Epic City. An island metropolis off the coast of the increasingly isolationist United States of America. The last bastion of the New World Order; those with powers ruling and protecting those who don't, in a reversion to the feudal system of the Medieval times. Across a river, on the mainland, the normals cling to a military complex that builds ever larger weapons and stricter controls to ensure freedom.

Many of those weapons are aimed towards this small island, where, this evening, a sudden, loud noise echoes across a crowd. "A toast," Chief Thomas shouts over the crowd, "A toast to the heroes who keep us safe, both powered and non! The City thanks you for your bravery and strength in adversity. Know that without you, this city wouldn't be half as safe, prosperous and welcoming as it has been." He poured the champagne into a glass, and took a swig. "Enjoy the function!"

Spectrum didn't join in on the toast. It was rather difficult to drink when your face was covered by a solid mask. Waving off a waiter with a tray of canapés, the thought occurs that eating was as well. Why even accept the invitation? The First Annual Epic City Emergency Service ball, with live music, some Asian-looking man with a violin, was certainly a spectacle, but if you can't eat, drink and have no interest in talking to people, what was the point.

"Hi, um... You're Spectrum, right?" Oh, that's why. Tingles went up and down Spectrum's spine. Reddened cheeks and a flush of interest thankfully didn't translate to the suit rising out of dull Diamond Null. Turning to face the speaker, Spectrum feasted on the sheer gorgeous eye candy that was Dragon Heart in a suit. Really, really distracted, all Spectrum could manage was a nod. "That was good work on the Fitch building. You got ten people out?"

Suppressing the pure, golden urge to shine blue with happiness at the compliment, Spectrum replied with, "S-seven." Aagh. Stuttering front of Dragon Heart. Stupid. "They told me afterwards. Most were kids, though."

Dragon Heart laughed. That was a good thing, right? "Still, keeping them safe in the fire? Not everyone could manage them all at once." He put a hand on Spectrum's shoulder. If the compliment had reddened Spectrum's cheeks, this triggered a whole different range of pleasurable emotions and reactions, all thankfully hidden by the suit.

The young Epic keeping composure at this has to be set down in the Guinness World Records. "Thank you, sir." Of course, the bubbling emotion can't be held down forever.

"Call me Dragon, please."

Oh. My. High. "I will," was the reply. "Dragon. Sir. Excuse me." Don't run, don't run. And by some miracle, Spectrum made it to the rooftop without flaring. But once there, the suit burst into a brilliant, blinding blue, and Spectrum shot three storeys into the air. The exultation boiled up in a scream of joy, and by the time the boots touched the ground, Spectrum was bouncing happily on the spot. "He spoke to me, he spoke to me and he is sooo cool! Eeeee!"

OOC: I'm sorry if there are grammar errors. I've always had a problem with grammar and am really trying to work on it. Promise.

IC:

"He spoke to me, he spoke to me and he is sooo cool! Eeeee!"

Anna strolled up from behind Spectrum with a light smile on her face. She had been lerking around the party since it began, never really striking up a conversation with anyone in particular. She knew many of the people at the party, but not enough to really want to speak with any of them. It wasn't until she caught sight of Spectrum blast off into the air, covered in a blanket of blue light, that she decided to speak with someone. She couldn't fully see Spectrum through her suit, but could easily tell that she was happy about something, or someone.

Anna had known Spectrum for a while now. They werent extremely close, being as Anna was usually busy with the High Clairvoyant, but they did have their chats from time to time. She wondered as she observed Spectrum what guy had made her so exuberant. A cute boy usually was the cause of a girl being all giddy with joy. Anna could of easily found out who it was that Spectrum had been so excited to speak with, but she had never been the type to pry into someone's mind. At least not when it was a friend. Villians, on the other hand, were a different story. She had no issues with breaking into their minds and finding out all their dark and dirty secrets.

"Happy, now are we?" Anna asked, coming to stand next to Spectrum. The telepath leaned up against the wall of the building Spectrum had just come off of and straightened out the dark red dress she was wearing. It was very flowly and went all the way down to her ankles. She was suppose to be wearing heels to match, but those had been disguarded after the discomfort of wearing them became too irritating. She had placed them on a chair somewhere and had plans to go find them later.

"Who was it that has you all shinning blue?"

"Why am I here again?"

That was the only question in Fixer's mind. He liked the party very much, to be honest. Thanking the heroes - powered or not - by throwing a huge party like this was a very good idea. He was all for it even! Free food, free margaritas, free everything! Except for the clothing but that wasn't the point. There was just something about free things that you come to appreciate. You just can't say no to it! Of course, unless it's a villain offering some most-likely-poisonous muffins but aside from that... why say no? But for the reason why he didn't like it very much?

Too. Many. People.

No, no, don't get me wrong. He was perfectly fine with crowds and even talking in front of many people but this was different for him. This meant interacting with other heroes. He doubted he was very known since he tries to avoid the spotlight by working with a more famous superhero. An example? Dragon Heart fighting with Blacklight and causing some pretty big damage. He comes in with the other rescuers to take some people out and follow the destruction. Just. That. So he has been avoiding any remnant of paparazzi and only interact with other heroes among the rescue squads... usually ones involved with Emergency Response of course, the Fire Department, Police Department, and sometimes the ones in the hospitals but rarely the fighters.

