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Post by Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff) on Sept 18, 2016 22:08:45 GMT -5
I'm very sorry for this monster.
Ok not really.
Mizshu blinked and looked around. It was apparent that a lot of the heroes were talking to one another, so her outburst wasn’t exactly out of line. She let out a slow breath and peeked out meekly from behind the umbrella. The cameras were still there, but so were multiple kindly faces. “...Looks like you’ve found yourself an excellent hiding spot.” Mr. Glitch reached out a hand to her. From the stories she’d heard from her shelter-mates, heroes tended to be stuck-up and participated in the show for fame and glory(she’d refused to watch the show herself). But this? This was actually...quite sweet. “Don’t worry.” He assured her, “Nights like these make me want to hide, too.”Mizshu gave Mr. Glitch a wan smile and longed to say more but the cameras...well...they were on someone else, weren’t they? “You understand. Well...I didn’t want to speak out of turn but it looks like that’s what everyone else is doing so it’s got to be okay, of course, though, people use the classic ‘what if your friends wanted to jump off a bridge would you do it too’ kind of scenario, and that’s simply not fair at all. What if it was a perfectly safe bridge, or what if there was something dangerous on the bridge and it needed to be avoided right that second so everybody jumped off? In that case, I’d say it was foolish even to stay on! Why, just the other day, I was cycling over a bridge with no bike lane and most people would say that’s borderline suicide but I’ve been doing it for years, anyway--” Mr. Fireflyman had turned to Mizshu and smiled and actually waved at her. Oh goodness. "Hey, Mizshu," he said quietly. "I'm glad you liked it; your compliment means a lot to me."For once, without the aid of cameras, Mizshu was struck dumb. She looked into his unusual eyes and smiled, perplexed at her equally unusual inability to say something to him. Oh, and someone else was passing her by--Mr. Trademark. No, that was a rude name to call him, his real name was DUDE BRO™...perhaps. Well, perhaps his name had to be kept secret, like hers. Oh God he was crouching right beside her along with Mr. Glitch. This was getting to be quite the crowd onstage. Mizshu wondered what Mr. Boorish would think about this and how much the ratings he cared so dearly about would drop. “Yo, you know all those fangirls and guys are here just for us, right?” DUDE BRO™ nodded factually. “Ain’t no use hiding from the cameras, you wouldn’t be here right now if they didn’t think that you deserved it, so stand proud and give them something to cheer about.” Mizshu blinked again. Well, he had a point. But still, it didn’t seem like they were going away anytime soon. The cameras were pointed somewhere on the stage and they had cold and empty eyes that just barely reflected their target...just like Mutt-- Mizshu shook her head and dove right behind Ms. Kingsley and her umbrella. She would not think about who she was just going to think about. That would bring her to tears, no question, and tears were out of the question entirely especially during the premiere. Just then, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. “I wager there is not a single person alive who has never felt like running and hiding. Why, during my school play, when playing the lead for the first time, I hid in the changing rooms and cried from nerves. And now look where I am!" The owner of said hand gestured to the stage, and Mizshu could understand instantly. You don’t really understand I didn’t want to be here in the first place... But at the very least she could hold her tongue here. All the same, Ms. Kingsley gave an encouraging embrace that reminded Mizshu of the person she definitely didn’t want to think about. Mizshu swallowed but was able to appreciate the kindness. After being tricked, manipulated, exiled, and weighed heavily by a guilty conscience, the embrace felt like a crisp spring breeze. "You'll be okay, dear, I promise. You'll get used to it...Mizshu, was it?" “Thanks, Ms. Kingsley.” Mizshu wasn’t able to explain why her kindness had hurt a lot more than it should have, but she could definitely cover that with something else. “Yep, that’s me, but it’s actually a combination of at least two of my real names. I find that hiding in plain sight would help, but it hasn’t worked so far.” Here she gave Ms. Kingsley a wan smile. “But the name stuck, really. Names can be sticky things.” When Mizshu paused to catch her breath, she was able to hear that Zenith, the hero that flew around so gracefully, was actually shy at first too! Mizshu relaxed some more. These people were so nice! "You can be brave, right? You're a hero." Mizshu started at this and whispered fiercely, “Wait, you’ve got it all wrong! I’m really not a hero at all!” No one seemed to hear this. *** Mizshu looked deep into the soulless lens, sitting up as stiffly as if she’d swallowed a golf club. “I am looking forward to the rest of Hero City. I hope to win a kayak out of this. I swim very fast, as you may know, but I would like to learn to row fast. It would help me find more bad guys, and I wouldn’t have to hurt anyone, good or bad. I don’t like doing that, so I have a few tricks up my...glove.” Mizshu recited this rehearsed speech, faltering once or twice. She could hardly hear herself over her pounding heart. “And what do you think of your competition, Ms. Mizshu?” the cameraman asked. Mizshu thought about this, pausing to reflect the speech Mr. Boorish and she had rehearsed, along the lines of ‘they’re all big shots, and it’s time for little guys like me to take them down!’ but she’d feel dreadful forcing out that line. Sorry, Stan. she thought with not a little contempt. “I didn’t quite get to meet everyone, but the ones I did meet were extremely kind, and helpful. I’m almost sorry to have to compete against them!” Suddenly, the camera lens turned into Mr. Fireflyman...Mr. Glitch...Ms. Kingsley...Zenith...even DUDE BRO™, and Mizshu relaxed as she spoke. “Goodness, you should have seen Mr. Fireflyman, he really lit up the whole place and was super sparkly and even I couldn’t help but stare in awe and I even said something incredibly out of place but let’s not get into that; Ms. Kingsley fell from the sky but her umbrella saved her really gracefully and let’s not forget what an excellent hiding spot she made, Dynamic was super cool with their acrobatics, Zenith swooped all over the place and was very pretty and who knew they started out shy? DUDE BRO™ also tried to help me get over some...nerves, I guess that much was obvious, but it happens to everyone, am I right? I’ll never forget the first time I was going to cycle up and over a ramp, and I’m sure you’ve seen countless fail videos on Phailbog and I don’t think I was half as nervous then as I was when I was back onstage! No amount of healing powder could help me there, as I’m pretty sure I’m immune to the stuff, both kinds, as luck would have it. Luck doesn’t seem to have much when it comes down to me, but so far I think I quite like being on Hero City. There are so many sweet people here, even if they are my competition. I don’t intend to compe-- [REDACTED] *** Mizshu exited the small confessional chamber (it looked very much like one, perhaps it had been modified from one? No, that’s ridiculous, they’d have to be in a church first!) with inconceivable exhilaration. That was the first time she had ever said so much on camera, and so much unrehearsed! It had felt like talking to everyone onstage, only with no cameras...if that made any sense. She was usually not one to gloat, but she knew that children had much more license in this department to use as they wished. And use it she did. “WOO-HOO!” she exclaimed, leaping and fistpumping. It felt good. Stan could go stuff it. Oh God. Someone caught her. And it was Mr. Fireflyman too! Mizshu felt a little silly for her sudden gloating and stopped. "Hello, Mizshu. I just thought to check up on you. Listen, don't worry too much about what others want you to do."Mizshu paled in fright. He KNEW. “I...wait, what do you mean?!” she squeaked, frantically racking her brain to figure out where she’d slipped up and let out all of her secrets. "It's quite alright to just be yourself. The performance itself isn't too big of a deal and doing well at it doesn't mean anything. I mean, DUDE BRO's famous and good at the game, but"--he