ic Deck the Halls! [Open]

[MoonSimply]

La Puma Negra (By Blackstaff, Lark, Ghost, and at the side of Golden Star)

 

Her ears twitched along with her nose, familiar sounds and scents. Former classmates that she had back in Claremont were here, Young Guardians she thought to recall, some sort of hero group that was common across America and she supposed from her learnings in class the rest of the world. Carmen didn't see too much point in working with these clubs as full-time sort of thing, but she supposed Michael would be one to join one, and if he did she supposed that her furry behind would follow suit in some way, or at the least be supportive of it as he was for her in her own pursuits.

 

"The teachers say I've taken the combat training very well. I even did some small training with AEGIS for a week during the summer," she continues to speak politely. Carmen was letting him take the lead on this, learning how he confidently spoke with people in social settings. The ease for which she still couldn't fully grasp, especially when alone. The werecat would motion to him, asking quietly if he wanted anything to drink, taking his order if he'd like before she'd politely walk away with a small bow, "I'm justing going to get something to drink, I'll be back."

[Jack]

Jack's extended hand hung in the air as Ryan hurried past, hands buried deep in his coat pockets. The bear spirit within Jack sensed the nervous energy rolling off the other student, so Jack simply lowered his hand with an understanding nod. 

 

"Good to see you again too, Jack," Velocity said warmly. 

 

Jack rubbed the back of his head, heat rising to his cheeks despite the winter chill. The last time he'd seen Lynn's mom had been right after that art gallery incident. Despite her being responsible for him getting into Clairemont…He wondered what she thought of him now - the giant Russian kid who kept getting into trouble with her daughter.

 

His stomach let out a thunderous growl at all the food talk, the bear spirit stirring with hunger. The growl was so loud, jack almost didnt hear the plane passing by over head to land nearby. Fortunately, before he could dwell too long on his awkwardness around Velocity, he heard the tall Russian woman introducing herself to the group.

 

"Здравствуйте! Dobryy vecher!" Jack called out enthusiastically to Klara, his face lighting up at hearing a familiar accent from home. He straightened up to his full height, only slightly shorter then her, grinning broadly and his big heart swelled with joy at hearing another Russian voice. His broken English and thick accent often left him feeling like an outsider, but here was someone who would understand him properly.

 

"Ya Vanya Davydov," he said in Russian, his deep voice carrying the familiar comfortable tones of his mother tongue. "<From Siberia originally. It brings warmth to my heart to meet another Russian here.>"

 

The cold air swirled around them as Jack gestured animatedly, frost crystallizing in small patterns near his feet. His bear spirit stirred with interest at meeting another person from their homeland.

 

"<My grandmother would tell stories of Zhenshchina-voin when I was young>," Jack continued in Russian, his eyes bright with recognition. "<The warrior who fought with strength and honor. She would say you showed that Russian women were as fierce as our winters>." A small chuckle escaped him, thinking about his grandmother's words.

 

The familiar cadence of his native language loosened something in his chest that had been tight since arriving in America. Here was someone who might understand not just his words, but the cultural context behind them - the deep respect for nature, the importance of strength tempered with wisdom, the value of protecting others.

 

 

Edited December 8 by Jack

[Lone_Star]

On 12/3/2024 at 7:49 AM, Supercape said:

She shoved her camera at Owen. "Guh... take a picture Owen, please... Otherwise I won't ever believe this is happened!"
 

She gave a grin and a victory sign as a pose. 

 

Feeling stupid, she thrust the wine bottle into Velocity, as clumsy as one could imagine. "Uh... here... its my families vineyard. Uh... hope you don't mind...."

 

Prime Mover (outside with the Claremont teens, but moving into Freedom Hall)

 

"Oh, uh. Yah, fer sure!" he said, fumbling with the camera. He snapped a few pictures of the two of them, and handed it back to Harper after inspecting them. "There, now everyone'll believe you when you say you met Velocity," he said, grinning at her. 

 

On 12/3/2024 at 4:57 PM, Tiffany Korta said:

Zhenshchina-voin

Just coming around the Limo

 

"Малыши-супергерои! And what a cute little bunch we have this year!" the voice shifted from Moskov Russian to almost as incomprehensible Yorkshire

 

The owner of the voice was an athletic woman who towered over most at seven feet. She was dressed appropriately in a sparkly dress and had her hair done up in an elaborate manner.

