ic Phone a Friend (IC, Open)

[Heritage]

Lulu's eyes got wide as the strange woman's face warped into a sort of creepy Snapchat filter, and despite herself the redhead leaned back a bit involuntarily. "Uh, Mia and Ben sorta, uh, described him pretty well." She made an upward gesture with her hand. "He flies a lot."

 

Then she got the mental message from Dee, and visibly sighed with relief as her eyes went unfocused.

 

- Oh thank goodness, a friendly voice! I am feeling very out of place right now, and I've been to space! How are you, Miss Farington? -

Edited March 24, 2020 by Heritage

[Thevshi]

Synapse

 

Dee managed to keep her mental connection to Lulu as her friend and teammate gave her and Erick a massive beat hug at the same time. "Ouch Klara." The Englishwoman said as she was lifted off the ground. "You know, some of us have ribs that can break if we don’t have our forcefields active or are wearing our body armor."

 

Once back down on the ground, Dee took a deep breath, as she absentmindedly reached up, but not to rub a sore rib, but placing her hand momentarily on her stomach. Turing back she looked up at Klara with a small smile. "A pool? I suppose that could be arranged. And as for Bluebird and VERA meeting, their love gossip is exactly what worries me. We may never be able to get VERA to do anything again if she is always contacting Bluebird."

 

"Oh, and I am forgetting, I imagine you recognize Coyote even without the costume?" Dee said, indicating the Canadian hero who had walked in with her and Erick.

 

Even as the Englishwoman was chatting with her teammates and Coyote, she continued her mental communication with Lulu.

 

Space? You have one up on me then dear, the closest I have ever gotten was helping protect some UNISON spacefighters so they would not be destroyed by the Communion before they were able to launch. The English psychic replied to the teenager. But I am glad you consider me a friendly voice, given how rather abruptly our last meeting went. I did not even get a chance to introduce you to my significant other then, something we can thankfully remedy today.

[RocketLord]

Curious. There was something fascinating about Eira's hair not conforming to everything, the way it stayed stiff, but of course, that seemed to be part of her charm, did it not? Pan followed suit with Eira's movements, grabbing her hands, their faces close. He was about to pull back, to fly them up and out of the water... and then Mia appeared from out of nowhere, water pushing away from her as he could hear her screams under the water.

 

He meant to say "What?", but it came out more as a "Blub?" under the water. 

 

And then all of a sudden they were alone under the water again and Eira was holding on to him and they were close... aaaaand she was counting down.

 

He was not quite sure what was happening before his skin hit the cool air, water and golden dust exploding around. Well, if Eira had made her big entrance with the soundtrack and everything, then it was only fitting that Pan did thesame, no? Rolling with the throw, Pan stretched his arms out to the sides as he fell, the Pixie Dust in the air around him shifting, taking on shapes and shooting out across the room, whirling, spinning over the room, much like brilliant fireworks.

 

For his own part, Pan flipped through mid-air, falling slower than gravity should let really let him, landing next to Eira on both feet, his arms stretched to the sky. "Probably not as eye-catching as your entrance, but I think I deserve some credit for thinking in the moment here, no?"

[Avenger Assembled]

Judy looked directly at Leroy - the latter realizing that the Furion projection in the room had magnified his girlfriend so she could actually look him eye-to-eye. "Leroy, Ah just...Ah just want you to understand that Ah have limits. You _cannot_ just do things that hurt me and expect me not to be angry about them because you're not from around here." She set her back straight and said, "Things are going to be crazy enough when you meet mah parents for the first time. But you told me you made the choice to live in mah world, not in yours. If you want to be with me...you have to start acting like a normal man." 

 

-

 

Eira looked at Pan, her pale blue eyes wide, and was silent for a moment. "Your entrance was...spectacular. As always. Nice landing too." She blinked a few times, then turned her head. "Mia!" she called across the way, scowling. "Watch where you teleport next time!" The dripping wet water on her skin didn't seem to bother her at all, despite the relative coolness of the outside air in spring. 