lowered his voice--"he's a giant nincompoop."Mizshu’s eyes practically turned into saucers and she clapped her hands over her mouth to keep from giggling. He. Did. NOT. Instantly, she forgot about all of her paranoia. “Mr. Fireflyman!" she blurted between closed fingers, laughing in spite of herself. He had said what she, and perhaps everyone, had been thinking all along. “That’s not a nice thing to say! But it’s all right, I don’t think there are cameras here, I mean, sheesh those things are cold and empty and scary it’s almost like a lens--not like they’re like your eyes or anything I know they’re similar but there’s lots of warmth in your eyes sorry I didn’t mean to suggest anything there I go again but you should have seen it just now I was in front of a camera and I saw faces and I didn’t freeze up or even think about the camera or anything!” Her passion rose as she spoke, spots of color appearing on her cheeks as she ranted and raved about her small triumph. It reached a crux, and then, not knowing what to do with herself, she threw her arms around the insect man. Just then, she noticed Mr. Glitch, hurriedly making his way backstage...holding his nose? Maybe not, but he didn’t look well. She did notice signs of a telltale bleed from earlier, and instinct took over, as it often did when villains tried to lure her over with someone injured. Of course, she had learned nothing from those experiences. “Oh, excuse me a second. Duty calls." Mizshu gave a sheepish smile and waved, racing after Mr. Glitch. *** “Hey wait!" Mizshu’s strong legs sped behind him, but this was a darker part of the backstage area. She slowed a little bit, worried about following Mr. Glitch. He seemed rather determined in his walk. She continued to slow down, feeling a sudden uncertainty squeeze her chest. She shouldn’t be here. Something was wrong. Something was a trap. SOMETHING was going to happen-- Oh.There he was, entangled with a woman in a kiss filled with rapture. "Aw, baby,” the woman started, once the kiss broke, softly kissing his cheek and whispering, “You haven't been having trouble with that, have you? Are you feeling alright?"
"Don't worry,” he said, and Mizshu easily caught the dodging tone she recognized so easily in her own voice. “Lying,” she thought to herself, but continued hiding in the shadows. The next embrace was so touching, and Mizshu caught what she knew was an oasis in troubled times, that she couldn’t help but sigh at it. Instantly, both heads whipped around to face her. Mizshu gulped and knew there was only one way out of this. “Well hi! I didn’t mean to bother you, but uh, he’s not exactly telling the truth here, so I brought this here.” Mizshu fumbled with her gloved hands, stuffed with her own dust by now and difficult to move, and undid the green pouch from her waist. “This is the healing dust I make, don’t worry, I tested it first. That’s the one great thing about this, I never test on animals, only plants, but I do often feel bad for them afterwards if they don’t prosper instantly. I always feel guilty producing the poison one....” Flash. Vati...Mizshu shook her head. It wouldn’t do to cry now, either. “Uh...” Mizshu thrust the entire pouch their way. “Here you go.” Dear God. I’m so sorry, guys. Okay so first Mizzy’s on the stage, responding to everyone who was so kind WHAT IS THIS the heroes are actually not stuck-up like she thought they would be! She’s actually starting to enjoy Hero City in spite of herself but still doesn’t want to compete. No one hears her say that she isn’t a hero. Afterward, she starts blabbing on about her competition in the confession cam section but since she pictured Celestial, Moni, Jayeee, Liou and Dju, she had no trouble rattling on and talking the cameraman to death. Reeling from her success, she screams in happiness and jumps into the air, to be confronted by that nice guy Mr. Fireflyman and she giggles at him calling DUDEBRO(tm) a nincompoop (gasp!) but she notices Mr. Glitch leave in a hurry and she can just tell something’s wrong cause healer instinct. She walks in on the adorable couple, Mr. Glitch and Twillie, and can tell Mr. Glitch is lying about how he’s doing only because she’s got a truckload of secrets herself, and very quickly gets caught spying. Flustered, she hands her entire stock of healing powder over to them, hoping it will help her friend as he had helped her. Oh, and subtle flashbacks. They’re here too, but they’re not important now.
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Post by Moni on Sept 18, 2016 23:13:08 GMT -5
Mizshu spoke so quickly that Fireflyman did not have enough time to interject in any of her blabbered phrases. She stumbled onto a thought and tripped over into the next. In the span of a few seconds, she'd expressed shock at him calling DUDE BRO a nincompoop (scandalous!), and then she'd said it was all all right because there were no cameras in sight, then she expressed her dislike of cameras, and somewhere along the way she'd slipped up and accidentally compared their cold gaze to Fireflyman's eyes, for which she'd apologized for. And then she revealed a magnificent accomplishment: talking in front of all those cameras. And before Fireflyman could say anything in reply--something about how he didn't take offense and that he thought it was wonderful she was gaining some confidence, the girl threw her arms around him in a little hug. A small twinge of sadness crossed his face for a few moments, but in the end Fireflyman couldn't help but smile. After he gave her little head a few light pats, she turned in the direction of Timothy Hikes running out a back door looking much the worse for wear. "Oh, excuse me a second," she said, making a motion for the boy. "Duty calls." Wait, Mizshu! he wanted to yell, but instead he kept his thoughts to himself. The phrase "stranger danger" readily came to mind; Fireflyman was often the one in corny T.V. ads telling children to be careful when it came to someone they didn't know. Not that he thought Timothy would be one to abduct a child--he couldn't even abduct a fly--but she couldn't just run like an excited puppy to any scent of trouble she happened to sniff out. Sinclair's recognizable silhouette came into Fireflyman's panoramic vision. He didn't know if he and Mizshu ever spoke together directly. Sinclair always made it a point of saying that things were never as they seemed; consequently, there was little you could actually trust at first sight, a lesson that Mizchu hadn't learned. Unfortunately, children's trust hardly ever came at a premium. With a small sigh, Fireflyman followed Mizshu and Timothy further backstage. Fireflyman kept a good distance between himself and the little girl and stuck to the shadows. The last thing he wanted to do was overtly follow Mizshu; a girl like herself whose live was monitored and controlled by powerful puppeteers needed not feel like yet another presence was watching her as well. He knew he wouldn't have appreciated it. Timothy had apparently encountered someone he knew, a pale asian woman with hair reaching the the middle of her back. They had just finished a kiss, and the woman had asked him a few questions. The words were almost lost in her soft manner of speaking. Her voice was plain--plain, or familiar, he didn't quite know which one. More importantly, this confirmed what Fireflyman had suspected with Glitch--something was wrong with him, physically wrong. He clenched his fists, mulling over revealing himself under the guise of asking a quick question of Timothy. Mizshu blathered again: “Well hi! I didn’t mean to bother you, but uh, he’s not exactly telling the truth here, so I brought this here. This is the healing dust I make, don’t worry, I tested it first. That’s the one great thing about this, I never test on animals, only plants, but I do often feel bad for them afterwards if they don’t prosper instantly. I always feel guilty producing the poison one...”She'd just given away her powers. Apparently, she could produce healing dust that could apparently have some adverse effects--namely, poisoning, and that she tested them before use to see what effect they would have. How very interesting. "Uh... here you go."Let's see how her healing dust works...tl:dr; Fireflyman follows Mizshu ( Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff)) who was following Dju and with her, stumbles across Twillie. He decides not to reveal himself. It's just kind of internal monologuing and a whole bunch of nothing of importance happening.
