General Scales

Never Normal - a Superhero Vigilante RP

Girard looked around the main room of the theater taking in the work put into it and quietly smiling as he rested up against one of the walls. He had been there for a good portion of the day already but honestly he had been in no rush to leave particularly ever since he got the text from Ditch. It had been a hard pressed time trying to contact the woman since the first missions with her making scarce as she did which left the big man with a couple of choice things to do in the mean time. Over the past couple days he had been sending a serious message to the gang in his old neighborhood as well as a few of the others nearby to make it look like he wasn't picking them out specifically. It had been quite effective in halting anymore expansion since they were so preoccupied keeping what they had. Putting the squeeze on operations had become something of a specialty and honestly he felt it was far more effective at dealing with criminals when all of them were worried not just some. The news was looking less and less promising lately though as more heroes went off the radar not to mention Wall Walker having been captured, it was getting to be more of a mess.

The big guy had been earliest to the HQ greeting people as they showed up but he wasn't any less concerned that Ditch hadn't managed to beat everyone to the building as per usual. The feeling seemed mutual around the room for the most part for any who were thinking into it but they waited regardless. Earlier Tank had gone out for food as well though he hadn't touched much of it, which was saying something considering the large bag holding burgers/sides he brought. It hadn't been all for him but he had an appetite to match his size so extras never hurt if no one else ate much either. However, he found eating difficult as he sat or moved around occasionally attempting to chat up one of the others for small talk to pass the time. It was only when the knocking started that Girard's head shot over alert at the sudden commotion and once Reaper let Ditch in he could see the woman wasn't alone. It didn't take him long to get up and move over to where the soaking wet kid was before removing his large bomber to add to the pile. It would either make a good base or one oversized blanket for someone of the boy's size but it would be warm for sure. Reaper and couple others split Ditch off trying to console her while he heard Wraith say something about sentry duty.

Honestly he wasn't sure what to do from there though he did remember someone mentioning food and drinks so he retrieved his bag and brought it over before stepping back. He would wait for further instruction because as far as the situation was concerned he was clueless. knowing fuck all about first aid or most things medical really didn't help his usefulness but if he could help in some way they just had to say the word.

Never Normal - a Superhero Vigilante RP

Girard was pleased with the turn out on the Ecto and Wraith front since most everyone seemed willing to forgive and forget also the handshake with Omega was something he felt good about along with his response. The woman would get some help as she needed it. As far as forgetting to speak his mind about a weakness it made him feel a bit stupid but that could be easily resolved. However, when it came to the whole mission he had limited knowledge of what had actually happened since his first move had been to run with Scarlet so it was going to be more up to the others to give a proper response. He would most certainly give Ditch what he knew about Rebel tomorrow because honestly the woman looked like she was due for some rest. Her recollection of using her power only made the big guy a bit concerned for Ditch though it was for a reason he couldn't properly express for lack of knowledge. All he knew was an unstable power triggered by anger was not a great thing something which he had been told and seen the results of himself. It might be another subject the two would have to discuss away from the others or with them if it came to it.

In the end when it came to powers the only one he knew for sure about was his own, he respected that they all came with challenges and circumstances behind them that he would have to find out. Like how Ditch wasn't born with them which he was quietly thankful for in knowing way. A power like that or his was difficult to cope with so probably for the best her family didn't have to deal with what his did. Though he figured now would be good as time as any to note his own weakness for future reference.

"Far as weaknesses go, if it ain't some form of physical or head on attack its going to get through eventually. Still need to eat, drink and breath too if that counts." Tank said not entirely sure how to put it beyond that.

Soon after a little more conversation more and more of the vigilantes seemed to be disappearing into the night, sounded like it might be raining. He decided that was probably his cue to get moving himself and eat dinner once he got back home though he would be mulling over what happened during the day for several hours most likely.

"Have a good night the rest of you." Girard said giving a wave as well before making a slow plod towards the door and confirming the weather before putting back on his helmet.

The big man made for his apartment keeping an eye out as he went for any trouble because he was not yet off duty as far as he was concerned hungry or not.

Never Normal - a Superhero Vigilante RP

@Inertia Knuckle down on that and it'll be over before you know it buddy, we'll just be waiting for ya until then.

Never Normal - a Superhero Vigilante RP

“We’re alright. Glad to see you made it back in one piece.”

