KnightDisciple

Corbin crossed his arms over his chest. An imposing gesture, to be sure. "I don't have to give that information, "partner". And I'd think someone like you could-" Corbin grinned and un-crossed his arms. "Just a bit, yes. This..."journalist"...won't get rid of that photo he took of me. Not only is it a misleading photo, I thought he couldn't do that without my permission?" "This here's a public place, partner. First Amendment says I have freedom of the press. We're in a public area, and my camera is clearly being used, with no deception. I also have a publicly displayed press pass. You're just plum out of luck. Now if this here big man with a hand on my shoulder could get his paw off me, I won't cry fowl to the host." Corbin's expression went from "stern" to "forlorn" in a matter of seconds. This was a horrible mistake with two nigh-brainless floozies within arm's length. Making odd cooing sounds, they each grabbed an arm, before practically draping themselves over the poor boy. Corbin went stock still, and the color drained from his face. "Uh..." "You poor baby, is the photographer being mean to you? Why don't you come dance with me to make it better?" "No, dance with me!" "What about both of us?" "Teehee, that's a great idea. He is a very big boy, after all..." There's color in his face now, but it's all bright red. Oh, and Tex Muniz is snapping pictures like a madman.

Corbin has no ranks in Knowledge: Civics. Thus, he cannot roll for a DC 15 check. Honestly, I think it's more amusing if he fails. :twisted:

Regarding Corbin's request about the photo... Untrained Diplomacy Check: 18+1=19. Wow. Didn't expect that good of a result. :shock:

Corbin turned, interrupted as he was reaching for his beverage. "Uh...my name is Corbin. Actresses?" 'This isn't a big movie town, is it?' he thought to himself, somewhat confused. Then they kissed him and took a photo with him. Corbin was not amused. He gently removed their arms and walked over to the cameraman. He had a slight frown on his face, but his body language wasn't turned up to "mean"...yet. Didn't change the face that he had a head and shoulders on the man. "I'd appreciate it if you deleted or removed that picture, sir. I didn't give permission for you to take it, and I'd rather it not end up plastered on some website or magazine."

Mr. and Mrs. Hughes nodded as the others described their jobs. "We work more in the technology field, but that definitely sounds interesting. Albert here is..." *Fade over to Corbin* Sleaze McRock grinned as the pretty young lady came over. "Glad to see the youth of today being here, you know? Gotta keep the blood fresh in society. I'm not singing tonight, little lady, but I could mail you a CD if you want. And it ain't right school keeps you so busy you can't play music!" Corbin was standing there a bit awkwardly; Felix had clearly meant for McRock to give him some "pointers", but the man had been diverted. While Corbin liked music in general, Sleaze's stuff wasn't his taste (the man sounded more like a cat getting it's tail stepped on by a linebacker, but that was neither here nor there), and he couldn't really sing or play that well himself. Then he heard about the floor opening for dancing, and he paled a bit. He glanced at his parents, and relaxed a bit as he saw them already moving across the floor. They looked happy; good for them. Even better, his mother wasn't going to try shoving some girl his way. "If you two will excuse me, I'm thirsty." With that, the tall young man began weaving his way through the crowd towards one of the serving tables; one that didn't have alcoholic drinks. When he arrived, he nodded to the man preparing drinks. "Um, just some punch. Without, uh, "punch", you know?" He stood there, one hand in his pocket, the other tapping a slow, aimless rhythm on his leg.

Albert and Sarah Hughes smiled and shook hands, introducing themselves to the newcomers. They turned to introduce Corbin.... Corbin nodded and whispered back. "Uh, thanks, I suppose." He turned and smiled at Sleaze, then turned to greet Fidei, Fowler, and Etain. "Nice to meet all of you. Etain, nice to see you again." His carefully schooled expression hopefully communicated that Etain needed to watch what she said regarding school. Corbin then turned back to Sleaze. "Mr. McRock, nice to meet you as well. How long have you been in the music business?" Corbin attempts to keep one eye on the rocker and one on his parents and the other guests. He generally succeeds. Albert turns back to Franklin. "So, Franklin, what do you do around Freedom City? I mean, what field does your company work in?"

Corbin smiled slightly at the insistence to "not call him sir". When Felix asked what his plans were, the smiles on his parents' faces went...somewhat brittle. "I'm...keeping my options open. While the business world has a certain level of appeal to me, I also have found I have a deep passion for history. I'm currently looking into what it takes to become an archeologist. A real one, who would be officially recognized, rather than some of the more...amateur...investigators out there." He gave a crooked smile. "I've been interested long enough that I worked at picking up a few languages, just to read some of the original material from the various areas I study."