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Post by Draco on Sept 19, 2016 0:42:55 GMT -5
Kizuna has been standing there in a daze for what felt like forever. Before he knew it, he was now sitting in a daze. He was lost in thought, thinking about everything from when he first learned of his powers, his time in medical school, the job he dos as a doctor, the time he spent as a hero... Was his life flashing before his eyes? He was sure it was. Was he dying now? He's not sure how, but he felt that he could be dying now, time was frozen and he was forced to watch his life pass before him. He sort of wished he could have died a more heroic way, but he guessed dying on a stage was a ok way... " Stage?" That's right, he was at the season premiere of Hero City. He wasn't dying, he was just being his normal gloomy self. He was doing this on a stage where people could see him, both in person and on television... Not very heroic of him. He had to snap out of it, but he didn't know how long he was doing this. Was it over? No, he could still sort of make out people around him. So it wasn't over, he still had time to not look stupid. He blinked a few times. Then he looked around the stage. He let out a small cough, and slowly stood up. With a small stretch he stood there sort of posing, he was still not that good at that... Glancing around, he slowly inched his way across the stage to where the other heroes. What felt like forever he finally made it over to them and gave them a small smile. "Heh... Was lost in thought a bit..." Kizuna snaps out of his trance of gloom and despair.
He slowly inches his way across the stage and joins the other heroes who have all ready been announced.
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Post by icon on Sept 19, 2016 1:08:22 GMT -5
From the overhead… * * * “What’d you think of that presentation, Wax?” “Wax?" Wax looked up from scrolling on his tablet. Hana was looking at him funny. “You all good, Waxy?” “Huh? Oh, right, everything’s good.” He gave a quick thumbs-up. “Just taking some notes. Did you see that Supervising Script Editor Sandra Bixley is standing up in front of us?” He indicated with his stylus a dozen feet away. “And right over there is Jenkins of the Gazette talking to the Chief Footage Editor, and earlier at the viewing I saw a reporter from the Heroestown blog, and I’m certain Beatrice Bizelli is around somewhere—” “Shhhhhh, take it easy, Wax,” Hana said as she gently laid a hand on his shoulder. “Take it easy tonight, okay? Sure, just because we have these—” she lifted the press lanyard from her neck— “doesn’t mean that you have to work like a fiend. It’s the season premiere! You’re here because you’ve proven yourself an upstanding member of the community media, relish it a bit.” “Because we've proven ourselves,” Wax said with a grin. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to keep watching me, I assure you I'll be fine.” He looked up. “Hey, isn’t that Dynamic over there? Let’s go get a picture with them.” Hana navigated Wax through the crowd until the two of them got closer to the hero, who was milling next to a few others. “Hi! Really sorry to interrupt, but we’re big fans,” Hana said. “Any chance we could snag a photo? How are you feeling about this season?” * * * “Oh wow, they’re really letting us do these confessional cams things too? Really? Gosh, wow.”Wax shuffles in his wheelchair, looks around the booth with excited eyes before turning to the camera. “Hana? Hana is… my long-lasting best friend. The two of us met in college, way back when we were undergraduates. I was studying communications, she was urban studies with a political science bent… she was the one who convinced me to get into broadcasting, actually. We bonded over old Hero City reruns that our friends would watch, and ended up having these conversations afterwards, and she persuaded me to start recording and editing them. That was, that was actually how MASK began, you know.”
“She still occasionally co-hosts episodes, but with the studio’s growth these past few years she’s really stepped up to be the fantastic Production Manager we all know and love.” He looks into the camera at this point, practically with stars in his eyes. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for her.”* * * Hana sits in the confessional booth perfectly poised, head tilted just akimbo enough to look pensive. “Wax? Enhh....... he’s alright.”She stares with the poker face of someone used to holding back a smile. “Don’t tell him I said that, though. This thing isn’t actually rolling, is it?”Meet Hana Lee Shen, Production Manager of MASK Media and team mom to Wax’s team dad. Hana and Wax are at the premiere in-person! And they’re here to do work, but also just to have a fun time. They try to talk to snag a photo and start a conversation with Dynamic ( ♥ Azzie). And then I hijack the Confessional Cam mechanic, which, doesn’t even really make that much narrative sense, but it sure to heck does make for some convenient exposition (If anyone has issues with that, mechanics-wise, let me know and I can scrap the second half of the post no biggie)
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Post by Twillie on Sept 19, 2016 9:16:27 GMT -5
“You were my favorite hero up there,” Natasha whispered sweetly to Tim, resting her head against his. A soft sigh followed this, but it came from neither of the expected parties. Her muscles instantly tensed, Natasha darted her head to where the sound came from: a nearby stack of boxes. The little girl crouched beside them froze against Natasha’s glare and Tim’s inquisitive gaze, gaping before gathering the words to stammer out, “Well hi! I didn’t mean to bother you, but uh, he’s not exactly telling the truth here, so I brought this here.” She pulled a small satchel from her belt, talking something about healing and poison dust and her means of testing it, before offering it to the couple. “Uh… Here you go.” Her heart still pounded from the realization of being watched, and Natasha’s silence remained for another moment as she tightly clutched Tim’s sleeves, eyes wide open. After taking in the pouch presented their way, though, she managed to slowly regain her senses, swallowing hard as she put back on a smile. “O-oh, uh, thank you! You… you’re sure about this? I mean, I guess so if you’re offering in the first place…” There may have been protestations Tim’s way, but Natasha accepted the gift from the little girl, keeping a careful grasp on it as she excitedly interjected, “Tim, is this one of your hero friends that you wanted me to meet?” She turned to the girl. “Natasha. And you’re the chi-- uh, you’re Mizshu, aren’t you?” While Mizshu answered, Natasha mentally took notes of the healing powder held firmly in her grasp. A decent weight, definitely enough for more than one use… How was this concocted? It could easily be a simple healing brew, although I wouldn’t trust a child to properly make one of those… Unless this is somehow a power of hers? It’d probably be too much to ask her how she made this right now…
Images of its potential uses ran through her head, but Natasha’s thoughts suddenly took a halt as she looked back down at the pouch. She mentioned poison? She said that this was tested, didn’t she…?