 

"I am Zhenshchina-voin, though Klara will do. I'm not as famous as some here..." she gave a wave and smile at Velocity "...but some of you might have learned of my exploits long ago! Or the team that no one ever remembers, such is my lot in life!" she gave a little mock swoon, enjoying the attention of the teens. Even though it was a long time ago, she remembered just what it was like to be a teen.

 

"Now does anyone want to show a very old lady the way to the food tables? You can all regale me with tales of your exploits this year!"

 

"Hi there, uh...Klara. Yeah, right this way!" Owen wasn't sure what she meant by 'old lady', as she appeared to be in her thirties, but he was happy to help. He walked inside with his friends, eager to mix with the many superheroes of Freedom City! He nudged Mattie lightly as he walked inside, knowing she felt the same way. 

 

He was overwhelmed with the sheer number of heroes in the building, and couldn't help dropping his jaw to the floor. There were too many to count, and...it was all too much. "Wow. Geez, that's really somethin', huh?" he said to his Claremont friends as he moved towards the food. His stomach rumbled, as if on cue. 

[Spacefurry]

Seraphim (entering Hall with Klara and other Claremont students)

 

Sarah was surprised when Lynn grabbed her by the arm.

She didn’t trust her voice yet so only nodded at first and allowed herself to be led on into the Hall.

 

Once away from Velocity and heading into the party proper, Sarah managed a full calming breaths and tried to relax. She glanced at Lynn and forced a smile.

“I’m sorry.”

She apologized and looked over at Klara, not sure what to make of her yet.

 

“I don’t know if I could ever get used to being around so many heroes.”

Sarah craned her neck a little to look around the Hall.

Edited December 8 by Spacefurry

[Thevshi]

Slipstream (Entering Freedom Hall with Bounce, Arctus, Cerebral, Spore, Sever, Seraphim, and Prime Move as well as Zhenshchina-voin, Crimson Tiger and Somchai, then splitting off to go speak with Grimalkin)

 

Lynn returned Sarah's nod as they started into the hall with the growing crowd that had formed around their group. The blonde speedster noted Jack engaging with Karla in Russian, seemingly excited to find someone that spoke his native language. She was glad to see the tall teen relax some, hopefully it would help him feel more comfortable and not like he had to be focused on making sure she did not have a breakdown.

 

When Crimson Tiger introduced herself, correctly determining they were Claremont students, Lynn gave a small nod. "Well…we are some of them anyway." She replied, looking over to Somchai as Mali introduced him as well. "Hi, I’m Lynn." The blonde teen replied, managing a slight smile in greeting before turning to focus back on the larger gathering inside.

 

"No need to apologize." Lynn replied quietly to Sarah as she let go of the other girl’s arm. "My mom could tell you about how she felt when she was first invited to one of these when she was a young teenage heroine herself." Lynn replied to Sarah's comment about feeling she could never get used to being around so many heroes. The blonde felt a feeling of emptiness as she spoke, trying to keep things general as to which Velocity she was talking about. Not wanting to let those feelings settle in, she focused again on the present and trying to have a good time with her friends.

 

As several of the group started towards the food (Jack in particular mentioning being hungry) and Harper seemed ready to head towards the fire, Lynn spotted someone across the room that had just been talking with Lawrence and the group of Claremont students he had teleported to the party.  The blonde tensed slightly, hesitating as she focused on Grimalkin. Figuring that it seemed as good a time as any to go and meet someone she had never had the opportunity to meet in her original timeline, Lynn looked back to the others.

 

"I…need to go speak with someone real quick, I'll catch up." She said, managing a faint smile.

 

Stepping away from the group, Lynn made her way across the lobby to where Grimalkin was momentarily standing alone. As she went, the teen felt her heart pounding in her chest, trying to think of the best way to start this conversation. Despite being able to think many times faster than a normal person, she still had not fully worked it out as she came up to Grimalkin.

 

"Excuse me Ms. Ep…Grimalkin, I…" Lynn started, having to catch herself from too causally using Grimalkin's actual name. "I'm Lynn Conners. I understand that…." she paused again, struggling on how to refer to the Megan Howell of this timeline in a way that did not seem awkward, "that you have heard about me. I…I'm sorry to bother you, but…I just never had the chance to meet the version of you in my timeline, but my mother…she always talked about you…or that version of you." The teen managed to get out, the corners of her eyes getting slightly moist with tears.
 

