Open RP A Strong Foundation

This RP is currently open.
illirica

illirica

Failed Sanity Check
Staff member
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[div align="center"][div][attr="style","font-family:'Overlock SC';font-size:300%;"]FoundatioN[/div]θεμέλιο[/div]
[div][attr="style","font-family:'Metrophobic';font-size:115%;"]Vasia Kairodes had not expected her first time in America to be like this. Truthfully, she had not expected to have a first time in America at all - it simply wasn't anything that had ever crossed her mind before. It seemed, though, that international relations were important, and with the budding emergence of metahumans, they were even more important before.

This was what the informative letter said, anyway. It had obviously been written by an American, because the Greeks were quite well aware that 'metahumans' had been around for millennia. Americans didn't think in terms of millennia, though. They lacked both history and patience.

None of this was anything she said aloud, however. The International Conference Of Metahuman Affairs seemed to be a thrown-together thing, something that was meant to seem and feel more important than it was. It was held somewhere called Pittsburgh, a city that did not even make it onto the world maps manufactured by Americans, much less any of the rest of the world. The hotel was quite modern, and had that odd American tendency to try to look as if it were older than it was. There were plaster columns meant to imitate marble scattered throughout the foyer. They'd gotten them wrong - some nightmare of an Ionic endeavor, but with six-point symmetry.

She sipped from a glass of wine, which was Californian, and better than she had expected. There had been presentations throughout the day, mostly people talking about metahumans as if they were new, sprinkled throughout with discussions of metahumans throughout the ages, with no mutual awareness of the contradiction. Organization had been... haphazard, but punctual. The Americans were quite fond of punctuality. They seemed as if they always had a place to be and a time to be there. Even their relaxation was hurried.

Currently, she was attending the evening post-banquet, which was meant to be a special time for various metahumans and associates to gather and socialize, presumably striking bonds that would serve to further the goals of humanity - that, or the organizers had run out of ideas to organize and simply thought that throwing the invitees in a room together would take up a few of the carefully scheduled hours.

Vasia scanned the room, endeavoring to keep her eyes on the other attendees and off of the distressing treatment of proper architecture. An interesting group... I wonder who they all are?[/div][/div][/div]



OC
Open event! This is a pure socialization event, so if you want to fight, take it outside and to another thread (and ask first to make sure the other person is okay with it).

Number of attendees is not limited, and people may attend with multiple characters if they like.

RP will move at "conversation pace" - so feel free to respond to the people you're talking to even if not everyone in the whole RP has posted yet.

Have fun!
 
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
the only thing that's real.

In the course of human events it transpired it was best if one understood ones enemies. So it was the Man in Black was here. He had listened as others spoke and taken mental notes. Much of what they said he'd not been aware of, nearly all of it in fact. He'd not tracked the emergence of creatures like him, nor had he paid any attention to the outside world in over one hundred years. Not until recently. He stood in silent contemplation as others moved around and mingled. He was aware if he wanted to learn more about his enemies, the so called heroes of the age, he should move and interact as well. Something, however, kept him rooted here, gazing out the window, glass of cognac in one gloved hand.

Coming here was a mistake. He should have never ventured to this city, never stepped one foot in it nor smelled its foul odor. The corruption spreading from Pittsburg was palpable, the corruption spreading from this place was nearly overwhelming. A whole organization dedicated to the study of emerging creatures they called Meta Humans. He guessed at least ninety percent of those present, that were actually meta humans, were of the heroic sort. Their cancer spread in the worst possible way, with fanfare.

The glass cracked. He adjusted his gaze, glancing down. It was not leaking. He eased his grip lest it shatter. The liquid inside held no meaning to him suddenly and as a servant passed by, he placed the cup on the man's trey, along with a single gold coin. It was polite to tip ones servers and he'd always had a fondness for people willing to get dirty and do the work no one else wanted to do. Let him spend it as he saw fit, perhaps he'd put it in a bank somewhere. Gold, more than anything else, grew in value over time.

Putting both hands on the head of his cane he turned his back on the window and instead turned his attention to the people here, the ones he should be paying attention to. He sought uniqueness, identifiers, and the smell of corruption. His face was hidden behind his veil but his eyes had no trouble penetrating it, or the veil of lies filtering through the room.
 
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[font color="#00FFFF"]"I should have a panel, a booth something."[/font] She stood out in the banquet, part of it couldn't be helped. The way those around her had hairs standing a little, the occasional arc of electricity that ran along her figure it wasn't subtle. If that some how was subdued the glowing eyes and hair of static laced blue wasn't. Then of course if those were, well she was someone in full costume. Granted her costume was only the second model, more track suit and metal then something cool. Ideally one day it'd be some top of the line specially forged super suit.