She shook her head to herself, though, and kindly met Mizshu’s gaze again. Doesn’t matter, I’ll have to check this anyway to figure out the type of brew... We'll see if it's any better than what I've already got...
Dju and Natasha's moment is suddenly interrupted by a small voice whose owner turns out to be Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff) . The latter offers a gift to the couple, and Natasha willingly takes it, introducing herself in the process. While talking, though, Natasha is more concerned about the healing powder's composition and origin, evaluating it with a supposed knowledge of special powders and concoctions.
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Post by Celestial on Sept 19, 2016 10:34:13 GMT -5
As much as she loved being on stage, there was a time and place for everything, and once the heroes were done, Tabitha was certainly glad for a drink and a little snack. She was delighted to see that tea had been supplied. Of course, it was hardly the tea she would have drunk normally: overbrewed, with low quality teabags, it had more than a fair taste of tannins. Then again, anything was better than the iced tea abomination they had served last year. Content with what she ha, she picked up a biscuit to go with the drink and headed into into the crowd to mingle. She was a natural at it, stopping for a brief chat with the press here, shooting a smile at a fellow cast member over there. She did not have long to do this before Zenith approached her, to which she responded with the same bright smile she usually reserved for the other hero. "Zenith, sweetheart. What can I do for you?" Tabitha listened as they spoke, occasionally taking a delicate sip of tea, making sure not to leave any lipstick marks on the cup. However, when they mentioned making a grand public apology, she stopped drinking completely. Unable to mask the surprise on her face, she listened to the other hero even closer, trying to process their words. Then again, it was just like Zenith to blame themselves and be very awkward in the process of doing so. When they had finished speaking, however, the smile returned to her face. "Don't worry about it, darling, I did offer the penny for your thoughts earlier after all," she reached out and put a hand on their shoulder. "In my very humble opinion, however, you are giving far more thought to the issue of Miss Nightshadow than it is worth. While it is true there was a great number of things in the past that could have been done to prevent this, it is hardly your fault that she turned out as she did. Miss Nightshadow chose her actions and her path herself after all. You are quite right: you should not be taking responsibility for it all." She gave Zenith's shoulder a squeeze. "A grand public apology is all well and good but how much will it really help? Will it save anyone? Will it make Miss Nightshadow change her ways? Hardly. So the best you can do is stop her hurting anybody, and, if possible, stop her, period. That is what you should do in regards to this matter," she removed her hand to pick up her teacup. "And if anybody criticises you over Miss Nightshadow's behaviour, well, the press will tattle until they turn blue in the face for the sake of selling their rubbish. Being a performer means ignoring all the yellow journalism that swirls around you and doing your best despite it." A grin formed on Tabitha's face. "So to answer your question on how you should apologise for Miss Nightshadow: go out there and stop her, Zenith, dear. That's all you need to do. As a bonus, you can look smashing for the cameras while you do it," she laughed and took a delicate bite of her biscuit. "For now, don't let it bother you. Enjoy yourself." Just then, Timothy spoke up, and Tabitha was immediately taken aback by the sudden change in his mood. Whereas before he had been rather morose, now he was euphoric. Once he had spoken, it was easy to understand why. Tabitha smiled: it was nice that the young man had found happiness. "Of course, dear, just let me finish my tea," she said to Timothy and proceeded to take several more sips of her drink. It never did to rush. Eventually, she did make it backstage and of course, there Timothy was, in the embrace of a young, very pretty woman. At first glance, it was impossible to imagine that this was the same Timothy Hikes from barely a few minutes ago. His face seemed to glow with happiness but the woman seemed...wary, especially when young Mizshu approached them. As though she was afraid of being caught in his embrace. Tabitha frowned. Something about this felt distinctly... off. Timothy had been acting a little odd but with this woman, he changed completely. She, however, seemed nowhere near as enraptured with him as he was with her. Of course, love was not always equal and those in the throes of it, especially young people, could easily change their moods on a whim with their loved one. But somehow, this did not feel like that. Six years on the show and parents with a military background had taught Tabitha not to ignore her instincts but nevertheless, despite her feelings, she was hardly going to show bad manners. Instead, she walked towards Timothy and his sweetheart, giving them both a smile. "So this is the young lady you wanted us to meet, Master Hikes? I can definitely see why. It is a true pleasure and an honour to meet the woman who makes a dear friend so happy, Miss..?" Tabitha gets her drink and then chats to Zenith( Liou), reassuring them that the issue with Nyx is not their fault and their best way to apologise is to stop her. She is interrupted by Timothy( Dju) asking them to meet his new girlfriend, which Tabitha does eventually. Upon seeing Tim and Natasha( Twillie) together, Tabitha gets a strange feeling but bad feelings are no excuse for being polite whatsoever, so she goes in for a chat.
