Jeanne -- The Wrath of God

@Override@Afro Samurai@thewizardguy

With a deafening roar, a power far beyond her own finally played their hand into the conflict. With a demand that the church be restored, Jeanne smirked lightly within the darkness of her silhouette. Judgment and justice alike had come in close iterations, and left the one who dared to violate a house of God in the street, literally. Even still, she kept a vigilant eye from the woman from on high, with her wings of light casting a radiant glare.

Yet there was another voice, one whose crack of a whip was far greater than the sound of the church's rooftop being removed. Jeanne skin paled to a sheet of white, if there was one person she truly feared, it was that one.

Her gaze sharply turned to see the Mother Superior of the church marching down the drenched aisle, demanding that she return to the ground, and even using her real name before everyone present. Inward her wings folded, and she came plummeting back to the Earth to offer her gravest apologies to the elderly woman. Once her feet touched the Earth however, there was yet another sudden change to the field of conflict.

The Devil attacked the Mother Superior and then fled.

Immediately the first issue was addressed as Jeanne bolted to the elderly woman's side and caught her falling form gently. With a gaze that bespoke of her wrathful intention, she looked up to Terrell after a quick study of the woman. "She is going to be fine, Terrell. Please help her into the back of the church. I shall return shortly with some medicine after I handle the Devil."

There were many lines in Jeanne's mind that when crossed, she would react civilly. Attack her, or attack her church even, by all means, do so. Even with her home crumbling she would react with a tempered hand. But attack the helpless elderly woman who lovingly raised her after her mother passed within the walls of the church she called her home? There was no saving anyone from her then. Absolutely none.

Her legs coiled as she gathered her strength, her wings of light unfurled once more as they reverberated with a sheet volume of power. The light within them grew until they rivaled the brightness of a star, and with a monstrous degree of power, the Archangel charged towards the brick wall that Guilt had used to bar the entrance. While she rushed forward, lines of light surrounded her form until they took the shape of armor.

Pure, radiant armor made of light that truly defined her as amongst the heavenly figures of old.

With a crash, the Archangel exploded through the wall, and down the street in pursuit of the Red Devil.

She moved at monstrous speeds now, as she was protected by the armor from the friction of air. So monstrous in fact that the air ruptured with a deafening sonic boom that rattled the countless windows of Epic City Another rebounded off the skyscrapers as she accelerated even further, and in a flash of light she appeared before the Devil. Unlike the situation with Guilt, he would not be spared by subtlety. There would be swords of light that instantly appeared around them. A pair of them appeared in her grasp, each of them long, flickering, and burning with vengeful intention.

Around him were thousands upon thousands of swords. Their radiance blinding out their surroundings and letting him only see the vision of heavenly light in front of him. A blade was raised so that her the tip was pointed towards him. And she spoke with a voice that was a sharp contrast to what it had been before. It was no longer beautifully melancholic, it held a wrathful resonating tone which deafened out even the roar of traffic of the City. Around them, everyone had stopped, people got out of their cars and fled, even epics would flee. After all, the Wrath of the Archangel was something only few had seen, but many knew about.

As luminescence traced in wisps through the air, her voice found him. "You attacked the Mother Superior. A woman who helped raise me After my mother passed away. Kneel and beg forgiveness for your sins. NOW." There would be a flicker, and dozens of the blades closed in around him, only to have their piercing edge stop just barely a millimeters from his skin. Her degree of mastery and control was so great that she held incredible precision, thanks to the teachings of The Clairvoyant. "It is by her teachings that I do not just kill you, so kneel, and repent. And I will see that you are taken to the authorities alive and in one piece.

Devilstrider was in a bad situation. Of course he was there due to hunger. It was funny really, he hadn't really hurt the woman. The aura he had taken from her was merely a trickle. Enough to make her tired, nothing more. It was probably shock that had her fainting, but he hadn't really hurt her.

He was surrounded by two epics and powerful ones. The religious one he could reasonably deal with. Yes her swords were certainly intimidating, but his shields stopped pretty much any modern ammunition, it would take a small explosion to break them and they were even stronger still at night. It would take more than her swords to break through it. Or at least it would take a lot of them. By which time he'd be on her and draining her in a matter of seconds. Guilt was a different matter. Maybe one on one he'd have a chance if he could lay hands on her, but the both of them was simply too much. So if he couldn't fight and couldn't feasibly run, that left talking. He sighed and rubbed his ring irritably. All he wanted was a way to deal with his violent urges. He spoke up,

"I haven't harmed anyone. I merely drained Mother Superior of some of her Aura. Her energy. Enough to make her tired, but what I do isn't lethal. Just tiring. I wouldn't actually hurt her or any innocent," he directed this at the Angel. Then turned his gaze to Guilt.

"The only people I've ever killed are criminals. Rapists, robbers, child molesters. You name it. If that earns me death, Guilt, then so be it."

Truth was, he didn't want to die. Yeah, he hated himself most days, but he did some good things. He was a big reason why people in his community were generally safe and he helped freaks too. He provided jobs for people and freaks a like, epics too. As he saw it, he didn't deserve death. If it came down to it, he would fight. He readied himself to throw up his shields and to move.