Still at least she had a costume. Instead of casual clothes or worse, dresses. Ellie hated dresses with a passion.

One of the event coordinators sighed. "Ellie none of you had one least not first day. It was more about the existence now and theory of before." Her head shook in protest.

[font color="#00FFFF"]"Boring! You got them snoring. We should be looking for promotions! Make deals with armor people as sponsors maybe. Look not everyone can dodge a bullet. If we are going out there we should have better chances to protect ourselves. Maybe we could have talked ways to use powers to help others. A room where we could say what we can do and discuss ways to use that? Maybe a lecture on how the laws of vigilantism are antiquated to what we can bring to the table."[/font] The sparky woman was a bit of a scene. She wasnt even meaning to be but she sort of talked with her hands incredibly expressive. It didn't help that a small team followed her filming.

Not everyone wanted to be filmed but Tazer obviously wanted to. She couldn't stream it and the event hosters wanted to be there for the editing, but they decided to at least let the Tazer team film. If for no other reason to make Tazer herself shut up, that was then however and now she was loose qgain. [font color="#00FFFF"]"Or maybe we could have discussed identity. A debate on how we should come out or hide it. I for one think there's nothing to hide. I know that won't help get some sponsors but I really think the world needs to know we're just people."[/font]

"Ellie heroes are barely on the news yet. We can't book this like it's the stars of tomorrow when there's hardly any today.

[font color="#00FFFF"]"That reminds me! Couple days we can start streaming. Would have been great to have a panel for it or something. Games casual conversation and eventually the patrol will have something exciting! I mean ive no idea what it'll be but that's almost better you know? Gona watch right? Join the stream, be apart of the Stunning team. Promise you'll excitedly scream, when we save the day looking like a dream."[/font]

The eye roll seemed in slow motion. Especially so in Ellie's case, she was used to not being taken serious though so it didn't get to her.
[font color="#00FFFF"]"Well you have fun sipping wine with people. I want to meet heroes! Talk how we can save uh stuff."[/font] She was to bubbly usually to be moping about, but it was also clear the electric persona wasn't sure what to do or where to go. This had been a little more "powers be crazy" presentations and not the heroism Ellie wanted. There was wine, and banquets where she hoped for costume designs and lectures on how best to serve the city.

So a seat was taken, alone so far. Instead she began research, she wasn't sure any cops would join her but the phone and mighty internet could be some help. Of course she knew as a colorful outcast she probably seemed like she was just doomscrooling. Ellie though wanted to learn of the best and worst parts of the city. Because again if she was going to patrol, she needed no where best to serve doing so.

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Metahuman affairs, what a joke.

The girl, who had been dubbed Freyja by those who had been taken from her, had received the invitation, though whether it was intended for her or not was irrelevant. It had piqued her interest, although she regretted it at this point. She had attended, as every good strategist should know their opponents. Yet this day had been anything but strategic.

Presentations galore about metahumans, theorizing on their biology, about what event had transpired that had allowed them to come into existence. Freyja could think of her own, but doubted anyone else would relate to her catalyst. Not that she would share any of that information with anyone either. The rest of the panels were simply speculation on myths and legends that could have been harboring information about metahumans. They said nothing new, and she had to keep herself from audibly groaning at the inaccuracies in some of the myths they went over. One of them had used a mixture of Elder Futhark and Young Futhark runes to try and prove a point, and Freyja had to dig her nails into her palm to avoid calling the man out for the idiot he was.

But those were over, and now they had deigned to have a few hours of idle chatter over food and drinks, the latter of which were severely lacking in their offerings. Freyja had changed, putting her blonde hair into a long and intricate braid and donning a black-patterned dress, sleeveless and with an open back. It was a common misconception in today’s media that the Norse had been heavily tattooed, when in reality they didn’t even have a word describing them as such. However, that didn’t mean that Freyja wasn’t.

Her left arm bore a silver stylized wolf, fangs bared and claws outstretched, looking to chase the silvery moon that rested on her bicep, engraved with a
vegvisir
, a rune for guiding one through rough weather. Her right arm bore her left’s twin, clad in gold and perpetually chasing a bright sun etched with the
Ægishjálmur
, the Helm of Terror, to induce fear and prevail in battle. Between her shoulder blades lay a large and ornate sword hilt in the traditional style, extending into a long, bright, crimson-tinged blade that disappeared beneath her dress. Binding them together was a scaled serpent, its tail starting on the back of her left hand, twisting up around Hati before crossing her shoulders, its coils holding tight to the hilt of Surtr’s blade. It then descended along her right arm, binding Sköll before coming to a rest on her right hand, its maw hanging open, Jörmungandr ready to bite its own tail.

