]

Theodore Loveless​

Theodore took the device and looked it over. It was certainly an interesting solution to the problem, but it did leave him with a question. Reaching over to the table, Theodore grabbed his phone and held it up. "There a reason you didn't just make an app or something?". Regardless, he slipped the new device away with a nod of thanks.

"...So with that out of the way, Loveless, what was it you wanted to talk about it." The Crick finished. "Yeah, there's something I think you need to know. Remember that first fight with Psyclone? The one downtown? I wasn't there at the time so I was forced to use footage taken by others for my report. While looking for footage, I found something. Nearly all the footage that had been taken had already been bought up. That in and of itself isn't that surprising given all the news around it. What was surprising is that they'd all been bought up by these no-name shell companies, edited, and then given away to the press at no charge. For the last week I've been trying to figure out why. They can't be making money off it if they're just giving it away. The same is happening with the footage from the battle at the festival for the record." Theodore said, his voice calm and face pensive.

From there he continued. "I can't help but wonder if it's a coincidence that a week after I started digging, the same psycho in the video tried to kill me on TV. As it stands, I don't know if I'm going crazy or if I've stumbled on some kind of money-losing conspiracy. Regardless, the point is I'm looking into it and, given my recent brush with death, I want to make sure you're aware. I'll keep you in the loop for my investigation should... the worst happen." Theodore finished, trying not to think too much what the "worst case" was.

 

[TheNaut131]

Terry

"There a reason you didn't just make an app or something?"

Terry blinked hard from under his helmet. Cricket droppings!

He shook off the moment of realization and focused on Loveless's investigation. It all seemed very...coincidental. A random villain makes himself known, tears up half the city, and fights off two separate heroes, and gets away. Of course media outlets would be interested...but selling prime footage for free? The Crick wasn't a corporate export, but that was just bad business.

"I can't help but wonder if it's a coincidence that a week after I started digging, the same psycho in the video tried to kill me on TV. As it stands, I don't know if I'm going crazy or if I've stumbled on some kind of money-losing conspiracy. Regardless, the point is I'm looking into it and, given my recent brush with death, I want to make sure you're aware. I'll keep you in the loop for my investigation should... the worst happen."

The Crick took an a few seconds to contemplate Loveless's information, his hand on his helmets chin.

"You wanna know something? I'm trying to figure out why anyone would be interested in Psyclone. I mean, yeah he's a villain, he's bad, but I don't get the point of...exposing him like this. Assuming something, let's say unlawful, is in fact happening here, what's the end game? As far as anyone knows, Psyclone has no former affiliates, he doesn't have any overarching plans or any political ties, he's just some guy. Some really, loud, destructive guy-"


He came to a dead stop, the word hanging on the end of his tongue.

"Destructive."

Officer Wilkins's investigation came back to his mind, random strangers seemingly looking for the most destructive superhumans they can find. And now someone is making sure Psyclone, one of Neutropolis's newest and most costly villains, is fully exposed in the media for absolutely no cost at all? Terry didn't like replying on coincidence. Relying on it too much can make you paranoid. But with all the coincidences in the air, maybe a healthy dose of paranoia was necessary.

"Loveless, start looking for any footage being shared and sold in fashion similar to Psyclone's. Anything large and destructive most likely. I have a hunch, a pretty strong hunch, but I don't think I'm in the right to expose anything to right this second." The Crick would have to speak with Willis before saying anything too major to Loveless.

"Find out anything you can on Psyclone, his activity for the past few months. I know you have connections, so maybe you can see if Psyclone's said anything interesting in the past few hours that you can get your hands on. He's in custody, somebody's probably asked a few questions by now."

The Crick opened the communicator frequencies, activating the messaging system between them and Loveless. He was pacing back and forth, instinctively hopping slightly, like a runner getting ready for a marathon.

"I'll start reviewing what Psyclone said at the fair. As crazy as it all sounded, he may have let something slip to give us a clue of what he's up to. Till then, I think I have a lead I can work off a lead. So far there are only two real things tying Psyclone's attacks. The way his footage was bought up and the hero he seems to show the most interest in: Coil."

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

[HEADING=3]Daniel Luxe[/HEADING]

"I probably should. But I don't think I'm allowed inside."

Not looking like that, you aren't, Daniel agreed internally, looking over the way the young man was dressed. His eyes went to the sketch then back to grey eyes that were now upon him. Completely and utterly void. Something isn't right in the guy's head, that's for sure.

"I assume you've seen the inside? What does it look like? As fancy as the outside? Is it beautiful?"

"Well, it's no Palazzo Righini," he started, "but even so, 'fancy' is a bit of an understatement. I'd bet it's the most lavish hotel in the city. Where most places would have odd contours for the sake of it, the Winnfield is more traditional. More orderly. That isn't to say it's bland, not at all. It just knows where everything belongs." He turned to the tall, glimmering building and thought for a moment. "I really wish I could describe it better, but I'm not a writer and I doubt my words could do it justice. But I'll tell you what," he said as he reached into his jacket. Daniel withdrew a card that was blank on both sides. When he swiftly brushed his thumb across the surface facing away from the grey-eyed man, letters appeared burnt into it. It read 'Daniel Luxe' over 'Visual Arts Publishing' in flourished lettering with his personal number beneath it. "Here's my card. Feel free to give me a call if you ever want to see what's behind those doors." Daniel left on that note, smiling before turning away to continue on with his walk about the city. He wondered if the card was too hard of a push, but those thoughts were swiftly put away. He knew what every aspiring artist wanted. Recognition. It was sure to keep the guy in touch.