@Override@Feisty-Pants@thewizardguy

The walls around Devilstrider dissipated. One second they were as forbidding and solid as the ground itself, the next they were gone. The ground rose around Guilt instead, boxing her off from the outside world. The air itself took on a different quality, and even went unnaturally still. A vague sensation was the only indication of movement, and before long the box grew unnaturally hot. The walls began to glow with their own heat, revealing a face in the wall.

{Miss Day.}

The words didn't come from anywhere in particular, but appeared in the box as vibrations of sound.

{You can probably guess who I am. So let me describe your situation instead.}

The walls grew clear, yet didn't otherwise change. The light became blinding, the heat sizzling against exposed skin. Currents of molten rock flowed around the cube, carrying dark tones and odd shine.

{I'm the most reasonable of my siblings, so I would talk to you before I inflict any punishment. Here we are ten miles beneath the Earth's surface. If anywhere were to hold you, it would be here. So I request. End your needless persecutions. This is a home for mortals with powers. We can offer you a whole life. A healed life. Put down your burdens and accept our succor. You were robbed of a home. A family. Lovers. Children. Do you not want to breathe the air with your own lungs? See the world through your own eyes? Have someone know you, Maya Day, not as the child's boogeyman that haunts the streets?}

Jeanne -- Judgment

@Override

Just as abruptly as she had arrived, it seemed that Guilt had left. No matter, her focus was entirely upon the Demon and the sins he had beset before her.

He spoke, and her temper flared as a result. He offered not a single iota of remorse for his actions as he fiddled with his ring anxiously. The true behavior of a monster, an addict who saw only fit to feed his desires. Behind the mask of a helmet, the Archangel ground her teeth in frustration. She had given him a chance to speak an apology, and this was how he responded? While he was surrounded, made immovable by the encirclement of swords, she moved around him to face a particular direction.

She now faced away from the city, and towards the coast and the Atlantic Ocean beyond it. That way, there would be no innocents caught in the crossfire of her actions. Despite her anger, despite her rage, she still abided by the teachings of the Mother Superior. Her adoptive mother.

"I will not offer parlay again." Spoke Jeanne, as the blade raised to face towards the Devil again. "I do not accept excuses, I do not accept the statement of your actions. Your avarice harmed an elderly, helpless, and innocent woman. I do not care if you have stopped criminals, what you deserve is the consequence of your abhorrent attack just moments ago. I do not care if she will be fine according to you; she is an elderly woman in her eighties, how can you possibly be certain of that?"

The swords around the two of them hummed with a powerful resonance, speaking of a power far greater than the edge of their blades. She was more than ready to use it, if need came to rise. His adamant refusal to accept the responsibility for his actions brought further consequence in her eyes. "You will come back to St. Peter's Citadel, apologize to my mother, and repent before God. Or I will sew the fabric of misery as you deserve, Demon. Eye for an eye."

Anomaly

Epic City was a weird place for her to wind up, but seeing the people inside this city really made her feel better about being here. There weren't many places where she didn't receive weird looks. The Heroes' Cafe was one of those places, and she sat there in the cafe with her odd ghost hands, drinking a nice mocha and looking at the various depictions of heroes on that mural. You had Dragon Heart, Spectrum, Traveler, and others up there, and Anomaly thought it was dope. It made her wonder why she didn't have any trading cards of them... or why she hadn't seen any. You could make a fortune here off of those trading cards alone, and you didn't even have to stop at just cards! You could do plushies, Halloween costumes, sodas, post cards, band-aids, the options were endless!

Her focus on the mural, however, was immediately shifted when she felt the ground faintly shake beneath her. Her gaze was immediately shifted to the sight of a fight going down near a church. What the heck was going on over there?! It seemed like whatever was in that concrete box was being reprimanded by a god or something, but which god it was, Anomaly didn't care. As long as she could use her mind fists, everything would be cool. Anyway, this fight seemed to be more interesting than what was going on in this cafe, especially since the overhead TV was on old reruns of bad sitcoms.

Anomaly placed her coffee on the table and walked over to the chair on her right, allowing her to be in full view of what was going down in this fight. Immediately, her ghostly hands materialized on the table and acted like two finger-people, currently engaged in a fight. While Anomaly watched the fight, her hands acted in the same ways that the two people she was observing were acting, with the church being represented by her coffee. "I am a child at heart... don't care though."

Devilstrider ground his teeth in frustration. His excuses meant nothing? They were reasons and they were logical. He was polite, he was reasonable, but she was responding with ultimatums. Still, the game had changed. Instead of Guilt, it was just him and her. He had no desire to harm her, or fight her. But he would not do what she asked. It wasn't so much as he thought he was right, he wasn't. What he did was wrong, but she was asking him to apologize for being who he was. He had enough self loathing without outright apologizing for existing. He threw up shields of red aura.

His shield looked like a round spehere of red energy, but it was wisp like, almost like smoke. More dark red energy pooled into the palm of his hands, forming into balls of dangerous Aura. He spoke one last time, feeling the violence ready to explode,

"I'd rather not fight. I would prefer a peaceful resolution. I do not regret being who I am. Your Mother Superior is not hurt, in fact she is fine I'm sure. If she is somehow hurt, then yes, I'd feel incredibly bad about. That said, I do not follow your God and quite frankly if he does exist, I'd like to ask him why he cursed me to be what I am. Let us walk away peacefully from this. I will not repent being who I am. I do not want to take peoples energy, but if I do not, I die. Let us walk away from this."

