ic Holiday Cheer! [OPEN]

[Thevshi]

Freedom Hall

City Center, Freedom City, New Jersey

Wednesday, December 13, 2023, 5:58 PM

 

As was typical for this time of year, the City Center was covered with dazzling lights and holiday decorations. A massive Christmas tree stood in the green space at the heart of Centennial Ciricle, out in front of City Hall. A section of the park had been converted into an open air ice skating rink that was filled with people.

 

Sitting just to the west of Centennial Circle, Freedom Hall was no exception. Section of the stone wall surrounding the original headquarters of the Freedom League had various decorations along it, and the trees inside the grounds were also adorned with lights. The hall itself had lights strung along the edges of the stepped ledges created by the roofs of each floor.

 

Inside the world famous building, the large lobby and reception area had been decorated for the holidays and prepare for hosting the annual holiday party the League hosted for heroes from across the city (and beyond). A ten foot tall Christmas tree had been set up along the right side of the lobby, covered in shinning silver ornaments and multicolored lights. There were also a number of tables set up along that side of the lobby, some lower tables with chairs, while others were taller tables around which guests could stand. An open doorway led to a large conference room where the foot and refreshments had been set up.

 

The other side of the lobby had been reconfigured for the event by Dr. Metropolis to include a working fireplace in which there was currently roaring fire. A number of leather sofas and chairs were arranged around the fireplace, offering a comfortable seating area for guests to relax.

 

A yellow blur was moving about the large area, stopping briefly here or there to make some last minute adjustment or addition to the decorations. The blur came to a halt in over near the main entrance looking back toward the lobby, taking in everything at once.

Dressed in an iconic yellow costume, with a checkered flag pattered strip down the sides, Velocity smiled as everything was ready for the guests to start to arrive. The speedster had first come to the Freedom League's annual holiday party when she had been a teenaged hero herself, but that was almost two decades ago. She had spent much more of that time helping to host the events as a member of the League.

 

Velocity had always enjoyed this time of year and the opportunity to reconnect with longtime friends in the hero community and to have a chance to meet other heroes she had not had an opportunity to work with. This year brought some conflicting emotions for her. Invitations were extended to current students at Claremont Academy and this year, her own son was attending the school. The speedster took a deep breath to help keep back tears at how time seemed to have passed so quickly, she knew guests would soon be arriving.

 

[The Sailor]

Torpedo Lass was in awe... but in these halls the immensity of the world she was thrust into was laid bare.

 

This was a hall for heroes. And here she was, A Claremont Student, who has been wondering how far she'd fly with borrowed wings... But it didn't matter much... she wasn't comfortable in the legacy recently, but the costume on the other hand was something she enjoyed.

 

No matter... there was an open invitation... if there ever was a time to get a view of her peers and her seniors, this was as good of a chance as any outside of an academic environment.

 

She whistled. "Seems I'm early."

 

She was wearing her typical costume, a white/blue sailor collared wetsuit-like bodysuit and vest with red trim, she wore a pair of goggles, more an affectation than any need, when she jumped over from Bayview. She'd already pulled them up over her forehead by this point though. "Was surprised the invite landed in my mailbox at school..." She said with a grin. "Name's Mizuki... err... umm... Torpedo Lass."

[Thevshi]

Velocity

 

As Mizuki had entered into the lobby, Velocity had spotted the teen thanks to the goggles she wore with her costume, which provided her with a three hundred and sixty degree view around her (which tended to help when moving about at far beyond supersonic speeds). There was a blur of yellow and a *WOOSH* of air as she turned and zipped over to the teen, stopping a short distance away with a warm, welcoming smile, a brown ponytail sticking out of the back of her mask swishing to one side at the sudden stop.

"You are just on time. Very nice to meet you Mizuki. I am Velocity, welcome to Freedom Hall. We have been inviting current Claremont students for a long time. Always good to get a chance to meet future heroes." The speedster stated. "I remember the first time I came to one of these, I was probably about your age."

[Avenger Assembled]

Neko

 

Of course, not everyone had today off - largely because not everyone was celebrating Christmas. 

 

Up in the creche on the second floor, a highly-rated metahuman babysitter and friends were watching the kids of the Freedom League, their employees, and their friends; the ones that weren't old enough to venture around on their own and too big to be carried around, anyway. 