Fixer was snapped out of his thoughts when Chief Jerry began speaking, offering a toast. Well. This was awkward. Of course he came in with his mask, that was the only thing protecting what little normalcy he had left in his life! He didn't want any reporters butting in on his private matters. He just raised his glass before putting it back on a tray from a passing waiter. Okay. He wasn't enjoying this. He can't eat. He can't drink. Well, there goes the pros down the drain. Well putting it up for a while won't hurt. He walked towards the food table and his eyes narrowed at a certain dish.

Prawns, his old enemy. Why must you exist? Why must any of its brethren exist! He cursed their entire existence for because of them, his power would not be functional. Ah crap, he'd have to avoid that. Wait, if that's there... then that meant some of these might have some prawns in it too. Oh no, no, no, no. This whole place might have so many heroes but he couldn't be too careful. One bite of that and its bye-bye powers for the whole day. He didn't like that idea.

"Wine?" Fixer looked towards his colleague who offered him a drink. "I'll cover you." He reassured with a nod.

"Thanks man." Fixer replied before raising his mask a little to sip from the wine. He then brought the mask back quickly once he was finished. He nodded at his colleague who smiled at him before leaving to talk someone else. He sighed and then kept swirling his cup and watched the other people interact. Where was a friendly face when you need one?

Oh, there's one. It's Dragon Heart and... uh... Spectrum. She, or he assumed that was a she, was responsible for that awesome save back at Fitch. Oh, Spectrum ran away. If he was going with the assumption that she was female and that almost all female Epic heroes liked Dragon Heart, then he would conclude that she ran away. Aw, that was cute, if that was the case. The bulky man's eyes passed his and they gave each other a wave before Dragon just walked away. Fixer took a seat at one of the tables and then leaned back. Time to enjoy the music, he supposed.

The clink of a glass, the pouring of champagne, all of it within less than a second. Liquids usually don't flow at that speed, but a little help does wonders. Comet joined in the toast and downed his drink before most everyone had even started. He wasn't going to get drunk, his body worked too quickly for that, didn't mean he couldn't enjoy himself.

He took a rag to his goggles to wipe away some dirt that had gotten there somehow. He always found a way to get them dirty, just goes to show that they were necessary, don't want to stop running because there's something in your eye. As he lowered the rag, he caught Spectrum talking to Dragon Heart. Nice to see them there, he guessed, he didn't really give much thought to the other heroes. He had explicitly asked earlier in the week for other heroes to avoid helping him unless he asked, getting help only reduced the danger, and danger was the whole reason he was doing this.

With a sigh, he walked into the crowd. Time for the hardest challenge he'd face all day.

Noticing Fixer sitting alone and sulking, he slunk over to speak to him, one person was better then a crowd. It wasn't that he was afraid of socializing, it's just that he'd piss everyone off and end up miserable himself.

He took a seat next to the masked man, grabbing another drink before his new conversation partner had time to blink. Dropping it on the table and taking a sip, he smirked.

"You don't have any friends either?" He asked, half truthful about his popularity. "People like the character, not the guy, people think I'm a bit of a dick, you're just socially awkward right? I can tell just by looking at you."

He took a closer look and frowned.

"I've never seen you before, that's a good thing. What's your deal? Super ugly so you wear the mask so that people don't die from seeing you? Super strong but super socially awkward? Kinda like Stark, he's super strong but super naked. Not my ideal situation..." he took off into a tangent, speedily going through every thought on his mind.