Freyja bore the symbols of Ragnarök. It was to remind her of her duty, of her task. But for now, she scouted the floor, desperate to break the monotony of the day. Her eyes immediately fell upon a woman with curly brown hair, brown eyes, and darker skin. To Freyja, she couldn’t have been more Grecian if she had been holding a sign. Figuring they had at least some common ground, Freyja strode over to her, perhaps a little too aggressively. She took a glass of wine from a passing server before coming to a stop, looking slightly down at the girl, not out of disposition, but height.

“Did the mythology section hurt you as much as it hurt me?”
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[div][attr="style","font-family:'Metrophobic';font-size:115%;"]If nothing else, this was proving to be an interesting assortment of individuals. Greece - in its entirety - had seven known metahumans. Vasia suspected there might be one or two more, either keeping their abilities secret or unaware of them. Nonetheless, there were more in this room than she could have comprehended, even if they were theoretically from all over the world. Not all of them seemed particularly interested in interacting with one another - there was more than one person simply brooding in a corner by themselves, an odd choice for what was supposed to be a social event. Even if they had been instructed to be here, as she had, should they not be doing their best to represent themselves and their homelands? One young woman seemed far more interested in her phone than in anything going on in the room around her.

Yet, it was not her place to intervene. Vasia was considering how to handle this when another woman approached her. It seemed there was at least one here who did not lack the courage to socialize. The woman was tall, muscular and bearing a number of tattoos, rather tastefully done. Vasia gave her a soft Grecian smile, in case they should ever become comrades. Some cultures, of course, were more restrained about such things, and so Vasia offered nothing more than the smile for the time being.

The woman's words prompted a different sort of smile, something between pure amusement and the way one must laugh in the face of horror - for there had certainly been horrors aplenty in some of those presentations. She let the wine swirl in her own glass, motion without commitment. [font color="a4a4a4"]"Beliefs about mythology tend to vary wildly."[/font] She sipped from the glass then. [font color="a4a4a4"]"In some cases... very wildly."[/font]

She shifted her drink to her left hand and extended her right, in the way the Americans did it, as she had been taught to do. Americans were known to have opinions on personal space, and greeting someone you'd just met with an embrace was apparently not done here, no matter how much it was good for establishing trust. It all seemed a bit silly to Vasia, but she would rather not offend anyone, and so it was best to keep things a bit more distant than she preferred until she could tell how others would react to that.

[font color="a4a4a4"]"Vasia Kairodes. And you are?"[/font]
 
Quetzalcoatl was having an absolute blast. He wasn't super happy with how light the mythology section was on truth, especially about people that weren't from his region of the world, but oh well. The rest of it was great, and learning about everything going on now was why he was here anyway. History was great, but he'd been there and returning wasn't going to happen. Without all his powers, he was just going to have to settle down in this world and time and under this Sun. He'd build his followers in the new way. Social. Media.

He didn't sit next to the girl on her phone, he dropped into a seat next to her, tail sliding flawlessly through the window created by the two bars holding up the seat back as if he'd done that exact move a hundred times. He had, actually. He practiced it all the time. Being stuck in a hybrid form meant getting used to figuring out how to sit places with his tail, because it had a tendency to be a problem with some seating arrangements. He held a drink in one hand, which beautifully did not spill as he dropped into his unsuspecting seat.

"That was great! Can we do one of these every year? Are they going to do one of these every year?"

Yeah, she was on her phone and some people might consider dropping next to a pretty girl and talking while she was typing away on her phone rude, but he was Quetzalcoatl. A little charm, a little positive energy, and everything would work out ok. Just like the time he stole those bones from the underworld.
 
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Ellie knew maybe she should be more making the rounds, but her heart just wasn't in it. Everyone had been wanting to talk history but not making it. They wanted to discuss theories, but not theories how to make change. Everyone came dolled up, but none of them were the kind of doll expected. The quote action figure unquote look of a hero. They had suits, she hated suits they were itchy, they wore dresses a pain to run in. Ellie though looked ready for a marathon and maybe surviving a rogue gunshot or two. She was here for heroes, she felt here though at prom.

And both times she had gone to prom sucked. So she had been on her phone until someone sat next to her. She tried to respectfully not fixate on how they sat down. An attempt soon to falter by fact she was dealing with of all things a lizard. He might have been the one thing to stand out more rhen electric blue hair and a figure giving off sparks.

