Casting Call

[MarkK]

Freedom Hall looked to gleam more brightly in the sun than usual (the Emissary had taken the night before to go slightly overboard with the window washing), still, it was bereft of the usual crowds of tourists and museum goers. Though closed to the public today, it was under a cover story of mundane scheduled maintenance ("You don't want skulking hordes of papparazi to scare or throw off these fledgling heroes of yours before they make it to the door" noted the Raven when she arranged it).

Those that did arrive and make their way inside would find themselves greeted by Cynthia the synthetic receptionist, cheerfully asking them to confirm their business in the Hall today.

[Ecalsneerg]

John Fraser rode across the city on his motorcycle, the wind streaming through his hair. It was sunny, and he enjoyed riding his bike on days like this. One day he'd get caught with his helmet off, but what was life without a little risk?

Freedom Hall was up ahead, sunlight shining from the glass. He sped into an alleyway and parked the bike, pulling out his bow and cloak from a compartment in the side of it. Arrowhawk walked out of the alleyway, cloak swaying a little in the wind. It was typical of the city that nobody really paid too much attention to the guy with a cape, especially since he wasn't too famous.

He walked in the front doors of the hall and over towards the receptionist. "Hello, I'm here for the trials. Also, if bowman is here could you inform him that Arrowhawk is here?" He smirked inwardly. Bet he didn't expect to have me back in town long-term.

[Karma]

A figure with golden wings soared through the sky through Freedom toward the city center and Freedom Hall. Archangel wanted to arrive a bit early for the meeting with the Freedom League, but hopefully not before they were ready. Ah well, they were used to dealing with things they weren't ready for, weren't they?

Archangel swooped down to land in front of the building. She appeared as a young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, wearing a white robe and a shirt of silver mail. At her waist her robe was bound with a golden cord and she wore simple sandals on her feet.

She opened the door and looked around nervously, trying to take everything in. After a moment, she approached the receptionist. "Hello. I am Archangel, and I was told I could come by for a... tryout, with the Freedom League? That is why you're closed today, correct?"

[Reaper]

Sentry soars threw the sky landing in front of Freedom Hall. Walking inside the receptionists greets him then "Hi, I'm Sentry. I'm here for the tryouts." Glancing around the room he waits for the receptionists answer before moving on.

[Aragon1888]

Raven stands in her apartment, throwing her cloak over her shoulders as she glances at the clock. Guess it's time to get going, then. I'll get back to my scrying afterwards. She makes strange gestures with her hands, muttering strange words and bringing Freedom Hall into her head before whispering "Fly Through the Night."

She appeared instantly in front of Freedom hall, a small smile on her lips in the depth of her hood. I do so love traveling like that. One of the few pleasures in my life. She strides in to the Hall quickly, and when the receptionist greets her, she answers, in the nearly sexless tone she likes to use in costume with people who don't know her, "I was invited to take part in the, I suppose you would call them 'tryouts' or 'trials', that are supposed to be taking place today. I would be grateful if you would direct me in the appropriate direction." She bows slightly, palms pressed together in front of her, after she finishes speaking.

[MarkK]

There is a slight pause when each person introduces themselves on arrival, possibly as if some unseen scan proceeds, but Cynthia is quickly enough all chipper, gleamnig toothed smiles again. Directions are given to a main reception area, a hallway pointed out. Arrowhawk is told that unfortunately Bowman is out on patrol, and that the Emissary and Velocity are in charge of the day's events.

The walk through the hall goes past framed team pictures of the League stretching all the way back to black and white photos of the Liberty League era, the Centurion seeming so very alive and vibrant in his glory even without colour. The absence of his commanding presence can almost be felt in the later images.

Though the imposing doors of the wreck room can be seen off down a branching hallway, following Cynthia's directions leads first to a spacious lounge, all comfortable chairs, and a very large banner strung out in front of it. The blue and gold "Welcome!" speaks of the Emissary's enthusiastic touch ("What are you talking about, learned my lesson from last time? People should still feel welcome. Harrumph.").

His own wave trails a shimmer of light along his silver skin as he greets the new arrivals.

"Hello! Thank you for coming."