[Dr Archeville]

Horrorshow

 

Davyd smiled and waved at Lulu as he saw her walk by, and as his gaze passed back over the pool, he did a double-take at Ben and Mia.  My roommate, and my squad leader...?!  I never would've... eh, good for 'em!

 

He turned his attention back to Mali, eager to hear from another Claremonter (and hoping things went smoother this night)... and then a second woman was there.  "Oh!  Ah, yes, I am Davyd."  He looked Indira over, and quickly surmised she was not part of either True North or Vanguard.  "'We'... oh, you know Daphne?!  So you're a, uh," he shifted his head to the smooth, featureless crimson of a Grue Metamorph, then back to the round faced brunette of a Ukrainian teen, "part of the family?"

[Gizmo]

Unimpressed by the lack of juicer gossip, Kimber blew a soft raspberry that caused her visage to ripple and return to human proportions. “Fiiine. And don’t ask how a lady died, bucko, that’s rude.” She put a hand to the side of her mouth and stage-whispered to Ben, “Froze to death in the woods when I was your age.” Dropping the hand and addressing the group of teenagers normally she continued, “Sorry, I should have introduced myself then grilled you for info, eh? I’m Eira’s Aunt Kimber, formerly of Claremont’s Young Freedom.” She mimed a little curtsy while floating more than a foot off of the floor. “And Abby’s older sister, you probably know her, too?”

 

She turned around in time to see Pan’s glittering explosion of fireworks shapes and aerial acrobatics. The poltergeist clapped her hands in delight. “Haha, never mind, I like this kid!” When Eira shouted across the pool she called back, “Eira, be nice to your friends!”

[Fox]

Wraith

 

"I am not," said Indira, with the polite-but-firm tone of someone who'd been subjected to a very rude accusation. "Daphne is a good friend, we share a...unique perspective, and I value that very much, but I am something else." She smiled, but her eyes were solid black - overlarge and reflecting no light. "We have a lot in common." The young woman blinked and her eyes were normal again, pleasant and human and certainly not space-monstrous. "As a word of caution," she added, leaning in with voice low, "I would advise against suggesting that people are Grue. Individual Grue are good or bad, and we like Daphne very much, but to most they're better-known as violent tyrants and it is, at best, impolite."

 

She pulled back, still smiling. "But! It is a party. We were Claremont students, yes! Just a few years ago, in fact, though it seems both longer and shorter somehow...to me, at least." She laughed, lightly, turning to cock her head at Mali. "I cannot speak for all. Does it seem so recent, Mali?"

[Tiffany Korta]

Zhenshchina-voin

“I shall bear that in mind for next time!” she looked over to Coyote and added “After the fight we have you may also have a hug as well, if you wish.”

 

Whilst waiting she looked over at the teens playing around in the pool, feeling a little wistful at the memories it bought up.

 

“Ah the antics of teenagers, I remember when I was that age diving into the lake to impress a girl I was into. Boy did it give me mothers a big shock that day! Luckily my own daughters were much better behaved.”

[RocketLord]

"Well, you set the bar high," Pan mused in response to Eira, slowly lowering his arms while he let the fireworks fade away. He took a moment to take a look at the adult heroes. Most had probably seen his antics, if not, it mattered little. He eyes lingered on the large man for a moment, before continuing to the ghost that was talking with other students and on... 

 

"There is so many people here. Do you know them all? You mentioned something about aunts, yes?" He wasn't exactly dressed for meeting anyone special, but why would he let that stop him?

[Exaccus]

"Sometimes folks just gotta go through stuff, healthier than bottlin' it up to fester into somethin' worse." He offered adhira "not that I were dropping no eaves." He added with a wink as he popped four shrimps into his mouth at once.

 

"It's hard to watch someone makin' the same mistakes we did when we waz young tho' I geddit but taint fair ta go measuring other folks against our own experience neither...ah listen ta me waxin' all filly-sophical like i know what im talkin' about." He chortled.

