Nova's sight shifted towards Greg, who seemed to have misplaced something. Whether it be his phone or something. Seemed a tad odd, however. Still, she stretched her arms over her head, trying to properly wake up. "Y'lost something, Greg? Don't think you'll find your keys around here." Speaking of keys, Nova looked over around by where she woke up, patting her pockets, phone and keys in there. One thing missing, if she remembered correctly, she left her helmet next to her in the diner...

Her gaze turned to the black-haired woman, sighing. "If you can't get us a straight answer, fine. I just want to know if you have my bike, bag, and my helmet. Tell me you guys didn't just leave that in the diner." There was a slight twinge of irritation in her voice, and who could blame her? Dragged into some place she has no idea where or why, but hopefully getting the answers this way would be better than punching her way out.

@Ambra @Brasslazer

She waited patiently for Garrett to undress, with some difficulty. His face turned red and she could feel the embarrassment emanating from him. "Sorry, I don't mean to make this awkward or anything." Claire shyly glanced at his physique, remarking on it as he pulled his shirt over his head, "but I think the birth mark on your collarbone is cute." She didn't dare go any further than that however, and when he tossed his shirt to the side, she quietly took the plain gray tee shirt and guided his head through the collar. After that, she handed him the sweatpants that came with the outfit.
"I trust you can handle the rest?" she asked him, "I'll go and get dressed." Claire gestured to the small bathroom, grabbing her set of clothes courtesy of the aide.

Knock knock knock! The door opened, revealing two aides carrying bowls full of soup and a basket of bread rolls. They politely greeted the pair and silently placed the food at the table in the middle of the room, exiting immediately afterwards. They didn't seem eager to stick around for too long.
The smell of chicken noodle soup and fresh baked bread soon filled the room.

Claire decided to change into the comfortable cotton clothing first. She stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and quickly undressing and dressing into the gray clothes. She kept her wallet and phone in her pocket and neatly rolled her old clothes into a roll. Her blue eyes gazed at herself in the mirror and after a small mental pep talk with herself, she finished up and exited the bathroom. She placed her clothes in a corner of the room.
The smell of chicken noodle soup and fresh baked bread soon filled the room and her stomach growled at the appetizing smell. Claire took a spot on the bed and started to eat.
@Ambra

The aides had brought new clothes, something akin to hospital gowns, and thrown them onto the beds, and while the foremost one of them explained very briefly what was going on, and Aliron spazzed out with more questions, Iris busied herself playing with the one that might have been intended for her.

Not that she would wear such a thing. She wasn’t preparing for surgery, it didn’t look like it would fit (or be that comfortable), and they hadn’t asked. But it gave her something to do rather than get worked up about all of her questions. Sure, she wasn’t blurting them out like her roommate, but she still had plenty of them, the foremost being “What are they protecting us from?” and “Why only us?”

The strange distortion in Aliron’s voice, combined with the path of her thoughts, made her wonder if perhaps they were doing a very poor job of protecting her.

She scooted over the bed, fixing her dress as she made it to the other side, and walked over to Aliron like one might try to approach a skittish cat: slow, gliding steps, hands held out in front, slightly-hesitant concerned look on face. She made it over successfully, and placed one of her small hands on his arm, gently.

“Aliron, we’ll find your suitcase. But I don’t think that this man took it, and I don’t think that he’s going to tell us where it is.” She looked over at the man, still moving slowly, and stared her message at him: don’t contradict me.

She’d been in few situations like this before; normally, she preferred a more direct, punchy method of negotiation, but that wasn’t applicable here. Foremost, Aliron seemed to be the largest threat, and she wanted him on her side, not against her. And, these looked and sounded like low-rank employees: if she were to think of things in a comic sense, the minions. Fighting them would be extra pointless.
@Eklispe@Ambra

Whitney would have expected Sully to grind his teeth and huff even louder, but the man calmed his nerves and looked at Noelle. Now that she took a good look at him, she didn't think that he was that much older than they were; he still had that youth-ish light in his eyes, but they always appeared tired or drained of energy. From what she could see, he bore no beard, but he always scratched and rubbed at his face as if he had stubble. His black hair appeared almost gray, especially at this moment. All in all, she thought he was a man in his mid thirties that looked about forty or fifty when his brow furrowed and his gaze became dark.