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Post by Layla "Nimbus" Karimi on Sept 19, 2016 11:05:31 GMT -5
(Collaboration with Birdy ) During the hero introductions...Layla -- Nimbus now -- watched the proceedings with rapt attention. As a member of Hero City for some years now, she was well accustomed to seeing all but the newest of her fellow heroes in action -- yet the sheer showmanship on display here was as much a delight for her as for the audience. Well... most of the showmanship, anyway. While, at first, DUDE BRO™'s antics were surprisingly tolerable in the context of all the exciting introductions, the numbskull managed to ruin it anyway in his little crowd-surfing stunt. Nimbus resisted the urge to make a face on stage with some difficulty. Still, one idiot's actions could hardly be enough to sour her mood. Fireflyman and Tabitha's charming mini-speeches, and everyone's performances in general, quickly turned the premier back around. And despite his return and subsequent pestering of Glitch and the others, her focus remained on the stage and on Weisle as he made his way ever closer to her own name. Finally, she grinned and turned to the teenager seated next to her. "We're coming up soon," she whispered to her new partner. "Are you ready?" Elwood - or rather, Chlorolad, as he now was - was trying very, very hard not to compare himself to everyone else on the stage. For the returning heroes, it was easier. But for the new talent like himself... it was another story altogether. Some burly man on a motorbike (though in Chlorolad's completely biased opinion, Glitch's was far better), and a lady who could breathe fire? Their tech, their powers were, admittedly, rather amazing. Nothing like his. All he could do was... "We're coming up soon," Nimbus' whisper interrupted his thoughts. "Are you ready?""I'm... not sure," he admitted. (No, he admitted to himself, not he was not ready. Everyone else's powers were flashy and awesome and amazing and his was just--) He took a deep breath to try and calm himself, and clear his thoughts. Now was not the time for self-doubt. That would only make things worse. Sure, he couldn't speed around like some heroes, or fly, or stop time, or other things that were so amazing unlike his lame powers of--He shook his head to try and clear it, firmly reminding himself not to focus on everyone else. "I'm nervous," he finally admitted. "What if they don't like me?" The crowd is so hyped by now... he thought, though he didn't dare put a voice to them. If they're expecting something awesome, then I go out there and... do my thing... they'll hate it. They'll boo us off the stage. I don't want that to happen to Nimbus. Not after all she's done for me...He took a quick breath and fiddled nervously with his mask, briefly distracted by the thought that it was odd how such a small piece of cloth was the only thing keeping his identity a secret from the masses. Nimbus' grin softened, and she gave Chlorolad's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Trust me, they'll love you," she replied. Nodding her head over to indicate the audience, she added, "Those guys will eat up just about anything we do tonight, and they really like new faces. Not to mention partnerships." Her smile wavered for just an instant at that last word, but she kept going. "And for what it's worth, I think your powers are pretty cool. You'll be finding a lot of inventive uses for them, that I can tell." Chlorolad managed a somewhat shaky smile at Nimbus' words of encouragement. "Thanks," he said, relaxing slightly. Moments later, Weisle's voice rang out again. "Next up, we have a case of the old meeting the new. You see, folks, Ryder and Lady Drake aren't the only new faces on Hero City. And while the third of our latest competitors is still but a humble sidekick, his grit and valor are sure to take him and his partner hero far." That's my cue, Nimbus thought. Carefully, as inconspicuously as she could, she reached out with her senses and began drawing in some of the moisture in the air from as far around her as she could manage. Calling her powers "weather manipulation" wasn't entirely accurate -- that term implied the ability to influence overall weather patterns like storms and cloud cover, and she generally didn't have enough reach to influence anything that high in the sky -- but with a little creativity, there was still a lot she could do with the air around her. "But first, let's welcome back the hero herself!" As Weisle continued, a new wave of excited chatter and cheers began to break out in the crowd -- some of the more perceptive members of the audience had noticed the thin line of fog forming over the stage, and it seemed many of them knew exactly what that meant. "Give it up for the one and only: Nimbus!" The fog was fairly thick by the time the announcer finished, and at her name, Nimbus quite literally leaped from her chair. Drawing in air currents around her, she buffered herself into a flying leap and then slowed her fall just enough to land at the front of the stage without hurting herself. The fog swirled and danced in the wake of the errant eddies of wind, and she set a few sparks of static jumping along its edge before stopping to shout a welcome to the audience and wave in response to their cheers. This was just her part of the introduction, though. Nimbus kept a mental hold on the fog, keeping it from dissipating back into the air for a few moments more even as she let its particles return to neutral to stop the tiny bolts of electricity. She turned her gaze to the back of the stage, to where she could just see Chlorolad through the haze. The feeling from Nimbus' words hadn't lasted long for Chlorolad. For Weisle's voice rang out, setting the stage for their introduction. Nimbus had been calm - understandably so, she'd done this before. And despite knowing that they'd both be on stage in less than a minute, he still jumped sightly when Nimbus had sprang from her chair and took a flying leap onto center stage. The nervousness in his stomach grew. He'd be next, in a matter of seconds, and he knew it. Please don't get sick, he pleaded with himself. Please don't get sick. The memory of lunch came back to him, and with it, the knowledge that he'd barely eaten any of it. ...Okay, so getting sick on stage in front of everyone was probably not a thing that was going to happen. That was good at least. ...Hopefully he wouldn't pass out either, that would be bad. He'd miss his cue, and then Sinclair would be mad. He tore his attention from that thought just in time to see the encouraging look Nimbus shot him. He gave a nervous grin back. "Coming to this season of Hero City," Weisle went on, "with her sidekick: Chlorolad!" The crowd began to cheer, eager to see this new sidekick to the game. Noting the fog still stayed, he briefly wondered if he could sneak though it, do his thing, and then just stick close to Nimbus without making it look like he was hiding behind her (no matter how tempting the thought). ...But perhaps he could sneak though it, then hide briefly behind one of the shrubs on-stage, and surprise everyone with his power when they weren't quite expecting it. Sure, it would be risky to appear to make himself a no-show and risk Sinclair's ire, but. Perhaps for the element of surprise, it would be worth it? Well, he had to do something - the crowd was waiting. And so it was that he snuck though the fog, ending up lurking just behind one of the tall potted shrubs just behind Weisle to give himself a moment to collect himself. As he eyed the shrub, however, a sudden though sprung into his mind. It wasn't what he'd planned, for sure. But if he could pull it off... The crowd had died down a little by now, and had begun to look around questioningly, as if wondering where this new sidekick was. "Well..." Weisle forced a grin. ( Oh, please, not another late-arrival or no-show tonight...! the host thought.) "Perhaps the new sidekick is a bit shy. Maybe if we give him another round of applause--" Weisle didn't get the chance to finish. for at that moment, the shrub behind him suddenly burst into a shape, causing the man to jump at the sudden movement and small shower of leaves and twigs. Now, behind him, stood a topiary of none other than William Sinclair himself. The crowd "oooh'd" in appreciation, breaking into cheers and applause as the "missing" sidekick stepped out from behind the sculpted shrub, and - with a small grin and wave to the crowd - took his place beside Nimbus. Enter Nimbus and Chlorolad! Nimbus watches her fellow heroes introduce themselves, seriously annoyed with Jayeee but otherwise thoroughly enjoying the premier. Chlorolad is nervous, worrying that no one will like him/his powers and he'll get Nimbus boo'd off the stage. Nimbus assures him that things will be okay, and the crowd will love him. When if comes time for introductions, Nimbus summons a fog and takes a flying leap onto stage, while Chlorolad opts for sneaking onto stage and revealing his powers of plant-manipulation via turning one of the tall shrubberies (that have totally been on-stage this whole time, yup) into a likeness of none other than the show's CEO, William Sinclair.