 

"Ya tried the shrimp? I'm from a port town so I always loved seafood but I got super into Atlantic shrimp on the walk over the pond a while back."

 

 

[Gizmo]

“Oh, no, thank you. Vegetarian,” Adhira explained with a vague wave at the shrimp but the bulk of her attention was on Joseph’s prodigious frame. “Do you know what sort of depths you reached? Surviving that many Pascals is one thing but generating forward momentum against that sort of fluid pressure is tremendous!” She looked back up to his face and winced. “Sorry, is that rude? It seems like it might be rude. Sorry, sorry! Kinetics are one of my specialities, you see.”

[Gizmo]

Jim laughed freely at the explosion of fairy dust and again at Klara’s anecdote, a rich and resonant sound from deep in his chest. “Or did your daughters just get better at keeping you from finding out, eh? Honed my edge hiding my tomfoolery from a masked detective dad. Plus the shenanigans, funny business, hijinks. Multidisciplinary, y’know.”

 

Considering the woman towering more than a foot over him Coyote shrugged and spread his arms with a grin. “Sure, I’ll take a hug. Champion hugger, this guy. And I can tell Liz I met a lady taller than her.”

[Shofet]

Soliton

 

Mia giggled awkwardly when Eira yelled at her. She hadn't meant to spook her, she just needed a moment to loose a little pressure where people wouldn't judge her! She supposed that she could have just teleported off to the Himalayas or something but she didn't want to freak people out. Then Kimber started scolding Eira, and Mia felt even worse.

 

"No, it's okay! I definitely spooked Eira, and I'm sorry," Mia said, wanting to get her newest friend out of trouble. It was funny, though. Not that long ago, she probably would have simply let Eira take it. It was strange how much a little hug could change so much.

[Brown Dynamite]

"Careful now.  Once she gets started with the hugs it turns into an episode of Full House,"  Erick teased.  He wasn't entirely sure.  Now that Indira had gone into view at the poolside his eyes darted to the teen in the wetsuit between Mali and them.  I guess that's one of Callie's kids.  Minus the name that sounds like they're raising money for shoes.
 

The last one of these parties Erick attended was hosted by the Freedom League.  Lady Liberty had just declared her pregnancy.  It wasn't news to Erick as he had uncovered the secret while staying at a safe-house.  But, it was certainly not the sort of scene he was setting out to repeat.    "Hey, I'll be back.  I've got to give a quick hello to people I know.  Maybe see where the wine glasses are.  We can compare blind landings when I get back though."

Making his way to the pool he would first look at the teen in the wet-suit before his eyes glanI'ced back to the two he actually did know.  Having gotten his GED at 16 he hadn't attended Claremont.  But, Erick felt he knew the general deal.  Rule 1 being do not donate any money to the school, lest your name be thrown on a building.  Like David had to deal with the library.  "Hi there don't mind me.  Just your friendly international Foreshadow, hope you're enjoying the party so far.  Looks like they went all out.  So how're you too? A lot of excitement since we showed Meta-Grue a thing or two?  Shame Roman didn't learn his lesson that day.  But, I guess I shouldn't speak ill of the dead."

[Avenger Assembled]

Eira rolled her eyes at Mia and snorted derisively - with some volume. "Over there is Tant Indira, she is a ferocious hunter." She took a moment to adjust the straps of her suit where they lay over her solidly-built shoulders, then walked with Pan to the side of pool where Kimber and the others were waiting. "Tant Kimber," she said with a smile that tugged at the edges of her lips, "this is Pan Barrie, the dimensional exile I was telling you about." She nipped lightly at her yellow-painted lower lip, and went on seriously, "Pan, this is Kimber Storm - she is a ghost." Her voice made it sound like the most exciting thing ever, as she cut a hand through the air like a knife telling an animated tale. "She took me on my first extra-dimensional voyages, to realms of pure terror stalked by a race of murderous giants." She giggled. It was an exaggeration about Jotunheim - but only a little. "It was the best." 