 

[DarkRawen]

Frederick Rolls


"The human brain wants you to live. A brain like mine, like everyone like me, wants to fuckin' survive. And their definition of survival is fuckin' scary if you're on the wrong end of it. But the scariest were always the astral projectors. Because they had no real fight and flight mechanism really. The could float around and watch as things went wrong, or as they slipped away, but that was it. See, there was no screaming, no blood, no horror, just...death. Maybe the teachers put them under for two long, or the kid had something like an asthma attack in their sleep, they tripped, etc. It was always just a regular ole accident, or just the usual 'love and care' from the school. After that, two things would happen. You'd see them everywhere, in the halls, bathroom, testing rooms, the corner of your bed, watching silently. Or screaming. Screamers were the worst. And then...they'd find their way back to their bodies."

Frederick shuddered at the thought, it sounded eerie. He knew he was different, somehow, but yet it made him want to get out, more so than Psyclone's clear mental illnesses and the stories from this so-called "school". Frederick wasn't one of these astral projectors, surely not. His situation had been different, no instincts had driven him to try to regain his body. Heck, his instincts had driven him away from his body, out the window and into the air, using his powers for what they were worth. It was his concious mind that had driven him to that, emotions, memories, knowledge, responsibilities, the list was endless, but in the end, it was almost everything but his instincts. And that's how he knew that he was different.

How different, however?

Different enough to not be so damned creepy, that was for sure. Psyclone's description of it, as well as other things that might have happened in the villain's past, just made the school that may have existed -or might even still- sound worse and worse.

I am going to have to look into that.

But not for Psyclone, never for a villain like this, a mere, yet very dangerous criminal. However, if there were others who had been there, what was the consequences? And how had this gone down without anyone knowing? Standing up, he regained what little of his posture had been lost, and smiled as if he hadn't just heard about children getting murdered.

"I see, thank you for your input. I assume that's it?" he asked, mentally taking a note of that he likely should ask Theodore to meet him a bit earlier than planned.

I feel like just going for a trip around town, though.

Flying, of course.


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

Sirius Hamilton

"Well, it's no Palazzo Righini. But even so, 'fancy' is a bit of an understatement. I'd bet it's the most lavish hotel in the city. Where most places would have odd contours for the sake of it, the Winnfield is more traditional. More orderly. That isn't to say it's bland, not at all. It just knows where everything belongs. I really wish I could describe it better, but I'm not a writer and I doubt my words could do it justice."

By the description given, Sirius became very aware of that it was a sight he needed to see for himself to understand. It sounded like it would be quite amazing, however, and he shuffled a bit where he stood, not eager, but at least expecting something rather striking.

"But I'll tell you what. Here's my card. Feel free to give me a call if you ever want to see what's behind those doors."

Sirius looked at the other, confused, though he was already walking away. Looking at the card, he saw the name Daniel Luxe, and what seemed to be a description of what he did -or perhaps even the name of a company- Visual Art Publishing. For a moment, he wondered if it was because of his curiosity or because his art was good enough for the other to be interest, though, he decided it didn't really matter. Examining the number on the card, he brought his phone up and dialled it.

He didn't say I had to wait.

Even if he had to wait until it was more convenient for the other, it wasn't as if he wouldn't be sketching for a couple of hours either way. He heard the phone connect just as he saw the well-dressed man vanish behind a nearby building, and spoke.

"Hi, this is Daniel Luxe, right? I'm Sirius Hamilton," he started. He hadn't introduced himself to the other, but it was always polite to state your name when calling someone. Besides, if this really was because of his art, showing respect was important. "You just gave me this card, but I figured I might as well let you know that I want to see what's behind those doors."

Having said that, he waited for the other's reply.

 

[hiei82]

Theodore​

"Loveless, start looking for any footage being shared and sold in fashion similar to Psyclone's. Anything large and destructive most likely. I have a hunch, a pretty strong hunch, but I don't think I'm in the right to expose anything to right this second. Find out anything you can on Psyclone, his activity for the past few months. I know you have connections, so maybe you can see if Psyclone's said anything interesting in the past few hours that you can get your hands on. He's in custody, somebody's probably asked a few questions by now."

Theodore chortled slightly. "That's what I was gonna do anyway. Keep me in the loop and I'll do the same. Also, try to keep the number of reporters you speak with to a minimum; I'd like to keep the exclusive if at all possible." Loveless said, obviously joking. Besides, in all honesty, he didn't think anyone else would be close anyway.

Theodore wanted to ask what made his "dangerousness" so significant that it had brought the heroes line of thought to a stop but he didn't. He knew how heroes operated. Like their villainous counterparts, information was more useful than superpowers in the game. Villains made plans, heroes kept secret identities, and it's not like the police broadcasted their investigations unless they had to. Information was a super power in and of itself.

"I know just who to ask. And good news; we're gonna be going out for coffee soon."

[HEADING=2]Police Station[/HEADING]​

He opened the door with one leg, struggling only slightly from the large paper bag labeled "evidence" he carried. This wasn't exactly an unusual sight today; Psyclone had apparently caused quite the collateral damage. With this being the station in charge of the investigation, it had people coming in all day. To be perfectly honest, this wasn't even the first time he'd shown up today. It sadly took several trips to get everything he needed in without suspicion. The only things he even needed from this final bag were the briefcase and his cane.