Teagan stared at the invitation to The First Annual Epic City Emergency Service ball. She quite honestly didn't understand why would she be invited. I mean, sure, since she and her family had arrived in Epic City, she volunteered as a first responder, but still...
"I think you should go, honey." Her mother's voice assured her from behind. The woman was busy tending to a big nasty fresh scrape on her daughter's back. Her eyes and face didn't betray the barely contained horror the injury had provoked. She'd learned to cope with her daughter's occupation, just like she'd learned to do before that with her husband's. She was proud of them both, of course. They were both so single-minded in their desire to help people. Often to their own detriment. But that's who they were, and she loved them for it. She finished applying a layer of ointment to her daughter's scraped skin and covered it with a crisp white bandage. Then planted a soft kiss in Teagan's short hair.
"But..." Her daughter tried to protest.
"No, buts!" Martha interrupted her. "I know you, honey. You're going to say you're not a hero. That you don't belong there. Well, posh, I tell you!" The old woman circled her daughter to kneel in front of her and take her face into her palms. "I know you don't think yourself a hero. But, darn it, you are to me and you sure as hell are to those people you pull out of burning or crumbling buildings." Martha kissed Teagans forehead. "Or do I need to bring out the letters."
The thirty-seven year old olive-skinned woman managed to blush furiously, the scars over her eyebrow and lip becoming more prominent in their paleness. "Dear God, no!" She squirmed pleadingly. Her mother had the most embarrassing habit of collecting all the "Thank you" letters she and her father had received during their years of service. The letters were never or rarely addressed to them by name, but were personal non the less. They were usually sent to her or her father's station. And her mum collected them almost religiously. Teagan groaned. Sure, she felt a surge of happiness when reading the words of a person she'd helped, but when her mother read them it was a whole different matter.
"Good then." Martha clapped her hands and rose. "It's decided. You're going." She busied herself with cleaning the old bandages, the ointment and whatnot. "Are you going to ware your dress uniform?" She asked over her shoulder.
"I'm retired." Teagan answered also raising and stretching tentatively her injured shoulder.
"Don't stretch it too much!" Martha chided.
"I'm just testing it." Teagan grinned, flashing her dimples.
"Don't you flash those dimples at me, young lady!" Martha threatened mockingly. "Never worked for your father and never worked for you either." She swatted her daughter on the back of the head. "Now tell me what are you going the wear? One of those lady coattails that you wear when I drag you and your father to the opera? You know... The ones that make you look so dashing and make all the ladies swoon at you."
"Maaaaa!" Teagan blushed for the second time and groan like a teenage girl who's mother was embarrassing her.
Martha laughed wholeheartedly. Her daughter was so much like her father. "Stop moaning and groaning and go dress. You're father's coming to pick me up soon for our play and I want to see you before we leave." She ordered and Teagan strode wordlessly to her room and opened the door of the wardrobe where she kept her formal wear. No more then ten minutes later she exited her room just as her mother was letting her father inside the apartment. When he saw her and whistled, Martha turned and gasped.
"Oh, honey, you look so dashing!" She exclaimed rushing to her daughter. She gave Teagan the once over. The rider's boots, the formfitting britches, the tailcoat, the crisp white cravat. It all went so well with Teagan's natural olive complexion.
"Yer mother's right, kiddo." Rory approached. "The lassies'll have no chance." He winked at her.
"Oh, God, Da, not you too!" Teagan complained with a smile.
Her father just shrugged, flashing his dimples. "So yer mum convince ye, huh?" He asked needlessly.
Teagan only nodded.
"Yer mum's right, Teagan." Her father put his hand on her shoulder. "I know ye don' believe it now. An' ye'll pro'bly never will. Yer too much like yer ol' man. But ye need to go." He assured her.
Teagan nodded again. "Thanks, da."
"Thanks, da?!?" Martha exclaimed in mock indignation. "I did all the convincing!" She demanded, hands on her hips.
"Ooooh, ye're in trouble now, kiddo." Rory whispered.
Teagan went to her mother and enfolded her smaller frame in a gentle embrace. "Thanks, Ma." She kissed Martha's cheek lovingly.
Her mother drew away and petted her daughter's cheek with a smile. "Well, then." She clapped her hands suddenly. "Let's be going. I'm sure your cab's arrived by now." And the three of them exited Teagan's condo.

---

Teagan was slowly swirling her rum-coke in her glass. She wasn't much of a drinker, even half-Irish as she was, but she loved rum and she loved coke and she supposed she would look strange swirling water in a glass, so she'd opted for the rum-coke. She was propped up against a wall, scanning the crowd. She wasn't a wall flower per se, but she preferred to spend her time during such events in quiet observation.
She'd already witnessed an exchange between Dragon Heart and a... female, Teagan wasn't quite sure, Epic. It was a rather adorable thing to observe. The female looking Epic was quite obviously smitten with Dragon Heart. And Teagan could empathize. The man was eye catching. But she much rather preferred the lassie to the laddies. Even if he was a fine specimen.
Chief Thomas' speech drew her attention for a while. She knew the man and respected him for the work he did.
Then there was the young man who was so obviously uncomfortable being here. She could empathize with that too. She didn't feel quite at place herself too. And than he'd stumbled across the shellfish and his face'd blanched. I feel you, man! Teagan thought. She hated crustaceans as well. She could stand to eat some fishes, but that was it for the seafood.
She noticed another young man approaching her fellow shellfish hater. He seemed kind of brash, or twitchy. Like he would rush off to somewhere in a blink off an eye. He had goggles on, that he used a rag to wipe clean.
Teagan continued her scrutiny of the crowd. There were some Epics she recognized from the news and being on TV, like Dragon Heart. Some she'd briefly seen in person, while helping people. There were normals there too. First responders like her, police, EMS. Some came by to say hello, chat for a bit and then left.
Teagan never abandoned her post. She felt like she was looking for or waiting for someone. She had no idea who, of course, and suspected she would leave the event never finding out.

James sweltered under his formal attire, his face looking pale and drawn, what use was it to rent a tux for the evening if he could barely move in it. Slouched in his seat as some bigwig made a toast to those gathered, his glass of wine hung low by his side, the weight of it dragging his arm down, sullenly he looked at it, only half paying attention to the words spoken. Well, it'll only get lighter the quicker I get through it. He thought, mustering what strength he could to bring the glass to his lips. His nose was met with some sickeningly sweet aroma as the drink ran down his throat, he did his best not to taste it, never the fan of wine.

"Eughhh.... bugger." He muttered to himself, half to do with the poignant aftertaste and half to do with the rest of the drink that had somehow found its way onto his tux, soaking through to his white undershirt. Struggling with the buttons for a moment, James reflected on his current predicament. God, you look like a proper ass, ... but at least you're getting some layers off. He added as an afterthought flinging the jacket to his side. James did his best to ignore the stares, something he was well practiced at, steadily lifting himself from his seat to go mingle at the buffet, and hopefully get his hands on a better tasting beverage.