It was also a presence that made her mind race on other things outside of the event. Did you compliment reptiles for their scales or was that weird? If you said "what's that tail do though" was that a pick up line? Was it insulting to find someone more cute like their pet gecko than anything else? If she said she wasn't into someone cold blooded was that a pun or in bad taste? Or was this a hero thing, could she be much help if it was. Going somewhere to save a desert lizard probably wasn't going to make the living lightning all that useful. Her mind raced, she exhaled and in that small moment that wasn't to long but she certainly thought so Ellie would open up.

[font color="#00FFFF"]"I hope so. I'm not impressed I wanted to I don't know talk sponsorships or strategies. How to integrate the Tazer brand into something massive."[/font] For all her confusion in her little moment that seemed more like a minute or so to her, when Ellie spoke it came from something deeper and more transparent. [font color="#00FFFF"]"Maybe shouldn't call it a brand, just one girl wanting to take a stand. I'm Tazer by the way. Internet super star or lightning in a bottle remains to be found out."[/font]
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As the room began to fill with the sound of idle chit chat a misty figure in a dark grey 3 piece suit stood alone looking over it all. This event seemed a little ritzy for a lowly private eye to be in attendance but as a he was both local and a meta his invitation was all but assured. Even if they didn't invite him he'd probably be here anyway. So many metas in one place was a potential time bomb just waiting for a spark to light the fuse. Anything could set it off, so it was important to keep it a close eye.

In any case he was here, the lectures were over, and now the time had come to gather some information. Mister E pulled out his notepad, flipped to an empty page, and began taking notes on the people he saw present. Later on he'd try to get the official guest list from the organizers but for now he merely watched, listened, and wrote.

The girl in the costume caught his attention first. The vigilante hoping for fame by filming justice. Having worked in law enforcement he knew the road ahead of her wouldn't be easy, but perhaps they could help eachother. He had connections and experience, she had personality and technical know-how he couldn't match. Assuming she worked in Pittsburgh there could be some professional cooperation between them.

As he considered this alliance and began taking notes on the lizard that sat next to her Mister E instinctivly created a misty replica of a cigarette and placed it in his mouth. While not as good as the real thing it served it's purpose, however it didn't last. No sooner had he begun he heard the hurried approach of an employee.

"Excuse me sir this is a non-smoking area. You'll have to go outside to finish that."

The voice of the hotel employee stated quickly and politely, clearly not the first time he had to tell people about this rule. If there was anything he hated about the future it was the changing of acceptable vices. Prohibition was repealed, but cigarettes were shunned? It made no sense. Mister E exhaled as he turned to face the vice squad, the cigarette melting into mist as he spoke.

"Sorry about that. Old habits..." Mister E began, but something else caught his eye. The employee that stopped him was one of the wandering servers holding a tray in his right hand. Sat on that tray was a cracked glass of some alcohol as well as an antique gold coin.

"...Is that a gold coin?"

The server, who had yet to notice, looked over at his tray and picked up the coin.

"Looks like it. That's a weird tip."

"I'll say. Any idea who gave it to you? I'm a bit of a collector."

That was a lie, but it seemed to work as the server pointed to another gentleman before pocketing the coin and disappeared back into the crowd. The mysterious tipper was a tall man whose black victorian outfit seemed even more out of date than his own. He too stood alone, looking over the collected metas with unknown intent. Something about him gave the prohibition era detective the heebie jeebies, but curiosity had settled in. That and a feeling that at any time he would look back and find the man in black had vanished forever. So he approached.

"I hope this isn't rude to ask but couldn't help but notice your generous tip. Do you have the midas touch or are you simply loaded?"
 
Quetz would have grinned, had he had the physical capacity. Instead he showed his teeth, which were pointy but not overly intimidating. "Not a brand, a platform!" Brand had a corporate feel to it and he was pretty sure that wasn't what she was going for. Platform though, platform was used in indie creative circles. Platform made it feel authentic and real. "I think we gotta take steps you know? You can't start the new sun all at once, it takes a little effort, a little spit and vinegar, possibly a knock down drag out argument with a cousin. We start here and work our way into networking with others and talking about all that stuff you wanted."

Quetz whipped out his phone and brought up his social media pages. IT didn't take long to find her pages and hit all the necessary buttons to like, follow, etc. If they were going to network, they needed to be serious about it. Normally he didn't auto-follow people but there was something about Tazer's excitement that felt--well--familiar.

