When The City Sleeps

[Heridfel]

"Sounds like you got volunteered," Hub says. "You should've called 'not it' a little faster there, Nightrival."

He's not surprised that Grimalkin doesn't really think about him when she suggests him as Riker, whoever that is. After all, she hadn't met him before tonight, and he's never been a guy to get everyone following him right from the get-go. Maybe after they go up against a few super-villains, they might feel different about him.

"There's got to be an easier way to get a hold of all of us than Nightrival giving out notes. Master Lee probably doesn't want to get used as a message board either, and we'd want to meet up quick if we were needed for something. Maybe we could get pagers or something?" he says questioningly.

[Thevshi]

Velocity had remained quite during the early part of the discussion about a name for the team and who should be the leader, not feeling it was really her place to interject on the subject. But at Hub's question about possibly getting pagers she spoke up. "That or cellphones. It is not actually that hard. Under the law, costumed identities are afforded legal status, sort of like a corporation, only without the annoying need to incorporate. So you can actually engage in commerce under your super identity, which includes entering contracts."

 

"Course, it can be a bit more difficult when you aren't exactly well know to the public, but I can vouch for everyone with the store where I have my cell service with. They will allow you to operate on a cash basis."

[Heridfel]

Hub tilts his head in thought as Velocity speaks. He smiles to himself when she mentions "not well known". Sen's new to town, and he certainly didn't know Grimalkin. Heck, the only reason he knew about Nightrival at first was because Master Lee introduced them, though since then, he had seen some things that had Nightrival's fingerprints on them.

"I dunno," he says when she's done, "I wouldn't want to get my own cell phone and that one mixed up. I see what you mean about being able to say more over a phone, though."

He shrugs, then chuckles. "Guess we could use a tech whiz; make us up something smaller than a phone that we could use. If we start recruiting again, put that on your list," he says to Nightrival.

[Shadowboxer]

Nightrival leans back on the sofa and listens to Grim and Hub explain why Nightrival should take on the role as leader. He blushes deeply under his mask, not expecting to be nominated for the position. He thought someone else who is more capable, more articulate, and more popular than Nightrival would be their first choice. He smiles and the corner of his right eye suddenly twitches; he knows he gets along well with Grim but he never knew she feels so strongly about their partnership. He holds his palms out and tightens his shoulders.

"Alright, alright," he murmurs. "I'll, uh, I'll be yer point man. Fer now. But if I end up lettin' ya'll down then ya gotta make sure someone take my place." He turns to Grim. "And, um, thanks. I mean it."

He shrugs, then chuckles. "Guess we could use a tech whiz; make us up something smaller than a phone that we could use. If we start recruiting again, put that on your list," he says to Nightrival.

"Fer sure," he replies. "I think Velocity has a good idea. We can use some kinda - I don't know - communicator ta keep in touch. I'm goin' ta send th' word out fer more recruits. I'll keep an eye out fer a gearhead."

He take a handful of fries and nibbles on one. "This is workin' out well. Is there anythin' else we need ta be discussin'? I wanna hear what 's on yer mind?"

[Heridfel]

Hub raises his hand, as if waiting for Nightrival to call on him. He doesn't seem to be seriously waiting on him, but when Nightrival looks over to him, Hub lowers the hand and begins to speak.

"Well, ignoring all the jokes I made about wanting to be mysterious, I think you should all get an idea of what I can do - and it'd help me to know what you guys can do as well.

I can manipulate living things. I can heal them, make them stronger, or make them tired without putting myself out, and probably a lot more than that if I started thinking about it. I can also see them, even through disguises and solid objects. That's how I knew who was at the door," he says. "Those are my powers. I... oh, one other thing. All that stuff I can do? I can't do it to myself, so if I get hurt, I stay that way. But I'm pretty healthy and can hold my own in a fight - at least, a fight against something that's roughly human. If I went up against, say, the Meta-Grue, he'd knock me out cold."

The last part sounds like he's recounting a memory, rather than just making up an example, and it definitely seems honest.