He was waved through - by this point the station was all too familiar with the faceless officers from other stations bringing in material to really try anything. Combine that with the fact he was dressed like a crime scene investigator and wasn't carrying anything suspicious in and of itself and why would anyone really care.

As with so many times before, he made his way down the hallway, stopped at the fourth door on the left - a men's bathroom - and went in. He put down the bag of evidence and pulled out the briefcase then walked into the first stall. Then the second. then the third. In each stall, he opened the tank on the back of the toilet and withdrew one of the plastic bags of "presents" he'd left for himself. And so on he walked in and out of stalls until he reached the last one.

From there, he changed into something more comfortable; a proper, nondescript grey suit. He slipped a few items into the briefcase; papers, files, a book... and most importantly a box of pens. Now in costume, he slipped on a fake visitor's badge, grabbed his cane, slipped the now empty bags (save the one that held his old costume, now in the final stall) into the garbage, and washed his hands.

The whole thing took only a few minutes; he had years of practice at it after all. Once done, he made his way out and down the original hallway. He walked past the same police officers he'd seen all day. They didn't recognize him; no one ever did. Finally, he came to the guarded door before the interrogation room. He stepped up to them and held up some papers. "Excusez-moi. I'm with the Law Offices of Wolfram, Hart, and Fey. We've been appointed by the state to represent the... ahm... "accused". I need to speak privately with the client. Shouldn't be more than a few minutes." he said, feigning annoyance at the task only a master actor or former spy could. It didn't hurt he was French.

He gave them a few minutes to look the papers over. There wouldn't be a problem; they were real after all. He just wasn't the real Mr. Fey; he was far too busy slowly rotting in a dumpster six blocks to the east.

 

[IFS]

George

"So, you probably didn't slip and hit your head, and I assume you weren't drunk. Do you have a history of not remembering things? Or would you rather not talk about that kind of thing?" he asked. "Because if so, you could just wait for Tom to get back and ask him... though, I was thinking about getting some breakfast, so if you know any places that delivers food this early, that'd be great."

"I... kind of forget things from time to time," George muttered, shifting back and forth uncomfortably "I know I don't have epilepsy or anything like that though, and I wasn't drinking..."

He shook his head "I don't know what to do about this, its really bothering me."

The thought of breakfast did cheer him up some though, would get my mind off this I suppose, though I need to eat less I think... Maybe I'll just get some fruit or something. There are a few decent places around here though.

"Yeah I know a couple good places, there's a breakfast joint just down the block actually," he said "I guess if you're hungry we can go get something."

He stood up and waited for Tim to put shoes or anything else he needed on, then started leading the way.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Tess

CAN SOMEONE JUST MUG SOMEONE ALREADY? Preferably in line of sight of me. Tess was bored, there wasn't really any way around it, and unlike the good old days when she could just steal something to alleviate this condition she was now dressed as a hero. God how do they handle this? This is dreadful! No wonder Sir Goopy gets so excited when stuff happens, he must be bored out of his skull the other 23 hours of the day.

Personal revelations of the insanity of heroes aside she could tell that she was somewhat on edge from the whole 'joining the hero team' thing. Crick hanging up on her didn't help, as it left her with the tiny paranoid concern that he might have realized something about her. That's unlikely, but still... need to be on my guard.

She sighed, maybe I'll just go change to civvie clothes and go clubbing or something, no its too early for that. Damn it. Whatever. Oh hey, there's that breakfast place, lets go see about that hero discount.

She was pleasantly surprised to find that there was in fact a small discount for heroes, not enough to make the boredom worthwhile of course, but still pleasant enough.

Spoiler: OOC

Why yes Tess is at the same place George is taking Tim.

 

[DarkRawen]

Frederick Rolls

Frederick was about to ask again, when he heard knocking on the glass. Walking over to the door, he noticed someone he didn't really recognize, as well as one of the police officers. By the way the man was dressed, he assumed it had to be one of the defence lawyers.

"Right," he muttered. "I'll leave him to you," Frederick said as he opened and closed the door behind him, quickly. Couldn't let the suspect get out, after all. "Be careful, though, keep an eye out for anything that moves, and don't agitate him." He didn't bother asking for a name, this was getting... tiring at best. Besides, he had decided that he had to tell Theodore something, and that soon.

Soon came quicker than expected, however, as he was told to leave by the chief prosecutor, Drake Keller, a man he had known ever since he had been a prosecutor underneath the old man.

"Why?" Frederick asked the man, getting a reply the other must have been prepared to give.

"I heard you were introducing Psyclone to how the system work, and apparently he was acting up. I couldn't possibly expect you to keep working today, especially not considering..." he gestured at Frederick's chest, being one of the few people within the system who knew about what had happened.

"I'm fine," Frederick replied, though the expression on the white-haired man's face made it clear that he wouldn't be deterred. And, since Frederick wasn't officially doing this kind of work, being a judge and all, he had no choice but to leave, or sit around doing nothing. Or, you know, return to his work as a judge, but since everything had been turned on its head, that was likely not happening either.

At least this means I can message Theodore.

If the other wasn't drowned in work, as Frederick should be.