"How are we?" He said as way of salutation to the two heroes conversing by the buffet, giving them a brief nod to boot. There we go, civilities out of the way, good lad. He swiftly forgot them and got to work by rolling up his sleeves, allowing him just that little bit of energy he needed before surveying the table before him. He frowned and put his nose up at most of the food, grimacing as his eyes fell upon some unholy tower of champagne glasses, with no other drinks in sight James heaved a sigh, carefully plucking a glass. With a dejected look he gave the glass a swirl and downed it, this time with much more success. Free drinks didn't come often and with his only form of income being his work as a hero, James wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste, especially as his hero gig was kind of winding down, due to often feeling like nothing more but a glorified stripper. A glorified stripper that beat criminals to a pulp, could lift cars and take a bullet, but a glorified stripper none the less.

He moved away from the table to go brood out the window in his wine soaked shirt. That's what heroes do right? Brood over the city from above being all dark and mysterious n' shit. He mused, staring down at himself, by the light off the streets down below the wine kind of looked like blood, the shirt was definitely ruined.

"Oh well, no use 'Whining' about it.." He chuckled to himself, trailing off as he snapped his neck around quickly to make sure no one heard, it definitely wasn't his proudest line.

David was awake, but hopefully not for too much longer. Being surrounded by all these Epics made him uncomfortable, seeing as he was utterly defenseless in his current state. No one recognized him, of course: Phantom was, by far, a different beast than David Lin. Phantom was tall: he was average height. Phantom was threatening: he was dressed in a shitty rented tuxedo, playing violin at this fancy, self-congratulatory banquet for Epics.

He supposed there was one benefit to being awake here: none of the dozen or so telepaths could know his secret. While awake, he displayed absolutely no trace of his Epic status, and anyone who read his mind would find noting but a confused rambling of half-forgotten dream states, of soaring one minute and crashing the next. His mind...was not very well structured. Even the most powerful of telepaths would have to be really damned determined to figure out his secret while he was awake.

A finger snagged on his violin, and a note sounded out, just a stitch out of tune. He hissed with annoyance, gritting his teeth while he wrestled it back under control. He wasn't all that great at the violin, by comparison to other players around Epic City, but he was by far cheaper. He'd practiced the music until he couldn't feel his fingers, of course: the less mistakes he made, the less people would look at him. This was one of the most dangerous places he could be as a normal. Sure, everyone was a "good guy", helping others and all that, but everyone thought they were good, after all.

Like that Dragon Heart. He seemed nice, and the ladies loved him all the more for it. But he had also been part of the dynamic duo which had left two city blocks in a heap of smoldering rubble. And he was being celebrated for it. Diǎo​rén. All of the Epics were fuckers, really. The High Epics could crush the villains in an instant, but did nothing. They were content to sit in their pretty little towers and watch the world burn itself to the ground.

He had to be careful with his thoughts, of course. Clairvoyant was always listening. He wasn't sure if she understood Chinese like a native, but it made sense that she would. Otherwise the Triads could have walked all over her. The had some Epics of their own. Then again, fighting those five zhū​gǒu together was a hundred percent suicide.

With a flourish, he set down his violin while the other musicians took over. Chief Thomas stepped up to him and thanked him for coming tonight. David fought back a yawn as he nodded. He was tired. And, technically, the food and drink and toasts should be for him too. He had helped with clean up shit, too. He'd also lifted a few choice valuables from the destroyed buildings, but who really cared about that anyway?

He sidestepped the sound system on stage, stepping down to one side so that he could finally take off the fucking tux jacket. The thing was probably a thousand degrees. Blessed cool air. Wonders of the world.

"Good playing, man." He looked to see that same Dragon Hearted fellow sidling up next to him.

"Thank you," David said warily, setting his violin down in its case.

"It really added to the atmosphere. I thought you were going to bring down the house!" He smiled jovially.

David didn't return the favor. "Kind of like how Epics brought down the Fitch building, huh." The smile died on Dragon Heart's face.

"Epics also saved a lot of lives during all that," he said testily. "Try to remember that."

David wanted to lash back. If there hadn't been Epics in the first place, none of it would have happened. He forced himself to breathe deeply, and even managed a tiny smile. "True. Thank you for saving those lives. Maybe next time you could--" He broke off before he said something that would have gotten him killed. "Next time I'll remember that."

He quickly bowed his way out of the engagement. He couldn't leave yet: he was booked to play again in an hour. There would be no appearance of Phantom for the evening, that was for sure. He opted to go to the window instead, where another guy without a tux jacket was standing. Stark Crucifier, or something like that. It reminded David of a combination of Game of Thrones and Hercules. Big guy, looking...fairly uncomfortable. He could relate.

David took the window next to the big Epic. No need to strike up a conversation with these people. It just put him in danger. Maybe...maybe he'd bail, and come back as Phantom. They could read his mind then, but they wouldn't be able to trace him back to his body. And he could still play the violin. No, that'd give him away. "Fuck my life," he mumbled.

Alex pushed herself off the wall she'd been leaning against, her arms falling from their crossed position. Her face was pure ease. Being a part of the Elite crowd from birth, this was her home field advantage. She was in her regular clothes, hardly ever using her outfit anymore. People might recognize her, but they'd likely recognize her as Alex Newt, Heir to the Newt Family. She highly doubted they'd note her as Traveler, Epic Hero who minimized casualties and helped with transportation.

She sighed, bored. Which wasn't necessarily a good thing. Given her switching abilities, she was prone to tripping people up by switching things when they weren't paying attention. Sometimes it meant they fell, or dropped something, or some other minor inconvenience. Occasionally it was just confusion.