"I hope you won't mind..." Began Regan looking in Albert's direction. "My pal here had a hard day at the office... shall we say. And I thought some normalcy might do him good." The PART officer tossed a secretive apologetic look Teagan's way and introduced Albert. The firefighter just smiled reassuringly and extended her hand to Albert.

"It's a pleasure to meat you, Albert." Teagan said. "I'm Teagan Heyes and this is my family." She turned to indicate her parents and Megan.

Martha, the ever more sociable of the bunch, leaned forward and looked at Albert with undisguised sympathy. "Were you by any chance that officer that survived that horrible ordeal at the docks today?"

"Ma!" Teagan exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Martha..." Rory spoke calmly from besides his wife. "Don't attack the lad. I know it's been quite some time since I retired, but I bet you still remember how I was after a hard call." The ex-firefighter admonished.

Martha's gently aging face scrunched up in a thoughtful grimace. Of course she remembered. After a hard call Rory would always come home stoic, taciturn. And no hail or high water would make him talk before he was good and ready to open up. Teagan was the same after an unsuccessful rescue call. She looked apologetically at their new guest.

"Forgive me, dear, sometimes the curiosity of this crazy old woman gets the better of her." She petted his arm gently. "I know perfectly well, from being a wife and a mother to firefighters how difficult it can be for you to bring the harshness of what you deal with in your home and among your loved ones." She petted her husband's hand lovingly and gazed at her daughter with the same conviction. "Regan's a friend to my girl and if you're her friend, this means you are ours as well. We might be strangers to you now, but do know that there are people out there who think of you and keep you in their minds always." She straightened a bit. "Now if you three kids would like to talk shop, we three on this side of the table..." She indicated herself, Megan and Rory. "Can find something to talk about." With that she took a brochure and called upon Rory and Megan to huddle over it in discussion.

"Well... That's me Ma for ye." Teagan chuckled.

"What she meant by talking shop..." Regan clarified. "Is that Teagan is about to get evaluated for the ECPD SAR response team. So far she's been volunteering."

Teagan nodded. "Aye. That's where I'd like to start at least. After coming face to face with the dangers in Epic City during the Swarm rats attack, I want to be able to play a more active role in protecting the innocent people not able to defend themselves. So with that in mind I'll be aiming for a position in PART down the road." She winked at Reagan. "Have you thought about it, Albert?" Teagan asked.

@AtomicNut

It seemed the Island was not yet satisfied merely with repairing the damage that had been done. Guilt cursed her luck. The High were an even greater nuisance than she had initially suspected.

"You are the most reasonable? That explains a lot." Guilt sneered at the talking wall. She could sense he was right. But a place such as this would not hold her. If necessary she could still burrow her way up to the surface. Of course the Island would no doubt intervene if she did so, and she was unaware of any limits to his powers. "You attacked me outside the church, and very nearly broke my leg. Had I landed, I most likely would have broken a bone. Not that something like you would care. It seems that you have grown so arrogant as to believe you can pass judgement on me." Guilt hissed, as she cast Claire to the depths of her mind.

"I was robbed of a home? The human race was robbed of it's home. Are you so isolated that you do not realize what this world is like outside of your little sanctuary? I saw the world burn, I saw my family torn apart by monsters. I have seen families die slow and painful deaths to supernatural disease, I have seen children ripped limb from limb, I have watched small groups of powerless survivors huddled into a bunker, surviving off of scraps." Guilt's voice rose in anger and sneer. Memories stung her, and her hands shook involuntarily. She could barely keep her entire body from shaking. The pain of seeing those you cared about die, the pain of knowing that there was something you could have done.... it never went away. It was a flame that burned inside of her, devouring her from within. It was a pain that she would carry within her until the end of her days. "This world is burning, it is dying. And yet you would sit here and chastise me? You would offer me a peaceful life? The very peaceful life you chose? The life of a coward?!"

If Guilt had been capable of spitting, she would have. Her hatred was at a boiling point, she was far beyond reason. Some part of her knew that she was practically signing her death warrant here. For all her power she was powerless against the High. A helplessness that only served to infuriate her further. At this point, she didn't care about the consequences. "This world is burning because you are too cowardly to face the flames. You were granted power beyond any other, and you squander it on personal pleasures. My scars are no shame to me, coward. They are what I have sacrificed, what I have given freely, for the sake of others. My body and mind, I will sacrifice both, in order to destroy the world that would take all that it wants. To destroy this world that cares not for the fate of the weak." Guilt gestured wildly, and flames filled the room. It was not a conscious decision, Void merely reacted to her anger. "While you sit here and admonish me I fight for the world you abandoned. I fix the mess you left. If I must bear scars then I will bear them all. If I must suffer then I shall writhe in agony. I will carry the burden of this world, because if not I, then who? Certainly not you."

Out of breath, Guilt gasped. The air in this place was getting thin, and she refilled it with her abilities. Cold air from the northern hemisphere. Looking up she stared at the wall, her eyes barely visible through her visor. "If you wish to kill me, do it. But I will not become like you. If I must die, then I will die standing." That was all she had to say. Trembling slightly, she awaited her judgement, whatever it might be. But until the very end, she refused to show weakness. She refused to give in.