 

The excited declarations of 'Kitty!' had come fast and furious when the littles had spotted Neko, but from her childhood she'd known how to entertain children - and from the Espadas household, metahuman children. There were stuffed animals and sensory tables, armored tablets and video games, in this big soft room, and also there was a fast-moving cat right in the middle of it. 

 

A simulacrum of a dancing amabie was watching some children as they drew Santa Claus with crayons; some cyclopean hitotsume-kozō with reindeer antlers were being led on a merry chase all around the room, and Neko hadn't stopped moving once. But that was all right, because her Venmo URL was on her card and her tip jar was affixed to the wall. She was going to make a lot of money tonight.

[Thevshi]

Multi-Girl

 

Her prior two years at Claremont, Bernadette O'Connell had not attended the Freedom League's holiday party, for a number of reasons. As this was her senior year at Claremont, she was determined not to miss this it this year, so once the invites had arrived she had been going around to many of the girls on her floor in the dorms to see who else was going. In some case, she had had to coax some of her friends into going. Neko had already made her plans, to run the babysitting service at Freedom Hall during the party.

 

The redhead could certainly respect the Japanese girl's drive and hustle, always looking for ways to make some money. She probably need to have a talk with Neko one night herself, given that Bernadette and former Claremont student Summer Sands had started a band and were always hunting for opportunities to play. In fact, she was just finishing up a text to Summer about details for when the other girl and the other two members of the band had to be at Freedom Hall for a small performance. Finishing the text, Bernadette looked up at the other occupants of the car she had rented to transport the group to the event.

Not having a costume of her own and not wanting to wear the boring Claremont training uniform, the Irish eighteen year old had opted for a dark green sequin long sleeve dress with a skirt that went down to her knees, with a slit up the right side, with flesh toned heels to complete the look.

 

"Looks like we're here." She stated with a smile to the others as she looked out the window as the car pulled up towards the front of Freedom Hall.

[The Sailor]

Torpedo Lass II

Velocity... referred to me by my real name... not Torpedo Lass... Mizuki thought. Lately she had been wondering if being in Torpedo Lass' shadow was such a good idea. "To be honest... still tryin' to figure out who I am before I start bein' the hero." Mizuki said opening her arms as if to fully show off the costume she fabricated for herself before joining the academy. "I had the name "Torpedo Lass" tossed in my lap... But I'm keeping this outfit. It... suits me."

 

"I'm starting to wonder if I can swim as fast as you move someday..."

Edited December 15, 2023 by The Sailor

[Thevshi]

Velocity

 

Velocity noted the serious expression that came over Mizuki as the two talked and the teen talked about want to learn about herself before becoming a hero, as well as expressing a reservation about the name Torpedo Lass. "Well, I can totally understand wanting to know yourself, I sort of muddle through that while starting to be a hero." The speedster responded with a small grin before becoming a bit more serious. "As for the name Torpedo Lass, I only met the original a couple of times, but I am sure she would be proud to have some carry on the name for her. But taking on a legacy is never an easy thing."

 

She gave a wide smile as Mizuki mentioned keeping her costume. "It is very sharp, much better than what I managed to throw together with my rudimentary sewing skills at fifteen."

 

When the teen mentioned perhaps swimming as fast as the speedster could run, Velocity gave a small chuckle. "Sounds like we might have to have a race someday."

 

She stopped a moment and seemed to look around. "Just realized something is missing." Taking out a cellphone from one of her belt pouches, the speedster quickly flipped through it and pressed the screen. A few moments later, a version of Marshmallow World began playing through the Hall's sound system. "There we go."

[BitCook]

Magic 8 Ball

When the announcement about the holiday party went out, Vicki had debated on going.  She had a somewhat secret identity, at least from people outside of Claremont.  While she had a very fledgling hero career, due to some of her contacts and her father's money unknowingly financing her suit, she already had a costume.  Wearing the black, long-sleeved bodysuit that was complimented by a mid thigh pair of black boyshorts and knee high boots.  She was nervous; getting to meet her idols was quite a high stress event!

"I want to thank you for taking us Bernadette.  I probably wouldn't have gone otherwise," she said with a warm smile.

Then fidgeting with her hair and the tight fitting costume, she got out of the car and walked in with the small group.

[Fox]

Gaian Knight / Tiamat

 

The Gaian Knight had been making himself as helpful as he could without super-speed - which had mostly meant using little stone hands to reach things up high or leverage things too heavy. Or, at least, the heavy things his companion didn't beat him to - where he'd opted for a festive Christmas hat (perched proudly on his head, and somewhat incongruous with his goggles) the dragon-in-human-form Tiamat had traded her cape out for a long coat, her signature red red accented with white trim. It had been somewhat more festive before she'd rolled the oversized sleeves up over some impressive forearms to haul furniture around.