"I'm Quetzalcoatl and I run a youtube channel!" He sent her the relevant link on one of her internet pages. He did not lead with "God of life, light and wisdom, lord of the day and the winds. Ruler of the west." as that tended to put people off in this less spiritual age. It didn't keep him from including those titles in his channel description. "So I was thinking kinda the same thing though, we should all link up and get to know each other, maybe go for coffees or something."

He probably didn't need coffee, but there was no harm in slipping an ask out in there. "Connected heroes are better than individual heroes trying to do everything on an island, you know?"






The Man in Black stood, barely adjusting his head to watch the new arrival ask about the gold he'd handed out. When he spoke his voice sounded like it came through an audio system rather than a mouth. "I am what you might call well off, yes. I was retired for quite some time, but recent--events--have pulled me back. I was hoping to learn something about the so called meta-human emergence here, and to meet those who have felt it first hand."

He shifted the position of his glove hands on the head of his cane, adjusting his weight ever so slightly. Now engaged in conversation he found it rude to let it drop, and also not particularly useful. He didn't know this man, what he was capable of, nor which side of the line he fell on, but there was only one way to find out. "What brought you here tonight? Surely not the mythology section." That had been utter nonsense. Turning myths and legends into meta humans was the worst kind of historical revisionism he could imagine.

Perhaps the man didn't know his myths and legends well though. Man in Black did, though only as fanciful stories. Religion was a farce, always had been, always will be. The Greek Gods and Goddesses, that South American snake god thing, the abrahamic god, all just poppycock invented by the uneducated and the uninformed.

He thought about the question of his wealth, it was an unusual approach. He carried some coins on him at all times, but the vast majority of his wealth was stashed elsewhere, far from here. Thinking about that, and the things that had happened there, made his hands briefly tighten on the head of his cane.
 
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[font color="#00FFFF"]"Platform good point."[/font] Ellie wasn't sure she'd be able to change her wording on things without practice but it was a good point. She also figured she probably would have time to catch herself, side effect of being as quick as her. She already had her phone on her and out so it wasn't difficult to follow the lizard in return. She clearly was already someone who had been following everyone who followed her in return. It helped with networking and she just liked discussing heroism with people. It was why she was here after all to make superheroes a thing, network with those like her.

So far though there was just dresses over costumes and suits paying with, was that a gold coin? The electric hero only briefly saw it but was annoyed by it almost immediately. If he was giving sponsors it wasn't so bad but that didn't seem the vibe, was just another socializing. To Ellie this wasn't a place for playboys and models. The annoyance briefly had her spark, a arc of lightning shooting to her glass of water. Steam billowing from the glass as a result.

A sigh escapes before she continues. [font color="#00FFFF"]"Not wrong. I'd hoped this to be that shot though not a build up to one. Who's there to even network with? Who are the important ones?"[/font] Shocking blue eyes tried to analyze the room more, some of the profiling classes from the FBI training attempting to be called on. It wasn't getting her very far though. [font color="#00FFFF"]"Guess can work with the one hero who is here though."[/font] Work with what she had and all that. [font color="#00FFFF"]"So curious how much is to build excitement with the description you put? Obviously I say living lightning in mine and restored by the storm, but it's pretty accurate. I'm not made of lightning but I'm more likely to plug into an outlet then nap."[/font]

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[googlefont=Metamorphous][div][attr="style","background-image:url([MEDIA=imgur]oNdq40G[/MEDIA] double #9A2D19;padding:1%"][div][attr="style","display:grid;grid-template-columns:12px auto 12px;grid-template-rows:12px auto 12px;grid-template-areas:'TL TC TR' 'CL CC CR' 'BL BC BR';"][div][attr="style","grid-area:TL;border-right:2px solid #9A2D19;border-bottom:2px solid #9A2D19;"][/div][div][attr="style","grid-area:TC;border-top:2px solid #9A2D19;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.7);"][/div][div][attr="style","grid-area:TR;border-left:2px solid #9A2D19;border-bottom:2px solid #9A2D19;"][/div][div][attr="style","grid-area:CL;border-left:2px solid #9A2D19;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.7);"][/div][div][attr="style","grid-area:CC;outline:1px solid #9A2D19;outline-offset:6px;padding:2%;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.7);position:relative;z-index:69"]Freyja returned the smile, warm and open. She ignored the hand offered to her, instead extending her own to clasp Vasia’s forearm with a firm grip. Handshakes seemed informal and flimsy. First impressions were important. She held Vasia’s arm for a few moments, feeling the calluses on Vasia’s hand against her own forearm. Knowledge to be saved for later.