"What are you looking at?" Ravello sighed, glancing back at Whitney. The girl avoided his look, fidgeting as she turned her gaze towards Noelle. She honestly felt sorry for the girl.

"What are you going to do to us?"

"I already answered you. Feed you, clothe you, and protect you... that is, until you know what the fuck is going on."

She faltered at the unexpectedly frustrated tone in his voice. Sully sounded like a berating parent rather than someone who wanted to do them harm. Was he really, really telling the truth?

He tapped his foot a few times at the quietness of the duo. "Come now," he said. "Has that dumb video game of yours really fried your brain? Don't you think, that, if I wanted to hurt you, I would have already done so?"

The man shook his head, opening the door and allowing a woman in white clothing to enter. She wielded two bowls of soup and two loaves of bread in a bag slung over her shoulder. "Will you two be good kids and eat?" Sully asked as the aide placed the bowls on the table before the two young women.

@rivaan



"S-shut up," the introvert's blush only increased in intensity as he glared at the young woman, but once again, Garrett fell silent as Claire slipped on his shirt. The feel of the new clothing was somewhat comfortable, he had to admit. They felt more like those baggy types of gym clothes. She told him that she would leave him to the rest, and that she would change in the bathroom. His shaking hands took hold of the pair of pants, sighing as he waited for her to leave-- that was when other aides came in with bowls of soup and breadsticks. The smell of the soup made his stomach roar like some sort of monster.

Garrett eyed the soup as he struggled into his pants, grunting as he couldn't find a way to fit his left leg into one of the holes. Luckily enough, he found a way to pull the trousers up to his waist, another sound coming forth from his lips as Claire stepped out of the bathroom. He watched her take the bowl, pouting as she began to eat it. He wasn't sure if he was even going to be able to get up... "Listen," he puffed out his cheeks wearily, his cheeks glowing red once more. "Do you really think I can eat by myself?"

@DFA



The aide looked quite nervous when it came to Aliron's reply. "I don't even know the details," he told both of them, glancing in between them as he clutched his clipboard. "But all I know is that both of you... should probably remain calm for now. You will be given clean clothing to change into and even food. But you are safe, here. That was what they told me to tell you."

@Kiddo @Eklispe



"I believe that everything has been taken from the diner," the woman stated as she ignored their antics. "So I think that your belongings are as safe as you are, right now. For now, you two should change clothing and eat food. Someone is going around passing out chicken noodle soup."

@Brasslazer @Kit N Kat

---

Was the purple at the edge of his vision? Whatever. When he felt Iris's touch on his arm it jerked backwards and purple energy flared around it for half a second. In his focus on the man he'd once again forgotten about Iris. Aliron took a deep shuddering breath in response to her words and glared at the man. His response merely confirmed Iris's guess. Ugh. He'd worry about it later. But there was no way he was forgetting about it. "Fine. Bring us food then. Or else I'll break out of here and get it myself and my suitcase." Aliron said grumpily as he laid back down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling resentfully. Of course he had no idea how he was going to fulfill that threat if it came down to it, but they better not push him or he'd find a way. He wasn't taking their stupid clothes either. If they wanted him in new clothes they could bring his suitcase and he could get his clothes out of there. Dummies.

@Ambra@Kiddo

Noelle pressed more into Whitney’s back. The blue haired girl’s arms were trembling as she held onto the other girl’s clothes. She quietly trembled and stared at Ravello with a mix of terror and anger. She couldn’t forgive the man who stole her voice and Ravello did appear quite similar in some aspects to him in her mind right now.

Noelle clenched her teeth, trying to bring herself to say something, but her fear was stopping her. When the woman carrying the food entered, Noelle’s thoughts only grew darker. They were really treated like prisoners here… Sure it looked better than prisons, but in reality it was the same!