Jeanne -- Force

@Override

His excuses were pathetic. Blame God for how he appeared to be? Blame God for him having a need to feed upon the energy of others? There was always an alternate route, another path to take, and to the Jeanne, she beheld him simply taking the one which was most convening, the one in which he intentionally harmed her Mother. Instead of finding strength from within to resist feeding, he opted instead to feed upon not only criminals, but the helpless, the elderly, the weak, for the sake of cowardice.

"Fine." The Angelic Epic stated steadfastly. Her hand extended out to him, and as the sword dissipated, there would be a luminous circle instead. A visualization for her to use as once her fingertips settled upon the edge, the swirling maelstrom of swords abruptly ceased their movement. "You have made your decision. I shall make mine.

"Per istam sanctan unctionem et," she began another prayer with her voice returning to its sorrowful and melancholic state. She simply would not allow the actions against her adoptive mother to go unpunished. " suam piissimam misericordiam, indulgeat tibi Dominus quidquid per."

Those who knew Latin, who could understand it, quickly would come to understand what she was saying.

She was administering unto him his last rites.

With the final syllable, her hand closed in around the circle into the focal center. With astonishing rapidity that commenced in the sound of a cacophony of eruptions, the hundreds of highly concentrated blades of light crashed into the barrier simultaneously from all sides. Each crash each eruption would be just as deafening as they were powerful, and the concussion with each impact against the barrier spread into a shockwave that caused the very earth to ripple outward like a stone's throw into a pond.

As always, as she had been taught by the Church and the Clairvoyant, she surged forth into the conflict. With the sword in her hands coming into the grasp of both her hands, Jeanne's wings unfurled as she launched herself forward. Raising her blade on high, she summoned the fullest of her strength to bring the brilliant claymore crashing down upon the barrier that she was certain was near fracturing or completely gone.

If it was gone, it would certainly provide great detriment to the Devil if it struck true. The Devil who had invaded her home, and hurt her family.

Devilstrider strengthened the shields and then moved. He blurred with blinding speeds, his shield came with him and he sped toward the angel, dodging her claymore swing, his shields pushing outwards, pushing the swords away. As his shields startd to break, he simply kept creating them. Layers of aura, instantly forming as it shattered. It took a lot of attention, but actually got easier as he moved. The swords, as far as he could tell, didn't track. She had to concentrate them on him and moving through off her precision, especially at his speeds. The momentum of her swinging the massive sword carried her forward and Devilstrider laughed as he latched a hand on to her sword arm and started to drain her.

Her aura started to course through him, replenishing his full reserves and going over what he actually needed. The blood lust started immediately, and if Jeanne listened she would hear him muttering, "I'm in control. I'm in control," over and over again. He fought the urge not to rip her arm off with his strength. Instead he felt the steady course of aura from her and fought off the bloodlust, which was almost like a seperate battle within itself. She had to be filling it now, the exhaustion washing over her. It wasn't lethal, but it was sure to be uncomfortable, slightly painful.

@ihinka

Albert just smirked somewhat somberly. These folks were rather forthcoming, a balm to the wound. It had been a while since he had seen this kind of down-to-earth people. These days the world had gone to hell, and he could not find this kind... of homely feeling anymore. But with Regan, Teagan, that kid and the old couple, it seemed as if he was one of the normals again. That all the bloodshed that had happened, and all the barriers had broken mattered not. He was just a normal bloke once again.

"Well." Albert begun to say, as he winced, the stitches in his back pulling his skin as he took a seat. "Pleasure's mine, ma'am." he quickly pieced together as he shook the hand of the old woman, sitting beside the firefighter and the fellow officer. He had a somewhat tired smile, and his eyes seemed to drift in the distance of a gray world once more. The question was asked.

"I was the one yes." He replied curtly, detached. He had gone beyond the step of being reluctant about it. There was so many things he was reluctant to talk about, and this one...felt like one the lesser ones. "They got Officer McKenzie. Poor lad. With a Grenade. I had to...well, resort to lethal force." He added, trying to tactfully describe the grisly situation. However, his expression became even more detached as he followed with a really neutral statement. "Not the worst I've ever had, but still not nice." He finished.

"SAR, huh. You want to die young, lass." Albert blurtly stated as he heard the firefighter's rant. "Still, it's a noble endeavour and you need brass...ovaries in your case to take it. If you don't end up in the cemetery, you're gonna get some medals." He added.

"Still, I think that as the oldest of the lot, I have to well, show you the lucky charms and stuffs. Maybe even bring some chat topic." Albert said. "PART, uh? Hm... Well I've given some thought. It would also showcase my real skill in some stuff." He pondered.

"Well, right, I think It would be fine if you two ladies knew the truth about me. I've been laying low for a while... but I do have a big story on my back, you see." Albert said, as he brought his wallet, carefully unfolding it, producing a couple of medals.

One of them was the Victoria's Cross

The other one was one of a kind. Only a handful of those had ever been coined. A small, but carefully crafted medal in platinum, with an exquisite calligraphy. A representation of an Spear overimposed a bolt of Lightning could be seen. United Nations - GSF - Albert "Gungnir" Wolfe - For Services rendered.

"Take a good luck at these. It was folks like you who made this possible. I normally don't take pride on these things, stained with so many deaths. But people like you two are worth showing to." Albert added, as he shuffled with a menu, obviously somewhat awkward of revealing the contents of the wallet.

