Defenders of New York (Super Hero's)

[genoine]

Catrina

Catrina’s face was a mask of tranquility, her hands drifting in the graceful motions of sign language. Ben translated, his voice and posture soothing as he watched her while she watched them.
“I realize this is an ill-timed moment to introduce myself, but it is clear that once the topic at hand takes hold” she glanced pointedly at Greg, giving the situation the benefit of the doubt just in case, “the moment may be irretrievable.”
She paused, her face downcast as she considered how to proceed. Ben took the time to take a glance around himself, but at her sigh his attention refocused and they continued.
“I’m afraid there’s no easy way to say this. Your former classmate Matsu Sato… Matt, died 13 months ago of a massive… Trina, I don’t know that… heart condition. Though he lost contact with you all I know that you were in his thoughts and he loved each of you. I am sorry to have to bring such negative news to this otherwise… positive occasion. If you have any questions please feel free to ask, otherwise I will leave you to discuss other matters and hope that I have the opportunity to meet you all at a later time. I have note cards…” She paused again and looked down, slightly sad now, pulling a stack of cards from inside the yearbook, “I have cards with contact information including my cell number. If I could leave them with you to pass out Elliot,” She locked eyes with him, trying to discern whether this was a wise choice, “You’re all welcome to contact me any time. I will be in town for the next week should you wish to talk face to face.”
She bit her lip and before anyone had a chance to speak further she walked over and extended the cards to him, expending a heavy breath as she did so.

 

[Private_Label]

Ike full of emotion

Ryan let go and hissed at Ike, "Look at him. He's mad. Don't play into his game."

Ike closed her eyes for a moment. "Lourdes is just a grotto filled with water. Yet the Catholic Church has documented numerous miracles there. What is breath? It is air enriched with carbon dioxide, and," her voice faltered and she whispered fiercely, "water. "

Ike smoothed the sleeves of the green dress, where Ryan's tight grip had wrinkled them, "Every day I walk into the Power Plants. I'm in charge of running reactors for which the waste products will never decay into something safe in my lifetime, Maybe not even in her lifetime." Ike pointed at Roni.

Ike's jaw clenched as she spat out the next sentence, "I'm in charge of running coal burners for which the smoke is a leading cause of acid rain… But people want their power." She said sarcastically, "They want their latte's in the morning, TV in the evening, air conditioning whenever the sun is out. I have to answer to corporate assholes that want me to cut corners and save money at the expense of safety. Even if the stories are NOT true, what have I got?" Hot tears coursed down Ike's face, "Tell me that, Ryan, what have I got that is better than a chance of being a freak that can take action?"

Ike stood in the middle of the isle, shaking. Her hair a red cloud around her face making her seem wild and dangerous.

 

[cats]

Alexis Durran

IC: I had the pamplet in my hand and read the first pamplet when a peer I recanise but can't remember the name to pointed out the super hero contract at the back. I skimmed it very quickly and signed, I then stood up to anounce that now haveing signed the Contract I have become Normal Girl, but I quickly stopped as I saw the emotions begin to fly.

I sat back down not wanting to draw attention to myself. Bad time for comedy I supose.

I turned to Robert. "And you wanted to know what this was about." I watached as the drama went on.

 

[Angelus]

Greg wanted to turn around to look at Elliot and ask him what he had just done to him as he did not feel any different at all until he felt something seeming to grow within him. At first he tried to tell himself that it was just his imagination but it suddenly got so strong that he knew he could not deny it anymore. He still felt like himself but he felt as though there was something else there as well, something that had always been there but had been dormant. He wanted to ask Elliot what was happening to him but his voice seemed to have been cut off which forced him to stand there while he felt whatever it was building up inside him.

It felt as though it was building within his abdomen and filling him up then slowly moving through his body to take it over. He wanted to shout out anything but again it seemed that his voice had failed him. He slowly turned on his heels to look at Elliot and demand that he tell him what was happening to him but before he could it felt as if something had hit him in the chest. He took a few steps back as the feeling grew and grew and he wondered if his heart was going to explode or something.