"Hey, are you free at any point today? Something... happened at the station, and I figured I should tell you -don't worry, Psyclone hasn't escaped yet, jeez- so when you're up for it, let me know."
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tim Merridy

"I... kind of forget things from time to time. I know I don't have epilepsy or anything like that though, and I wasn't drinking..."

"Oh... I'm sorry to ask, then," Tim replied. Damn this guy's ability to make him feel bad, there was something about George that made him seem a bit... fragile? He wasn't sure if that was the right description, but it was the only he could think of. Fragile and shy, that wasn't really the best combination.

Then again, perhaps I'm just assuming too much.

It wasn't good of a villain to assume everything, this guy could be a hero in disguise!

Eh. Probably not. I mean, what's the chance of having three super-powered individuals in the same building?

"I don't know what to do about this, its really bothering me."

"Oh, I... well, I'll let you know if I see you passing out. Or acting odd, I suppose, you might not actually be unconscious when it happens." He shrugged, it wasn't too important, and talking about it might make George feel even worse.

"I'll keep an eye for you, Tom'll probably help you figure it out too," he quickly said, grinning encouragingly. Tim didn't know how long he would actually stay in the town, probably not that long if he kept getting his ass kicked and Tom threw him out... but this was mostly for encouragement either way, so that didn't matter.

Besides, if I tell Tom that I need to stay here to help George...

It could work. After a short while of the two sitting there, George replied to the question about the food.

"Yeah I know a couple good places, there's a breakfast joint just down the block actually. I guess if you're hungry we can go get something."

"Awesome," Tim replied, and got up, following the other. "I've been so hungry all day." He half-way wanted to joke about it being too early for a date, but with as shy as George seemed to be, the other might take it the wrong way. And then there would be no breakfast for him.

"Can you believe Tom? He just left me without any food, but luckily you came along," he said as he struggled to get his jacket and shoes on, before following George to the breakfast place. As they walked over to order something, he noticed a heroine -hadn't he seen her before somewhere?- in front of them and snickered, leaning over to George.

"Is it a requirement for heroes in this town to look like walking jokes?"

 

[Lunar Templar]

As Karen tried to get a hold of Crick a second time, Rias arrived at the part time job she still had. Last night was mostly spent in a conversation of 'Well, now what?' the answer to which seemed to be 'same ole same ole for now', it was kinda depressing but it was better then nothing. Rias still had her fans and her dream wasn't really any further away then it was before so she couldn't be to down about it.

As she clocked in, and found she was to be on the till, again, she logged into the register. Unlike the job she quit, her boss here liked having a 'local celebrity' working in his store, and was generally more supportive of her career, mostly cause it meant his store had something to draw people in, hence Rias spent a lot of time working the cash register. Once she was clocked in she waved over the next in line "This till is now open" she announced to the people inline, taking note Tim was there, as well as heroine she'd seen on the news a few times 'Jeez lady ... it's ok to take a day off ya know ... she thought as she took the first patrons order.

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

[HEADING=3]Daniel Luxe[/HEADING]

There was a buzz and jingle in his jacket's breast pocket the moment he turned the corner. Daniel figured it could only be one person. And I thought I was being quick on the draw. He swiped his finger across the screen and put it to his ear. Before he could even say so much as 'Hello', the man he had met just moments ago was talking.

"Hi, this is Daniel Luxe, right? I'm Sirius Hamilton. You just gave me this card, but I figured I might as well let you know that I want to see what's behind those doors."

Of course you do, Daniel thought. "Well, Mr. Hamilton, I'd be happy to oblige. I'm afraid it's going to be a while before I'm free, I'm on my way to a meeting," which was certainly a lie, though the man on the other end wouldn't know it. And it would remain a lie if he hadn't found something, some poor soul he would hope, to keep him occupied. He looked around and subconsciously began gauging people's prices, their fare that would entice them to commit varying sinful deeds, as he was apt to do when in thought. "But let's meet up later this evening, if you're free. We can get together in the Winnfield foyer. Have a good look around the place. Talk a while."

[HEADING=3]Dr. Schwertner[/HEADING]

The further he ventured through the tunnels, the more he began to dread the inevitable return trip. With any luck, that monstrous rat would have made its way across town, or would otherwise be too occupied to cross paths with him again. After a couple of twists and turns, Vinzenz noticed the unnatural incandescence of industrial lighting further along his course. The light was accompanied by the recognizable hum of a power transformer. A smile crept onto the doctor's face as he drew nearer. There was no doubt in him that he was looking at the solution to his energy crisis. His focus darted all across the large power box until it rested on the housing for the distribution controls. He located the lever and with the flip of the switch, directed power back to where he needed it.

Looking back to the tunnel he came from, he could see the similar glow of incandescent bulbs flicker to life. His smile grew even wider with this small obstacle having been hurdled. He had already recognized the likelihood of some inspector to see what had happened, but by then his new generator will have long since been operational. With a pep in his step, and whistling a favorite tune, Vinzenz started his journey back to his lab.

 

[DarkRawen]

Sirius Hamilton

"Well, Mr. Hamilton, I'd be happy to oblige. I'm afraid it's going to be a while before I'm free, I'm on my way to a meeting,"

"Oh, okay," Sirius replied, it made sense. After all, Mr. Luxe had seemed like the kind of person who would be busy. However, before he had the time to feel rejected, the other continued.

