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Joseph jumped at the sudden voice, letting out a yelp that was [i]definitely[/i] fake, and [i]totally[/i] not the result of him genuinely getting so distracted by following his coin that he hadn't noticed the twelve-inch-tall action figure until it was right next to him. Still, it was only a momentary shock, and he quickly regained his composure, staring down at it in confusion, because holy crap, one of them [i]actually decided to follow him.[/i]

[color=96EACE]"Oh... I mean hey! Gematria, right? Good to meetcha, good to meetcha!"[/color] He said cheerfully. From the sounds of it, this was the one who seemed to have some level of [i]respect[/i] for him for some reason. He actually felt kinda that he was about to let her down. [color=96EACE]"So, look, just gonna cut to the chase, I was actually sorta planning to just find somewhere quiet and hide there til the hunt was over. That way, I'd have a valid, irrefutable excuse to give Powers' number to someone I [i]know[/i] is gonna prank the living hell out of him with it."[/color]

Truly, it was the perfect plan, one Joseph expected would in no way be immediately called out by the perpetually grumpy director.

However, it appeared that even if he would have been able to convince Gematria to go along with, a fifty fifty prospect even [i]with[/i] her unusually favourable attitude towards him, luck just wasn't on his side. Down on the beach, a little way from where they'd all first gathered, something was happening. A couple of figures standing around one who had collapsed. At first, he thought something must've happened to one of the newbies, which would be both concerning and a little depressing, considering it was only one minute into a non-violent exercise. However, upon making his way a bit closer and hiding behind a rock, he tensed up, realising that the body on the ground was Emily.

[color=96EACE]"Takaki, hop up on my shoulder and stay as quiet as you can."[/color] He whispered to his current companion. [color=96EACE]"I'm gonna see if we can't sneak a little clo-"[/color]

However, before he could even finish his sentence, he watched as everyone else converged around the three figures, including his more experienced colleagues. Honestly, he was pretty relieved, because it looked like there was going to be literally [i]zero[/i] need for him to step in. Still, he wanted to keep an eye on the situation just in case.

At first, it seemed to go well, with his fellow heroes quickly recognising the situation at hand jumping into action. 

And then everything promptly went to hell. 

[color=96EACE]"Ah, crap..."[/color] He sighed, as he realised he'd fallen for the same trick with Jellyfish's electricity as everyone else had, because now Albino was behind Eva, a knife to her throat. [color=96EACE]"Alright, change of plans. If the jellyfish one tries to attack me, I'm gonna need you to take him on, yeah? He uses electricity to attack, so I figure you're our best bet. Wait til he attacks first though. There's something I wanna try first."[/color]

And then he stepped out from behind the rock, slowly walking towards the group.

[color=96EACE]"Ok, so first of all, sorry to steal your thunder, but you won't be breaking any records today. The lady you have there is in fact an experienced hero with a good few missions under her belt."[/color] He said to Albino, before turning to Jellyfish. [color=96EACE]"And you, afraid you've got things a little mixed around. Ya see, Mire here [i]may[/i] be more like you than like us. That's true. But what Mire wants, the [i]only[/i] thing they want, is freedom. And what you're tryin' to offer right now isn't freedom. All you're offering is a chance to run away, and never [i]stop[/i] running. Just like you two."[/color]

He grinned at the pair, stopping close enough that he wouldn't need to shout, but not so close that they'd feel especially threatened.

[color=96EACE]"But instead, why don't I turn that offer around and throw it back at ya?"[/color] He asked. [color=96EACE]"Because, well, I feel like you might have a better shot turning yourselves in instead."[/color]

Joseph held up a hand, his fingers out.

[color=96EACE]"Ya see, Holiday is someone who decided to quit heroing because he [i]liked[/i] hurting people, quit vigilantism because it didn't give him the fame or glory he wanted, and decided to become a murderer to get all three. Blade is an assassin, a hired killer who's been taking lives longer than most of us on this beach have been alive, and doesn't seem to have plans to stop anytime soon. Gholem wanted to make murderbots for the police, and when everyone else said 'no that idea sucks,' he threw a tantrum and made them anyway, putting untold numbers of lives in danger because of his own pride."[/color]

He lowered a finger for each member of the five he listed off, before pausing, giving the pair a moment for what he'd said to [i]hopefully[/i] sink in a little. After a few seconds, he continued, turning to Albino first, and Jellyfish second.

[color=96EACE]"Dirk. You grew up miserable, bullied mercilessly all because of a skin condition. In the end, you lashed out, because who wouldn't? You got backed into a corner, with nowhere else to turn, so you defended yourself, and in turn you were preconditioned to think hurting people was the only option that would get you anywhere, because it [i]worked.[/i] People didn't bully you anymore, and hey, maybe if you kept it up, people would never think about trying to bully you ever again. Kevin, you had it even worse. With the transformation caused by your powers, you didn't even get the chance to live a life like everyone else's. Like Mire, people are afraid of you, and yeah, a good chunk of it is probably because you're a villain now, but you weren't at the start, were you? They were scared because they thought you looked scary, and you were backed into a corner."[/color]

He looked between the two of them.

[color=96EACE]"Now, I'm pretty sure you both know what I'm getting at by now, right? While Holiday and Gholem were villains for stupid, petty, selfish reasons, and Blade's reasons are about as unknown as everything else about her, I'm pretty sure you two never really had any other option. And maybe you actually did, in reality, but you couldn't [i]see[/i] any other options, and now you can't see a way [i]out.[/i] And I get that. It sucks, but it happens a lot. But we can [i]help you.[/i] We can help you find a way out of this whole mess, and give you guys a shot at living a life that doesn't leave you either constantly fighting or constantly running."[/color] 

He paused again, his smile turning a little more devious. 

[color=96EACE]"And sure, you [i]could[/i] try to fight us now, in which case it will [i]not[/i] be a fair fight for you, and you'll probably just end up getting either stabbed, shot, poisoned, paralysed, melted, burnt, electrocuted, thrown into the stratosphere, devoured by a mushroom, devoured by a [i]human,[/i] turned to metal, torn apart at an atomic level, or getting some [i]really[/i] nasty paper cuts in the little bits of skin webbing between your fingers, all without actually managing to do anything to my beloved colleague there. 

[i]OR,[/i] or, you could let her go on your own, agree to turn yourselves in peacefully, and instead of fighting against you, you can let us fight to [i]help[/i] you. Half the idiots here've been on your side of this conversation before, after all. We'll help you live a life you can be proud of again, you just need to give us a chance. To give [i]yourselves[/i] a chance."[/color]