[div][attr="style","text-shadow:0px -1px 4px rgba(255, 255, 255, 1), 0px -2px 10px rgba(255, 255, 0, 1), 0px -10px 20px rgba(255, 156, 0, 1), 0px -18px 40px rgba(255, 0, 0, 1);display:inline;"]“Freyja Ragnarsdóttir. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Vasia.”[/div] Freyja withdrew her hand, taking a sip of her wine as she observed the woman in front of her. From what Freyja could see, she was well built, toned, clearly having trained in some capacity. She held the wine that she had transferred with the same ease with which she’d held it in the other hand. Perhaps someone who could fight on either side.

[div][attr="style","text-shadow:0px -1px 4px rgba(255, 255, 255, 1), 0px -2px 10px rgba(255, 255, 0, 1), 0px -10px 20px rgba(255, 156, 0, 1), 0px -18px 40px rgba(255, 0, 0, 1);display:inline;"]“It is good to see another warrior here. I was afraid that it would be all suit-wearers or scientists desperate to poke and prod.”[/div] She chuckled, remembering the one brave soul who had asked if he could perform some tests on her. She had politely, but firmly, sent him away. Perhaps a bit too firmly, though, as she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him since.

[div][attr="style","text-shadow:0px -1px 4px rgba(255, 255, 255, 1), 0px -2px 10px rgba(255, 255, 0, 1), 0px -10px 20px rgba(255, 156, 0, 1), 0px -18px 40px rgba(255, 0, 0, 1);display:inline;"]“I myself am not too familiar with Grecian styles, but I am curious what it is you prefer.”[/div]
[/div][div][attr="style","grid-area:CR;border-right:2px solid #9A2D19;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.7);"][/div][div][attr="style","grid-area:BL;border-right:2px solid #9A2D19;border-top:2px solid #9A2D19;"][/div][div][attr="style","grid-area:BC;border-bottom:2px solid #9A2D19;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.7);"][/div][div][attr="style","grid-area:BR;border-left:2px solid #9A2D19;border-top:2px solid #9A2D19;"][/div][/div][/div][div][attr="style","text-align:center;"]Code by Reyn[/div]
 


“Ah, a fellow spjótkappi! I should have guessed, Spear fighting is clearly a form that suits you.”
It was a form Freyja was used to as well. Granted, there were many forms she was used to, it was part of the gift that was bestowed upon her. The lack of a shield made sense, and said more about her fighting to Freyja then it would to most.

“I favor spears as well, a similar situation to yours. Not that I lack the strength to.”
Freyja chuckled as she subtly flexed, just a little bit.
“I simply find them slow and unwieldy. I like to fly around my opponents.”
She grinned at her own little joke.

“As for that last comment, I think I am the perfect amount of forward.”
Freyja took another sip of her wine, wishing for something stronger.
“Life is too short to be coy, I prefer to be honest with what I want.”
She offered Vasia another smile after bringing the glass to her lips and drinking a bit more than necessary.

"I would very much like to spar with you. I have no plans for this evening, and I am sure I can make time for it whenever you wish.”
Code by Reyn
 
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"Oh no. Didn't even know there would be one and most of it went over my head. Between us I think I was a pity invitation, but I came for a similar reason. This meta human emergence thing is pretty new to me. Hoped to learn a little about it and my peers. Always nice to know who to look for when something crazy happens."

Mister E said, keeping a steady poker face as he processed the strange way the man in black spoke. His voice sounded like a talkie rather than a standard voice. It was odd, but this room was filled with odd, and there was more interesting things to discuss. What he said, how he said it, combined with his gold and clothes, either he was quite the eccentric or he has been active for quite some time. Curious if there truly was another from outside this century, he pushed.

"You know I think we've got more in common than you might think. You said your retirement was some time ago? Judging by your currency and sense of style I'd say it was a very long time ago. But at least you survived. My 'retirement' you might call it was lead poisoning in 1932..."

As he spoke he shifted slightly, allowing the mist that passively formed around him to visibly swirl and dissipate. A ghostly show to emphasize his story. Not much of one but it was all he had. He then pulled out one of his business cards and held it out, offering it to the man in black

"...only properly got back to work recently. Mister E, private investigator."
 
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[div][attr="style","font-family:'Metrophobic';font-size:115%;"]Vasia spared another smile for quick-fired Freyja, but her words were tempered. [font color="a2a2a2"]"I too would like to spar with you soon, but our other commitments cannot be neglected. Many heroes are gathered here, or those who would be heroes, and I must know the strength of all of them if I am to fight beside them. Your strength I do not question. Let us meet tomorrow, then, in fresh spirits, and there I shall test my blade beside yours. Until then, I will see what I can make of these others, and whether they will fight when the time has come."[/font]

All this was said before she swirled the liquid in her wine glass once more. Scylla did not turn these tiny waters, and they stilled after only a moment. Vasia swallowed them down, then raised the empty glass in honor of strong-fighting comrades, both those here today and those long absent. She set the glass to rest on the table, leaving it behind her and turning to the room once more. There were many here, after all, and she could not focus all of her attention on one, no matter how radiant-alluring she might be.