She let out a soft growl of fear and anger, still hiding behind Whitney. Noelle was simply going to be in that condition as long as the man was in the room really. There was no way around that, given her past. Her eyes danced between him and the food a few times, but the fear of him prevailed above her hunger for the moment.

@Ambra

---

Clarice stood in the middle of a ballroom where the high class party was currently going on. It was the usual powerful companies throwing parties around for it’s greatest customers and supporters. Nothing unusual to be seen here, unless you count the agents scattered about the place for both protection and intelligence gathering.

Naturally Clarice caught a lot of gazes as she walked across the hall. She had the looks of a model after all, the only difference was that she was a lot taller than most. She took herself a drink from a passing waitress and headed towards a nearby gathering of a few businessmen who appeared to be in a heated discussion.

She mingled with the crowds for a good few hours, making good impressions and just getting to know the people, before the reason she came here showed up. It was a man in his forties, wearing an expensive suit, he entered the place pretty much like she did, like he owned the place.

Clarice approached him from up front, making him show up a surprised face before he regained his composure.” Long time no see, my friend.” She said, her voice filled with calmness, noticing some of the guards on the sides of the hall looking rather tense at their master’s surprise.

“Clarice, I heard you retired a few years back.” He replied, gesturing for her to follow him towards the nearest staircase and then to a balcony where they can talk in private. He also took a drink as they walked, attracting a lot of attention from the other guests as the host just arrived and he was already walking somewhere with a woman.

“I need some information, Jack.” Clarice told him when they were at the balcony. She turned her back towards the edge and leaned on the railing softly.” Massive abduction from Darkwell city… 8 people, all taken suddenly in the matter of about an hour or so.” She stated, looking at the man with serious eyes.” There is no way something of this caliber happen without anyone getting a word about it. Without you getting a word of it, after all this entire west coast is your playground. You keep your ear out on everything that goes here.” She said, taking a sip from her drink.

“Clarice…” He muttered, looking at her with narrowed eyes.” Why do you expect everything will be fine after vanishing for years?” He asked, staring angrily at her.” Didn’t you say that you will stay by my side if you retire?”

“That, Jack... is a thing that never can happen.” She whispered, passing by him slowly until she stopped when they were shoulder to shoulder.” I cannot stay with you, I like your wife too much for that to happen~ just remember that night in London as a good memory and never seek to repeat it.” She whistled with a smile and placed a gun in his hand.” No need for thanks by the way, the assassin is tied up in the bathroom. I will be expecting that info by tomorrow~ Best regards to the wife when you get home later tonight.”

After that she left the event the same way she arrived, elegantly and with the attitude of a queen.

@Ambra

She took several gulps of the chicken broth, its warmth soothing her. As she scooped noodles and chicken into her mouth, Garrett pouted and protested at her. Claire glanced at him thoughtfully and proceeded to grab his loaf of bread and threw it into his soup before turning back to her bowl. She got about halfway before she started to feel satisfied and set the bowl aside on another table.
"Jeez...Don't milk this too much." She muttered as she seated herself next to him and grabbed his bowl. After submerging the bread and breaking it apart with the spoon, she offered the first scoop of soaked bread and noodles, an awkward blush coloring her cheeks.
"Sheesh, don't you have a girlfriend who could do this for you?"

Gregory's head raised up at the sound of the red haired girl's voice. Guess his search had been more obvious than he thought. "Keys? Yeah, I'm looking for my keys. Could've sworn they were in my pocket. But no skin off my back, I guess." he managed to say, tripping over his words. Even in this weird as hell situation, he needed to make it seem like he wasn't a freak with a golden tiny man following him around. He was relieved when the attention was once again turned towards the aide. Apparently they had chicken noodle soup available. That didn't quite make the fact that thy had been drugged and kidnapped better. He was also glad that his belongings were safe, though he hadn't brought much to the party except what he had in his pockets and his bike. "Chicken noodle soup sounds great, but do you guys possibly also have something to drink? Preferably some sort of stiff drink. Maybe a scotch if you have it. I'm the kind of person who drinks away my worries, and getting kidnapped by a sketchy hospital who claim to be doing it for my 'safety' is something I would definitely consider a worry." Gregory looked over at the red haired girl. She looked pretty young, but now wasn't exactly the time to card someone. "Maybe my friend over here would like something as well. I've always been more of a social drinker." At this point, couldn't tell whether he was just joking about the alcohol or legitimately asking his kidnappers for some. Either way he could really use a drink.