[Shadowboxer]

Nightrival turns to Hub. "Huh. That's why I was on my game when we were in Freeport: yer mojo was keepin' us afloat. That's good ta know. We can place ourselves in th' field accordin' ta our strengths."

He thoughtfullly nods his head and eases back into the couch.

[Heritage]

"Alright, alright," he murmurs. "I'll, uh, I'll be yer point man. Fer now. But if I end up lettin' ya'll down then ya gotta make sure someone take my place." He turns to Grim. "And, um, thanks. I mean it."

Grim beams but sort of looks off to the side, a bit embarrassed by the exchange of affection; they'd been through a lot together, but it was rare they discussed how much they meant to each other as both friends and co-workers.

The young heroine nods vigorously with all the talk about cellphones and other communication devices. "I totally agree, we need to be able to stay in touch. Also we can use free email accounts or messages drops, too, maybe have a few rendezvous places picked out as well."

Once Hub explains a bit about himself, Grim hops to her feet. "Well, since you showed me yours...well, you told me yours, actually. Never mind, that's an old stupid joke." She puts her hands behind her back and rocks back on her heels. "So, okay, what can I do."

She starts ticking off her abilities on her fingers. "I can see in the dark, have a whole sort of sensory package that makes me a terrible snoop who's good at tracking people." She spreads her hands and her wicked little claws slide out. "I have zee long nails, good for climbing and hurting people." She puts her nails away and starts rubbing her jaw thoughtfully. "Well, I've got two more biggies left...very cool but kinda secret." At last she shrugs. "Okay, full disclosure, right? I can disappear like that-"

She snaps her fingers and wraps the room around her, blending seamlessly into her background for a just a moment before reappearing with a big ol' grin on her face.

"Now this last one you can't breathe a word about to anyone; I'm trying to keep it a bit of a secret just for now, though I'm sure that won't last forever."

She grins again as gray mists swirl around her form, and suddenly there are two Velocities in the room! She poses like a fashion model and winks.

"As you can imagine, this one has a thousand and one uses, and at least five of them involve legitimate crimefighting."

The mists return and she's Grim again. "Sorry, Velo, I couldn't resist. So that's me in a nutshell; I'm not the best fighter in the world, but I make up for by being sneaky and manipulative." ;)

[Heridfel]

"Don't get into a fight with Nightrival, then," Hub says. "I've seen him. He's sneakier. How many years did you say that you've trained before you met up with Master Lee?" he addresses the last bit to Nightrival.

"And Sen... well, I've seen you use that sword. It's definitely magical, but I don't know what all it can do," Hub says.

[Thevshi]

Velocity just listened as the others began talking a bit about themselves. She arched an eyebrow some as Grim transformed into a duplicate of her. She smiled at the other girl when Grim returned to her normal appearance. "No worries. That does seem like a useful ability."

[Shadowboxer]

"Don't get into a fight with Nightrival, then," Hub says. "I've seen him. He's sneakier. How many years did you say that you've trained before you met up with Master Lee?" he addresses the last bit to Nightrival.

Nightrival crosses his legs and stretches his arms across the back of the couch. "If yer steppin' up ta that Meta-Grue fella then I got nothing on ya, Hub. But if yer askin', Master Lee was my first teacher. I met 'im when I was a kid. After that, well, I guess I trained fer about fifteen years 'fore I put on th' mask."

[Heridfel]

"Yeah, you got me beat," Hub says. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I should get started back to my place. It's a pretty long walk, and I'd like to get there before sunrise."

He stands up from the table and waves at all of them. The observant ones might have noticed that he didn't eat anything that was brought to the gathering. Then, presuming no one stops him, he heads out the door.

[Shadowboxer]

Nightrival is not accustomed to talking about his past, especially to people he's only known for a short time. He realizes he might be saying too much and he immediately shuts himself up. He's relieved that Hub broke the silence and he stands up at the same time as his new teammate.

"Fair enough. But ain't ya gonna eat anything? Ya came all this way, after all. I unnerstand if ya gotta go but, ya know, we got chicken. Lots o' chicken."