He placed one hand over his chest and looked at the others in the gym and told himself that if his heart was going to explode that he did not want the others to see how big a mistake he had made. Without saying a word he moved slowly away from Elliot before he ran away from the others and out through the doors of the gym to the hallway.

As soon as he was in the hallway he fell to his knees on the ground and started to take deep breaths to try and calm himself down but the more that he tried the worse his heart seemed to beat until it seemed like it was going into overload. It was then that it suddenly stopped and Greg thought Oh god, I have made a mistake and it has killed me. What have I done! He raised his head to the roof and let out a shout and was surprised when he received an echo of his shout back. I am alive but what is happening to me?!

 

[Screech]

Robert had sat impasivly through everything. The presentation, the panflets, and now the arguments. He had skimmed through the panflet, and now wanted to gague everyone else's reactions

Alex turned to him "And you wanted to know what this was about."

"Yeah. I can't figure out if he's..." Robert stopped talking as he noticed Greg bolt for the exit. "Ooh, that's not good"

He stood up and looked squarely at Elliot. "I dunno man, this all seems a little.. dangerous to me. I mean, I may just be getting old, but, fighting crime? That is what this would lead to, right? Jesus man! I got a wife! Last thing I want is for a cop to walk up to her and say "I'm sorry ma'am, but your husband was shot dead by a bank robber while wearing spandex!"

 

[genoine]

Catrina

OOC: Great, ignore my last post. Thanks guys.

 

[IDreamofBunnies]

OOC: Great, ignore my last post. Thanks guys.

(The prospect of superpowers must have trumped death.)

Veronica stopped midstep on her way out the door and with a few steps of her over-long legs reached Catrina and Ben. She bent at the knees as to reach eye-level with Catrina, her balance indicated that he had grown used to this position already, through practice. She looked briefly at Ben, she wasn't sure if Catrina was deaf or simply mute but she was sure her friend would translate regardless.

"I knew Matt very briefly during my sophmore year, he was an okay guy and I'm sorry for your loss."

It hadn't even crossed her mind to try, but as she stood back up to her full height she wondered if she could cure Catrina's condition, if it were caused by some kind of injury or illness she should be able to. Of course if the woman simply didn't want to talk, for whatever reason, naturally Roni could do nothing. There wasn't much she could do to the human mind. Besides, one of them could simply ask her.

 

[genoine]

Catrina

(Thank you.)

Catrina looked up and up, nodding to Veronica with a sad smile on her face and mouthed a “thank you.”
Then in her distraction, she took Elliot’s hands and pressed the note cards into them, rocking backwards with a gasp as she pulled away, a hand to her temple. Waves of dizziness swept over her and she looked questioningly at him before turning to sit down, once again out of the limelight.
Ben crouched beside her as the heated debate by the others continued. He spoke in both sign language and aloud, a dichotomy of uncertain movements and soothing tones. Anyone who bothered to listen might have caught words like “difficult” and “jetlag”.

 

[The GrandMage]

Ryan

Ryan turned, starring at Ike. "And you think you can help? You think you can do something this way that no one else can do? Gods, Ike. What are you going to do? Produce free power by yourself? Spend the rest of your life like some battery until you die and everything just goes back to the way it was? Or do you plan on taking down the power companies when the contract is over? Jeez, Ike, look at her!"

He pointed at the giantess. "Do you think she's helping the people who really need it? Lepers and those struggling against the Plague? No. She's fucking around with whatever unlucky Joe ends up at some hospital, and if she wasn't, in the odd case this crap is real, then guess what? She'd be spending all her time bouncing from the rich to the powerful. If they're cutting so many corners, report them. We have federal laws for a reason, Ike. Inform the public, try to get the populace to change things, but don't dive into Elliot's delusions just because you think it's the only way!"

He turned, glancing at Greg as he ran out of the room. Gods, Matt was fucking dead. He shook his head, he had to get back on task. Ryan threw his hands up. "No, do whatever the hell you want! I don't even know why I'm involving myself in your life. First time I see you in ten years and I act like we'r-...you do whatever you want, Ike, but I'm getting the hell out of here."