Alex shook her head, looking at the music. String instruments. She wished she knew what it sounded like.

She moved closer to the violin player who'd just left, who was talking to Dragon, and she caught the tail end of what he was saying. He moved next to what appeared to be Stark Crusader.

She grinned to herself, tilting her head slightly, and swapped the two of them after a few minutes of concentration.

Turning back into the room, Alex nearly walked into Dragon.

"My apologies," she murmured.

"Don't worry about it. Miss Newt, isn't it?" Dragon said with a raised eyebrow.

"That would be correct, yes," she said with a smile. "But if you don't mind, I've got people to attend to."

"As you wish, Traveler," Alex heard Dragon say with a chuckle.

Teagan was in the process of observing a very harrowed man in a tux and a wine stained dress shirt. He was visibly panting and it was as if he was struggling with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Teagan felt bad for the guy. She was about to brake her rule for quiet observation and go see if she could help him when an irate looking man with Asian features stomped past her in the same direction of wine stained dress shirt guy. Teagan stood still, hesitating for a second when a ray of sunshine obscured her field of vision in the form a young woman sailing past her. She stopped and the ex smokejumper couldn't help but stare. I mean, hell, she was no saint! And a beautiful woman was a beautiful woman. Even if she looked to be in her early twenties.
Teagan shook her head free of the cobwebs, stared somewhat accusingly at her rum-coke and deposited it disdainfully on the tray of a passing waiter and redirected her attention back towards wine stained dress shirt guy. Only it wasn't him at the window. It was angry Asian guy. Oh, man, if there are any mind readers attending tonight I'm sure I sound like a complete asshole and completely not PC! Teagan thought to herself while trying to decide if she was having the mother of all delayed reactions to too much smoke inhalation, or if her aging eyes were playing tricks on her. She was positive the Asian man was standing near a different window. She looked in that direction and lo and behold, there stood the harrowed looking man with the wine stained dress shirt. What the fudge!?!
She was so confused for a second she hardly noticed the beautiful young woman departing after a brief exchange with Dragon Heart.
Oh, man, I so do not belong here! Teagan thought and started for the bar. She would drink a cold water, clear her mind, have a few words with Chief Thomas and go home. Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks. She couldn't recognize him earlier, because of all the clothes. She knew the guy with the wine stained shirt. Well, she didn't know him know him, but she knew who he was.
He was the guy who'd held god knows how many ton building until the rescue services, her included, could get the trapped civilians out. He hadn't had a stitch of clothing on him then. Stark Crusader. That's why she couldn't recognize him with all the clothing.
She turned determined. The guy had held a building above her head to allow her the time to rescue all those civilians. She was gonna help him now! Even if she felt so out of her element with all the Epics in the building.
She quietly sidled up to him near his new position. I'm positive they didn't trade places with the irritated guy by walking. Teagan thought.
She offered Stark Crusader a glass of water she'd picked up from a waiter's tray. "Um, hey." She started gently. "I know ye don't know me. I'm not a fan or a reporter. I just wanted to thank ye... Y'know... Ye held portions of the Fitch buildin' so the rescue crews could get the people out." Teagan fell silent for a moment unsure of how to proceed. "For what is worth... A lot of people are alive today, because of ye." She finished, untied her cravat and offered it to him. "To hide the wine stain." She clarified and walked away to find Chief Thomas. If it wasn't for him. Teagan thought, looking back at the young man staring her cravat in confusion. I wouldn't have gotten out of that building with only a scrape. She stretched her injured shoulder and grimaced.

Comet barely noticed someone else approaching, or the one after him, he had been distracted by his own voice and the fact that he had yet to greet Dragon Heart, not that it really mattered, it was just polite, though how long that would last was up to opinion. He disengaged before anyone could reply to him and sped in front of Dragon Heart, leaning on a nearby wall and holding up his glass. The taller man jumped noticeably at Comet's sudden appearance, to which he chuckled.

He obviously doesn't recognize me, perhaps he failed to notice the purple leather jacket, or my name on the back of it. He silently wondered to himself.

"Hey captain perceptive," he snarked. "So, how about that Fitch building huh? Talk about a bang, right?" He laughed.

"Anyway, I'm Comet, I think we've met before, though I doubt you remember, not that I'm so good on the memory front myself, though at least I have an excuse."

Dragon Heart looked utterly flabbergasted.

"Uhh, I don't... I mean, yes, hello Comet, I don't think we've met, though I do recognize the name," he answered haltingly. Comet frowned and nearly broke the glass in his hand, shaking at a frequency so high he began to let out a small sound. With a deep breath, he calmed himself.

Why do I wear the goddamn outfit if no-one recognizes it?

He shook his head.

"No, I do heroics around here, we have met, I specifically remember telling you to..." he stopped and thought a moment. "Well, that's not exactly for formal events is it? Anyway, I was taking down some thugs and you come in all 'time to save the day', like I needed it," he said with an intense look on his face.

Dragon sighed and rubbed his temples, seemingly remembering something.

"Yes, I do remember that, what do you want then? I'm here to have a good time, I'd rather you didn't attack me for trying to help."

Comet chuckled.

"So am I, I'm a fun-loving guy! I'm only here because everywhere else bores me."

Dragon Heart folded his arms.