Girard was glad that the arrival brought some relief to the rest if there was any to be had, which from Ditch it seemed to be the case. Though as he listened it became more and more clear how serious the other team's mission had ended up which looked bad. Hearing Reaper's question as she made her presence known walking in the front door, he was glad to see the woman safe, and the reply from Ecto clued him in before Ditch ever had the chance to speak. Something had gone wrong more to do with the team rather than with Walker which could have meant nothing good for the odds of success let alone injury for any teammates involved. The look between Wraith and Ecto gave away some of whom were at fault but he had to know just how far this whole mess went honestly because it could be a continued issue. He paid careful attention to what Ditch had to say for the time being because he needed to know if this was fixable.

“I kicked Graffiti off the team. She wanted not only to spill unnecessary blood, but struck up a fight with a fellow team member for no reason. Their actions were lethal to the mission, and I ended up letting Walker go. I couldn’t gain his trust. It only could’ve gone downhill from there.”

The big man had removed his helmet by this point and let out a sad sigh which mirrored his expression at the whole debacle and as he continued to listen between his two teammates as Wraith's demeanor shifted to show just what the younger woman was hiding, insecurity. The fact they had a person kicked off the team and lost Walker was immensely concerning to boot because that was two more vulnerable powered people for Umbra to get at but at least they managed to get Scarlet out of harms way as some consolation. He looked over to reaper who was explaining briefly what had happened on his team's end and it was right on the money though he guessed the energy hit must have affected the rest of them more than him at the time but other than that it was just a few crucial details that were missing. He also heard Raven Tale talking about explaining weaknesses and he honestly would agree that it could make the difference when it came to teaming up so he would make a note to put the information out there. It didn't occur to him once Reaper mentioned the doctor pointedly at them but his mind put it together and he had no use for one at the moment or under normal circumstances so he kind of just gave the woman a negatory head shake to answer her.

Once Omega started talking Girard took a moment to listen mostly out of respect for the other man but because he generally spoke the truth when he saw or heard it. None of what he said could have been better placed as he dealt with the major issue Wraith was facing which in a semblance he had dealt with himself, self control. As for the team mechanic it was hard not to agree that adjusting to it might be hard for some of the others and hell even himself occasionally at times but it had to happen or they would get nowhere. Believing in Ditch's cause was one thing but a united effort to give Umbra a biblical whooping was the ultimate goal and one the big man was fully behind ready to help anyone with a common thought on it. But he had something to say himself more specifically to Wraith so he moved over giving Ecto a quick nod wanting to excuse himself shortly before he crouched in front of the shorter vigilante to maintain eye level.

"One of the hardest lessons I've ever learned was knowing when to hold back or how much and I'm still learning, its never too late to start either but remember if anything we all are willing to have your back in some form or another." Tank said in a, relatively quiet but calm voice, and giving her a warm smile afterwards meaning every word as he spoke them.

He got himself back up maintaining his expression looking over towards his ghostly comrade for a moment before making his way over to Omega reaching a hand out for a modest shake.

"If you still got some hope in the rest of us how could I say no to getting some old fashioned teamwork organized around here, and then we can show Umbra what he has to worry about between all of us who are still standing here ready fix the problem." Girard said using the handshake as a thanks for pointing out why the Scarlet team succeeded but also as an extension for how it would be a great thing to truly have each others backs at 100%.

Never Normal - a Superhero Vigilante RP

Girard found out just how little had changed about his rival's temper as she reacted to him purposely taking the hit which seemed to have insulted her leading up to her coming straight for the big man. TB's staff had done its job though surprising and ultimately throwing Rebel off balance and on her ass in a humiliating manner which left her looking like she was about to go on a rampage for it. The fight going on to his side between the boss lady and Sparky seemed to be going nowhere fast either but he was keeping her tied up well which left Turn Back free to deal with the fire bug and he had a damn decent boost to do it with. One thing that hadn't occurred to him was that there hadn't just been three of them when they arrived, there had been a fourth so where the hell was he. Maybe he had tried to chase Reaper which if she was using her power would make it damn near impossible on foot to find the two women so it was only a matter of time before the man would be back in action.

However, the thought was proven wrong as the man pulled up from behind the two women and made a quick gesture that looked negative. Given the 'leader's' reaction it seemed like the opposing group was about ready to start retreating which didn't seem like it was going to be an easy matter. Not to mention Rebel looked as if she was going to have none of it more interested in fighting him than getting out until at least some reason managed to filter through her iron hard skull. As much issues as he thought they would have with an evac turned out to be inconsequential as a white haired woman started to teleport them out one by one and honestly there wasn't much they could do to stop them on such short notice. It was such a brief conflict that the sudden cut off left the big man full of adrenaline and with nowhere or nothing to expend it on currently.