He turned, pushing his glasses up. Stupid things. If only he didn't have to wear-...
He looked at the amazon healing giantess. Well, it was on his way. Besides, it'd prove it once and for all. "i can't believe I'm doing this. This is the stupidest thing I've ever done. Miracle healing water breath my ass," he muttered to himself as he walked up to her. He craned his head back. "Okay, healing breath, right? You can fix my myopia, then?"

 

[IDreamofBunnies]

Roni glared down at the raving little man, "Short sighted? Somehow that doesn't come across as any great surprise to me. Your cruel nature doesn't deserve this, but I was raised to be less petty."

She leaned over a bit and exhaled a frosty breath onto his face. Myopia wasn't a disease per se, but it was a defect that she could fix. Ryan would feel a burning sensation and his eyes seemed to shake violently as his vision distorted. Things appeared strange as he briefly became hyperopic before they finally corrected themselves.

She reared back to her full height and sighed, "I don't help everyone. But that's because I'm not sure I should. People are supposed to die. I only use this 'power' to curb the suffering of others and to make ends meet. It's hard to hold a job, looking the way I do, without getting a lot of grief."

 

[The GrandMage]

Ryan

Ryan chuckled, then laughed, throwing his head back and holding his sides. He could see again. Oh so clear. But that wasn't funny. But she was. Oh, she was really funny. "People are supposed to die," he said, not in a mocking way, but agreeing with her.

He turned an eye to her, cocking his head. "Is that what you say when you see commercials of starving and disease-ridden children in third world countries? Sure, you can't fly over there and help them all, but if you charged enough and cured the rich and powerful, you'd have enough money to really support the charities out there saving lives. Or maybe that's what you say when you think about all the money you could give towards AIDS and Cancer research curing those diseases in the people who can pay?"

Ryan stood up, staring into her eyes with his head craned back. "I may not be the greatest person in the world, but I'm trying to protect Ike, not be liked. Look at Greg, running out of here like that. How do we know his super power isn't bowels of stone, crushing his fragile insides? You worry so much about how you look. You let it stop you from doing great things with your life, making excuses that 'people should die.' Guess what, not only should they die, they do. Every damn day. And even you couldn't stop that. I'm sorry if worrying too much about someone I care about becoming a freak without being any benefit to society makes me petty in your eyes. But at least I'm not a petty coward who runs from my potential because I'm afraid how society will react to the way I look. If I actually thought I'd be able to help people no matter what, I'd have signed the contract. But I'm not gambling the rest of my life on some Superpower roulette. You didn't have a choice in one respect, but in the other respect, you chose to sit in the shadows while thousands die every year, acting like you're setting amoral standard when all you're really doing is running away."

"Don't ever call me petty you hypocritical bitch."

 

[IDreamofBunnies]

Roni shook her head, "I know, I'm a horrible human being. How dare I want to live a quiet, happy life devoid of kidnapping and assassination attempts from religious maniacs and conspiracy nuts who think I'm an agent of a foreign power out to destroy this country's pharmaceutical industry. How dare I not go around the world curing every last person of every malady from ebola to papercut."

She suddenly offered a perfect, beaming smile, "Thanks Ryan...I thought I had things bad. But your ungrateful and cruel nature tells me about how horrible and meaningless your life must be. I've met deathly ill people, who's every breath was pain with less bile and hatred to spew than you. At least I have felt the love of those people who could appreciate what I did for them, but you must have nothing to be so willfully horrible. You poor little beast, hurling names and epiteths in a desperate bid to feel big by trying to make others feel small."

She put her hands together and shook her head, "I know, it's easier to do what you do. But I know now you don't really mean what you say. Otherwise you would take Elliot up on his offer and 'show me how it should be done'. Now I'd love to help facilitate your ego feeding nastiness further, but I have other places I need to be."

She looked over Ryan's head and over to Elliot, "If you figure out how to reverse the process or change it somehow. Please give me a call. Otherwise that's about all the interest I have in seeing you all again. I'm not one for fighting crime in a cape."

She finally made her way out the door and to her car.