"How noble, now please, leave me alone," the hero was clearly getting to the end of his leash, and Comet was enjoying every moment.

"No, no, just a moment, I just have a question to ask," he held out an arm as Dragon attempted to walk past him. The taller man sighed and walked back.

"Fine, what is it?"

"Why am I so handsome?"

Dragon Heart glared at him, then turned away as Comet stood with a large grin on his face.

"Polite" lasted exactly thirty seconds. Though that was sure a lot of fun.

His arm burned, faintly.

Due to the nature of his mutation, the nerve endings in his arm had been burnt out during his awakening. He wasn't supposed to be able to feel anything with his left arm anymore, but occasionally he felt something like a burn. They told him it was likely to be a psychological symptom due to the trauma his awakening had caused. To Alto, it was like a reminder to never forget there was fire within.

Wait, I'm too young to drink...

He had a long time to go before he could legally drink. Well, according to law anyway. He had champagne in his hand right now, and it wasn't like there was anything stopping him from downing it right there and then. He didn't really know why he grabbed the champagne, but it uh... smelled pretty good?

He wasn't entirely sure why he was here. Even if he felt confused inside, outwardly he looked like he was at home in the party, but not in a social kind of way. He looked sort of serious-like, like he had something to do and knew exactly how to do it, but it wasn't quite the time yet. He'd mastered that look because people didn't usually bother someone with that look on because they looked like they were doing something important. Well, he didn't know how it'd work out in a setting like this though. Especially since he looked kind of weird.

His normal hero clothing was a tracksuit jacket and cargo pants which would've looked way out of place, so he was wearing a suit. Jerry had gotten him one that fitted well enough so that wasn't an issue. The issue was that Jerry didn't tell him he'd cut off the left sleeve and confiscated his bandages until Alto had received it a few hours ago. The bandages weren't normal bandages either. They looked like the old mummy paper roll type of bandages which weren't all that common anymore, and they were custom-made with silver inside so they wouldn't burn when he used the Vice Claw.

Anyway, Jerry confiscated his bandages on the basis that, since it was a big function, you had to look good. The bandages were plain and boring, but Alto's arm was like if a volcano became your arm and that was pretty cool. And he'd polished his silver necklace which he'd extended the chain of which he had also wrapped around his arm which was also cool. And it was even glowing with what looked like barely restrained power (but it was pretty damn restrained) which was also cool.

The thing was though, Alto didn't like attention all too much so he'd been sticking to the sides of the party where people weren't looking. He sort of wondered what Jerry would think. He was going to have to tell him how it went, after all...

He looked down at the bubbling champagne, and if he was honest, it was starting to look really inviting.

Well, I guess a sip won't hurt...

Fixer was about to reply to the questions that came at machine gun speed but just as fast as the topics were said, Comet was gone. He rubbed the back of his head. Well now. That was rude. Though he does remember Comet saying something about people thinking he was a dick. He sighed before raising his mask a little bit again so that he could sip from the glass. He should probably get those face masks like the ones burglars use. If he was wearing his uniform, then he wouldn't be mistaken for a villain. Or maybe a custom made mask would be better.

His eyes traveled around once more. Comet was apparently talking to Dragon Heart. He spotted Officer Teagan too. Somewhere. He doesn't remember now though. How saddening. He gulped the entirety of what he was drinking before placing it on a passing waiter's tray with a small 'thank you'. He then stood up and let out a out a sigh. Well, no use on just sitting around, he guessed. If he can't enjoy the food, then he should just find someone to talk to and pass the time.

He scanned the area. No use going to his teammates. Those guys were busy drinking. So he settled for roaming the area. First guy he bumps into means first interaction. "Fixer, enjoying the party?" His eyes trailed to Chief Jerry himself. He was holding another glass.

"Somewhat sir. Can't drink with this in the way though." He tapped on his mask and then they both shared a chuckle. "Anyone you suggest to talk with?" Fixer asked, looking around. He was sure that the Chief wouldn't hang for the rest of the day with him and even if he was willing to, he didn't know which topics he should open up.

"There's Vice over there." The Chief gestured to the teen. He swirled his cup. "You should be familiar with him. You know, officer in training for the ECPD."

Fixer followed where the Chief was gesturing and saw the teen. He nodded. "Oh yeah. Mr. Hotshot with the flaming arm." He felt the Chief somewhat glare at him and he almost choked on himself. Why the hell was the Chief doing that? He loosened his collared shirt as he felt sweat trickle down. "I'll, uh, go now." He quickly escaped the Chief and headed towards the Vice. He wasn't expecting that kind of reaction. But it was true. Epic City's new powerful Epic hero, Vice. He was the talk of the reporters before because of his display of power. Everyone was impressed. His gift was said to come from the High themselves - a gift, one could say. Maybe that would be an interesting topic to talk about.

"Should you really be drinking at such a young age?" Was the first thing Fixer said as he approached the teen who was about to sip from the champagne he was holding. "I'm not going to stop you but I'm warning you that you might get addicted. Alcoholism is a real problem you know." He said as a joke. He wasn't sure if the teen was big on jokes but hopefully he was.