@Ambra@Kit N Kat

---

Aliron didn't move at the sound of footsteps and waited until the door closed before getting up and looking at what had been brought in. Soup? Of course the kidnappers were too cheap to get anything else. Not that Aliron didn't like soup. He just didn't like that they had decided to give him soup. Never the less he'd been planning to eat all he could at the party and that plan had backfired severely so he was now rather hungry. Besides, with nothing better to do Aliron began eating his chicken noodle soup, ignoring the bread until he dipped it in the broth and slowly consumed it at the end. Then he'd lay down on his bed again, jeez they could've at least given him a TV or something.

The long table of the large, technology-clad room was decorated with such strange and foreign faces. The young men and women that had been gathered before them shared a variety of expressions, fear, anger, confusion, but they were all still... strange to him. Perhaps it was because he had never seen them before, until now. Perhaps it was also because they all shared similar characteristics. If he would tell anyone that these young adults were infused with powers from a video game they enjoyed playing, they would look at him as if he were crazy. But it was the truth, and he, especially him, of all people, couldn't help it.

Sully stood at the head of the table, his hands clasped behind his back as he eyed the new faces. The one that almost always talked to him at the cafe, a brunette with wide eyes, stared up at him like a child that was expecting to be scolded. He almost didn't spare her a glance-- she was too distracting, especially since she was a bit too talkative. The dark-haired man that had to be drugged seemed to be able to walk about on two feet; he didn't slump over in his chair, and his sharp gaze was clear and focused as he glowered at him. Sully knew that the boy would have sprang at him, if it wasn't for the armed guards standing at the doorway. The ammunition that they would use would not be fatal, but as soon as the tranquilizer would break skin, the offender would be out within a heartbeat.

"Is everyone here?" Sully mumbled more to himself than the brunette that lurked somewhere behind him.

"Yeppers," Roxanne bobbed her head enthusiastically, glancing at the screens that provided the information that Sully was about to present to them. "Just hopin' they'll take it well."

Sully clenched his jaw. They have to, he thought. If they don't, they'll be dead before the week is over. That or... become one of them.

He cleared his throat, turning back towards the eight individuals before him. "Greetings," Sully began, his hands gripping at each other behind his back. "As you all might know, I am Sully Ravello. You might have seen me before, but that isn't the point. I've gathered all of you here to give you vital information that will save your lives. Now, if you would lend me your ears..."

"We are part of an organization called the Syndicate. Don't bother wondering if you heard of us before-- trust me, you haven't," Sully's words fell out of his mouth with ease as he spoke, his voice flowing over the room. "The Syndicate is a top-secret organization that is linked to the very core of this nation's military. Navy, army, air force, SEALS... all of these groups have worked hand in hand with us. A few years ago, a young man approached us with a revolutionary idea: focus our time and money on creating super soldiers."

"However, he didn't mean the type of super soldiers that you see in movies like Captain America or Iron Man," Sully continued. "He wanted something far greater. This individual claimed that the powers taken from basic video game characters, like Mario or Kirby, and injected straight into a soldier's being, would create a huge advantage in both present and future wars. He also explained that he had found a way to complete such a task. After some time of thinking, the government decided it would be best to listen to him, as times were dark and we were desperate to protect our nation and its allies."

"That was when the Syndicate was formed. We focused on making this young man's idea come true. At times, it seemed like our little project was at a standstill. He would lose interest, and return to playing his games for more inspiration. This was around the time when that game... League of Legends, was in its early stages of life. Unsurprisingly, he took a great interest to the game... and more ideas began to come forth from his mind. He said that super powers like Mario's double jump and Kirby's eating power were silly and childish compared to the powers of characters like Ashe or Vayne or Master Yi."