"But let's meet up later this evening, if you're free. We can get together in the Winnfield foyer. Have a good look around the place. Talk a while."

"That sounds good, I'll find something more fitting to wear too," he continued, if he wasn't supposed to be in there dressed like this, then getting something more formal, like a shirt and so on, would probably make it more official. Besides, if he was going to see the inside, he might as well sort of fit in.

I have some expensive shirts and a pair of suit-pants at home, that should be enough.

"But yeah, thanks, I'm free tonight. When does it work for you?"

 

[hiei82]

Theodore​

"Hey, are you free at any point today? Something... happened at the station, and I figured I should tell you -don't worry, Psyclone hasn't escaped yet, jeez- so when you're up for it, let me know." his phone said, from Frederick. "Speak of the devil." Theodore said aloud, almost laughing as it happened. "Free as a bird. The usual pub in... an hour or so?" Theodore texted back. He was more than tired of all these doctors and their pocking and their prodding. He was checking himself out before his mind threw in the towel.

"I'll be in touch Crick." Theodore said to the still present superhero as he worked his way out of the bed, still a little sore from the flesh wounds. "likewise, I hope you get me what info you can as soon as possible; I suspect it's gonna come in handy." he said.

Aldric​

Aldric - facing no further resistance - stepped into the interrogation room and closed the door behind him. He turned to Psyclone, smiled the way only lawyers and psychopaths could, and spoke up. "Monsieur Psyclone? I represent Wolfram, Hart, and Fey and I can assure you that we're going to do everything in our power to get you out of this... predicament" he said, his thick accent obvious. He had little doubt the villain would have an idea of who he was. "I apologize for the delay; there were many preparations needed for your case."

From there, he waited until the lights of the recording devices in the room went out; attorney-client privileged was VERY important after all.

 

[TheNaut131]

Terry

The Crick raised an eyebrow from behind his helmet at Loveless's remark to his phone. Seems like someone just got something good. The Crick knew Loveless was up to the task and at that moment, was especially glad to have someone like him as an ally. In fact, it seemed like the Crick had a lot of allies lately. He grinned as Loveless worked his way out of the hospital bed and leaned in to help Loveless balance himself.

"I'll be in touch Crick. Likewise, I hope you get me what info you can as soon as possible; I suspect it's gonna come in handy."

"Same to you, Loveless. I'll figure out what I can." The Crick said, about turn and go, before watching the obviously slightly strained Loveless prepare himself for a long day of work. "Hey, uh, in case things get...out of hand, while you're investigating, I want you to have this."

Terry handed Loveless the the small cylindrical metal wrack with four green disks and a laser sight on the side of the rack..

"Point the laser sight, throw the rack, run in the opposite direction of what you pointed at." The Crick said slowly, trying not to oversell this suitless version of his fiddler launcher.

"Point, throw, run. I know you're not much for 'physical conflict', but I'd rather you held onto this...and honestly, this is probably safer than a taser." He chuckled slightly before quickly turning away from Loveless instinctively entering a slightly jogging-like series of hops away from Loveless.

"Get back to you soon Loveless, I got a lot of people on hold to answer!"

The Crick was out of the hospital and bounding across buildings in no time, playing back what his suit had recorded from Loveless's broadcast and the fight with Psyclone at the festival. He listened to Psyclone ramble on, the obvious signs of a plan that had fallen apart, and the angst of some angry little man with way too much power.

"I...really don't like this guy." He said to himself, ricocheting of a water tower and over a building, noting the spastic and self-destructive tendencies of the villain. Terry wondered how he'd ended up here, who he'd been before Psyclone. But only for a moment. Something caught The Crick's attention.

"I'm not just a weather guy, I make things spin! That's all it was, I could make things spin! But then I was taken, molded, forced to choose. To choose a choice I never had! The rest of my mates wanted to be heroes after what they'd done to us! Why?! Why heroes? Why not just forget it all? Simple. They let the ones who trained us into their heads. They were shown their abilities and at some point, it was ingrained in them that they had to make a choice! That's what happens here. We're all lead to believe there's a side baby! Of course, we can say it's "our side." But at our core, every villain and hero has been subconsciously...shaped. By many things of course, many things our own choice, but right now I gotta focus on the main foe in front of us."

About a minute later, Loveless summed up Psyclone's views as something related to destroying the media as some 'cultural warrior.' Which sounded appropriate. But something seemed off too The Crick. Underneath the maniacal and warped view was genuine pain and anger focused on something bigger than new outlets.

And a tiny hint of truth, he supposed.

Terry re-winded the clip to a line right after Psyclone's rant.

"Every heroic deed. Every villainous act. All of it, broadcast every day. On every screen."

"Over exposure...just like Psyclone's attacks. He probably aware of them...or maybe it's one big coincidence that happens to line up with the ramblings of an egotistic paranoid." The Crick landed and shook his head. He fast forwarded through his suits own footage, noting his preference to Coil. He quickly thought back to her rise to notoriety.

"Both of them appeared to the media on the same day...maybe he's jealous?"

Terry felt a vibration and stared at his communicator. He had a message from Unicorn, the communicators saving any messages if in standby mode. She was a hero Terry's father apparently recognized and knew. He didn't have any memory of any unicorns or pegasi back in the day, but his dad said that Terry would for sure remember them. His father must've wanted it to be some sort of surprise. He clicked the listen button.