Edited March 19, 2020 by Avenger Assembled

[RocketLord]

Pan just waved at Mia with a smile, not nearly as shocked or annoyed as Eira seemed to be. 

 

He looked to Indira, the ferocious hunter. "Not of the kind that hunts the deadliest game, I hope?" he asked innocently while he followed to the others and tant Kimber. "Hel-lo, having fun everyone?" he greeted the others, before turning to Kimber in time for Eira's introduction.

 

Pan froze as his eyes fell on Kimber, the ghost. He seemed like he could hardly believe what he was seeing, even as Eira explained their story. Finally, after a moment, he blurted out: "That is brilliant! You are a real ghost!" Then turned to Eira. "Why did you not tell me that you know a ghost?"

[Exaccus]

"Prolly about six thousand meters or so; have been at 11k for a charity thing." He answered as he pondered over the shrimp he was holding like it was something entirely more amazing.

 

"Go for ocean floor walks a lot, fought a waste dumping submarine once....panstar one I think it was."

[Ari]

Quote

"Leroy, Ah just...Ah just want you to understand that Ah have limits. You _cannot_ just do things that hurt me and expect me not to be angry about them because you're not from around here. Things are going to be crazy enough when you meet mah parents for the first time. But you told me you made the choice to live in mah world, not in yours. If you want to be with me...you have to start acting like a normal man." 

 

"I now, at least, better grasp the stakes. From what you have told me, my tattoos and family scars endanger us more than enough." Stroking a slender hand across his cheek, Leroy watched it sparkle in the light with gold dust. "You have already saved my soul. It would be impossible to repay such a gift, Dee. Having caused such heartache, and proven such a poor student, your anger is well-earned and richly deserved."

 

 Scattering the gold with a snap of his fingers, he turned back to the projected image of his girlfriend in a swirl and blaze of white, black and gold "Yet I promise, Judy, that I will be ready when the time comes. Each day I better understand my blunders, and your refusal to accept my misbehaviour has forced me to confront much that I was never conscious of before. One by one, the bonds to my old self sever. Over the spring break, I will make my formal goodbyes to my homeworld and never return. With Orange Squad to escort me, I shall not prolong my stay."

 

"In this world, nothing matters more to me than you and your happiness. I will prove it by overcoming myself for your sake. I love you, Dee, with all that I have!" 

 

The last was still in a soft, gentle rumble, but burst from him with the force and intensity of a shout.

 

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

 

Dio shuddered and made an indescribable face. Jutting out his long, forkéd tongue several times in rapid succession, the dragon rolled onto his legs and curved his serpentine neck around to take stock of the party.

 

The nasal slits on either side of his snout flared at the sight(scent?) of the metal creature that had appeared from seemingly nowhere. Waddling at first as he got the blood flowing back into his legs, the giant reptile loped gingerly across the floor to pause over the  quartet of Erick, Mali, Davyd and Indira.

 

"Where are you from?" he asked the undercover alien conversationally, sitting heavily back on his haunches, staring down with bright yellow eyes on either side of his heavy snout. "I'm Dio, a priest of the Dragon Below, I'm from over on Earth-2. It's kind of a weird place sometimes but you get used to it. Are you wearing some kind of armor?"

Edited March 21, 2020 by Ari

[Gizmo]

“I’m telling Velkr you said that,” Kimber teased when Eira described ‘murderous’ giants. She reached out as if to muss the teenager’s hair but let her fingers pass immaterially through the metallic strands. “But enough about me! Your friends were just talking about you, Pan. Unprompted. Came up naturally in the flow of conversation. As it does.” She smiled, the very picture of blue, transparent innocence.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Aheheh..." Eira giggled until it turned into a snort, then said, "Velkr is the one I told you about, with the missing tooth." She grinned at Pan, then said, "I told her about, you know, prom, and how we will have fun there together." She reached back and ran her fingers through her own hair, curving her fingers through now blue and gold tresses. "But we will just be going as good friends," she added firmly for the benefit of their peers. "Not every relationship between a boy and a girl has to end in kissing," she continued. 