Girard heard Turn Back referencing the fact neither or reaper or Scarlet had seemed to get caught which he nodded to the man in agreement that it was a good thing. They couldn't afford to let the bastards get what or who they wanted as it would just making fighting them harder in the long run not to mention end up screwing with the people who they did get. Though for now getting out of the area was seeming more and more like a good plan than before in case another squad got sent after them or worse. The thought had preoccupied the big man for a moment before he once again heard TB only much more frantic. He looked over to his comrade to see him well and truly freaking out over something which he didn't understand. It might have been due to his power which the glowing orange around him was kind of giving away as opposed to the purple he had seen before but whatever it was brought out fear in the smaller man. When his staff suddenly burst into flames it was a hell of a sight what with white hot flames spouting off the top of it and seemingly for no reason beyond the energy pouring into it.

"Uh I don't know what that was or how it happened just now but I still say getting out of here would be a very good idea. We can figure this shit out once we get back to HQ or something." Tank said reiterating his previously valid point but also trying to get Turn Back into reality again because its where they all needed to be at the moment.

A light, by his standards, grip on his ally's shoulder was to help get his attention and assure him all the same that they would look into the new development. The big man gave a nod of approval to Sparky who had done his job fairly well as far as he knew but also to make sure he got he message as well.

"This was a damn mess of a situation, just hope the others didn't have it this bad." Girard said offhandedly ready to move at the drop of the hat which he would once the others started to go not wanting any surprises to pick them off after the whole incident.

Once the three men were ready and sure Reaper wasn't going to reappear they moved off towards the theater.

---

Tank walked up to the HQ following both Turn Back and Sparky the latter of which was looking rather tired after the whole encounter and the trek back. The big man saw the lightning bug go find himself a dark corner once he got inside and figured he was going to rest for awhile while he and TB made there way further in. It wasn't hard to tell something was up between the couple of team members who where there not all of them present quite yet. He knew they were going to get a debriefing from Ditch most likely though it probably wouldn't just be how the mission went, the opposition they faced made sure of that.

"Hows everyone doing? You guys look a bit rough." Girard asked noticing that Ditch was looking a bit under the weather but other than a few scrapes and maybe a bruise there was nothing to say how they're mission went.

Never Normal - a Superhero Vigilante RP

Girard was a little surprised that Rebel had maintained enough awareness to keep an eye on Sparky, ignore TB and effectively nullified the electricity attack by breaking the ground. He was a fair bit more surprised when Miss Iron Skin took the hit well and wasn't even moved by it which was a far cry from when they last met her being thrown to the ground quite easily with a strong punch. Looked like he had his worked cut out for him this time more so now than then but it was better to have him engage the woman and so he would.

"Seems lots has changed since our last meeting."

"You found your feet but ended up taking orders, strange how that works huh?" The big man retorted in kind before she fired her own strike.

One thing that was true for him was that being as big as he was made it particularly hard to miss him and his powers lessened that weakness significantly in this case. He wanted to see just how much tougher Rebel was and taking a hit on the chin, relatively speaking, was a good way to measure strength since he could afford it and he had a feeling he was not going to be disappointed even if it didn't move him because by now he had resigned himself to fighting an attrition battle against the woman. The big man was more annoyed by the sudden heat on his back than anything though a spot on his shoulder did catch fire which he quickly snuffed out accompanied by a grunt of his displeasure. Barring the fire bug behind them all he really had to do was keep the woman planted and focused on him though TB's strategy of a surprise attack weird-ed him out slightly this time but he was right in asking for a bit of juice for his power. Tank prepared a stronger punch and kicked back one foot to give his ally a boost while throwing some extra weight and momentum behind his strike by basically using Turn Back as a mild 'springboard' to push off of. Hopefully it would give him some energy to work with but he had another idea than a tag team.

"Another idea, if you can, give Lady Liberty's boyfriend some of that before I make him pay for the jacket." Girard said picking at Rebel a bit but getting his point across that having someone throw fire at them from behind really didn't help the situation.

Never Normal - a Superhero Vigilante RP

Had to try. :

Never Normal - a Superhero Vigilante RP

Girard was not entirely surprised when he heard some thuds and cracks picking up behind him, he knew Rebel would be itching for a fight again but it also gave him the idea that the opposing group wasn't well controlled by the 'leader'. However, he had more pressing matter at the moment as the now iron-skinned woman lapped him forcing him to stop, he had to worry about Scarlet otherwise he would have plowed into her, but it appeared the boss lady wasn't far behind which wasn't entirely surprising as she also moved to block him from the front. Would be safer to stay next to someone like Rebel which was probably the plan besides taking his ward from him which wasn't going to happen without a fight. Though it also posed him a problem because he could usually rely on having both arms to work with which was impossible at the moment but in Scarlet's state they couldn't afford to hurt her further so it was a double edged sword but a little in his favor as much as he hated the thought.