"Crick, this is 'Unicorn', or as you might have heard from your old man, Leviathan. You gotta minute to talk about this team your putting together?"

Oh, Leviathan...Terry thought calmly. A second later, it finally hit him.

"HOLY SHIT!"

Terry had never replied to a faster, his fingers dancing across the communicator.:

"MEET ME. NOW. PLS AND THNK U."-CRK

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Psyclone

Psyclone watched what he assumed was his lawyer walk into the room. He tried to get a feel for the guy, but to Psyclone he just looked like...an average run of the mill suit. Nothing special about him. Nothing he could focus on at least. Then he opened his mouth.

"Monsieur Psyclone? I represent Wolfram, Hart, and Fey and I can assure you that we're going to do everything in our power to get you out of this... predicament" The thick french accident sent a quick jolt to his brain.

"Took ya long enough." Psyclone adjusted himself in his seat.

"I apologize for the delay; there were many preparations needed for your case."

"Don't sweat it, somethin' tells me we've got a pretty long case ahead of us. Who knows, we might even find have to deal with a few surprise charges."

Psyclone grinned at the grey man.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Karen

After a short exchange between her and Crick, Karen got up "Be back in a bit, gotta talk to a guy about a team" she said as she transformed and left.

As Karen flew into and through the city, she felt something that gave her reason to stop, and have a look around. She searched for a few minutes, but the feeling was faint to begin with so she lost it just as quickly as she'd felt it. With no reason to hang around she resumed flying toward Cricks location.

"Hey" She said as she floated down to the young hero, landing a few feet away before walking over and extending a hand for them to shake "Before we get into the 'team building discussion', just giving you a heads up. I though I felt a demonic presence on the way here, I'm not 100% certain since it vanished shortly after I picked it up, but you should be aware none the less." Karen said giving a look back in the direction she'd felt the presence. "I'm a look into it more after we finish here. Anyway, I'm here now, what did you want to talk about that we couldn't over the communicator?'

 

[IFS]

Tess

"Is it a requirement for heroes in this town to look like walking jokes?"

Tess couldn't help but hear this remark from behind her, bringing an unconscious smirk to her face, she turned around and began to respond before she could think better of it. He was a bit taller than her, though not enough that she didn't think she could act somewhat intimidating.

"Excuse me?" she said "Do you have some sort of problem with heroes? If so please I'd like to hear it, I'm always looking for ways to improve my service of protecting people like you and your friend there from the villains out for your blood."

Not the best hero speech, but oh well. I think I scared his friend though, that's not good, heroes are supposed to be ridiculous not scary.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

George

"Is it a requirement for heroes in this town to look like walking jokes?"

"She's right there Tim, she might hear you," George whispered back, but too late as the heroine seemed to be intent on showing Tim up or something. George found himself trying to hide behind Tim as she started to argue with him.

"C-come on," he said "Let's just all forget about th-this and go back to waiting to be seated."

Tim what are you doing? This isn't good...

 

[DarkRawen]

Tim Merridy

"She's right there Tim, she might hear you,"

Tim just shrugged, it didn't matter if she did. It was just a silly hero either way, and everyone knew they didn't actually dare do something against a civilian. He waived to Rias, who was working behind the register.

Wow, how many jobs does she have?

She had to be overworked by now. He opened his mouth to say hi and introduce George, but then the hero spoke.

"Excuse me? Do you have some sort of problem with heroes? If so please I'd like to hear it, I'm always looking for ways to improve my service of protecting people like you and your friend there from the villains out for your blood."

George got startled by her, and started hiding behind Tim. It was odd having someone hide behind him for protection, normally it was the other way around.

"C-come on. Let's just all forget about th-this and go back to waiting to be seated."

Tim grinned, feeling his blood getting warmer. He normally didn't start a fight outside his goo-suit of magnificence, but this was too fun to ignore. Besides, what better way to show off to Tom's friend? And Rias, obviously. Besides, he had to act like an evil mastermind, and they didn't always fight. Sometimes they played elaborate mind-games, and while Tim was very well aware of that he wasn't really a genius, he still knew a little about that kind.

Besides, no one's getting hurt, it's just harmless fun.

"Don't worry," he told George, though his eyes was kept on the hero. "I'm sure she wouldn't beat up someone with bandages and casts everywhere. I mean, that wouldn't be very heroic, would it?" his expression mocked her briefly, not letting Rias or George notice it. If either of them did, he certainly didn't realize.

"Either way, it was just my opinion, and if you're done scaring my friend, I'd appreciate it if you let us eat." He grabbed George's hand, and walked over to the counted that Rias was standing behind.

"I'd like some toasted bread eggs and bacon. Oh, and a glass of milkshake. Make it vanilla." Making room for George to step up beside him, he showed off the other.

"Oh, by the way, this is George, I've adopted him," he joked. "Nah, he's one of Tom's friends, but we're hanging out right now because Tom's not home. George, this is Rias, whom I'm sure you've at least heard of before."

 

[Lunar Templar]

Rias

Rias just 'watched' the exchange between Tim and the hero. She had her own two cents on the matter, but she was on the clock so she let it go and just took the order of the, rather vapid sounding, girl in front of her, and moved along to Tim and his friend.

"Oh, by the way, this is George, I've adopted him," he joked. "Nah, he's one of Tom's friends, but we're hanging out right now because Tom's not home. George, this is Rias, whom I'm sure you've at least heard of before."