Let Freyja Ragnarsdottir follow her then, or choose her own path: Vasia Kairodes left behind the empty glass and the architect-bereft columns and moved to circle the room, sampling the hints of conversation that reached her and considering whether any should have the courage to reach out, or whether she would have to make the first motion once more.
 
"We probably don't know who the important ones are yet, so many people are just starting out," he said.

She was really passionate about all this, but he saw deep down that what she was really passionate about was starting her hero's journey. She seemed to feel the need to connect with others to do it and there was certainly reason enough to see her side of it. He could probably have lived with flying solo for awhile, but if all he got out of this event was some fun speeches and potentially allying with this girl, that was more than good enough for him.

"Uh, well, none of it's hype, in you know, the modern sense. I just find that leading conversations with it doesn't tend to be productive. People aren't as religious as they once were and the religions they do have a very different from what they used to be. Unfortunately I don't have much of the power I used to, and I'm kinda stuck in this hybrid form, but eventually I'll get it all back." As far as he could tell the others were all gone. That could have made him lonely, but the present world was filled with such interesting people and loneliness was a choice, in this instance, and one he'd decided not to follow.

He couldn't smile, but he hoped the excitement in his eyes did the job well enough. "Anyway, what matters is making things better for people, and making some good friends along the way. I think we're off too a good start."



The Man in Black took the proffered card, pocketing it in his sleeve in one fluid motion. "I suppose it would be accurate to say one's sense of time and its significance are modified by one's life expectancy," He said. It was true, it had been more than a little time he'd been retired. He tried not to think about that. Thinking about that lead to thinking about the past, which was best left asleep where it belonged. The man he was speaking to, this private investigator, seemed to be some sort of apparition. He tried not to take ideas at face value though, there could be any number of explanations behind his abilities, and apparent temporal displacement. Still, sometimes the most obvious was also the most accurate.

"Katarel Insondia, or The Man in Black to the public." His personal name was his own and he preferred to limit its use to the private realm, but it would have been rude to leave it out as part of introductions. He made no mention of his previous moniker, The Man in Grey, if the ghost investigator chose to do his research on his personal name he'd find the rest. If he didn't, well, perhaps it would remain in the past as well.

"What put you in your current state, if I might be so bold?"
 
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[font color="#00FFFF"]"All of them. But it's also important not to put on a front."[/font] Electric blue eyes looked over the crowd a little more. It wasn't that she d1isliked them, it was just the presentation wasn't what she wanted. She saw them as heroes, action stars, a coming evolution to police and EMTs. She saw potential, but it was all being bundled up in prom wear and she hated her prom.

For a moment she dwelled on his words. [font color="#00FFFF"]"Fair. Different faiths and those subjects get heated. I considered looking for storm gods to draw inspiration from. But I was born in Florida even if Phillapeno. So thought something more modern and pulled from the police was good."[/font] It also felt better to not run from what she had tried to be. She might have failed the final courses to be a detective but before the costume she wanted to be an officer. Wasn't a terrible change though, the hero suit went way better with her hair.

[font color="#00FFFF"]"Sooooo should we try and make some rounds. Now that a lizard god shook me from being bummed kind of want to move around."[/font] There was limited range to how Quetzalcoatl expressed himself. In contrast Ellie was a bit to much of a livewire to be subdued. It was clear she even if easily bummed was in her nature a social twitchy if in one spot to long kind of person.

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Kosuke had arrived at the function with a pair of tinted glasses, a floor-length denim jacket (in black, of course), and a half-full glass of wine- and he was still, somehow, one of the least interesting people there. That figured. This was a conference for metahumans, after all- ah, that was the term nowadays, right? You could never be too careful these days, and the last person you'd want to offend is one who can telepathically pull your throat out through your asshole, right? Right!

How gauche.

He seemed a lot more sensitive than that, and certainly a lot more friendly- lounging by the bar, making idle chatter with the event staff. Julie was a student, working this job to afford her second year in economics. Matt was a metahuman himself, and he wanted to make some money whilst he networked, which he couldn't really do as a guest. Beck had a gig yesterday, and another one tomorrow, and, god, they were tired, how do you people do it? Kosuke recommended his famous 'Powernap Cycle'.