[RocketLord]

"Of course, it is perfectly normal for anyone to start talking about me. I do tend to come up naturally in any conversation." A bit of a teasing tone to his voice, but Pan did sound confident. He could just as well be telling the truth as he could be teasing, while he placed his hands at his sides, thrusting his chest slightly forward.

 

"Why, yes, purely an ironic date." Of course Pan mirrored Eira's words from when she proposed they go together. He seemed to take some joy in doing just that. "We have plans, of course." He looked at the others, flashing his best devilish grin. "Secret plans."

[Fox]

"It must have been busy if we have not been able to catch up, Foreshadow, even if not all of it has been exciting. Hello!" There was some genuine cheer in Indira's face, at that - there were a lot of unfamiliar faces in her home, and for all that she liked meeting people it was apparently gratifying to see a less strange stranger. "I would not speak ill of the dead, no. It is always a shame when people do not learn from their mistakes. Have you kept busy, yourself?"

 

To the dragon Indira just smiled, turning her head up to look him in the eye. "I am Indira, and where I am from is a difficult question," she said. She at least assumed it was a dragon; it seemed like it might be rude to ask. "I am from this dimension, however, and live here in the castle; it is kind of a weird place sometimes, but you get used to it."

 

She smiled, but did pause to look down at herself - button-up shirt, slacks, and all. "I am...not wearing armor, no. I suppose it is a bit like armor, but only for difficult conversations with people who would respect me less in a tank top and khaki pants. Why do you ask?"

[Ari]

"Us dragons evolved from the deepwyrms, and naturally-occurring minerals are what we live on. I'm not old enough for the hard stuff, so I gotta make do with plants with a lot of minerals in 'em, it's what these help us detect," Dio flicked his tail across the six long gashes on his snout that widened and closed in time with his heavy breath, "and you smell a lot like a meteorite I found on one of the Blue's-" the forked tongue lashed out as his eyes lifted, scanning the ceiling, a low growl of frustration rumbling in his gut before suddenly dropping with what, on a reptile, might have been a smile, "-Neptune's moons. Real metallic, with a kind of acidic tang. Some of the technology around here is pretty advanced, so I just figured you might have some kind of invisible, super-spy stealth armor."

 

Dropping onto his paws, Dio dropped his head until it was level with Indira's. This close, he had to turn so only one eye was visible, looking her up and down. "Do people really not take you seriously just because of how you dress? That sounds like a pretty easy system to game!" 

[Thevshi]

Synapse

 

As she continued her mental conversation with Lulu from across the room, Dee gave Erick a slightly look as he excused himself for the moment and mentioned checking on the wine. That’s right, just rub it in She mentally chided him through their mental connection.

 

All the while she remained focused on Klara and Jim next to her, smiling as Klara's offered hugged was accepted. At the other woman's mention of the antics of the gathered teenagers, Dee glanced back over at the groups of teens as she replied, "well, you don't have to try to ignore some of the thoughts they practically scream at you."

 

"But, Erick and I were talking the other day. We think it might be a good idea to send Muirne to Claremont in the Autumn." She stated, looking up at Klara.

[Avenger Assembled]

Judy smiled with that look that said she'd have been holding back tears if she was capable of any such thing. "You're a good Christian man, Leroy. Ah promise Ah'll make all this worth your while." She took a few steps closer, almost reaching out to touch him with a holographic hand before she pulled away. "This thing is so weird...listen, darlin, Ah just want you to know something. Ah don't hate your tattoos and your scars. Or even your hair," she admitted, though it certainly had been a bone of contention between them. "They're part of you, and that makes them beautiful. Ah just want you to be able to fit in here, since we're going to be together for the rest of our lives. Ah love you too, darlin, Ah-" Leroy caught Ashley's voice, but couldn't actually make out the words or see her. "Ah gotta go in a minute. Say hi to everybody for me, okay?"