Edward walked out the back door of his shop, leaving two employees, a recent high school graduate and his little brother, to hold down the fort while he went for a walk. He grabbed his coat and staff, though he didn't suspect there would be any need for Magus to make an appearance. Still, it was best to be prepared. He made his way towards Central Park, keeping his eyes and ears open for any sign that someone may need a hero.

---

---

"Steve! They made a card of me! Steve?! You have to see this!" Robert yelled as he entered the appartment. Steve turned around and was about to roll over to his friend, but Robert already stood beside him. "They made a card of me, Steve!" He said enthousiastically, while trying to catch his breath. Steve had to laugh, seeing his friend acting like a puppy. "Wow Rob! When did this happen?"
*"Remember last month when Dragon Heart was fighting Blacklight right in front of our faces when we exited the supermarket?"
-"And ofcourse you had your suit with you, because you have that with you ALL OF THE FREAKIN TIME!"
*"Well it paid off! And I did save that old lady! Somebody must've seen me!"
-"That was indeed heroic. And I don't think anyone could miss that bright red suit of yours, even if they tried."
*"Ha. ha. Steve, look at this and tell me you're not jealous."
Rob opened his bag an took out a card that he held too close to Steve's face. moving his head backwards a bit, Steve could see the action picture of his friend in red suit. JET FUEL, it read. Not being new to these cards, Steve immedeately noticed it was part of the New Faces set, from which cards were basically worthless, unless the portrayed hero would later develop into a super celebrity. He decided not to mention that. There was no information besides name and picture, as was often with the New Faces set. But it did have a small text speculating his ability: But can he melt steel beams?
Steve looked back up at his friend. "Congrats buddy! I guess you're officially a hero now! We need to celebrate! Do you think this will get you a raise at VEST?"

@thewizardguy

The High Island was silent for a glacially slow moment, then asked;

{Is that what you think we have done? Maya, I sympathise with your pain. I know what you have seen. Know that I am apologising to you on behalf of all my siblings for what you experienced. I offer you a token, then: We are the guardians. This City is an ark. A Deluge is coming, and Epic City will withstand the tide.}

{Will you work with us, or against us, in the work of preservation?}

---

Spectrum tugged her hood further over her face as Alex paid for their coffee date. It's not that she couldn't afford Heroes' Cafe, but that Alex insisted. While absent-mindedly trying to make her sleeves look less ragged, her eyes were caught by a woman making a light show on the table in front of her. The figures fought, and Roxana's eyes were soon drawn to the full-size spectacle of an angel and devil fighting in the street.

Roxana pulled on Alex' sleeve, intending to draw her friend's attention away from the cute Batista, when a different screech echoed down the street. Running out with the crowd, Spectrum looked up to see the harpies explode from the top of a nearby skyscraper, sending detritus and dirt falling to the street below. Whipping their wings and screeching in frustration, their attention seemed focused inside the building.

Spectrum debated for a moment: disappear with the crowd and hope nobody got hurt, or ruin these clothes and suit up? Then the horror hit her. She was looking up, at empty space. Going on. Empty and open and going to swallow her. In a panic, she frantically pushed her way back inside, hiding under one of the booth tables and curling up into a hyperventilating ball.

---

Dragon strolled into the bar with the satisfied attitude that comes from a good night. He wasn't sure if Maria was on duty today, but this was an easier place to talk to her than that crowded apartment where you were guaranteed six eavesdropping ears. He sat down at one of her tables and waved when he spotted her.

The place wasn't too busy, all things considered. Compared to the night before, it was positively relaxing. When Hunter walked into the place, she noticed him immediately, even though he hadn't seen her yet. She sidled over. "Hey there, stranger," she said, in a goofy, cartoonish voice. "Haven't seen you in a hot minute."

"Well, I was busy," Dragon responded with a smile. She was one of the few he'd allow to get away with his real name. Maybe he'd tell another girl soon... "Saving people, irritating paparazzi, making women drop their dresses on the floor. You know how celebrity is."

"You know, as a matter of fact..." Maria tapped her pen against her pad. "I have no earthly idea. What has the mighty Hunter been up to in his spandex and cape?" She let her voice relax to normal. "I'm sad you came today: I'm singing here tomorrow. Been a while since I got to sing here, and I love this place."

Dragon mentally slapped himself. Way to rub in the difference in their situation now. "Some advertising company actually tried to get me in spandex, you know? I walked right out before they even told me what product they had." He slouched casually in his chair. "I was actually hoping to get some feminine advice. I need to make my place look all romantic and shit."

"You want that advice before or after something to drink? I don't hang around here to give advice, Smaug." She chuckled at her wit. "I'm a workin' lass! You still have the same tastes, all these years later?" she asked, pen popping out. "I'll tell you this much, though: if you want to make a place romantic, don't mention 'shit' anywhere within three miles of the place."

"Well, yeah." The answer sufficed for both the question and the advice. "I practically had to bite my tongue with Spectrum. You..." He stopped and put a hand to his forehead. "You go get me my drink, and one for you, and then you sit and help me get my head back on straight. Haven't had a woman mess me up like this since..." He trailed off, a smirk on his face.