[RocketLord]

BOUNCE! (by the Claremont students entering the hall)

 

Oh yeah, Jack knows Russian! He can totally talk with the Russian warrior woman Klara! That's so awesome, even if Mattie has absolutely no idea what they're talking about!

 

Mattie is just staring around, waving and greeting anyone she can, but Sarah seems to be doing much worse, and with Lynn moving away... well, someone obviously needs to be there for her. "Don't worry, we'll go get some food an' sit down to eat somewhere, then it'll be much calmer! Nothin' calms you down like gettin' some good food!" She tries, her arm stretching out from where she's standing to reach behind Sarah's back, to gently guide her along. "Right, guys?" Mattie continues, looking in particular towards Jack and Owen here.

 

"C'mon! Let's go get somethin' before all the good stuff's gone!"

[RocketLord]

GHOST (by Blackstaff, Lark, Golden Star and La Puma Negra, moving out to Gauss)

 

Nice people. Golden boy seems enthusiastic about the whole hero thing. They need more optimists in the hero game, but then again, how long is that usually going to last? No need to do anything to break that, anyway.

 

"Well, guess I should go do my League duties and all that," he says with a wave. There's a jet coming in from above, so he should probably move in. Lots of people coming.

 

Moving through the crowds (literally, some of the time at least), he gets back to the front just as a woman floats down and lands by the limo that a bunch of Claremont kids left. All dressed up in hero gear and everything. Somehow, it seems more appealing to him to greet her than all the group of dressed up kids coming from the jet.

 

"Hey there, I'm Ghost, out doing official League greetings, apparently. Welcome to the party. We got food, drinks, dancing and whatever."

[RocketLord]

The STORMCROW (Leading the Young Guardians away from the Guardians Jet and inside Freedom Hall)

 

They might not have everyone's eyes on them, but they had enough, and they were making an impression, at least, and Charlie is thrilled. Making a scene, all eyes on them, with the most beautiful woman there by his side, feeling her this close to him? Couldn't be better even if Alek had planned it. And they all look good. Sure, Leon's ideas might have drawn even more attention, and while Charlie would probably agree in another situation, this probably wasn't the place.

 

"I'm gonna introduce myself to Velocity, if any of you wanna join me," he says to the others as they move. "Have fun if we get split up, everyone!" He hopes that a few of the others will stick around, at least. Getting in touch with a Freedom Leaguer won't hurt at all, even if Charlie has other reasons for that interaction.

 

Still, he has a feeling that someone's looking at him in another way. Not just seeing them arrive in style like they did, but something more. Does he know anyone here that knows him? He doesn't let it show on his face, at least not yet.

 

He leans in closer to Bernie and whispers "you think Velocity's one of your fans?" before they reach the Freedom League speedster. 

 

Charlie extends the hand that Bernie isn't holding, a confident smile on his lips. "Hey, I'm Charlie. Thanks for the invites."

[RocketLord]

Spaceman (moving from the lobby near the main entrance with Torpedo Lass II, Timeout, Blue Bolt and Gamma Buzz)

 

Parker should be more used to this kind of thing from all the fancy parties he used to be at with his parents, but somehow, he still isn't quite feeling it. 

 

"Nice to meet you," he says to Grimalkin as Lawrence and Mizuki starts to move along, into the crowds.

 

With Lawrence explaining how his mother and Grimalkin knows each other, Mizuki has a good point. Where do they think they'll end up team-wise?

 

"I haven't really thought about it much. I think Michael has some big plans, but I'm not really sure what they are exactly, so who knows?" Parker likes Michael, he considers him one of his closest friends, but he does have more ambitions than Parker thinks he'll ever have. Or at least makes grander plans than Parker has ever done. "It's not like everyone ends up on a team. There's a lot of heroes that work alone out there, I think."

[Thevshi]

Multi-Girl (Moving into Freedom Hall with the other Young Guardians and greeting Velocity)

 

Bernadette turned her head to look back at Vik when the other girl tapped her shoulder. The redhead was happy to see the wide smile on Vik's face and that she really seemed to be enjoying herself (and looking fabulous in the process). The Irish young woman gave Vik a grin and a small nod before focusing ahead as they moved towards the entrance to Freedom Hall.