 

Still, working together they'd gotten the fireplace seating re-arranged just so by the time people really started filtering in.

 

"Hello!" greeted the Knight, giving the newest arrivals a wave with one real hand and at least two made of some kind of polished granite. "Always a good sign to have people coming in right on time - we must be doing something right if we're worth that."

 

"Or perhaps they wish to beat everyone else to the snacks," grinned his friend; the grin had too many teeth.

 

Gaian Knight's smile was undeterred. "Who'd blame them," he agreed, "they're good snacks. Welcome!"

[Poncho]

Golden Star

 

Michael, as always, had a relentlessly busy day doing a variety of things that kept him on the world's strictest schedule. He was now a member of half a dozen clubs; some he had only a passing interest in- such as the ventriloquist's club, the ornithology society, and the Handicrafts circle. Other clubs- like the debate team, the student council, and the book club- he had struck out to become a significant and helpful member of. So part of his day had been doing a variety of work for those clubs, while knowing he had to be here at this superhero party. It was an important networking opportunity, and he absolutely had to make a good impression! He had been preparing for this for weeks; he'd read and re-read a lot of relevant information on the Freedom League, made sure to prepare a few interesting conversation topics to sprinkle throughout for when he needed to liven something up, had practiced a few killer jokes, and had worked on getting a new outfit ready.

 

When it was getting closer to the party, he had headed out to the ice skating rink; partially because he wanted to skate, but mostly because he was using it as a vantage point to keep an eye on what was going on in the hall. This meant he wasn't exactly with Bernadette's group, but when he was certain the time was correct, he left the rink and changed into a 'formal' version of his costume, before Golden Star appeared at the party at around the same time. His costume clearly inspired the modified outfit, but it was much less appropriate for any Superheroing.

 

His cape was more of a shawl with a long trailing end that fell down his back, golden and shining with pinpricks like stars, flowing behind him when he walked to emulate the trail he left behind, while his bodysuit had been replaced with a white suit with deep red accents on the collar, buttons, and belt. He was undeniably Golden Star, because he still had the symbol on his suit, kept the color scheme, and acted exactly like Golden Star, but he was a very fancy Golden Star.  While the suit looked fancy, a lot of it was second hand stuff that he had painstakingly fixed up and gotten refitted, or stuff borrowed from his boss- the shawl in particular- to make an impression that she was very clear had to come back without so much as a coffee stain on it; this wasn't some outfit he'd bought on a whim, it was an intentional effort to prepare to be at his level best for this event.

 

When he entered, his mind went wild immediately and he had to control himself from going into full fanboy mode at the fact that THE Velocity and THE Gaian Knight were here. In the same room as him. Talking to...well talking in his general direction. He made sure to even out his heart rate before responding.

 

"Thank you for inviting me to this party." he said in a broad tone that encompassed everyone he could see. He still wasn't fully comfortable that he was part of the 'Superhero Community', but he was doing his best to hide that too.

[Thevshi]

Velocity

 

Seeing Gaian Knight and Tiamat move over to greet a group of teenage girls that had just arrived, Velocity turned slightly so while still talking with Mizuki, she also was able to acknowledge Golden Star as he entered the hall.

 

"You are very welcome." The speedster said with a wide smile as she looked at the young hero. "Golden Star, isn't it?" She asked, thinking back to reports she had read about some of the teen’s recent exploits.

 

"Have you met Mizuki, also known as Torpedo Lass?" The League member asked, indicating the Japanese teen beside her. "Although, we were just discussing how complicated it can be to take on a legacy."

[Poncho]

Golden Star

 

It was Velocity. It was The Velocity. And she knew his name. This was already an incredible moment in his life. This was a dream since he was a child. He wanted to ask for an autograph-he had his autograph book hidden in the inner pocket of his suit jacket-, tell her that her branded sandwich at the Hero's shop was one of his favorites, talk about how he read every report about her. He did not do any of that.

 

He kept his face at an appropriate level of cheerfulness, a slight smile, looking directly where her eyes probably were under the visor, and nodded politely. His voice was a trained, very even tone as he spoke, like this was a completely normal conversation with an individual of higher social standing and not his first meeting with a personal- and world- hero.