"The machine that he created a few years prior, the CORE, was ready to test out such a theory. But before regular soldiers could test out such a creation, he first needed a subject willing to participate in an experiment," Ravello's eyes scanned the table as he continued. "If the experiment failed, then it would result in death. No one was willing to sacrifice themselves... except me. He was eager when I claimed I would be his first subject, and booted the machine up in order to begin the test. I don't really recall what happened... but I'm pretty sure I'm alive," he shrugged. "The experiment was a success. He was ecstatic about it. What do you expect when an antisocial genius finds out that he isn't crazy, after all?"

"He wasn't the only one that was happy. The Syndicate and the military were rushing to get their paws on the CORE. But he wanted to infuse himself with powers, before anyone else could use it... and it didn't turn out so pretty," he paused for a moment. "You can pretty much guess what champion's powers he chose. After receiving the abilities, he became a lunatic, hungry for power. He took the CORE for himself, and indulged himself in creating more 'superior' subjects and machines... sometimes against the will of his lab rats."

"We don't know where he is, or what exactly he is doing," Sully heaved a long sigh. "But we know that, someway, somehow, you guys received your champion's powers. And we aren't the only ones that know. That is why we brought you here. We suspect that he's right on your tails, and if he captures any one of you..." he shook his head. "Well, I'm pretty sure that none of you want to find out."

Sully found himself winded as he once again looked over each face at the table. His face remained serious as he hoped that all of them understood the situation that they were on, remaining silent as he awaited their reactions.

@rivaan
@DFA
@Brasslazer
@Eklispe
@Kiddo
@Kit N Kat

---

Aliron stared at Sully skeptically. "So let me get this straight. We all got kidnapped cause your 'organization' let a geek make a machine that gave people superpowers use it on himself and is now a power hungry scientist dude? What's more he's so super that your whole secret organization shtick can't bring him down? If so then what make us safe here? Finally." At this a more serious glint shone in Aliron's eyes and his voice changed from the escalating anger and disdain to cold focus. "Where is my god dam suitcase?" Odd purple distortions in the air occurred around him.

At this point it wasn't even really about the suitcase. Aliron could care less about the suitcase's contents. It was what the suitcase represented that he wanted back. Aliron was, though he may not seem it, a fairly young individual with practically no experience outside of his own personal world. His city jump had been a decision that was rather reckless and poorly thought through. His time in this new city had been somewhat stressful as he'd been able to accomplish little, had no friends there and had done a surprisingly poor job of making them. He knew these people around him were judging him even now. His self-confidence had already been dwindling. The party was supposed to fix that, make some friends, have some food, maybe win something. Instead he'd been robbed and kidnapped, and locked into area 51 by the Illuminati. Yesterday hadn't been a great day. Today was a downright rotten day so far. In fact his whole week hadn't been much fun and to cap it all off the voices wouldn't shut up. Aliron was kind of at his breaking point. So he needed something tangible to ground himself again. To someone who didn't know these things his demand no doubt seemed trivial and petty. Aliron was well aware of this and in his mind, was all the more reason he should get his suitcase back. Was it really so much to ask?

Alexis nodded along as she listened to the mans explanation, albeit crazy as it was. She clenched a fist, looking at her hand as she felt the potential energy once again, before relaxing again once more. It did seem quite out there, something way beyond what seemed physically possible, though unusual night after unusual night, and here we are. Now she's in the middle of nowhere, under the 'protection' (she believed it but was slightly skeptical) of Mr. Ravello. She shook her head though, looking around. The first guy to speak up had some serious questions, which she figured she wouldn't get anywhere by asking the same. So after he was done, Nova followed with her own."Two questions. Is it just us? And what did you end up doing to yourself?

Noelle kept quiet and followed after Whitney, holding onto the girl's clothes as an afraid child, always hiding behind her with face filled with fear and suspicion. She didn't really trust this Sully character. He abducted them! Like a common criminal, he drugged them so they couldn't resist and now htey were in this place god knows where. She feared what he would do if they refused to play by his rules.