 

Staying with Charlie as he announced his intention to go greet Velocity, who was at the entrance and appeared to have been prepared to greet them, Bernadette gave a slight shrug at his question about whether she might be a fan. "Maybe. She was the one that invited us ta play some songs last year an’ had apparently already listened ta some o’ the stuff we had put on social media."

 

Velocity had watched as the group of Claremont students and others with Lynn had made their way inside. She had spotted Crimson Tiger and a young teen arrive, but they were on the far side of the group. Of course, she easily could have maneuvered over to that side to greet them before most anyone knew she had moved, but she could catch up with them later inside, as she saw the members of the Young Guardians approach as Ghost appeared to talk to the young woman that had just flow down.

 

Smiling warmly as Charlie came forward first with Bernadette still holding his left arm (which she had chosen so his right could remain free), Velocity took the extend hand. "Welcome Charlie, please call me Megan. You all have been making quite a splash, always wonderful to see."

 

Megan turned to greet Bernadette, "so wonderful to see you again Bernadette, you look fabulous. You have been making a very different kind of splash. I have enjoyed watching your band's success and listening to your new songs. Hope all goes well for you at the Grammys."

 

"Good ta see you again Megan." Bernadette replied, releasing Charlie's arm to shake Velocity's hand as well. "An' thank you, but ta be honest we are just glad ta be invited ta be at the Grammys so soon."

 

The speedster then turned to the other members of the Young Guardians as they came up to make their way in. "Shadowborne, good to see you again as well, you look spectacular." She said first to the other redhead young woman in the group before turning to Leon. "Leon correct? If I recall, you were helping Neko in running the childcare last year along with my foster daughter Lulu and Dayvd."

 

The League speedster then turned Vik. "And you must be Ghule? So glad you came, although I must say, the codename does not quite seem to fit. You look radiant dear."
 

[Lone_Star]

3 hours ago, Thevshi said:

The speedster then turned to the other members of the Young Guardians as they came up to make their way in. "Shadowborne, good to see you again as well, you look spectacular." She said first to the other redhead young woman in the group before turning to Leon. "Leon correct? If I recall, you were helping Neko in running the childcare last year along with my foster daughter Lulu and Dayvd."

 

The League speedster then turned Vik. "And you must be Ghule? So glad you came, although I must say, the codename does not quite seem to fit. You look radiant dear."
 

 

Ghule

 

"Oh, well. Thanks," Vik said, unconsciously adjusting her hair. "I mean, thank you. It's really Bernie, I mean, Multi-Girl, that helped me with that. She's got a really great eye for that sorta thing," she said, smiling at Bernie. It sort of hit her all at once, where she was, who she was talking to, and her heart started to beat in double-time. What was she doing here? A juvenile delinquent and petty thief didn't belong at Freedom Hall. No...that wasn't true. Everything she had told herself over the last few months, that she didn't belong, that she wasn't a real superhero, none of it was true. She belonged here just as much as anyone else. 

 

All this went through her head in a few seconds. She realized she wasn't saying anything, so she told Velocity the truth. 

 

 "This is a real honor, Velocity...thank you for having us. We wouldn't be anywhere without our team. They've given me something to strive for." She looked back at her teammates, and smiled broadly. This was where she belonged.

Edited December 8 by Lone_Star

[Poncho]

(Golden Star: Leaving Blackstaff to talk to Crimson Tiger)

 

Michael offered his goodbyes to Ghost as he left, then smiled at Carmen.

 

"Sure. Pick something that looks good. I think Crimson Tiger just showed up so I'm going to go talk to her, but feel free to find someone else to talk to if you want. I see Parker and the others over there." he whispered, pointing them out. Then he raised his voice again to talk to Blackstaff and Lark.

 

"Mr. Daye, Lark. Please have a wonderful Christmas. And maybe we'll see each other again tonight. And as always, if you happen to need something battered down, please don't be afraid to give me a call, I'm always open for friends, and if I can't help, I can get someone who can." he smiled. "I need to go say hello to some other people." he said, floating off. He liked flying. It made him feel swift and strong, it let him focus on looking around, taking in sounds. He made a wave to his fellow Juniors across the hall, but he was heading towards Crimson Tiger.