 

"Yes, Ma'am, that would be correct. I'm still figuring all this out, but obviously you have been an example to me." That definitely wasn't too much was it? Surely that was about average to tell someone. He turned to Mizuki next.

 

"I believe we go to school together but I do not think we have personally met. I am still attempting to personally introduce myself to every student on the school grounds, but it can be difficult to do so sometimes. It is a pleasureto meet you, Mizuki."  Well, he was doing that as Michael. He was still unsure if he should really tell other students who he was exactly; secrets were kept for a reason, even if he trusted all the other Claremont students.

 

"I do not have much experience with being a legacy hero myself, obviously, but I can understand the dual issues of wanting to establish your own identity and living up to and continuing the legacy of someone who meant a good deal to you, especially someone our age; as we formulate who we want to be as people, taking in things from people we admire and adding them to our own worldview and beliefs, at times it can feel like we have lost ourselves in the swirl of beliefs and remembrances of those who have mentored, sheltered, and cared for us. Finding a balance can be exceptionally difficult."

 

That was a normal thing to say right? He was being normal. He was definitely being normal and not being tense or trying to sound too smart in his first chance to make a good impression to some of the greatest heroes in the world.

[The Sailor]

Torpedo Lass II

"Yeah... although my situation was literally getting my powers when my predecessor got sort of... erased."

 

"You can see the conundrum... Lately I'd been thinking of 'Supercav' sort of a shortened form of 'supercavitation', a hydrodynamic effect that allows for a high rate of speed while underwater... which is how my swimming works."

 

She stretched a bit. "That and the one who did the deed's still out there... perhaps keeping the name might call them out of hiding... and I wouldn't want them using whatever radiation that was they fired from their monstrosity of a mechanical suit at anyone else." She said with a sigh.

Edited December 15, 2023 by The Sailor

[Tiffany Korta]

The Immutable Betsy Brook

It was meant to be a simple job, collect some movie from a vampire in Freedom City before flying back to the UK for crimbo. What she wasn’t expecting was some werewolf action due to some undead Romeo and Juliet-type stuff. The job was done but a perfectly good blouse was sacrificed in the process!

 

 

Picking up a Freedom League jersey, the closest place that wouldn’t involve a complicated fashion montage, Betsy saw that the party and figured why the heck not, she was “technically” a super after all! Slipping past the greeter she made her way to the snack table, she’d not eaten all day after all, to a sight she’d not expected today.

 

 

“Either you’re a bloody dragon, or they’re putting more than baccy in these things!” she gestured to a cigarette tucked behind her ear, she’d given up (again) but it’d been a long a tiring day.

 

[Poncho]

Golden Star

 

Golden Star nodded along at the discussion, making sure he was keeping his hands in a neutral, relaxed position. He shifted his look to Velocity and Mizuki as they talked, making sure to always pay attention to whoever was talking at the moment. "Super...Caviation? I have never heard of it. I will have to look it up." he said simply; that was how he treated most subjects he didn't understand; file away the information he was given, then research more about it later. His face became stern and focused at the mention of a dead hero and a villain who was not apprehended though.

 

"That is awful to hear. I can see how that might put even more pressure on you than usual. I am sorry that you are having such a difficult time, please let me know if I can ever give you a hand, even if I am not so illustrious as our hosts, I enjoy being helpful to others in whatever problems they need." he explained calmly, offering a reassuring smile as best he could in the situation.

[Fox]

Gaian Knight / Tiamat

 

"I'm not bloody yet, but the night is still young," grinned Tiamat. Definitely too many teeth in that grin, and a suspicious number of them were pointy for such a human face.

 

"No fighting at the League party," cautioned the Knight - less admonishment than in-joke, the sort of well-trod comedy routine usually found in siblings. "If you start throwing punches they might not invite us back."

 

"We sent the invites."

 

"And it would be awful to have to exclude ourselves from the list. Gaian Knight," he said, introducing himself with a small bow, "and Tiamat, of course. Welcome! No smoking indoors, please, but otherwise we hope you have a great time."

[The Sailor]

Torpedo Lass II

 

"Well..." She sighed, looking at Golden Star. "Not that I or anyone was in any condition to apprehend the terrorist... I was knocked out and in the drink and the ship was sinkin' fast. I think whoever was inside that suit got what they wanted and left." She said, remembering what she could and what was told to her later. "The US Navy showed up about 30 minutes after the chaos... I woke up in a ship's infirmary with... not many other survivors. Water was cold, did the work that villain never did... but the docs on the ship were curious about me. I had zero signs of hypothermia, and outside of just being unconcious somehow when I was plucked out of the water I was the picture of perfect health."