When he explained the situation, Noelle made an irriated explression, glaring at him without moving away from Whitney. The Aliron guy asked some pretty valid questions there... except the one about hte suitcase. What made them safer here? There was no way this place would truly be safe from whomever had the skills to create a machine that creatures superheroes basically.

"If... he finds us out here... you gathered us all in one place..." Her voice suddenly chimmed in through the briefing room, causing everythign to vibrate for a slight moment as she kept her 'voice' weak. Noelle didn't really want to blow out hte lamps... just yet."... with us gathered... if he finds this place... you basically give us all away on a silver platter..."

"Also Syndicate... is a name only villains use..." She growled at him, holding onto Whitney's sleeve.

It was crazy. And Gregory didn't just mean crazy in the way that was thrown around all the time like nothing. The situation that had just been described to him was clinically insane. But it did explain the weird things that had happened to him. But it raised so many more questions? Why them? Why League of Legends? How the hell was there a device that could just give people the powers of video games? Everything about it seemed surreal, but he had to accept that this was real, and he was involved in one way or another. They were all involved, in fact. The rest of them seemed as frantic as him when presented with the truth that was in all ways stranger than fiction. They were surprised, confused, and terrified.

But he didn't care about that right now. Because at that moment, he realized he could share his problems with the others without them thinking he was crazy.

"Okay everyone, it seems we're all on the same sinking ship that is also on fire, so I think we should just accept that and start trying to survive the crazy man who's coming after us." he said, standing up to get everyone's attention. This was important, dammit. "I'm Gregory Jaegar, I'm an amateur musician, and now that I know I'm not making it all up in my bed, I apparently have all the powers of Bard. I know it's all a lot to take in, but keeping this in mind, I'd like to know if any of you have seen what I know understand to be my Meep. He seems to be lost ever since I woke up, which seems like quite a problem."

She stood next to Garrett, ready to catch him if he so happened to show signs of fainting. Claire tapped her foot anxiously, looking around at the other people who had been brought here. It seemed as if they had all been brought here agianst their will and it then dawned on Claire that these people were at the small celebration at the diner.
The man's words had left her mind-blown and almost shocked. This scenario just seemed so vast in scale and she would dismiss it as ramblings of a madman if not for one thing. Her powers, as well as the fact that she couldn't blow away the reinforced steel door in the room they placed her in.

Questions flooded the air as well as in her mind. Claire listened to the rest of the group. She remained quiet, wondering what the man would say next or how he would answer all of these questions.
"I wonder...maybe the guy chasing us was closeby and wanted to strike at the diner while we were all there. Maybe that's why we were taken away so swiftly...What do you think?" She muttered her thoughts out loud to Garrett. "And I wonder why you were poisoned so severely too?"
Gregory spoke up, revealing his Bard powers. A meep...? Nope, don't remember seeing one! she shook her head.

Iris had spent what time they gave them before the meeting stubbornly lying on her bed. They brought food, and she did not eat it. They left them with clothes (apparently those rags she’d seen earlier were not actually their intended attire), but she did not change into them. It didn’t help that Aliron had done nothing to easy her fears of him, so she did not want to feel any more vulnerable with him nearby than she already did.

They were collected soon enough, and she found a seat as far from her roommate as she could once they were in a larger space, and watched as more and more of her customers were brought into the room. Of course it hadn’t just been the two of them. And then Sully was there, too, but not in the same capacity, and she listened, chin resting in her hand, to the implausible explanation that he gave them. And then the others were asking questions, and she had some of her own.

In a lull in the other’s barrage, she stood up, staring around to ensure quiet before turning to their kidnapper. “Sully, we’ve known each other for years, and yet I still don’t believe any of this. You are the head of some secret government conspiracy to turn random people into video game characters? Some nerd has turned himself into Viktor, and now you’re scared that he’s going to capture all of us, who have also magically turned into League champions, and make us join his Glorious Revolution?” She gestured at everyone there, who, though perhaps not the most normal people she could have collected in a room had that been the goal, were certainly not a bunch of yordles, dragons, horrible Void monsters, and super-powered humans.