[Heridfel]

Hub shakes his head, "Thanks for the offer, but I didn't bring anything, so I shouldn't eat anything. It's only fair. Besides, training'll start soon enough, and I hate giving up fried chicken, so I've tried to stay away from it when I can."

He shrugs and smiles, though the smile is only visible in outline against his mask. "I know that doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's easier to not have something at all than it is to only have it a little. You know where to reach me, and I reckon any of the rest of y'all can get me through Nightrival."

With that, Hub steps out of the door and back into the night... and promptly begins to make his way through the alleys to avoid drawing suspicion to his obvious superhero costume.

[Shadowboxer]

Nightrival nods his head and watches Hub exit the room. He sits back down and places two more pieces of chicken on his plate. He mutters something about not eating all day and looks back to the group.

"So, uh, this is lookin' good, right?" he asks between bites. "I mean, we got ourselves a team. How many superpeople can say that? An army, maybe. Goin' up against the forces of evil an' all that. I dunno 'bout ya guys, but I'm feelin' like everythin's goin' ta work out."

He shrugs his shoulders and continues eating his meal, giving someone a chance to speak so he can finish eating.

[Heritage]

"So, uh, this is lookin' good, right?" he asks between bites. "I mean, we got ourselves a team. How many superpeople can say that? An army, maybe. Goin' up against the forces of evil an' all that. I dunno 'bout ya guys, but I'm feelin' like everythin's goin' ta work out."

Grim nods as she continues chewing her chicken. "Yeah, I'd say things are going well; we need a tech guy and another full-time girl, no offense, Vel, so I can have someone to talk to, but yeah, we got a good start."

Suddenly she stops and looks around. "Hey, did Sen disappear on us? Man, he's a sneaky guy!"

[Shadowboxer]

Nightrival looks up from his chicken and shakes his head.

"Huh. Whattaya know? Either that means he's inta th' idea of joinin' our crew or there's a poltergeist nearby. Does he even fight those things? Or is it jus' demons?" He shrugs his shoulders. "Ah, whatever."

He finishes his meal he tosses the plate onto the table. He leans forward and steeples his fingers. "I guess Grim here said all that needs ta say, right? Good. Then we're agreed." He stands up and brushes his hands against his legs. "Ya guys will put th' word out and so will I. If ya need me, ya can find me passin' by here every midnight."

He walks over the door and opens it ajar. "Ya guys can hang out here all ya want; I gotta go back ta work. Don't worry 'bout th' dishes. I'll do 'em 'fore Monty gets up."

"Thanks fer comin' out. Startin' tonight we're gonna make a difference."

He tips his head to the group and somehow vanishes before anyone can say good-bye.

[Shadowboxer]

Nightrival watches Grim and Velocity eat and chat with one another through the office window. Grim tells a joke, probably something about his habit of disappearing without saying good-bye, and Velocity laughs in reply. Since Nightrival decided to take on Grim as his student, for the lack of a better word, she became a trusted friend. She started her career fighting in the streets and now she's having a late night dinner with a member of the Freedom League and joining a group of her own. Nightrival smiles to himself, allowing himself to be proud of the young hero.

Sen and Hub will be welcome additions, too. Sen is a formidable warrior and he isn't afraid to speak his mind. Hub was a college football player when they travelled to Freeport and now he's a full-fledged superhero with incredible powers. With Velocity as a contact with the League, Nightrival is confident the group will do good work. He's still amazed he was able to get them together.

He turns to leave, shaking his head, when he bumps into Monty holding a mug.

"Leaving?" asks Monty.

"My work here is done."

"Not yet. No, you're not quite done." Monty takes a sip from his mug.

"Whattaya mean?"

"That young lady in there, all those heroes who came here tonight? They came 'cause you called. Now you have to make sure they can trust each other. Without that, you got nothing."

Nightrival looks over his shoulder and glances at Grim laughing with Velocity.

"They'll do alright. I know it."

"You can't know it until you see it," replies Monty. He goes to take another sip and notices that Nightrival is gone. He shakes his head and returns to the garage.