Maria tilted her head at him, a lazy smile spreading on her face. The pen popped back into its case. "Since...what? Hun, it has been a long time since you been in here." She shrugged. "You want anything to eat, too?"

"You guys still serve those chicken wraps with the lettuce and the special sauce?" He asked, folding up the menu.

"Last I checked. Sit tight." She snapped up his menu and strolled away, heading into the kitchen for a minute or two. On exiting, she carried a pair of mugs and a plate, balancing them expertly on her arm. "All right, Clay," she said, slipping into the seat opposite him. Her voice switched into that of a drill sergeant who was trying not to yell at a fool. "I got ten minutes. What can I do for you?"

"Well, tell your roommates that whoever guessed Spectrum is a lady was right," Dragon said, wiping a bit of the wrap off his cheek. "And she's a hell of a curvy lady. First thing she does when I get her back to my place is take off her dress and shoes." He went a little pink, and covered by taking another few bites out of the wrap. "She's goddamn gorgeous and cute too."

"Will do," she said, taking a sip. "But how does that concern me? Unless you're just coming to brag to someone, which is fine. Still," she said, leaning back, "There's gotta be something more to this than you coming to me to gush."

Dragon waved a hand at her. "I promised her dinner tonight and I have no High clue what to make. I need a second brain on this. You've had guys try to wine and dine you. What'd they do?"

Maria tilted her head. "Well, they bought me wine, and then we dined." Another sip. "After that, if I was feeling it, we went back to the apartment. Kenny and Hannah always teased me about it. IF you wanted to know what they did, well..."

She raised an eyebrow. "They dressed well, but not too well. Taking me on a date in a tux? Please don't, unless it's a god damn gala. I'm sure you know plenty of those, don't you? They offered to pay for the meal, but didn't insist on it. They listened to me when I talked about my interests. Most importantly, they didn't interrupt me."

She stopped to look at him. "Want me to keep going? You with me so far?"

"I meant like food," Dragon clarified, swigging the bottle. "Surely one of them tried to cook you something to get you to stick around." He took another bite of his wrap. "She's the kind I'd like to keep, you know?"

Maria laughed. It was a musical sound, as if all her possible voices were modulating her own. Everyone in the restaurant pause for a moment, and their eyes closed with bliss. Then it was over. "They tried to cook? You kidding? Most of them couldn't even drink as much as me, Hunter."

She winked at him. "It takes a special kind of guy to satisfy me." Then she softened. "Tell you what," she said. "My roommate Ernie is an excellent cook. He's a pyromancer, and damn, that guy is a master. Something he made for me would have melted my heart, if he wasn't such a devoted boyfriend to his lovely girl. Chicken Marsala, and broccoli. I didn't even know I liked broccoli until he made it for me. If you want, I'll email you the recipe or something."

Her face grew more thoughtful. "What's special about this one, Hunter? I've heard about a few of your escapades. Snapchat, remember. I haven't seen any about this one."

Dragon smiled, and thanked her. "I don't know. Those snapchat things were just for fun, or some girl misinterpreting politeness and a little drink. One of them was even paparazzi from that ENTV place. That was embarrassing." He finished his food, and put the cutlery across the plate and pushed it to the centre of the table.

"Spectrum is... Gorgeous, vivacious, silly, cute and affectionate. I could tell she liked me, but I didn't feel like she wanted anything from me." He looked up at Maria, tipping his drink. "She feels honest and happy. Most people we meet want something, and she was happy to just be with me. Like for me, not Dragon."

"Hmm..." Maria thumbed her pen idly. "Sounds like you have a nifty new person in your life. Me too, actually. But...and forgive me if I'm prying, does this girl even know your real name?"

"No, and I don't know hers either." Dragon's tone shifted dangerously, "So that somehow makes it less valid? I'm thinking of making her dinner, Mari. How many women have I done that for? Except you?"

Maria held up a hand in peace. "Easy there, man," she said in his own voice. "I wasn't invalidating anything, and I think it's sweet that you're putting in the time for her. That's good. I just know friends of mine who have been hurt before from diving into things too quick."

Then her voice changed to rippling water. No one could listen to it and stay angry. No one she'd met, at least. "I care about you and your well being. I'll get you the recipe. Hell, if you both want to stop by some time, I'm sure my friends would be happy to meet you both."

Normal voice, now: "I'd like you to be happy, Hunter. That'd be nice, I think."

He held up a knife, though with a smile on his face. "Listen, you stop using wiles on me." Waggling the knife like their old Math teacher used to his finger, Dragon eventually sighed. "It's not an easy thing, you know, telling her my name. I'm quite happy with the world thinking Blacklight and I are comic-book archenemies, not..." He waved his hand for her to fill in the rest. "I might, you know. Tonight. If things go well."

"Well, let me know how it turns out." She smiled back. "Names are fickle things, you know. They have power. And I'm not talking about some fantasy world of magic: names, especially nowadays, are dangerous. But when you really care about someone, that's a risk we gotta take."

She laughed musically again, and this time two men across the room dropped their forks and shivered. "All right, okay. Break time's over. I've got some people to take care of now." She stood, pulling the receipt from her pad. "Pay at the counter when you're ready. Come back soon, you hear?"

Maria winked. "Bring that girl by this place sometime. I'll text you the days I'm singing. Or you can stop by the apartment. Either way, it'll be fun." She walked away, and the two men from before watched her walk with undisguised rapture. Not that it as their fault, though.