“Okay, a few things. Who is to blame for funding this monstrosity? How the heck is tax money going towards this? I mean, assuming we believe you. Which I don’t, because I haven’t suddenly turned into a smurf in bondage gear, like you’re saying I should have. But, assuming what you’re saying is true, are we allowed to leave? You’ve kidnapped us ‘to keep us safe,’ but what if we don’t believe you, or would just rather take our chances elsewhere?”

But the Gregory (as he introduced himself) claimed to be Bard, and Iris sat down shaking her head. Fine, maybe they just had lots of crazy people, or maybe they weren't lying, but she certainly hadn't turned into Evelynn, the closest thing to a main she could claim. And that was good enough to tell her that at least she had been dragged into this mess by mistake.

As expected, the younger men and women did not seem pleased with his announcement. They all seemed upset, incredulous, confused, or just plain terrified. Sully sighed. Maybe he shouldn't have bombarded them with so much information, but the sooner they knew, the better. "This place is so well fortified and well-protected that not even Mr. Viktor will be able to break in and get out without a scratch," he turned towards the reddish-haired young male, Aliron as he furrowed a brow. "Your suitcase? All of your belongings were retrieved and put in storage by the organization. Don't worry, your precious portable box will be there along with everything else."

"As for me," Sully turned to answer Nova's questions. "I survived the experiment, so I actually received powers as well. And... well, you're the only ones we know about, so far. Hopefully there's no one else out there, else the outcome can become rather gruesome."

At the soft voice, he turned towards the familiar blue-haired young woman, Noelle. She appeared rather nervous, and so, he couldn't let his frustration get to him. "Like I said, not even the enemy and his goons can break in here without suffering instant repercussions. This place is locked up tighter than a clam, so there's no need to be so worried. I agree that the Syndicate sounds like a rather weird name for a group with a common cause, such as ourselves, but I'm not the one that picked it," he sighed.

A blond man stood up, and Sully recognized him as Gregory. The other male introduced himself as someone with Bard powers, and then went on to question the others about the locations of one of his meeps. At this, he remained quiet, coughing lightly as he glanced towards the others.

There was a darker-skinned woman, he realized, but she was the one who asked the most questions. At least Iris was the one who appeared the most concerned about their situation, and if she wasn't, she was definitely more vocal about it. "I'm afraid I can't disclose how tax money came to fund this, unless you want the higher-ups to wring me by the throat," he answered truthfully. At her next series of questions, though, his expression became dark.

"If you wish to leave, you can. But tell yourself this... you won't survive out there without an inkling of how you're supposed to control or summon your powers. Once he finds you, he will get a hold of you in any way possible... and without a proper way to defend yourself against such a threat, then you're no better than a raw steak in front of a drooling dog. So, take your chances, if you wish."

@rivaan
@DFA
@Brasslazer
@Eklispe
@Kiddo
@Kit N Kat



Well, this was rather crazy to think about, or even comprehend... but at least it kind of made sense. She did turn into a dragon, after all, and that dragon did resemble Aurelion Sol a lot. So what Sully said had to be true, at least a little bit. Whitney remained somewhat quiet, listening to all the questions and allowing Noelle to cling to her sleeve. The poor lady must be terrified; she would be terrified too, if she couldn't use her actual voice without causing short circuits and making glass shatter... or making ears bleed, nonetheless.

"Hm?" she turned towards Gregory as he stood up and introduced himself as a guy with Bard powers. No way, he was a Bard person? He kinda looked like one. "Aw~ You have meeps? Are they cute? Do they actually talk and stuff?" Whitney basically leaned forward in her seat, looking up at him with wide and curious eyes. They had to be cute, didn't they?

@rivaan
@Brasslazer



As always, Garrett remained quiet, his arms crossed as he focused on the small smear on the table before him. He didn't make eye contact with anyone at the table, not even Claire as she voiced her theories. Everyone was acting as if Sully was telling them the truth. What if he was the one who was the bad guy, and that Viktor dude just wanted to make the world a better place? He couldn't help but feel skeptical. And the very thought of having to sit here and listen to a long ass speech (that could actually be a load of bullshit) didn't make his attitude any worse.