[Thevshi]

Velocity was waiting in the lounge area with Emissary for their guests to arrive (though waiting was not one of the things she did best). As they waited, the young speedster occasionally glanced up at the large welcome banner, a slight smile on her face. It had not been that long ago that she would have been the one helping to put up similar banners and decorations at North Bay Academy.

"You know, you probably would have enjoyed getting into school spirit in high school." Velocity teased her silver teammate as they waited.

When the first of the other heroes arrived, a wide, friendly smile came to her very pretty face. "Hi there. Good to see you."

[Ecalsneerg]

"Hi," says Arrowhawkto the girl in the yellow bodysuit, "It's Velocity, isn't it? I'm Arrowhawk." He extends a hand in welcome, a sincere smile visible under his hood.

[Thevshi]

"Yeah, that's me." The attractive speedster replied as she shook Arrowhawk's extended hand. "Very nice to meet you Arrowhawk."

[Aragon1888]

Raven walks into the lounge and looks around. Ah, so Velocity is part of running these trials as well. She walks over and gives a slight bow, palms pressed together in front of her, first to the figure standing next to Velocity and then to Velocity herself. She drops the affectation in her voice but not her hood as she says, "Nice to see you again Velocity; thank you for having me here today."

[Thevshi]

As Raven came into view and greeted Velocity and the others, the speedster turned slightly towards her and gave a wave, her smile still present. "Good to see you as well Raven. Glad you could make it."

"This is another guest today, Arrowhawk." She continued, indicating the archer next to her. "And the sliver guy over there is my teammate Emissary." She added, gesturing towards the other hero.

[Reaper]

Walking into the reception area Sentry greets all present and finds a place to stand.

[Karma]

When Archangel enters the reception area, she looks around again. She's both nervous and excited to meet all of the superhumans here. Spotting two people, she's met before, she walks over to Velocity and Mystic Raven

"Ah, hello again. Recognize me?" she asks. She'd warned them before she might look different, and the wings are probably a dead giveaway if they remember that.

"You're helping run things today, Velocity?"

She turns to Arrowhawk. "I'm sorry, I think I'm being rude. I'm Archangel," she says with a bow.

[MarkK]

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you. As has been said, I am the Emissary. If everyone could take a seat, then we'll begin."

He takes that still light and idle pleasure in the feel of a chair he can actually sit in without destroying as he moves to settle back into one.

Presuming everyone does sit down, he continues.

"Well, today has quite a few goals, but among them are to get a sense of you as part of the superheroic world. Your place in it, your capacities, your views on, and where you hope to go with it."

He shakes his head to himself with a smile for a moment.

"I don't mean to make it sound too much like a job interview, but all the same, just pragmatically, a few initial questions will at least help in calibrating the Wreck Room for you all. To put it very simply, just sketch out what you feel your capabilities to be, and for my part, add why you came out here today."

He looks to Archangel, with just a slight flicker of sadness in his gaze that is gone almost as soon as it forms.

"We'll begin with you Archangel."

[Karma]

Archangel is a bit surprised to be called on to answer first, but she nods and begins.

"Very well, sir. As some of you probably guessed from my wings, I can fly. I can also heal wounds with my touch. I don't need to eat, sleep, or breathe, and I don't age. I can understand different languages, and speak in them if need be. I am very resilient, physically, and good at both encouraging my allies and terrifying the wicked. If I need to fight, I can produce a holy weapon to fit the situation. I think that's about all."

Archangel smiles before continuing. Thinking about which of the abilities that come so naturally qualify as unusual enough to mention was somewhat difficult. This next part was easier.

"As to why I am here, that is partially simply because I want to meet more people and I am fascinated by people willing to put themselves at risk to defend those less capable of defending themselves. I also wish to know something of my potential allies, and let them know that they can depend on me if I am needed. Finally, I'd like a chance to put myself to the test--which I believe is also a part of what we're doing here today?"

Archangel pauses for a moment to think, before nodding at Emissary. "I think that's everything. Is that sufficient?"

[MarkK]

He looks thoughtful.

"Would you say bulletproof, in terms of your resilience? Otherwise yes, that's just fine, and thank you."

[Karma]

Archangel plucks at her silvery armor and thinks for a moment.