 

"Crimson Tiger." he offered her a smile as well; he did practice them in the mirror for a reason, after all. "I know it's been a bit since we've had our last lesson, but I just wanted to make sure you know we're all taking them to heart. Me especially. Merry Christmas, and thank you for being so willing to help us all out with training and practicing." He really had been taking the Muay Thai teachings to heart; he might not be a master, and he wasn't anywhere near the level of a trained hero, but he could throw an elbow or a knee with a lot of force now, having spent hours under the tutelage of the Master.

[Fox]

Gaian Knight

lobby, with Harlequin, King Cole III, and Queenie

 

  

On 12/5/2024 at 5:14 AM, EternalPhoenix said:

"GK? Is everybody coming in now? I'm completely set up inside. Had to hire some outsiders because whew, this place is enormous!"

 

"Bit by bit, as they free themselves from the press and everyone still arriving," the Knight confirmed. "I had to threaten some of them with Tiamat's appetite to get them to come in out of the cold." He paused, and grinned. "Tiamat's appetite for your food, not for the stragglers. Although...."

 

  

On 12/6/2024 at 12:10 PM, Poncho said:

"...Well, that was certainly an entrance. I suppose you may need to build a hangar now, Ser Knight." She said almost offhandedly to Gaian Knight. 

 

He actually laughed, a proper full-chested kind of noise. "We may need better-advertised guidelines on our airspace," he mused, cocking his head to listen to the sound of it. "We do have a proper hangar up on level four, but it's not usually open to the public for all the obvious reasons. We'll have to add it to the list for next year; I certainly don't want to have to figure out what permits we'd need for me to extend it out past the building's footprint." He grinned again. "City officials aren't swayed when I tell them 'It's stable because it's magic, I promise,' as they shouldn't be."

[Azuth65]

On 12/8/2024 at 3:34 PM, RocketLord said:

"Hey there, I'm Ghost, out doing official League greetings, apparently. Welcome to the party. We got food, drinks, dancing and whatever."

 

"Feliz Navidad Ghost.  I'm Gauss, thanks for the invite.  On the subject of drinks however," the young magnetokinetic exercised her powers and floated a pair of one-liter glass bottles topped with metal caps towards the host, "I brought gifts.  The one with a red cap is the coquito made with rum, the green is the one I made without.  I hope folks enjoy them, they're my mother's recipe."

[RocketLord]

5 hours ago, Azuth65 said:

 

"Feliz Navidad Ghost.  I'm Gauss, thanks for the invite.  On the subject of drinks however," the young magnetokinetic exercised her powers and floated a pair of one-liter glass bottles topped with metal caps towards the host, "I brought gifts.  The one with a red cap is the coquito made with rum, the green is the one I made without.  I hope folks enjoy them, they're my mother's recipe."

 

GHOST (by Gauss)

 

"Sounds like something special,"  Ghost admits, as he looks at inspects the two bottles. They probably won't last too long with these crowds, but she'd put in effort. "I'll put them out on the tables if I ever manage to make my way away from the greetings."

 

He kind of wants to go find Grim, join her, but, he's a host. He gotta do his job, right?

 

"So hey, what's your story? Not a ton of people that show up alone out of the blue like this. Bit too old for the school crowd, too."

[Dracostern]

Cerebral and Cerebellum 

 

Iris was not surprised about the fact that Jack knew Russian, it was actually extremely obvious. As Lynn excused herself, the female twin would nod to her before turning to Mattie. "Yes, let's go." Being with familiar people was always good, especially here where they admittedly didn't know many people. There were a lot of new faces here after all. 

 

She followed the group towards the food all while messaging her brother via telepathy to tell him where they were.

 

Meanwhile..

Daniel was struggling to find his way around, had it not been for his connection to Iris, he may not have found the food, reuniting with his sister. He would wave at the group with her. "Happy Holidays everyone!" Daniel had a huge grin on his face.

[Spacefurry]

Paper (entrance with Young Guardians and Velocity)

 

Leon smiled at Velocity as the hero greeted the group.

“Nailed it in one.”

He nodded.

“They were great kids. Neko’s already up stairs, and I’ll be heading up there myself once we’ve sufficiently awed the masses.”

He gave her a quick wink and a grin.

“The Young Guardians are a name to remember.”

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff & Lark (leaving entrance and entering main Hall)

 

On 12/7/2024 at 11:17 AM, MoonSimply said:

La Puma Negra 

 

"The teachers say I've taken the combat training very well. I even did some small training with AEGIS for a week during the summer," she continues to speak politely.