Dragon rolled his eyes. Whether it was overexposure or being in love, Maria's voice didn't even make him blink. "I'll bring her past here first. I pity the person who's got to meet all of your crew at the same time." He downed his bottle, leaving it standing on his plate for cleanup. Just as he was paying, a voice echoed.

<Snapper in Central Park. Civilians please keep clear. Epics exercise caution. ECPD will be on scene for containment.>

He looked up, cracking his knuckles. A snapper turtle wasn't an immediate danger if people behaved themselves, but there was always some hotshot who tried to use their powers on the animal. He set out at a light jog, building the speed slowly and keeping himself fresh. This should be an easy job, no fuss, and he'd have plenty of time to shop for dinner.

Alex noticed the commotion out of the corner of her vision, and looked at the cute last. "Keep the change, and my number. Text me sometime, yeah?" She said hurriedly, running off before Kendra could reply. "Rox! We gotta go!" She yelled, assuming things were getting loud by the near panic moving through the crowd. "Damnit, Rox, where the hell did you go?"

No time... she thought painfully, throwing open a portal and reaching in to grab her sword before rushing out into the street.

She stopped, visibly paling as she looked up. Harpies! Fuck me sideways. Why did it have to be Harpies?

She tracked the flying beasts, unhappily noting that they were well beyond her limits, and much too high for her liking.

"All civilians exit the area! Go through the nearest portal and await someplace low and indoors!" She yelled as loud as she could, throwing open portals all over the area. "I repeat, Evacuate the area!"

A bit of sweat broke out on her forehead.

She looked over and saw an Epic fighting a Freak, opening a portal between then. "You two, cut the shit. I'm recruiting you to help with the Situation."

Damnit Rox, where the hell are you? she wondered again.
@Feisty-Pants@Override

A snapper? Xoxi didn't really know what that entailed, but she could see out the window that there was a giant snapping turtle roaming around Central Park, eating trees and what not. Honestly, it looked pretty harmless in comparison to something like a dragon, so Xoxi wasn't really worried about that. Still, it's probably a good idea to go and assist with the crowds and try to keep them back. That thing could probably cause a lot of mayhem if it was disturbed, so keeping things away from it was at least a decent idea.

Xoxi left the Heroes' Cafe, throwing her cup of coffee in the trash with one of her spirit hands and pulling her bandanna out of her pocket with the other. As soon as she made it outside, she ducked around the corner into an alleyway and tied the bandanna around her mouth and nose, loose enough that it was comfortable, but tight enough that it wouldn't fall. Once she had the bandanna on, she used both of her hands to lift her leather jacket out of her shoulderbag. The bag was largely empty after that, so Xoxi just took it off until after she had everything on. It was one of the first times she had to use this as a costume, but she was more than happy to do so if it helped. Anomaly drew her hood and zipped up her jacket before attempting to put the bag back on over her outfit. Unfortunately, the bag fell down around her ankles as she had it on. Once more, she tried and failed. After another attempt, Anomaly uttered "Fuck it," under her breath as she ran out into the street. She'd get the bag later.

As soon as Anomaly stepped into the street, she heard the many squawks of harpies erupt out of a nearby rooftop, and a few of those harpies noticed her standing alone and with her lack of arms due to the empty sleeves. Immediately, those harpies saw her as an easy meal, so two of the group broke off and decided to attack Anomaly. That was their first mistake, as two enlarged ghost fists flew towards the Harpies when they got close, sending them back into the skies on impact. Anomaly couldn't help but smile as they underestimated her, and smiled even harder when they tried it again. That was their second mistake, and the ghost fists grabbed them by the heads and slammed them into eachother, landing the two on the road a few feet away from Anomaly.

"Don't underestimate me, you glorified chickens!"

---

---

Steve and Robert were heading over to the Heroes' Café to get some drinks to celebrate, but halfway Kent street, Steve thought of something. "I wanna make a quick stop at the supermarket before we go to the café"
"Now? fine, I know a shortcut from here." Robert pushed Steve's wheelchair through a narrow alley. Lois Lane, read the sign.

Not long after, Steve rolled outof EpicMart, with the cupcake and the small candle hidden in his bag. Celebration needed to be done properly: beers, a cupcake, self-mockery and moderate enthousiasm. Robert had been waiting outside and was now staring at something in the sky. "Oh hey Steve, you done? Something is happening in town, can you see those flying things over there?" He pointed to what at this moment only were moving black dots in the sky. "I'm done! And I swear, every time we walk out of this supermarket, something is going wrong in the city."
Robert was not really listening as he tried to see what the flying dots were. "You know, maybe we should go check it out."
Steve rolled his eyes and sighed. "Dun dun-dun dun! this sounds like a job for... Meltman! aren't you happy now that you went with Jet Fuel? Anyway, go check it out, but stay in one piece. I'll see if I can make it to the café without to much trouble. Shouldn't be long before some heroes bring back the peace."
Robert was already taking of his shirt, reveiling his Jet Fuel suit underneath. "One of those heroes would be me. Keep my clothes with you, will you?"
"Geez, ofcourse you were already wearing the costume. Well, good luck Meltman. I'll be at the café."