At Claire's question, he raised his eyes, basically glowering at her as he scowled. "I think it's a load of bullcrap," Garrett grumbled under his breath, huffing slightly in response. "Besides, I don't even have powers. Why am I here?"

He didn't want anyone to know what exactly he was capable of. Keeping Zed's powers hidden underneath his sleeve could prove useful in the future.

@DFA

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"First of all get me my suitcase." Aliron didn't bother elaborating on what would happen if no one did. He wasn't entirely sure what would happen either, but a little voice inside him told him it could make sure it wouldn't be pretty. "Second, from the way you're talking you plan to give us some sort of ability to control our 'powers'. Probably to serve as super soldiers for your stupid organization. Now just how do you plan to go about that?" Aliron asked, sitting down and glaring suspiciously at Sully. At least they had his suitcase here, which meant even if they didn't give it to him he could go get it. While leaving to be stolen by some super villain wasn't appealing, neither was staying here for brain washing and whatever they planned to do to them. Because they defiantly weren't going to keep everybody here to loaf around.

Her ears perked up when she heard that there was a amateur musician with bard powers of all things! She blinked a few times, throwing glances at him. She then grit her teeth, looking down to the ground, having bad memories and lost future flood her mind again.

Noelle still stood in her seat, clinging to Whitney’s sleeve as Sully then talked to her, answering the questions she posed. It made it quite clear that the blue haired girl was really scared and unnerved by this whole situation. Nevertheless she glared daggers at Sully. He had abducted them and she didn’t really approve of that… she couldn’t. Logic dictated he did it for their good( probably), but for someone with her condition logic didn’t really prevail over her primal fear.

“Then…” She barely opened her mouth, causing the low sound waves to spread out again.” … what do you want from us…?” Noelle asked, glaring at Sully.” You surely didn’t bring us here just to hide us…” She continued, trying to pry his real intentions. If he didn’t want his enemy catching them, it made most logical sense he wanted them for himself. To probably fight for him or something…

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Clarice had decided to leave the grand evening event after meeting her old friend. Something else was going on here. She had thrown information requests at almost all her contacts from the past, pulled quite a few favors too, but no one really seemed to be giving any info. She even tried going through the official channels, but no one budged an inch.

“I wonder what exactly is going down…” She muttered to herself, looking through the limo’s window. Ahh the night’s scenery of the city was truly a marvelous sight to behold. She gently gripped her fist and focused her mind. A golden colored metal gauntlet formed around her arm, covering the elegant glove from her cocktail dress. She smiled wondering if this is what was it all about. After all despite a lot of government silencing about a bunch of strange accidents, she still got wind as a police officer before the red tape went down and she was drugged. For example the bank branch in Darkwell being thrown into chaos when ‘tactical sound wave weapon’ was used.

The golden gauntlet vanished and she looked outside the window again. If her last contact in the form of Jack didn’t help, she was just going to have to do this the old school way. She loved the old school way and that bratty sniper girl was her way into the whole situation. All she now needed was to catch the trail of the sniper... her info network should at least be able to do that. A sniper of her skill that's able to fire darts at such distance was a rare thing.

Claire furrowed her brow. "No powers?" she murmured under her breath, confusion in her frosty blue eyes as she glanced at Garrett. "Then there must be another reason you were brought here..." She shook her head. Then her eyes lit up as a thought crossed her mind. "But he said we can leave if we chose too. Just have to be careful in case the mad scientist calls." She deeply pondered the decision before standing up and looking around at the others. A lot of them had attachments to the world outside it seemed, some didn't. Claire didn't intend to be a lab experiment either.

"We were brought here against our will." She said out loud, gazing at Mr. Ravello. "I don't any part of this and I'm pretty sure I can defend myself if the time comes that he happens to find me. I wish to acquire my belongings and leave."