"If you think I'm just gonna roll over girls, I'd like to see you try and make me." Tank said accompanied by a quick chuckle from behind his helmet prepared to either hold where he stood or make a quick violent exit to the horror of the local buildings.

Of course it didn't end up coming to that as Reaper showed up at his side and it took almost no urging to let the other vigilante take Scarlet from him, this was exactly what he needed to get back into his comfort zone. He figured she would use his shadow again like before so he kept still so it was a simple matter. Having Turn Back vault over him into a defensive stance was a bit on the theatrical side and he might later admit to smiling at his cheesy line. Girard moved up next to TB and assumed his own stance, it looked almost like a slightly lazy boxing stance, fully intending to use his reach from the center of the little formation that just became full once Sparky appeared to his other side. The lightning bug charged up an attack next to him sending it out towards Rebel and the 'leader' which he figured was a good point to follow up on. If he was being honest with himself he was actually looking forward to some more action and fighting of some of Umbra's goons particularly little miss Iron Skin would keep him nice and busy until they had to pull out.

"Round two." Tank said as he shifted forward to make use of his longer reach to let out a right hook from aimed to hit either of the women or both if they were so inclined.

He wanted to test the boss lady's reaction as well as Rebel's to the swing to follow up on Levi's previous attack and also to get feel for how they were going to move defensively, though the second part was mostly for the 'leader' who appeared be far more vulnerable.

Never Normal - a Superhero Vigilante RP

Girard had half a mind to say I told you so but now was not the time or place for it. If he had been ready to move before they heard the arrivals his mind soon equally switched to a more defensive stand point. This was only reinforced by one of the new arrival's words which preceded a small energy hit that while it didn't worry the big guy much it also didn't feel normal. However, the main concern was now the two men and women coming in the entrance blocking the most obvious escape route for a normal person but he doubted anyone here was normal. All things considered having nullified the threat from Scarlet in the way that happened was probably for the worst because now she was particularly vulnerable and the small team was the first and last line of defense. It was not an ideal situation in the slightest but they would have to make do so all was left was to have a look at the opposition.

The big man looked at both of the men who were closer, one looked kinda thin not the direct fighter type where as the other was a bruiser by normal standards, he thought the confidence they showed was a bit concerning but it could just as easily get them taken out like many before them. His gaze moved back farther to the women one who made it kind of apparent she was the ringleader of sorts and was talking quite the big game but he quickly lost interest once he saw her companion. For Tank time slowed down as he locked eyes from under his helmet with the shorter, athletic woman which if the other three hadn't worried him she did. It was for a damn good reason because that was Rebel who had been one of the most dangerous gang leaders he had tackled. Most would underestimate her based on looks, no way someone like that could pose that much of a threat to a super, but that would end quickly with an iron hard punch from her when she shifted her skin to the metal. This was the reason for one of the longest fights he had taken part in as like him Rebel could both take and dish out a beating which left them in a war of attrition which probably lasted longer than either expected and that neither would forget easily.

Just falling further aren't you honey. Girard thought very sure that if they were going to fight he was going to have to match up with the woman if only to put a large barrier between her and Scarlet.

It was a rare thing to see the big man physically tense up over something but now was a very appropriate time and he was ready to take the fight to them before a wall of fluttering green showed up in front of them. He heard Reaper behind him struggle for a second before thrusting a now unconscious Scarlet into his arms which surprised him for all of a second before realizing that the small hit he had taken must've been much worse to the injured shifter. Also a flash of light zipping through the green gave him an idea of where Sparky stood on the matter.

“Tank! Make like this house is a stage and GO!”

The big man didn't like the idea of leaving the other three behind but it didn't take a genius to realize none of them were strong enough to carry a now dead weighted Scarlet with any sort of speed besides him. Normally he wouldn't back out of a fight but circumstance was against him currently, there was no choice so he would have to leave them for now though he gave TB a quick energy boost before he made his move. If there was one thing Tank could do it was make an emergency exit on the fly which he did bolting for the nearest wall keeping Scarlet covered as he blasted straight through to the outside. Using his head-start Girard had no intention of slowing down picking an alley system and booking it building up some impressive speed as all of the weight turned it into momentum. It wouldn't be impossible to catch him, hell following the thuds if they were in earshot would be enough to give some information but he knew enough shortcuts and hideaways that if they did lose him they would lose Scarlet as well which is what he was counting on.

Gotta hope they can take on Umbra's people or at least get away. The big guy thought more worried about the rest of them than himself at the moment.

Never Normal - a Superhero Vigilante RP

More fans are good fans, makes doing this even better.