 

“That sounds quite impressive.”

Lark smiled.

“I can’t say I’ve been trained that much, I always just try my best and hope I don't hurt someone I shouldn’t.”

 

Christopher patted her arm.

“You do an excellent job at controlling yourself, I wouldn’t let you hurt anyone.”

 

On 12/8/2024 at 3:34 PM, RocketLord said:

GHOST (by Blackstaff, Lark, Golden Star and La Puma Negra, moving out to Gauss)

 

Nice people. Golden boy seems enthusiastic about the whole hero thing. They need more optimists in the hero game, but then again, how long is that usually going to last? No need to do anything to break that, anyway.

 

"Well, guess I should go do my League duties and all that," he says with a wave.

 

“Of course, it was a pleasure.”

Christopher gave Ghost a nod as the hero excused himself to continue his duties.

 

Lark smiled and returned Ghost's wave.

 

On 12/8/2024 at 6:26 PM, Poncho said:

Golden Star

 

"Mr. Daye, Lark. Please have a wonderful Christmas. And maybe we'll see each other again tonight. And as always, if you happen to need something battered down, please don't be afraid to give me a call, I'm always open for friends, and if I can't help, I can get someone who can." he smiled. "I need to go say hello to some other people." he said, floating off.

 

“Of course, of course. Go, mingle, be jolly.”

Christopher smiled and gave Micheal a nod.

 

“It was a pleasure to meet you both.”

Lark added as Micheal excused himself as well.

 

“Well then, shall we.”

Christopher motioned ahead to the doors.

 

“Let’s”

Lark beamed as the two moved into the Hall proper.

[Spacefurry]

Seraphim (in Hall with Bounce, Jack, Cerebral, Cerebellum, Prime-Mover, Sever, Spore, and Zhenshchina-voin)

 

Sarah was nervous for a moment when Lynn excused herself. She stood in the hall, unsure where to go now, when she felt a hand on her back. A quick glance and she realized  it was Mattie’s. Even as she relaxed again, she felt pathetic.

 

She kept freezing up. People in this room have saved the city, or even the world, and she couldn’t even get through ‘Hi, my name is Sarah.’

 

Maybe Mattie was right and she’d feel better after a bite, or it could sit in her stomach like a lead weight. Either way, at least she wasn’t just standing in the entrance like a lump.

 

“Thank you.”

Sarah finally managed as Mattie steered her towards the catering tables.

[Tiffany Korta]

Zhenshchina-voin

moving towards the food tables

 

<"Wise woman your Babushka, though I wished I knew more and could have done more at the time..."> she mused before adding with a humoured tone <"Maybe it's true that Russians can be melancholic at even the most joyous of occasions!">

 

She mused for a moment before snatching up a napkin and beginning to write out a number.

 

<"If you need someone to talk to, whatever the hour, don't hesitate to call Auntie Klara. The same goes if you need someone to visit and we can easily manage a trip if you want to come stay for a while. My wife is a mean cook..."> She let the last part hang for just a moment before offering up the napkin

 

"I'm sure we could arrange a trip to London for you all in the New Year to come to visit Vanguard headquarters! It's not quite as fancy as this place, but then again what is really?"

[Thevshi]

Paradigm (entering the lobby/main hall from further inside Freedom Hall with Tiamat, Star Khan, Traveller, Justicar Vor'an, Artificer and Seresk)

 

As the party was starting to fill with various heroes from across the city (and beyond), a new group emerged from one of the hallways leading deeper into the Freedom Hall. At the front of the group was Freedom League member Tiamat, walking beside two other figures. Slight further back was the Atlantean Artificer, walking along side other members of the group.

 

One of the two individuals walking alongside Tiamat was a humanoid woman with dark orange skin, long black and purple hair and yellow eyes. She was dressed in a white and black fully body costume with golden yellow trim and details, a long black cape trailing behind her. Although a few inches shorter than Tiamat and with a lithe build, the woman carried herself with a clear confidence that was hard to miss. 

 

On her other side was a tall male humanoid standing at least six and a half feet tall. He had a handsome face, with grey-blue skin, high cheekbones and a flowing mane of white hair over tapered ears. He was wearing long, layered robes that where teal and navy-blue in color and embroidered with golden accents. On the outside of each of the wide sleeves was a large, bright white eight-pointed starbursts. Like the woman, he also carried himself with a natural confidence.