@RoflsMazoy

An Emergency Service Party. Well... it was probably one of the strangest parties she'd been to. Her college days were pretty weird, but this took the cake. A real-life gathering of superheroes. Monica didn't think they'd ever exist, let alone her being at one. She'd been around all this stuff for a while now, but she still couldn't quite come to terms with its existence. Everyone seemed so happy though. Some stranger offered her a glass. Champagne. She wasn't really a drinker. Alcohol always led to bad things. And seeing how she was surrounded by superheroes, it just seemed like a bad idea to have alcohol involved. Then again, it wasn't that alcoholic. She supposed just one couldn't hurt. She took the glass.

There didn't seem to be that much out of the ordinary. People were socializing, there was the clinking of glasses, everybody seemed to be having fun. Well, with exception of a couple of those that seem to not like talking.

There were a couple of people who stood out. One was some guy in a purple leather jacket and goggles. She appreciated the leather jacket, although purple seemed to be an odd color. Eh. The other was a boy. He looked waaaay to young to be drinking. He didn't look out of his teens! Well, she was a doctor, Not his mom. She doubted he'd listen anyways. I mean if some random person told her she should be eating that that cake because it's bad for you, she probably wouldn't listen.

She took a sip. Nope. Nu-uh. That's gross. That was not her favorite drink. Well, there goes the drinking option. Well, all that's left to do now is wait. Maybe something would go completely wrong and a big fight would break out. Or, maybe one of her patients recognizes her. All that's left was to find out.

Alex took another fruity alcoholic drink from the bar, swirling it around absently.

All these saviors, and no one was truly catching her attention. She had hoped to catch Spectrum, the woman was adorable and always a pleasure to talk to, but she'd disappeared pretty quickly. Alex wasn't one to talk to Dragon for very long, the guy could be pretty serious in her experiences.

Why did all the women fawn over him, anyways? Alex never could figure it out. Maybe it had something to do with his voice? That could be it, she supposed. Being deaf did have it's downsides occasionally, even if she'd worked around it ages ago.

A sigh slipped out of her neutrally happy face. She was bored, and switching people randomly wasn't enough to perk her up tonight. Why did all these gatherings have to be so boring? The Elite had an odd way of handling things, in her opinion.

But of course, she was an Elite and an Epic Hero on top of that. Why was she so different then, she wondered. What made her view all this, everything she'd been raised for really, in such distaste?

She shook her head lightly, her eyes scanning the crowd.

Maybe someone would make the night more interesting for her.

"U-Uhh, really?" Alto stuttered out. He couldn't tell whether Fixer was joking or just somewhat joking and partially serious. "My parents gave me wine once though, I think it should be fine."

His response was fairly awkward, but it was probably OK. Alto knew several people from the rescue squads, mostly from helping out a few times. Among them there were a few he'd had to reveal his weakness to, and people like Jerry which he'd felt he had to tell simply because of their proximity to him. Fixer was probably the only one who fit into both. He wasn't overly close with him but during a fair amount of rescue operations he ended up in close proximity. Even though more people knew his weakness than a lot of other Epics, it still came with the understanding that telling someone else your own weakness was a sign of trust.

Still, Alto's full time job wasn't on the rescue team. His ability was always a hazard and there was always a chance he'd lose control at the wrong time and seriously burn somebody, or worse. He wasn't a regular part of the rescue team because it just wasn't safe to use his Vice Claw for that kind of thing.

"How's Jerry doing by the way?" He asked.
@Polaris North

Previously...

Immediately after the switch, David knew he wouldn't get any peace in that room. Not while other Epics were around to ruin his day. He smirked at the thought, shouldering his violin case as he stepped away from the new window. Whoever had done the swap needed to have been excessively bored for that to be entertaining. "Sorry about that, sir," he said to the Epic. Better safe than sorry. Or dead. "I'll get out of your way."

I'll just go somewhere else, he thought. Maybe the roof. He'd seen a few other people disappear up there. Maybe he could get some peace and quiet there. Take a bit of a powernap before his next piece.

It was easy to wake himself up as the Phantom. He just used his telekinetic powers to shake his real body until they merged together. Easy-peasy. He could sneak into a corner of the roof, maybe.

It was a long set of stairs. David hadn't quite thought about the adventure he was getting himself into, but the Ball...banquet thing was on the second floor, and it was a five story building. He was a bit red in the face by the time he made it to the top: he needed to add more cardio to his waking exercise regime, which consisted of walking at a brisk pace from his bed to the fridge, to his desk. Maybe he'd start jumping between them. That would work.

His heart sank when he reached the top: he had hoped that the other Epics would have left or something. In hindsight, there was no reason for that to be true, but he was tired, so he cut himself some slack. Not like they knew him or anything. Just plain old David. "Evening," he said evenly, sidling over to the edge of the roof. "Nice night."

Not that he wanted to talk or anything, but it would be rude to not say anything.

"I'm kidding man. Drink up, you'd need the practice." Fixer said with a light chuckle. "Just don't drink too much. Just build up that tolerance." He looked around, observing the state of the party. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. He looked back at Vice with a wide grin - not that anyone else would see it with his mask in the way. "I'm guessing they will be a lot more rowdier parties than this when you're old enough. They keep telling me this - a drunk hero ain't a good hero... unless you work around alcohol." He continued with a shrug.

Trying to lighten the mood up with this guy seemed to be quite a challenge but that's alright. They've been on a few missions together but not all the time. Unlike himself, Vice wasn't working full-time. Especially since his powers weren't exactly meant for rescuing. It was more for fighting. However, Vice has shown enough control on that arm of his so it can be useful at times. He also wasn't sure why he had so easily revealed his weakness to most of them. Then again, he seemed to be always wearing his weakness to keep his arm in check.