"I don't think I would be completely bulletproof, but bullets certainly won't work as well against me as they're meant to, or very well at all."

[MarkK]

A considering nod in response.

"Alright, my thanks."

He looks then to the Raven.

"Basically the same two questions, if you would."

[Aragon1888]

Raven clears her throat. "Sorry for not responding to you earlier, Archangel, but I did recognize you. It's good to see you again." She then turns to Emissary. "I want to thank you for this opportunity. As for my capabilities, many of them are combat-oriented. I am trained in several martial arts, which is where most of my advanced defensive capabilities come from. My magical combat abilities are also extensive; I can shoot a magical blast at a single target or attack a small area at once. I can also temporarily blind someone. My most natural ability is to create a protective force field around myself that is strong enough to completely deflect many attacks. I also have the ability to fly, though I cannot typically keep up with cars on the interstate. I travel over long distances by teleporting. I can also displace my senses over great distances and experience what goes on there, what some call 'scrying'. I can also detect magical auras around me when I choose. I can also use my magic to completely conceal myself.Finally, I can create a telekinesis effect."

She takes a deep breath. Can't really tell them the whole truth about why I'm here. Hopefully this will work. :My reasons for coming here are not terribly complex and are similar to Archangel's. I wanted the opportunity to find out more about the people with abilities living in this city and to meet new people. My knowledge of the city is still horribly lax, and I don't know many people here either. My other reason for being here is the other side of the coin; I simply wish to make myself known." Though she finds it a bit impolite, she bows slightly from her sitting position to indicate that she has finished speaking.

[MarkK]

He smiled for a moment.

"So, you are trained in several martial arts and call yourself the Raven you say..."

But if there is any teasing at all in his tone, it is very gentle.

"I apologize, I simply have a good friend that has costumed identity issues of his own, and can get very put out about them, it idly reminds me of him."

A pause for a moment as he takes in the rest of her words, and something in them seems to briefly sober him from his amusement, but he inclines his head to her graciously all the same when she finishes.

"Thank you. If nothing else, I certainly hope this day can faciliate those of you attending to build up some contacts among one another as heroes new to the city. And in having a better awareness of each other's capabilities, provide that much more support in the inevitable circumstances that see such as ourselves thrown together."

He looks to Arrowhawk at that.

"And yourself? Same two questions once more."

[Ecalsneerg]

Arrowhawk ponders for a brief second, before answering. "I have no superpowers at all, so all my capabilities are experience from eighteen years of crime-fighting. I have some skill in stealth, intel-gathering and planning, and am well-schooled in both archery, as my name implies, and a mish-mash of martial arts and other fighting styles. I also construct and use simple equipment, like high-tech arrows and grappling guns."

"I came here for a few reasons. I came to Freedom City to battle orgainsed crime, so my reasons for coming here today were to test my skills and meet other crime-fighters in the area. Taking some guilty pleasure in trying to out-do Bowman at his own game might factor into it as well," he smiles under his hood.

[MarkK]

"I'm not quite sure whether this is unfortunate or not, but the rest of the League is I fear out and about this day, Bowman included. We are fairly busy as a group, it took no small effort even to arrange all this. That said, we do have various records and measurements of Bowman's performances on file, so there's nothing to hold back from, say, a comparison with those at day's end."

He nods his thanks to Arrowhawk with a smile for his answers, and looks then to Sentry.

"And finally yourself, the same questions again as the others, if you please."

[Reaper]

sitting a little straighter he replies " Well I'm pretty resistant to damage. Bullet proof against all but the most powerful calibers I'd say. I can project pretty powerful blast and I can go fist a cuffs with the best of them." He smiles. "To the second question I'm here to meet new people and to get a better feel for the potential allies I'll be fighting along side of in the future." He continues to sit unnatural straight as he talks to Emissary.

[MarkK]

"Alright, thank you."

He paused and looked to the group fully.

"Before Velocity and I head over to the control booth for the Wreck Room, was there anything you might have wanted to ask either of us?"

[Aragon1888]

Raven looks around, examining the others invited to join in this challenge. I wonder if we'll be facing off against one another. "I have no questions at this time."