Then, he moved away; wine glass still half-full, jacket still sweeping the floor behind him, glasses still shadowing his wayward gaze. Social. Personable. Interesting, but interesting in a safe way- a way that began with his attire and ended with his career.

He was smiling, too, but that part came easy.[/div][/div]
 
"You may, lead poisoning from a Chicago typewriter..."

As he spoke he looked over at Mr. Insondia and noticed a distinct lack of recognition of the words he said. An unfortunately common occurrence. After a moment considering the appropriate words he continued.

"...shot by a Tommy Gun. Sorry, still working on my vocabulary. Silenced mid investigation. How I became this after that I have no idea. All I remember is a feeling of weightlessness and waking up at the Point. Which is a park now, so that's weird. I've heard a few theories. Unfinished business, my powers activating to save my life, nothing solid though. No pun intended"

Mister E smirked a little at his joke, a little mist rolling off of him as he did.

"Doesn't really matter though. I'm here now, I can do things I couldn't before, and judging by those lectures there will soon be no shortage of strange things to investigate."

The detective then looked over the gathered crowd of meta humans. Each capable of great feats of power, and for every one present there were likely a few who were yet unknown. Super human crime would be difficult and dangerous to investigate, so who better to send than a dead man? As he considered the future he recalled there was still work to do in the present, so returned his gaze to the man in black.

"I suppose I should go and mingle, but before I leave I do have a parting question. As a fellow man who stands outside of time is it any easier seeing the world change slowly around you?"
 


Vasia spoke words that indicated she had some commitment here. Unlike Freyja, she had a purpose beyond just seeing what the others had to offer. Curious indeed. Commitment was made to spar on the morrow, and Freyja smiled in anticipation. She had not had a proper spar in a while, and it would be good to ensure her skills were properly honed should resistance come during her work. A thought nagged in the back of her mind, how Vasia herself could be one of those obstacles. She pushed that thought aside.

“I look forward to it, Vasia Kairodes.”
Freyja gave her one more look before they parted ways. She was not going to follow her around all night like a lost puppy dog, after all. She had to size up everyone else. Case in point, a woman dressed in a metallic tracksuit of some sort instead of the formal wear most others had donned. That alone was enough to make her stand out, but the glowing eyes and arcing electricity banished any doubt that this woman was powerful.

Freyja approached her, deliberately, half-expecting one of the bolts to lash out at her, as if it would sense her intentions. It did not, however, and she offered a hand for the woman to grab, if she so chose.

“Interesting to see a wielder of eldingu here. Does that carry into other powers of the sky?”
She wasted no time, it seemed, with questions.
Code by Reyn
 
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Quetz nodded eagerly and followed after her once she stood and went to go mingle. "People have made a lot of divisions for themselves, unmaking a few of those will be fun. I bet we can find any number of people that would be interesting to talk to, if they weren't sitting around or staring off into the middle distance. I think a lot of people here might just be kinda uncertain of themselves among others. Many probably didn't know so many others like them existed at all."

He followed her lead for now, content to see where things would take them. He pointed out some interesting sorts, like two women who'd just finished a conversation of their own and were parting to mingle. They might make for a good target of conversation but there were plenty of options to choose from. It was wonderful seeing so many like minded individuals gathered together, so many people who wanted to do the right thing but maybe weren't certain how yet, or what that meant.

Of course, to every sun there was a moon and he wondered about that. So many of wanting to do good must be balanced by something else. Somewhere out there are people wishing to do the opposite. We don't know about them yet, but we will.



The Man in Black watched the investigator as he spoke. He was right, he did not pick up on his vocabulary immediately, but he wasn't given a chance to figure it out either. "Do not apologize to those who are ignorant of your words, leave it to them instead to enlighten themselves, or remain in the dark. It is not your job to educate the world." He pondered the final question, remembering other times, other faces. Most of them departed now in one form or another. There existed those elements of his family who were aware of his existence, but he spoke to few of them anymore. He did try to keep in touch with a select few, the youngest, so they would not be made to forget their history.

It was funny how the traits and features of a parent could come out in the faces of children multiple generations removed from them. Funny, and sometimes sad. None of this showed through the veil of course, nor would it have shown on his face, such as it were, had it been visible. If anything it would show only in the way he shifted his gloved hands over the head of his cane, a slight agitation of the fingers at the resurfacing of memories, some old, some far newer.

"No," he decided. "It is just slower. I was fortunate to not be aware of this fact until recently but all good things do end eventually." Some graves were fresher than others. Some graves, were never meant to be dug at all.
 
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