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Post by Liou on Sept 19, 2016 14:38:18 GMT -5
Zenith nodded quietly while Tabitha spoke, though they still wore an uneasy frown. It was so strange to hear someone speak of Nyx in such a cool, collected tone. Everything sounded easier in Tabitha's voice. Of course, Zenith's worried thoughts had a counter for every thing she said. Who could possibly stop Nyx? Who could dream of stopping her for good? But that was the magic of Tabitha's voice. It was simply more powerful than Zenith's self-critical thoughts. They could not even deny that an apology would not help. They could not even keep pretending that they were responsible for Nyx's actions. They kept nodding mutely, their brow still creased and the corners of their mouth still down-turned, but out of relief this time. "Yes. Thank you. I needed to hear that," Zenith mumbled hesitantly before downing the rest of their tea in one gulp. They took a moment to collect themself and treat themself to a biscuit. (Not a cookie. Cookies did not really go with tea.) Fortunately, the journalists in the area seemed to have found other business to attend. They abruptly remembered that Timmy would be waiting. Tabitha was already heading there, so Zenith followed in the same direction. It was only when they saw the two lovebirds that they realised what Tim had meant. Zenith froze, trying to remember the protocol for this sort of situation. Their hand immediately went up to check their goggles. They had never expected to be introduced to the girlfriend as their hero self, for some reason. The girl looked nice enough. Prettier the longer they looked at her, in fact. But what really struck Zenith was Tim. The young man could have been cradling a rare exotic butterfly for all the care and wonder that shone in his gaze. It occurred to them that the girl was incredibly lucky. Zenith stepped closer, rolling their shoulders with a very faint swagger, and raised their hand in greeting. "So you're the one this dork has been raving about," they said. "Maybe now that I've seen you, he'll finally stop waxing poetic at me." Their casual tone belied the tightness in their throat. This was very confusing. Whenever Zenith's sisters had brought any love interests home, Zenith had been sure to take the unfortunate newcomer aside, reveal the size of their muscles, make a bit of a show of what they could break with a mallet, and describe in graphic terms what would happen if their sisters were hurt in any way. But this was quite a bit different. "You'll have to be careful, Natasha," they warned her playfully. "He can be clingy. And all over the place. And horribly corny. I hope you can bear him." Zenith could not hold back any longer and pulled out their phone, aiming for the couple. "Do you mind if I just take a quick picture?" Their chest swelled proudly again and their smile made their eyes squint beneath their dark visor. "I mean, it's Timmy's first date that I've seen, and the two of you look so good..." They couldn't possibly let this moment be forgotten. Zen's mind is put almost at ease by Celestial . They go backstage to meet Dju and whoops, they realise he has the bae Twillie with him, so they do their best to play it cool.
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Post by Tiger on Sept 19, 2016 14:56:28 GMT -5
Iskender had elected to grace the humans with his presence tonight. Their living room television was the best one in the house, and so he took a seat on the back of the sofa and watched. He had wondered, for a time, if watching the television would be too suspicious; it turned out that the humans simply found it an endearing eccentricity. All the better, really – being underestimated was tactically advantageous. Sometimes the humans pet him while he was up here. Swatting and smacking at them with his paws would get him kicked off, and sometimes they were decent at getting to itches under his chin or behind his ear, so Iskender allowed it. Sometimes he stole food when they weren’t looking. Usually, he didn’t – it was generally not much to his taste, and if Wheatley ever caught Iskender at it, the dog made a huge fuss. Right now, he wasn’t focused on the open bags or cans. His mismatching eyes gleamed with the reflection of the fire-breathing woman and the tiger-festooned biker - the newcomers, and his primary interest this evening. He had been able to get some information about them ahead of time, of course, but little was more guarded than HCN’s plans for future seasons. The names, for instance, had been a series of numbers, half of his intercepted emails were bickering over the final name decisions, and his attempts to get information on Ryder’s vehicle had only turned up a very dry manual about the standard version of the motorcycle - only so much help considering that, in Iskender’s experience, no superhero used a crime-fighting vehicle that wasn’t massively enhanced, be it by technology, magic, or extraterrestrial origin. The tiger theme hadn’t been in the files, either. Iskender actually rather respected the hero’s wardrobe aesthetic; at least he had a proper appreciation for Iskender’s wild and unfortunately distant cousins. The cat wondered if Ryder and Lady Drake would make it through the first season. New heroes were popular targets. And they weren’t the only newcomers. Iskender flicked his tail at the announcement of a new sidekick. Another child trying to play with the adults (nevermind that Iskender was less than ten years old himself - cats matured faster. And he’d essentially had an adult mind from kittenhood thanks to the mihtium radiation, which helped as well). As the showing of the cast wound down, Iskender started cleaning a paw. The new heroes were interesting, certainly, but it was really the reactions of the old guard he was most looking forward to this time around. Iskender watches the premier and shares some comments. Nothing fancy \ o /
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Post by Twillie on Sept 19, 2016 15:01:48 GMT -5
“Natasha.” Greeting the newly arrived Tabitha Kingsley, Natasha smiled to her while placing the powder in her purse. She laced herself naturally around one of Tim’s arms. “Natasha Lee.” Miss Kingsley had a kind enough temperament, but being so suddenly close to and talking to so many heroes reminded Natasha to stay on alert. Everyone had reservations, after all, and she was no stranger to the repercussions they may play on an unsuspecting person. “It’s good to hear that I can make him happy. Nice to meet you.” “So, you’re the one this dork has been raving about!” A voice coming their way revealed to be owned by the flying hero Natasha had witnessed while watching the premiere-- Zenith. Even after seeing them on TV, she had not anticipated them being this tall. “Maybe now that I’ve seen you, he’ll finally stop waxing poetic at me.” “Aw, he’s been talking about me?” Natasha blushed and gazed mischievously at Tim. They gave Natasha in a hushed voice some humorous advice, and she giggled as cheerfully as she could at this. It was when Zenith asked for a picture, though, when Natasha broke her bright demeanor. It was just a split second, but in that moment, instead of naturally saying "yes" like any sensible person would, her guard flared up and stole away her voice. “Uhh…” After that second, though, she was able to recapture herself, and she said through embarrassed laughter, “I-I’m sorry, I’m just camera shy. O-of course, go ahead…” Tim took a tight hold of her and kissed her forehead while they posed, and she tried to smile for the camera while reminding herself that it was okay, everything was fine, it wouldn’t matter soon enough anyway... Zenith got the photos they wanted, and Natasha broke away from Tim to check her phone and say, “Oh, but I should probably go now. Gotta get up early for work, of course. Oh, but wait-- Tim, could you meet me by the door?” She leaned in close and whispered sweetly into his ear. Taking him by the arm, she went to the exit with him. Turning around, she put on one more wide grin and called to the two other heroes, “It was nice meeting you! Goodnight.” Natasha meets Celestial and Liou , but suddenly gets nervous when asked to take a picture with Dju . She complies, though, and then says that she needs to go. She invites Tim to the door with her, saying her final goodbyes to the heroes as she leaves.
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Post by ♥ Azzie on Sept 19, 2016 15:09:07 GMT -5
Hi! Really sorry to interrupt, but we’re big fans,” Hana said. “Any chance we could snag a photo? How are you feeling about this season?”"Oh, hello!" Dynamic said, turning with a smile toward the reporter. "Absolutely. I think this season's going to be the best yet. We have a really solid group this year, and I don't think Heraclia's ever been safer." They grinned. "And everyone's showing has been spot on tonight." Dynamic chats with Hana, excited about the new season and how the heroes mean Heraclia has never been safer.