 

She stretched again, adjusting the vest portion of her suit. "Once I woke up and they saw my glowin' peepers though..." She pointed to her eyes that had a slight but noticable enough blue-green phosphorescent glow to them. "Well they knew what was up. Got sent to a medical facility that specialized in people with powers... and that was it."

"Got my invite to Claremont after I moved in with my Uncle downtown. I think he's glad I'm not leaving wet socks everywhere. Ever since I got the powers I have I just can't resist swimming whenever I can. I mean... 75% of the planet's covered with water, suddenly I got options for travel."

She started to speak more to those around her... "Managed with some help to get this suit designed based on my experiences SCUBA diving. Custom weighted and has adjustable buoyancy, streamlined and comfy. Although the costume design course at the school is going to be interesting... someone suggested I should make a Claremont variant of my outfit but... we'll see."

Edited December 16, 2023 by The Sailor

[Tiffany Korta]

The Immutable Betsy Brooks

“I’m flattered darling, but a girl's got to recover after a day like I’ve had. And no offense but I’ve been thrown out of much more prodigious locations than this!”

 

She somewhat flirtatiously smiled, not quite showing as many sharpened teeth but defiantly more prominent eye teeth.

 

“The name’s Betsy Brooks…” she offered a hand all lady like “I’m a… freelance problem solver for the supernatural community. Not as important as the work you lovely people do, but I like to think I help in my own little way!”

[Nerdzul]

It has been a busy day for Luke, the morning has began early, he dashed out of the apartment that he shared with Leon to go waiting tables and serving coffees at a bar. Lunchtime with his family at the trailer park, helping dad with some repairs trailer with his super strength (when Gabriel, his little brother not yet in the known, wasn't looking). Most of the afternoon came and went with a second Christmas' hustle, this time being as a greeter at a local shop, a pretty successful one at that, perhaps due to the fact that his uniform there consisted of just festive red board-shorts and a Santa's hat. 

 

Now though, well, the time for working was over and the much awaited Christmas party was about to begin. Sure, the fact that it was his first year participating after he graduated from Claremont was somewhat exciting, but in truth, this was not what had sent his heart pounding. It had been a while in fact, since he has been able to spend some proper time with Muirne after all the shenanigans of the past year, and Luke was definitely looking forward to the occasion.

 

Of course he had volunteered go give her a ride for the evening, sure he had no car, but well, his wings could definitely carry them both. 

 

In fact, he had flown far above in the sky, with Muirne on his back, playing tricks and fooling around a bit among the clouds, his dragon head adorned with an oversize  Santa's  hat. When it was finally time to land in front of the party venue, the young dragon lowered his neck to allow his girlfriend to easily descend and than shifted back to his human form, now himself, thanks to being a shapeshifter, he rarely used a proper-superhero costume and so he had picked up a suit jacket, his best shirt and jeans, rather than his more informal usual attires.

 

Once he was adjusted to his human form, the young man turned toward his girl, smiling fondly and seeking to meet her gaze. "God, you if you are gorgeous..." He offer her a playful kiss on the lips and then his right arm so that the two could walk in together.

[Thevshi]

On 12/15/2023 at 9:30 AM, Poncho said:

Golden Star

 

"Yes, Ma'am, that would be correct. I'm still figuring all this out, but obviously you have been an example to me." That definitely wasn't too much was it? Surely that was about average to tell someone. He turned to Mizuki next.

 

 

Velocity gave a warm smile as Golden Star mentioned looking to her as an example. There may have once been a time where the speedster found it surprising that others looked up to her, but she had long learned to accept that came with high profile of being part of the Freedom League. "Well, I'll let you in on a secret, all of us where once in the same position of trying to figure it all out as well. I expect you will work it out."

 

On 12/15/2023 at 10:03 AM, The Sailor said:

Torpedo Lass II

"Yeah... although my situation was literally getting my powers when my predecessor got sort of... erased."

 

"You can see the conundrum... Lately I'd been thinking of 'Supercav' sort of a shortened form of 'supercavitation', a hydrodynamic effect that allows for a high rate of speed while underwater... which is how my swimming works."