Albert smiles and shakes Felix's hand, giving him a wink and leaning over for his own peck on his wife's cheek. "I lucked out, Mr. Fassbinder; she brings beauty and brains into the relationship. I only bring in the brains." Sarah just shakes her head at the two men, slipping her left arm inside Albert's right. "I think we both lucked out, Albert. We just need to figure out where our son got his height from. And Felix, thank you for inviting us; I know we're new to the scene, so I was worried it would be a while before we could get to know some of our compatriots...and competitors." She gave Felix her own wink as she and her husband accepted champagne glasses. Corbin, meanwhile, had been wracking his brain for what he could remember on Felix Fassbinder. Unfortunately, he could only recall the man's name, and the name of his large and successful company: Fassbinder Pharmaceuticals. He smiled and offered his hand to Mr. Fassbinder. "You know how time flies, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you, thank you for having us. I'll skip the champagne, though. Not to my taste." Not to mention he wasn't even 18, let alone 21.

Let's see what we get. Knowledge: Business Result: 7+7=14. Well, he knows this guy's name, and what company he runs. Sadly, I can't make the Knowledge: History check just yet. Perhaps one day. ;)

The Hughes family had been delighted to receive the invitation. It was just what they needed to settle into the high end of the business world here in Freedom City! Well, Corbin wasn't nearly as excited, and there was that pesky age limit, but it didn't take his parents long to figure out how to fudge his age a bit. He was a mature 17-year-old, they knew he wouldn't touch alcohol anyways, and he was always big for his age (standing about a head above both of his parents) anyways. So, they went out to buy some new formal wear. Corbin at least managed to talk them into letting him customize a bit... Corbin's slightly non-traditional outfit featured a black mandarin collar jacket, a white banded collar shirt, a dark blue vest, a basic black button cover (1 at the neck, and 1 each on the buttons at the ends of his sleeves), basic black dress pants, fairly comfortable shoes, a plain black belt...with an unusual buckle. The buckle had taken the most haggling. But Corbin's parents wanted him at the party (to "experience what it's like to meet potential business partners in this environment" and such), and he was reluctant to go (and to lie about his age). So they compromised. His father had a classic cut black and white tuxedo on, and his mother had a elegant, conservative, maroon dress that, while not the "flashiest", still complimented her appearance well. They made it through the initial door check for things like age with no troubles, Corbin not showing the slight nerves he experienced as that went on. They then arrived at the door to the main hall, where a man in formal wear was waiting. He raised an eyebrow at Corbin's non-traditional style, then spoke. "I will announce you as you come in. May I have your names, please?" Names were given, and the door was opened, the man stepping into the hall slightly, and raising his voice. "Now entering: Mr. Albert Hughes, Mrs. Sarah Hughes, Mr. Corbin Hughes." The announcer stepped back into the hallway, shutting the door behind him. Smiles on their faces (fake that some might be), the family proceeded into the party.

Corbin nodded his thanks as Mark retrieved the food. When Mark asked about common interests, he gave a slightly bitter laugh. "Mark, I already speak several foreign languages, a couple of which are essentially dead. I'm more interested in going to the middle of the desert and digging up an old village to examine their plates and bedding than I am about playing football. I enjoy drawing, painting, and a bit of sculpture instead of working on cars. Though I do share a moderate like for video games with most of my peers. Not only do I not match the hopes of my parents, I'm a bit off-kilter from my peers. Even citing Indiana Jones as a bit of inspiration doesn't help. The fact that I didn't try to sleep with every loose girl in the school didn't help matters. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like girls. But if there's one thing my parents have given me a good example of, it's a strong, stable marriage. I want love like they have, not the risk of the crabs. I had a few friends from various "cliques", but never quite had a "home clique", if you get what I mean. That's why I like Claremont, now that I think about it." *Tap tap tap* went the ring on his finger as the bottom of it gently struck the table surface. "I have at least one thing that gives me very solid common ground with my peers. I'm hoping it will give me a better chance at making friends."