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Post by The Scrac that Smiles Back on Sept 19, 2016 15:52:53 GMT -5
Zenith, Tabitha, and Glitch. Why them? Zenith and Glitch were so cool, so powerful, and so popular. Tabitha was perfectly proper and punctual. And Mattress Comet was a mess. She moved away from Sinclair, heading for hair and makeup like he had instructed her to do, debating how to slip in without drawing their attention. She didn’t have to worry once she had arrived, since they were all gone. That worried her even more, and she spent as little time as possible getting cleaned up before making her appearance on stage. She wasn’t known for being one of the glamorous heroes anyway, her truest fans would understand. Weisle introduced her smoothly when she came out on stage, with only a slight jab about her lateness. She watched the other heroes, grateful their antics kept most of the attention off herself. She made sure when the camera pointed her way to pose and show off the sponsor names decorating her boiler suit and jacket, hoping they were clean enough to be read. After the big show she was told she had a phone call, and she excused herself from joining the big after party quite yet. It was the bird owner on the line. “Oh, yes, hi! - Will I do what? - Oh, it’s paid? Yes, I will attend your parrot’s birthday party. - Thank you for inviting me!” She hung up, shrugging. She’d been to weirder. She headed for the after party after a quick stop at the bathroom to clean up some more, and once there grabbed a plate and picked out foods she could eat without making a mess. Comet does make it onto the stage. Afterwards she gets a phone call, which delays her from starting the party with everyone else. First stop: food.
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Post by Shinko on Sept 19, 2016 16:21:38 GMT -5
The head of HCN building security had been having a rough night.
Premiere nights were always awful. So many reporters who were constantly trying to sneak around the press lines, so many civilians who had to be kept in check even as they grew more and more overexcited, and then the heroes oftentimes didn’t help matters by flinging themselves into unsafe situations like DUDE BRO had done with his crowd surfing stunt…
“Um, sir?” a young voice warbled. The head of security looked down with a raised eyebrow to see the young hero Mizshu. Her brow was furrowed with anxiety.
“Yes?” he prompted. “Did you need something?”
“Well I just… I was on my way to the restroom during the intermission a-and… Well I saw one of the vending machines near the performance area hanging wide open.”
“What?” the man stood abruptly, pushing past the startled young super and out into the hall. As he neared the machine in question, he cursed softly under his breath. The door was indeed hanging wide open, and it looked like someone or several someones had been helping themselves to the contents before someone with a sense of morality finally came along and reported it.
“Whoever did this has some guts, committing a petty crime during the recording of a superhero reality show,” he man muttered. He pressed a button on his watch, muttering, “Units near Hallway C, do you copy?”
There was a ragged series of assenting voices over the walkie-talkie, and the head of security went on, “Erin, Destiney, meet me in Hallway C by the vending machines. Dimitri, you stay on the reporters. ...No it’s not an emergency, nothing to bother the supers over, just a vending machine broken into.”
The security manager sighed, rubbing his forehead. At least a broken into vending machine wasn’t that big a deal in the long run. Things could be a whole lot worse, really.
* * *
It was getting on towards 1 AM as the man who was currently going under the alias “Gordan Page” finally managed to escape the crowd at the premiere event and head back home. He hadn’t meant to stay out this late, of course, but certain… things had served to distract him.
As he was passing through a slightly scuzzier area of town, however, he realized he wasn’t the only one. Tottering down the street, looking quite thoroughly smashed out of his mind, was the hero known as Fireflyman. Accompanying him was a blur of gold that was unmistakably DUDE BRO™. The All-Star was chattering Fireflyman’s ear off with dubious tips about how to pick up girls, but seemed to be making no effort to support his inebriated colleague.
So much for the brave defenders of the city. Spent all night in the bar as soon as you could escape the premiere, didn’t you? Gordon though with a nasty smirk. Well if Fireflyman wanted to be nursing a raging hangover the next day, and DUDE BRO™ exhausted from his late night, that was all the better for him.
After all- wasn’t this just what they’d been counting on? The day of the premiere everyone was tense, excited, and the security was beefed up to the nines. But the day after, there was a distinct air of exhaustion, a stupor as everyone rested off the party atmosphere from the night before- and many like Fireflyman would be resting off hangovers too.
Gordon picked up his pace. He had no wish for DUDE BRO™ to spot and recognize him from across the street. They were too close now for him to feel up to making idle conversation with his adversary.
* * *
It was around dawn, and the head of HCN building security was finally getting off his shift. He rubbed his temples, a headache throbbing in them. The man wanted nothing more than to get home and collapse into his own wonderful, plush bed.
As he was entering the lobby, however- passing Bill Sinclair’s assistant Kyoko who was on her way up- he nearly jumped out of his skin as an alarm suddenly blared. And it was coming from the front entrance metal detectors.
What now?! he thought, dashing towards the source of the shrill wailing noise. It looked like he wouldn’t be going home anytime soon after all.
* * *
“I’m telling you, it was an error with the system!” the guard who’d been manning the metal detector blustered to a very exasperated William Sinclair, the company head having arrived just ten minutes prior. “There was nobody in that frame when the alarm sounded and we’ve reviewed the security tapes too- nothing!”
“And you are clearly new at this,” Sinclair retorted. “Ever heard of Miss Wisp? She was a villain of much renown in my heyday. Could turn herself into a dribble of mist to sneak into buildings, and was virtually undetectable. Or the Phantom Menace- he could turn invisible.”
Bill looked over towards the security feeds, frowning. As the guard had stated there was nothing obviously untoward on the monitors when the alarm went off. He couldn’t think of anyone in the city’s current rogues gallery with such an ability, but that didn’t rule out the possibility of someone new. Or maybe it was just a technical error...
“Mr. Sinclair!”
Sinclair started, turning towards the person who’d called his name. It was another of the building’s security personnel. “Hm? What is it?”
“Well sir,” the newcomer began, “We’ve done as you asked- reviewed all the building security logs right before the alarm went off. And we did find one thing that was odd. About one minute and thirty seconds before the alarm sounded, someone accessed the upper floors from emergency stairwell C with Miss Kyoko’s swipe card. But Kyoko was still in the lobby, and she had her card on her when she got into the elevator.” The guard gulped. “And the really weird thing is… the cams in the stairs don’t pick up anything either. Nobody’s there when the door lock is disabled.”
Sinclair frowned deeply. The first guard, however, scoffed. “You can’t get from way up on the upper floors down to the lobby metal detectors in just a minute and a half. Besides whoever it was would’ve had to spend some time actually in the upper floors doing something wouldn’t they? I’m telling you- the system glitched!”
“...You’re right,” Sinclair said suddenly, spinning abruptly. “I think we do have a glitch. And I need to have a word with him.”
Sinclair strode out of the room, leaving behind two very confused guards. This was bad- this was very, very bad...
* * *
Gordon smiled warmly as a familiar profile appeared at the end of the street, pedaling hard towards him.
“Tim,” he said, as the exhausted hero came to a stop, panting hard- and rubbing his face to stem the flow of blood from his nose. “Good- you made it. Everything work out?”
“I… I don’t feel right,” the boy stammered. “My head is killing me…”
“Don’t worry Tim,” Gordon soothed. “I’ve been thinking about things, and I have a theory about what might be troubling you. But first- did everything work out?”
Something odd flashed across Tim’s eyes, and he reached into his pocket, pulling out a very small object. One he’d stolen from Sinclair’s office, though he didn’t quite remember doing so- a flash drive.