Rias extended her hand to shake George's over the register, as she did a pair of crimson hands materialized and finished inputting the order for her "Hello George, I'd ask if your keeping Tim out of trouble but since he looks like he got hit by a bus ..." she said eying the bandages a bit. "So, what happen to you?" she asked, her tone more concerned then it'd been in her greeting to George, while those same crimson hands from before started making Tim his milkshake.

 

[DarkRawen]

Frederick Rolls

Frederick sat waiting in the bar, a cup of coffee in his hand -he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to start drinking yet and the bar didn't serve tea- looking at his clock every now and then. It wasn't that Theodore tended to be late, but Frederick had the habit of turning up early. The bar was a small place, mostly serving some snacks and beers during the day, then the stronger stuff later. You could, if you wanted, order whatever you wanted when you wanted, but not a lot of people started drinking heavily during a weekday. Frederick sat, letting his hand phase through the cup and back as he thought about just how much Theodore should know.

I wonder if I should...

he pushed his thoughts away, as Theodore came through the door, rather obviously still suffering from the injuries. The journalist turned a few heads when he entered, though those who frequented the place paid no attention to him. Frederick waited for him to sit down with the remote table Frederick had chosen, before speaking.

"Hi, I see they let you walk out freely," he joked, smirking, though his smile quickly faded. "I hope you understand that anything I'm about to tell you is between us. I would love to give you some juicy details for your show, but at this point it'd complicate a lot, so I'd prefer it if this conversation was never mentioned." He took a sip of his coffee, waiting for the other to give him a reply and giving Theodore the chance to get a cup of coffee, or even a drink. Ensuring that no one was listening in, the judge continued.

"Okay. Here's the thing. I had a private chat with your friend Psyclone. He was... rather eager to talk, including expressing a rather strong intent to get back on you. I attempted to get as much out of him as possible, and he kept talking about a school for people like him, where they apparently pressured the kids into becoming stronger, and... well, other things happened. Anyways, he's really angry with you, if he gets out, you won't be safe. I can only hope that I managed to make myself a target instead, since I'm--- well, I've always regarded myself as more durable than you," Frederick joked, and leaned back, a wry smile back on his lips.

"Anyways, that's the short version. If you're personally interested in details about it, I'll give them to you, but only because you're involved in this chaos."

 

[IFS]

Tess

"Either way, it was just my opinion, and if you're done scaring my friend, I'd appreciate it if you let us eat."

Tess barely managed to rein herself in, the idiot was clearly just taunting her but he was right it wasn't heroic of her to be antagonizing civilians. She forced a cheery smile and nodded.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to frighten either of you," she said with mock sincerity "enjoy your meal."

With that she went back to silently waiting, soon finding herself seated and perusing the meal options before her. Shouldn't order anything too fancy, but still lets see what my hero discount can get me.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

George

"Nah, he's one of Tom's friends, but we're hanging out right now because Tom's not home. George, this is Rias, whom I'm sure you've at least heard of before."

"Uh hi," he said, still surprised Tim's handling of the heroine had gone so well, he didn't want to say anything but both of them had been kind of rude to each other.

"Yeah I think I heard of you," he said to Rias, trying to remember where he'd seen her "Loveless's show right? Oh yeah, I remember Tom had an article about you that I think I read..."

In spite of knowing that he had read Tom's article and had watched at least part of her interview on Loveless's show George could not for the life of him remember much about her. Why does this always happen? I meet someone new and get nervous... Maybe I should just focus on ordering.

"Oh um, I'll have some waffles and OJ," he said after a moment of silence "thanks."

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

[HEADING=3]Daniel Luxe[/HEADING]

"That sounds good, I'll find something more fitting to wear too,"

Yes, please do, Daniel thought as he listened.

"But yeah, thanks, I'm free tonight. When does it work for you?"

"I expect to be back at the hotel by six, and I'm moments from my meeting so I have to cut this short, but I hope to see you there, Mr. Hamilton," the demon said, not lending his full attention to the man at this point as he anticipated Sirius's arrival. With that, he ended the call and continued about his business which was, at the moment, absolutely nothing. Suddenly he felt an odd sensation at the top of his head. It was discomforting to say in the least, a sort of hot itch. He looked at the direction it should be coming from he just caught a swift blur that was quickly hidden from view by the tall buildings. Just a bird, Daniels supposed, though for all he saw of it, it may as well have been the tail end of a flying whale. Then just as quickly as the sensation came, it had left. The phenomenon was a literal head scratcher. He simply shrugged it off and continued his walk, his mind now occupied with the thoughts of finding another mark. Though he was content with just one target in his sight for now. It was likely going to be a time-consuming endeavor as well, but thanks to his immortality he could afford to play the long game. Now with the artist put on the back burner, Daniel considered how he was to find his bastard son. A runaway from a foster home, probably not the brightest kid considering his level of education. Living the inner city life most probably, getting by with whatever work he can find and stuck with a cheap dump of an apartment. The demon nodded to himself knowingly, The kid's likely an alcoholic, too...

