[center][h2][b][i][colour=94B21C][[/colour][/i] [colour=94B21C]𝑅𝒾 𝓁 𝑒𝓎[/colour] [i][colour=94B21C]][/colour][/i][/b][/h2][/center]
[hr][hr]
It had been a month since the situation with the Fiendish Five had concluded. The affair had been dealt with quickly and without much fuss, with the entire team—bar Gholem—being taken into custody rather easily. For a group of hardened mercenaries, they had gone down easier than a stack of playing cards. It was almost disappointing how easy it had been, but more than anything, it left Riley suspicious. Why had they only sent two of them to invade Hero One? It was difficult to believe it was because they'd thought that the two of them could do it alone. No one–it was unlikely they were that stupid. It wasn't a high bar of intelligence to clear, but it was there.

Well, it wasn't like it was his problem to solve anyway. H.E.R.O. was the one who had to deal with figuring that stuff out, and if they couldn't? Well, there goes any faith he might have had in their capabilities to do their job. Might, being the operative word. He had his own things to think about, like that giant, magnificent specimen he so very much wanted to di–[i]study[/i]. He hadn't the chance to interact with it–[I]her[/I] after the fact, though not for a lack of trying. That fungal leftover was a unique find as well, though of lesser interest. His initial thoughts were to take it apart, but then he realised its sapience and backtracked. That would have been a waste.

Riley sighed.

It was a good thing that Hero One had a big empty space lying around underground that he could use without reservations. Why did they have such a thing? Riley couldn't really say. Still, it made things easier and safer for everyone else if he wasn't out in the open when he was using his powers to do.... anything, really.

He couldn't afford to forget that.

The space being unoccupied also meant he could have a conversation without being interrupted by anyone. Even if it hadn't exactly gone in a direction he would have liked.

Everything was only downhill from there.

That was why Riley now found himself at Hero Three for an I.C.O.S.A. evaluation that he couldn't care less about, all because Powers was so inefficient. It wasn't hard to figure out why he—among others—hadn't been spared this evaluation while many others had. Riley never liked this kind of compromise. On the plus side, the place was a lot nicer than he'd expected, even if his enjoyment was somewhat dampened by the reason for his visit.

Despite his irritation, let it never be said that Riley wasn't punctual.

One good thing was the fact that he'd been provided with information about the observers sent by I.C.O.S.A—not much, but better than nothing. Discreetly, of course. The first one, Q. Spencer Randolph, also known as Magician, was a mage-type, and a self-righteous bugger to boot. A more vulgar person would have called him something very different. The other one, Marisol Pérez, hero name Chimaera, was a more recent addition to the organisation. Neither were as important as the last person; Dr. Sabine Reininger.

Riley didn't have anything against psychologists per se, but when they wanted to know what was going on in [i]his[/i] head, then he had a problem. Especially since she was with I.C.O.S.A. If this was any other time, he wouldn't have even entertained the thought of being here. Unfortunately, that was not an option, much as he loathed the idea.

His eyes shifted to the door as it opened and two people stepped out, and the crystal between his teeth crunched. Pérez was absent, as expected. Probably bothering one of the other groups like the nuisance she was meant to be. The pricks were annoying like that.

The moment Mr. Randolph opened his mouth to speak, Riley had already mostly checked out. The audacity to ask for someone to volunteer to go first as if it being here was a choice. And he didn't miss the way the man had cut himself off either.

The psychologist added some meaningless context to Magician's words. If she really wanted to make this evaluation “painless” and “time-effective”, she could evaluate her way out the door. Riley's actual response to her platitudes was shorter.

[colour=94B21C]“Piss off.”[/colour]