Fifteen minutes later, Steve found himself stuck in an alley, as on the streets, Harpies and epics were fighting each other. The Heroes' Café was within sight, but he decided it was better to wait a bit until things cleared up. He was fairly safe in the shadows of the alley, and the harpies were busy enough or so it seemed. Robert, or Jet Fuel, would probably be not too far from here.

Finch

The search through the bookstore had yielded some results, as one would expect of a small place like this. It would do for some light reading late at night, or at least that was what he thought to himself as he paid for the book. Action, some romance, nothing particularly outstanding but nonetheless fun. What could he say, he was a bit of a sucker for the classics?

Exiting the building, he mused over what to do as he walked along the sidewalk. Maybe a trip to a cafe? He could use a drink. Or going to a food stand he supposed. Finch could always placate himself with the thought that he was supporting local businesses. Not that that actually meant much, since he would just as easily buy something expensive and imported when he wanted to treat himself.

Eh, he was a criminal. He could do whatever he wanted at the end of the day.

The echoing voice distracted him from his walking, with the mention of a Snapper. Of course he knew what that was, and under normal circumstances he would have no reason to ever go near there. But he was in a good mood and he was nearby. Might as well watch the pseduo-zoo show for however long it lasted.

Book in hand, he turned and headed over to Central Park. With the good day out it looked beautiful, and he didn't have to try hard to find the Snapper. It was both the place where lots of people were moving away, and where there was simultaneously people hanging around and watching whatever happened next. To be fair he did the same thing as he walked towards the site of the disturbance. Hopefully this would make for something fun in his afternoon.

Dragon stopped a good ten feet back from the snapper, scanning the crowd. Though there were many cameras out, nobody was approaching it. A shadow crossed over him. "I expected you'd be here."

"Piss off, Jace," Dragon remarked, not turning around.

"Now now, Hunter, that's no way to talk to your better," the voice sneered. He couldn't help it. Dragon snickered a little. A hand forced him to turn, a strong push on his back shoulder. "What makes you so happy??" Blacklight demanded.

"You're just funny, little brother," Dragon remarked, messing up his hair. "So overdramatic."

Blacklight's eyes narrowed. "You're hiding something from me. I will find out what. Just like I learned the secrets of the Snapper."

Dragon blinked. "Jace, what did you do now?" He asked with weariness dripping from his voice.

Blacklight shrugged nonchalantly, a hint of excitement in his eyes. "I've grown."

"No, you've found some new petty way to feel big." Dragon reached out to grab Blacklight by the wrist.

Blacklight slipped away, laughing. "I've stolen from a Beast. I've grown." He grew serious. "And now I'm going to break you until you tell me what has made you different, Hunter. I'll start with you fingers, one by one, and break every bone in your body if I have to."

Dragon sighed. "I'm getting tired of fixing your screwups, Jace." He folded his arms and started looking around. Best that he get ahead of whatever scheme Blacklight had come up with now.

Blacklight slapped Dragon in the side of the head. "I. Said. Tell. Me. What. Changed." He said, dangerously quiet.

All humour dropped out of Dragon's face. He punched Blacklight in the chest. "You answer my question. What did you do?"

Blacklight straightened up, all sparkle gone from his eyes. "Eldest before youngest, Hunter," he said with a growl before throwing a whip of dark energy at Dragon's face.

He batted it out of the way, shouting to the crowd to get clear before tackling Blacklight and carrying him to a less populated part of the park. "Which is why," he said, using the momentum to throw Blacklight to the floor, "you answer my question first."

A tendril of dark energy sneaked out and flipped Dragon off of his feet. "Why do you think the Snapper is active, brother?" He asked as he rolled to his feet. Another whip slammed down towards Dragon's chest.

"You stupid son of a bitch," Dragon groaned, slapping a hand against his forehead and casually swatting Blacklight's tendril with a bolt of lighting. "Of all the monsters in the city you pick the one that's absolutely harmless unless hit first. Were you going to take it home and keep it as a pet?" He rolled backwards to his feet, giving Blacklight a disappointed look Dragon didn't realise he'd inherited from their father.

" DON'T YOU PATRONIZE ME! " Blacklight screamed, sending whip after whip of energy at Dragon in a fury.

Dragon walked forward, grimacing as one of Blacklight's tendrils found a momentary hold. The crowd around the snapper had noticed the fight here, and Dragon groaned. "I told you people to stand clear!" He shouted, sending a bolt of lightning directly into Blacklight almost casually.

Devilstrider looked up to see a woman yelling at him. He was muttering to himself. "I'm in control," the violence bubbling in him. The portal that appeared between them cut off his feeding and he snarled, but again the words poored out of his mouth "I'm in control." He looked toward the woman who had pried them apart. Registering her words and looking around. Harpies. Running civilians. He snarled. The violence in him was territorial. He did not like the Harpies in his area. He fought it down again and looked at a Harpy. He aimed carefully and blasted it out of the sky. Then another and another. As they hit the ground he sped toward one, touching it and draining it within a few moments, then he ripped its head off.

All the while he fought the rage which seemed to be slightly less when dealing with monsters of this kind. "I'll help keep this area clear, Miss." He said to Traveler. He had completely dismissed Archangel. Instead doing his best to keep the Harpies occupied and away from civilians. If she was truly a good person, she'd recognise the bigger threat.