"The Chief?" Oh right, this guy called him Jerry. Just Jerry. "He looks like he's enjoying himself, I think. I'm never sure with the Chief." He looked towards the Chief's direction. He seemed to be talking with some of the higher ups. "I don't think I've seen him loosen up before so I think that's good." He chuckled before shoving his hands in his pockets.

"How about you? How are you holding up so far?" He asked. "Not just here in the party. With the whole hero thing. It's been a year since you've joined up." He was really curious about this. So far, Fixer wasn't really all that dedicated. There were only two goals in his mind: One, garner enough money for everyday life for him and his family by working with the Rescue Squad. Two, work directly under the High Island. But that was it. He wasn't inclined to helping the innocent people, unlike the other heroes out there.

@RoflsMazoy

Spectrum lightly stepped over to the newcomer on the roof. "You were the violin player, right?" It was an effort of will to actually step on the roof, being a little buoyant from happiness, still shining a little blue. "I liked how you played. It was a nice melody." The compliment seemed to fall on deaf ears, so Spectrum walked around to the musician's front. "If you want to be left alone, I'll go."

Gently drifting down the side of the building, Spectrum kept an eye out for the party. Coming to a stop at roughly the right height, her fist knocked on the window. "Um, hi," a wave to look friendly and as if standing three stories in the air with hands behind back and a smile under the mask wasn't odd at all. "Aren't you Stark Crusader?"

@Mercenary Lord@Athoriel

Teagan navigated the crowd. She'd thought she would stand out like a sore thumb with her preferred formal wear. But as it turned out not too few people were decked out in frocks and some such extravagant outfits.
Well, not like I came here with the need to impress. She thought to herself and scanned the crowd for the Chief. She quickly located him, surrounded by people and decided against joining in the fray.
She looked around, wondering if she should stay, or just go home, when her eyes landed on the ray of sunshine from before. She was wearing a glorious sun dress and even though she looked like she belonged among the rich and powerful, she also appeared to be bored to tears.
Teagan hesitated.
Ah, what the hell! She thought. I can't stand a lady in distress. Or boredom. And strode slowly but gingerly towards the ray of sunshine as she'd taken to calling the young woman. There was something odd about her though. As she was scanning the crowd in obvious boredom. She appeared to pay special attention to people's lips. Teagan wouldn't have notice it, if it wasn't for Megan.
She remembered fondly the young girl she'd rescued from a forest fire back when she was still a rookie smokejumper. The girl'd managed to escape the ordeal relatively unscathed thanks to Teagan who'd suffered some heavy burns. Megan was quickly discharged from the hospital, but kept coming back to visit Teagan. It turned out she was deaf-mute and got lost prior to the fire and couldn't be found before the area was evacuated. During Teagan's stay in the hospital and Megan's regular visits, she'd grown accustomed to the girl’s constant attention to her lips. Since Megan was born deaf-mute, she'd learned to read lips and sign at a very young age.
So when she noticed ray of sunshine's attention to people's lips, she assumed a similar circumstance. Or, she could be reading lips to simply spy on people. Teagan thought with a grin. To each their own, she guessed. Either way... the young lady looked bored, and Teagan couldn't stand for that. Even if she made an ass of herself, at least she would've tried to chase her boredom away.
She slowly and deliberately entered the young woman's line of sight.
Hello. She signed. Couldn't help but notice you reading lips. I hope I'm not too presumptuous in assuming you're deaf? She finished. She was confident in her signing. Megan'd thought her well. But when the woman remained unresponsive Teagan faltered.
"Um..." She spoke out loud. "Sorry, didn' mean to presume ye knew sign language." She apologized, noticing immediately the woman's eyes flickering to her lips. Okay, well, at least it looks like the deaf assumption wasn't wrong. "Pardon me for intrudin’. I was just about to leave when I saw ye lookin’ quite honestly bored to tears and simply had to intervene."
The young woman favored her with a bored expression.
A challenge then! Teagan grinned. "Allow me to introduce myself." She clicked her rider's boots, made a fist with her right hand, placed her hand on her stomach and bent slightly over it, wincing when her shoulder scrape reminded of itself annoyingly. "Teagan Hayes." She straightened. "If I may be so bold as to offer you my humble company for your entertainment." Teagan looked the young woman expectantly.
@Old Amsterdam

"It's been pretty much what I expected," Alto replied coolly. "A little bit tough, a little bit dangerous... I haven't been involved in a major incident yet so I don't really know the extent of it."

When you made the decision to become a public Epic, there was obviously a lot to keep in mind. Alto had a bit more to worry about than some other Epics, not just because of his power but also because of who he was without it. Physically he was a completely average person. His mutation started and stopped with his left arm, so the rest of his body was quite weak in comparison. He had to tread carefully when it came to any encounter, which was why he'd waited a few years in-between deciding to become a hero and actually doing it.

Going in blind was a recipe for disaster, and he had the time. He wanted to help people, and when you helped people you needed to help them well or else their problems might just happen again. He started when he felt he was absolutely ready for it, and it going as expected was just about the best outcome he could've hoped for.

"You done anything big recently besides the Fitch building?" He asked.
@Polaris North