 

She stretched a bit. "That and the one who did the deed's still out there... perhaps keeping the name might call them out of hiding... and I wouldn't want them using whatever radiation that was they fired from their monstrosity of a mechanical suit at anyone else." She said with a sigh.

 

As the discussion turned back to legacies, the speedster gave Mizuki an understanding smile. "As I said, a legacy is complicated. I have known a number of legacy heroes, and there was even a time early in my career where some in the press tried to push me being some sort of legacy to Johnny Rocket. I adore Johnny, but I never tired, or wanted to take his place, and we were teammates for many years before he retired. Thankfully that idea never really went anywhere."

 

The speedster had listened as the discussion continued and started towards more details about what had occurred with the death of the original Torpedo Lass and Mizuki gaining her powers. Velocity had read the Navy's report on the incident, an event involving the death of a known hero was something flagged for the League's attention, and had been about to try to steer the conversation away from what was likely a painful topic, but she was momentarily distracted as one of the League’s staff members came over to discuss an issue with some of the catering.

 

13 hours ago, The Sailor said:

Torpedo Lass II

 

"Well..." She sighed, looking at Golden Star. "Not that I or anyone was in any condition to apprehend the terrorist... I was knocked out and in the drink and the ship was sinkin' fast. I think whoever was inside that suit got what they wanted and left." She said, remembering what she could and what was told to her later. "The US Navy showed up about 30 minutes after the chaos... I woke up in a ship's infirmary with... not many other survivors. Water was cold, did the work that villain never did... but the docs on the ship were curious about me. I had zero signs of hypothermia, and outside of just being unconcious somehow when I was plucked out of the water I was the picture of perfect health."

 

She stretched again, adjusting the vest portion of her suit. "Once I woke up and they saw my glowin' peepers though..." She pointed to her eyes that had a slight but noticable enough blue-green phosphorescent glow to them. "Well they knew what was up. Got sent to a medical facility that specialized in people with powers... and that was it."

"Got my invite to Claremont after I moved in with my Uncle downtown. I think he's glad I'm not leaving wet socks everywhere. Ever since I got the powers I have I just can't resist swimming whenever I can. I mean... 75% of the planet's covered with water, suddenly I got options for travel."

She started to speak more to those around her... "Managed with some help to get this suit designed based on my experiences SCUBA diving. Custom weighted and has adjustable buoyancy, streamlined and comfy. Although the costume design course at the school is going to be interesting... someone suggested I should make a Claremont variant of my outfit but... we'll see."

 

By the time she was able to turn her full attention back to the two teens, Mizuki had already told a somewhat abridged version of what had occurred. Velocity gave her a very concerned and reassuring look. "It was very upsetting to read about what happened. I can tell you that there have been efforts to locate the individual responsible, on several fronts. Unfortunately thus far there have been few leads."

 

"While I certainly do not want to be dismissive of what happened to you, one bit of advice I can offer is to learn to make time to focus on things that you enjoy from time to time. You seem like you have been doing that, but as you go further down this path, you will find yourself more and more thinking about all the things in the world you feel you could be, or should be, addressing or trying to fix. You have to learn to accept that you cannot be everywhere, all the time, even when you are as fast as I am."

 

"As for your costume, as I said before, I think it looks fantastic." The speedster then added with a wide simile. "Nothing against the Claremont colors, but I think your palate is better."

 

 

[Kaede Kimura]

Shadowborne 

 

Muirne wore a knee length burgundy dress with her hair in a (now rather windswept) braid. Her skin had lost some of the pallor it had in the warehouse where Casanova had holed up, but she was still particularly pale. 

"Thank you Fýrdraca, you look very handsome yourself." She looked pensively inside, "Let's hope that it goes more smoothly than our last outing with the Freedom League."

[MoonSimply]

Carmen didn't know how she had been roped into this whole Christmas party, but if she had been able to get an invitation through some means it meant that maybe someone was watching over her shoulder. Though, she also thought that more likely it was just an extra invitation. Still, she'd accept the gift from the so-called Multi Girl and travel in the car with the rest of the gaggle of students from Claremont that came with their own ticket. Carmen was out of her typical uniform, opting for a dressier look, a blue attire that ran down to her knees. The only thing that she seemed to retain however was the varsity jacket, made in the schools blue and yellow colors. Even if she had fur along her body, she liked the warmth of the attire regardless. It was comfortable.