Corbin follows Mark's suggestions, figuring the senior knew what he was talking about here. "Hm. Well, in general terms, the basic classes are similar. History, science, math, English, all those. I went to public school until 9th grade, when my parents switched me to a nice private school. Public school classes are larger, and some teachers don't seem as motivated. Some are great, though; they do a lot with fairly tight budgets. The private school classes were smaller, and a bit better equipped; the teachers seemed more motivated, but I think the fact that they had to put forth more effort for the sake of their job helped. The kids were the same mix in both: slackers and hard workers, jerks and nice people, jocks and nerds, boys and girls, and a whole mix of skin colors, ideas, and so on. Typical teenage stuff. I bet Claremont has "teen drama" too; just a bit more obvious, what with...you know." He shrugged. "Were you more curious about school type stuff, or was there something else you'd like "outside experience" on?"

Hm. I'm thinking his folks working to "grease the wheels" and let him in sounds good for CT. The party just doesn't seem like Gabriel's scene, as much as I'd like posts for him. Anyways, I can crystallize the exacts a bit more as you need, but right now, it looks like Corbin and his folks will be there, though my intent is for Corbin to wander around on his own.

Gabriel's expression was grim as he gently laid Jermaine on the ground, ready for the paramedics to take him away. He looked over to Muse's wounded form. "Should we stay here and have the paramedics take her? Or does one of you know someone who could heal her?" He seemed to be ignoring the implication of the demon's speech for the moment.

Hm. Gabriel's certainly got the Cha, but not much else for this. I'd say he's a no-go. CT's got a much better shot; his folks make a decent amount of money, and are newcomers to two big companies. He might get dragged along to learn how to deal with "movers and shakers". Only hitch there is that he's only 17. But if the party's open to someone around that age, I think I'd be up for it.

Just to throw a more concrete idea out there... I'd love to throw either Gabriel or Cobalt Templar into some sort of Fantasy type world. Fantasy!Earth or something. Failing that, Medieval!Earth, Steampunk!Earth, or some such thing.

Gabriel spend several seconds glaring at the demon in front of him. Then he turned and raced over to Jermaine. "Help get them out of here, guys! No time!" With that, he hefted the youth into his arms and raced outside, flying as fast as he could, getting well clear of the flames. Some things were more important than this one fight.

What the hay, I have a few sitting around. I spend an HP for Inspiration.

The new hero on campus shakes his head. "I've stopped a couple small-time crooks, but no supervillains yet." He shrugs as he sits back on the coach, retrieving his pad and player. "I'm sure it'll happen soon enough. Assuming there isn't a sudden brawl on campus here. I don't know a lot of people that well yet, but I have picked up not everyone's quite as...well, as heroic as some of the other students."

Corbin landed and dismissed his costume in a quick flash of blue flame. "I go by Cobalt Templar when I'm out doing the hero thing. It's a bit more sophisticated than "Blue Knight", and I didn't want people associating me with that whacko KKK guy." He frowns at the somewhat oblique mention of White Knight.

Corbin gave Blake a Chesire Cat grin. "I suppose it could, but it doesn't really need to." With that, he simply hovers into the air. A moment later, his cape shifts into tattered ethereal wings, before shifting back. "So, Cthulu, huh?" The young man in armor crosses his arms over his chest, the wide grin still gracing his face.

Corbin blinks, then smiles and shakes his head. "Not bad at all." He sets aside his drawing pad and iPod before standing himself. "But this ring doesn't just make wrenches." With a flash, blue fire washes over the boy, starting at the ring, but quickly seeming to consume his whole body. After a couple seconds of burning, he stands before Kid Cthulu, clad in noble plate armor, a semi-transparent cape flapping behind him in a non-existent breeze. "Not too shabby, eh?"

"It was my first and only visit. Never actually been to Canada, though my family's gone to Europe a couple of times. Only been here around a month. No roommate, though. I guess coming in as a junior helped. Then again, maybe my parents arranged it." To this, he gave an indifferent shrug. "Reason I'll never forget Masada is because it's the reason I'm here. It's where I got this sucker." His right hand was held up, prominently displaying the ring upon it. From the ring flowed blue energy, forming, for a moment, a simple wrench in midair. The wrench and the glow quickly faded. "I'm here to get a handle on this thing, and test its limits, you know?"

Corbin smiles as someone actually recognizes the drawing, and the music to boot. "I like most all music, but yeah, it's good stuff. And yeah, it's from Israel. Specifically, this is Masada. I suppose having been there helps me draw more accurately. Doubt I'll ever forget that place..." His smile turns into a sardonic grin at the thought.

Corbin took a moment to notice the new entry to the room, but when he did, he stopped drawing and popped one earphone out. Blake might just pick up the sounds of Pink Floyd coming out of it. Corbin smiled and waved back. "Hey. Name's Corbin, kind of the "new guy" around here. Just killing some time drawing. Don't think we've met before."