 

Just behind them were two other figures, walking alongside Artificer. One was a woman dressed in a somewhat casual jumpsuit. She appeared undistinguishable from a human, with dark hair and complexion. Next to her, talking with Artificer as they walked, was another tall male humanoid who appeared to be the same species as the robed male. However, this individual’s white hair was cut much shorter, and instead of robes, he was dressed in a teal and navy-blue jumpsuit that resembled a military uniform. Smaller white eight-pointed starbursts were just below the shoulder on each sleeve. 

 

The last member of the group was in the very back and towered above all the others. It was a massive eight-foot-tall reptilian humanoid covered in green and brown scales. In addition to a powerful, stocky build, the reptoid had a ten-foot-long tail that ended in a spiked ball.

 

Stopping at the entrance to the hallway, Paradigm (the orange skinned woman in the front) turned to Tiamat. "Thank you, Tiamat, for escorting us down from the Lighthouse. I apologize if our delay has caused you to miss any of the festivities."

 

A smile came to the face of Kinarr Khan (the man in robes next to Paradigm) as he looked out at the crowded gathered in the lobby. Turning to Tiamat as well, he gave her a small nod. "Indeed, thank you."
 

[Fox]

Tiamat

entering the lobby

 

"It's fine," said Tiamat, waving one hand to dismiss the idea that it was important or an inconvenience. She would have, normally, stood quite tall - but in present company even her six-feet-plus didn't quite measure up and she was trying not to think about it.

 

Nor think about turning back into a dragon to be properly large again. There wasn't room for that. Probably? Probably wasn't room for that.

 

She chose to believe that her red Santa hat made up the difference, and would not be confirming. "People are still coming in, so we're still early," she pointed out. "Go forth, be merry, eat food. Don't get into fights or I'll step on you."

[RocketLord]

BOUNCE! (by the catering tables, having dragged any and all Claremonters coming in with her along)

 

"Look at all that food!" Mattie exclaims, having finally managed to try to wrangle Sarah, Owen, Jack, Iris and whoever else she could along. "Oh, hi Daniel!" she exclaims, as Iris' brother shows up, waving at him quickly. "Doesn't that all look delicious? C'mon, Sarah, have something! There's potatoes, pie, roast, duck, aw, so much great stuff. C'mon, tell me what you want, guys!"

 

Mattie begins to sprout several extra arms, her all of her arms getting the same green sleeves from her christmas sweater, as she begins to reach around the area for plates and food for all of her friends, making sure that they all get whatever she can get for them. Nothing's out of her reach, and she'll be sure that all her friends gets some food!

[RocketLord]

The STORMCROW (by Velocity with the Young Guardians)

 

"Thank you, it's great to hear that even the League has been hearing about us," Charlie responds to Velocity, after making sure to wait and let the others have a chance to respond. They're a team, and he don't want anyone to think that he's speaking on their behalf. 

 

He's smiling broadly. But there's still that feeling. Someone looking at him, and not just in the sense of being impressed by their appearance. He glances around briefly, and, there... Is that Miracle Girl? They'd worked together briefly, meeting her alongside Terrifica. He nods at her once. Maybe there'll be a chance to talk later.

 

"We should let Velocity do her thing, everyone! Thank you for having us, Megan. C'mon, let's go have some fun!" 

 

It feels weird to call one of his heroes by her name, but he has gotten used to it with Alek, so why not?

 

So, moving on, into the party. Let's see if they can keep from getting into trouble.

 

"So, what do you think everyone? Everything looking alright?"

[RocketLord]

Spaceman  (With Torpedo Lass II, Timeout, Blue Bolt and Gamma Buzz)

 

Parker pauses when he sees the large group that enters from one of the rooms. Or rather, he pauses when he sees the orange skinned woman.

 

That's Paradigm. He is sure of it. But not the Paradigm that they met, this is the Paradigm from this universe. She's decidedly less robotic looking, at least. 

 

He leans in closer to Vueriz. "It's too bad that it was only the pocket universe version that saw the machine you built. I'm sure she could have put a good word in with the Praetorians for you otherwise." 

 

Personally, he can't help but think that it's also too bad that she won't know how he and Michael managed to actually hold her down, if even for a moment...