A flash drive full of government research on mihtium.
Gordan smiled broadly.
“Very good,” he practically purred, taking the drive out of Tim’s hand. He quickly dropped it into his toolbelt, then beckoned for the young hero to follow him. “You know, the Queen’s concert is today. What do you say we go see it?”
“The concert?” Tim replied, the odd look going out of his eyes as he continued to rub his nose. “I thought you were going to help me?”
“I think you’ll find this does help, Tim. I think it will help things to become very, very clear to you.”
* * *
“Call all the heroes here,” Sinclair snapped to Kyoko as he stormed out of his office. His silver-blue eyes were written with panic. “Now.”
“B-but sir,” Kyoko stammered. “They’re getting ready to record the Queen’s concert- most of the supers will have gone to watch that, if they’re not at work.”
“Get whoever you can then,” Sinclair retorted. “This is an emergency- one of our own has gone rogue. And he’s stolen government secrets that were entrusted to our protection.”
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Post by Moni on Sept 19, 2016 17:47:41 GMT -5
"You drank how many bottles of vodka?" the room's old speaker sounded. Fireflyman's throbbing head had, as of recently, granted him some mercy. After a nice shower, he'd dressed in his lab clothes and went to work in the lab--mostly being the one to handle the heavily radioactive reagents. Usually, people needed layers upon layers of protection before even stepping into the lead-plated room and handling the radioactive isotopes of all the different elements, but Fireflyman only had to wear a special lab coat and gloves. He could very well swallow the heavy metals in containment here and his body wouldn't even care. "Seven. Or eight. I, uh, might have lost count. My blood-alcohol level was something like point-five." "You mean, point-oh-five, right?" Fireflyman was currently engaged in making sure all the waste materials were properly disposed of in their designated containers; he worked as efficiently as a factory assembly line, his thin fingers mechanically clasping their intended targets without error. "No," he said, "I really mean point-five." "How--how was your cerebrospinal fluid not just entirely replaced with ethanol, then? How is your brain not pickled? How are you not dead? Don't you know what ethanol does to your neurons?" And, rather than wait for Fireflyman to respond, Dr. Faust said, "You're supposed to be a role model for people that watch you! What were you even doing at a bar, anyway?" "Long story." "I'll listen." "I decided to invite DUDE BRO somewhere to make sure he wasn't that angry with me. It was a mistake. I needed some way to not think about him." And, he'd really hoped that all that alcohol would have induced some sort of anterograde amnesia, but unfortunately, he still remembered every little idiotic and infuriating thing DUDE BRO said to him. At some point, he remembered thinking about joining the Catholic Church as a priest. Silence. "I guess I'd drink as much as I could, too," said Faust. "Of course, I'm way too old for that now. And I don't have super-cells. For now, I assign you a 20-page research paper on alcoholism and the effect of ethanol on the brain." If Fireflyman weren't working with radioactive materials, he would have rubbed his head. The one time he'd strayed from all those courses he'd taken on human society... "Yes, ma'am." "Hey, don't feel too bad about it. I have an extra ticket to go to the Queen's concert later. Do you like her?" "I'm not a fan." "Well, in that case, I'm reserving that seat for my bags." Fireflyman heard a yawn. "And my memorabilia." "Good luck with that," replied Fireflyman, but before he could receive Dr. Faust's response, a faint buzz coming from outside the room grabbed his attention. Fireflyman excused himself from the conversation, stood up, followed all the safety protocols for disposing of whatever he needed to, cleaned his gear (and his hands), and exited the room. In the lab proper, his earpiece was vibrating so intensely it was slowly inching its way off the table. Fireflyman saved it from hitting the ground just in the nick of time. On its miniature screen red letters flashed: EMERGENCY DISPATCH BY KYOKO--REPORT TO HCN IMMEDIATELY. I must heed the call of duty, thought Fireflyman as he put his logs back into his bag, dressed himself properly in his civilian outfit that managed to hide his features quite well from the public--well enough to blend in Heraclia, anyway. He decided to take the monorail to the HCN headquarters. It was rare that he'd an emergency dispatch like this before, and had no idea whether or not to be afraid; but one thing was for certain. This wasn't quite planned by Sinclair, and he didn't want to attract much attention to himself. *** Fireflyman arrived at the buidling within five minutes--the university was conveniently located nearby--and asked the main receptionist to meet Bill Sinclair. After being shown his identification card, the receptionist agreed to ring him up, and Fireflyman soon found himself in Sinclair's office... Fireflyman does miscellaneous things; his boss censures him for drinking so much and then proceeds to invite him to the Queen's concert to make him feel better about having to spend time with DUDE BRO the other night, but it doesn't work. He gets an emergency buzz, and heads down to meet with Shinko.
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Post by Draco on Sept 19, 2016 18:52:38 GMT -5
Sitting alone, watching late night television was Kizuna. He was home now after the night of the season opening of Hero City. He sort of felt like he blew it when it came to talking to the other heroes. He sighed and took a drink from the can of soda in his hand. The other heroes must hate him, and for good reason. They probably think he's stuck up, to good to talk to them or something. He sighs again. No, that's probably not right, probably some other reasons... "Why is there never anything good on tv?" He wasn't sure who he was talking to, he didn't live with anyone. Heck he didn't even have any pets. With the way he worked, it probably wouldn't be a good idea unless they can somehow take care of themselves. Though he did enjoy cats. "They could at least throw a decent movie on or something right?" He looked into the eyes of a plushie form of himself. They tried marketing them in the past, but it didn't sell that well. He told them they should have tried making cuter and less like him if they wanted to sell... They didn't listen. So now he was stuck with a box of them, and he kept one out sitting on his tv. He named it Lil Kizu. "Well I might as well get some sleep for tomorrow. Night Lil Kizu." The plushie's eyes began to glow and a eerie warped version of Kizuna's voice came out of it, "Let me TAKE the PAin away!" Kizuna shuddered. That was another reason it didn't sell well... He swore they must have been possessed by demons or something at the factory... --- The next morning he got a call about a emergency. Groaning he looked at the time and realized he only slept for maybe a few hours... "It's like working full time at the hospital all over again..." "This will ONLY hurt for a mo-mo-moment," said Lil Kizu. "I'm not so sure about that." He slowly put on his uniform, and started to leave the home, but stopped. He came running in and grabbed one of the extra plushies from the box. "A gift." And with that he rushed out of the room. --- It didn't take him to long to get to the office building by train, he only lived about 3 stops away. Upon getting there he noticed security was a bit higher then normal. They even scanned Lil Kizu's little brother multiple times and were a bit horrified by it. He explained to them it was harmless, he thought, and it was a gift. In minutes he arrives at Sinclair's office, placing the plushie on Sinclair's desk. How does Kizuna spend his nights when not passed out or something? He watches tv, drinks soda, and talks to a creepy demonic plushie of himself.
Upon getting the call to report to Sinclair's office, he heads straight there, bringing one of the spare plushies as a gift.
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