[HEADING=3]Jack Crosby[/HEADING]

Way across town from Daniel, tough no all that far from his assumptions, Jack was waking up much earlier than his usual afternoon hour. This was due to him going to bed considerably earlier, though not of his own volition. It was largely a result of the copious amounts of alcohol he had consumed the night before, evidence of which was scattered around his room in the form of bottles of whisky that was a higher quality than he was used to. He had his earnings from the previous week to thank for that. Fortunately for him, his merciful youth prevented him from a terrible hangover. All he had to deal with that morning was a magnified exhaustion and a stomach that was just a little more sour than it should be. As much as he hated the fact that he was awake at this hour, trying to go back to sleep would just be an exercise in futility. Though he wasn't committed to getting up just yet, so he kept his eyes shut tight and lied there on his mattress in protest. It was sure to be a slow morning.

 

[DarkRawen]

Tim Merridy

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to frighten either of you. Enjoy your meal."

"Thank you," Tim replied, still grinning. The heroine seemed to have reeled herself in, which was a pity. "I hope I didn't hurt your pride too much." With that, he turned back to George and Rias, who was talking in the background. He almost wanted to tell them to pay attention to his "fight" with the heroine, though that would be a little too much. Besides, what if they thought he was being a jerk?

"Hello George, I'd ask if your keeping Tim out of trouble but since he looks like he got hit by a bus ..."

Not too far off.

Tim remarked in his mind. At least if you looked away from the fact that it had actually been because of a crazy, winged super-hero lady, then it sort of was like being hit by a bus.

"So, what happen to you?"

"I got hit by a bus," Tim replied, clearly joking. "Nah, I got involved in something yesterday, the whole hero versus villain thing in that festival, apparently, bystanders get hurt. Who'd know that? I'm fine, though, just look," he said, trying to stretch his still functioning arm, but instead quickly pulling it back as he felt a sharp pain somewhere in his body.

Ouch. I think I'll refrain from doing that again.

Unless he needed sympathy, of course. He wondered if Rias would give him any if so, perhaps something to pursue in a possible attempt to get her to join the evil side?

"Oh um, I'll have some waffles and OJ. Thanks."

George suddenly speaking again sort of startled Tim, he hadn't noticed it, but the man had suddenly gone quiet. Then again, Tim wasn't used to being around people who didn't speak a lot. He wondered if it was weird for someone like him to just all of a sudden be introduced to someone.

Perhaps I should have asked. And Rias is a pretty girl too...

To some people, that apparently made a difference. At least that was what happened in all the movies. To him, someone's appearance didn't really matter much, they were still just people.

Either way, perhaps I should've thought it through a bit.

Nudging the other, he pointed towards a nearby table. "Let's sit down, else the people in line won't be able to get their food," he told George, and turned to Rias for a brief moment.

"It was nice seeing you, we should hang out some time! Just don't expect me to do my own stunts or anything for a couple of weeks," he snickered, and waited for George to sit down before taking a seat himself. He then looked around, leaning forward, his voice lowered a bit.

"I don't want to assume anything, but I didn't put you in an uncomfortable position, right?" he asked. "I mean, you seem a little shy..." he trailed off, unsure of what else to say. There was something about the other that made him feel like he should be a bit more aware of what he said.

"Anyways, thanks for showing me this place, it's pretty conveniently placed, don'tcha think?"

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sirius Hamilton

"I expect to be back at the hotel by six, and I'm moments from my meeting so I have to cut this short, but I hope to see you there, Mr. Hamilton,"

"Of course. I'll see you then. Thanks for your time," Sirius replied, and hung up. He looked at his clock, it was still a fair amount of time before that. Then again, if he was going to shower and pick his clothes and all that, he could look into doing that. Besides, it had to be evening in Scotland now, and he wanted to tell his father about this. It wasn't so much that his dad tried to push him towards being successful as it would probably make the man happy.

Perhaps he'll even have some advice on what I should say.

He sat down on a nearby bench -one that seemed to have been "secured against those less fortunate"- and called his father.

"Hi, Sirius. Is something wrong?" his father asked. "You don't normally call twice a day. I was just about to go to bed."

"Really? Now?" His father chuckled.

"Yeah, I've been up all night working on a new project for work, I did mention earlier when you called, right?" Sirius smiled, even if his father couldn't see it. Perhaps it was an odd habit, making himself smile when on the phone with someone, but he was well aware of that he was already rather weird.

"Yeah, I think you did. Sorry, I forgot."

"That's fine, I can stay up a bit longer. What did you want to talk about?" Sirius looked towards the card.

"Someone told me they're interested in my art, his name is Daniel Luxe. I'm supposed to meet him at this really nice place later today."

"That's great." He could hear that his father was happy for him, though it sounded like there was a bit of worry as well. "Just be careful, okay? Don't do anything you wouldn't want to do, this isn't the only chance you'll get and all that. You have a good head on your shoulders and actual skill, but you tend to give people the benefit of doubt, and some people simply can't be trusted."

"I'll be careful, thanks dad," he replied. His father had a point, though, he wasn't sure just how someone as rich as Daniel could benefit from screwing over an artist.

"You're welcome," his father yawned, and added; "I'm proud of you, Sirius. Don't worry about anything, you'll do just fine." Sirius decided against mentioning that he wasn't really able to be worried -his father knew well enough already- and instead spoke.

"I'll talk to you later then. Good night."

"Good luck," his father said, and hung up. Sirius got up, no longer in a mood to finish his drawing, while it was good that his father was doing well, he still felt a bit... off. Instead, he started walking home.