 

There wasn't much to say, keeping to her loner self for the time being as they got out of the car, stretching out after being stuck in for a bit inside the cramp and car. Carmen much rather preferred this sort of freedom, arching back and following the rest of their group.

[Poncho]

Golden Star

 

Golden Star was learning a lot in just a few short moments. Not just Mizuki's backstory, but the way Velocity handled this conversation as an experienced hero; offering sympathy, promises of effort, and support in quick, powerful statements. A masterclass in handling people and being supportive. 

 

He would be replaying this conversation for months fron every angle, studying and learning from the example given to him in an almost casual conversation. He couldn't supress a grin for a moment, one that represented how starstruck he was for just a moment. But he schooled his face back to his standard pleasent, neutral expression.

 

"Thank you for your kind words." He smiled at Velocity. "You have given me a lot to think about." Then he turned back to Mizuki.

 

"I see...that is a rough story. I am impressed at your ability to work through it, that represents a lot of strength of character, which I think is the true hallmark of a hero." He nodded. "My own costume...well obviously this isn't it." He noted to the suit and the shawl-style cape. "But, it was funded from some connections I have related to my powers, so it's not a Claremont uniform either. I think it can be a bit difficult to establish yourself as an individual when you start out in the Claremont uniform, since the first few adventures are the most important I think; for establishing your standing. Not that you can't change later, but that spark of individuality can help differentiate you." It was a response made almost directly about marketing and presentation, with the same truthfulness and open care that he had earlier offered to help Mizuki with any problem she had and had agreed with the difficulties of living up to a Legacy. He treated all three of them as important parts of being a hero.

 

"My own origin was a bit less fraught, falling into strange chemicals, as it were. And a kidnapping of the researcher who made the formula."

 

[Thevshi]

1 hour ago, Poncho said:

Golden Star

"Thank you for your kind words." He smiled at Velocity. "You have given me a lot to think about." Then he turned back to Mizuki.

 

"Well, I hope you take my advice and not think too hard about it tonight." Velocity said with a grin. As she was talking to the two teens, she spotted other guests starting to arrive in a waves. Giving Mizuki and Golden Star a warm smile, she added, "I hate to have to break away, but other guests are arriving, so need to step away for the moment. I will try to catch up again later tonight, but if either of you ever need anything, or just want to talk, the school knows how to get in contact with me."

 

With another smile, the speedster was then gone in yellow blur, although not moving nearly as quickly as she could, given the confined space and growing crowd.

 

1 hour ago, Kaede Kimura said:

Shadowborne 

 

Muirne wore a knee length burgundy dress with her hair in a (now rather windswept) braid. Her skin had lost some of the pallor it had in the warehouse where Casanova had holed up, but she was still particularly pale. 

"Thank you Fýrdraca, you look very handsome yourself." She looked pensively inside, "Let's hope that it goes more smoothly than our last outing with the Freedom League."

 

A moment later Velocity came up to Luke and Muirne as they made their way inside, slowing down from a littler further away so she did not quite so suddenly appear.

"Nightscale, Shadowborne, good to see you both again. Welcome to Freedom Hall." She said in greeting with a wide smile.

 

[Huckleberry]

Rot

 

Carmen Alvarez Arrache, better known to the world as the fearsome vigilante La Puma Negra, wasn't the only Claremont student not super excited about the party. "Seriously Carmen, you think this is lame for you? Like, it's almost guaranteed just about everyone at the party is going to hate me before the evening is over." The green-haired teen Consuelo Nunez, also known as the repulsive Rot, animatedly complained to her feline friend as the two exited the limo. "Oh hey, I forgot my scarf."  And she ducked her head into the back of the car again. "Uh, also, is it okay if I just leave this lead apron on the seat back here, too?" She asked the driver.

 

Accompanying the elegant Bernadette O'Connor, aka the marvelous Multi-Girl into the lobby, Consuelo’s face was a picture of resignation. But then she saw a couple people she recognized and perked up. "Oh, hey Mike, hey 'Zuki!" She walked in a few steps in Bernadette's wake, then seemed to remember something, and self- consciously floated into the air about a foot before continuing forward.

 

As the girl moved into the lobby, everyone she passed near to got a sensation almost as if she had a putrid smell, but without any odor, and somehow got the feeling like this girl had sent them a message that she was going to ruin this party, and here she was now to do it. Well, almost everyone. For those few guests that happened to be undead, or a robot, or in some other way not really alive, she just seemed like a teenage girl with a deep look of resignation on her face.