 

[Ravenloft]

Elliot

"This isn't how it was supposed to go..." Elliot whispered to himself as he took in the news about Matsu. He numbly lifted a hand in Gregs direction, as he ran out of the room. Catrina pressed the cards into his outstretched hand, their fingers brushing lightly against one another, snapping Elliot out of his dazed state.

"Greg!" Elliot called as he rushed after his former class mate. He came upon him, down on his knees, shouting. "Greg, its going to be okay, just relax, take a deep breath." Elliot said calmly, kneeling down next to him. "Normally the change is slower, taking at least twenty four hours, sometimes a whole week to complete." Elliot paused for a moment. "Tell me, have you exhibited any... Powers in the past? That might account for the quickened transformation. Easy there, easy Greg, it will be okay."

Roni stepped out of the gym then, Saying. "If you figure out how to reverse the process or change it somehow. Please give me a call. Otherwise that's about all the interest I have in seeing you all again. I'm not one for fighting crime in a cape."

"Roni?" Elliot called after her as she strode away. "Greg, just relax, buddy, I... I'll be back shortly." Elliot said as he stood, and went after Roni. "Roni! Roni!" He shouted, rushing after her as she got into her car. "Wait, please!" He gasped out, placing himself in front of her car, trying to catch his breath. "Is that what you want? To be powerless?" A stony desperation in his eyes. "Then I'll try to help you, but you can't just run away. I need you here, if I am ever to uncover a way to reverse the... Process."

 

[Private_Label]

Ike in shock

Greg shook Elliot's hand as Ike was confronted by Ryan...
Ryan asking Veronica to heal his eyesight... which apparently worked.

Ryan saying, "I may not be the greatest person in the world, but I'm trying to protect Ike, not be liked. ..... I'm sorry if worrying too much about someone I care about becoming a freak ..."

Greg running out of the room.
Matt's wife... saying that he had died...
Elliot running out after Greg and Roni leaving....

Too much too fast... Deep breaths, Ike told herself. Deep breaths and deal with each thing individually. Finding out after all these years that Ryan had cared about her was a shock. Had she really been that blind in High School. But that could be dealt with later. Greg... if Elliot's transformation went badly for him, Ike wouldn't be able to help; she wouldn't know how to help.

Which left... Matt's wife.

Ike took a few steps toward Catrina. When she swayed a bit, she stopped and took a deep breath and kicked off her shoes. She walked over to where Matt's wife sat with ben and sat down next to them. Ike didn't know many words in sign language, but one she did she used.

'I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Her fingers haltingly said.

 

[TumbleUpStairs]

Melissa, perpetually late as she had become as of late, finally found a parking spot. Shoving her wallet into her back pocket, pulling down the skirt she was wearing which, even though it was only knee-high, she felt was almost too short, and brushing her hair back from her face she made her way towards the door, invitation in-hand. She wished briefly that Nick was here, to help quell her nervousness. She hadn't seen any of these people in ten years (ten years? Had it really been that long?), and she wasn't sure how these kinds of things were supposed to go.

She put her hand on the handle of the door and paused, listening. Jeeze. It sounded like a free-for-all. The door suddenly burst open and she scuttled backwards as to not get hit. An exceptionally tall woman came out, and then a man came after her, calling her name. She watched them, then after another moment of hesitation she pulled the door open and stepped in to chaos. Letting the door close behind her she blinked at the sight: some people still sitting, conversing, some people yelling, others running, pamplets clutched in nearly everyone's hands. Obviously, she'd missed something here.

 

[Angelus]

Greg

Greg felt Elliot touch him and heard him but it was as if at a distance, as if he was not there at all. He wondered what was happening to him and wanted to ask Elliot if this was normal but he found that he had no voice, as if it had been torn from his throat. He raised his head slowly to look at Elliot but as he did he saw Elliot run off down the hallway after Roni which made him want to do the same.

Slowly he got to his feet and looked down the hallway, wondering again if he had made a big mistake but he knew that if was his choice and he had to live with it. When he was on his feet he raised his hands to his face but as soon as he did he got the greatest shock of his life when once again he could see straight through them. He screamed at the top of his lungs and wondered just what was going to happen to him as this had happened to him before but not to his extent and he knew that he had to talk to someone about this but he knew that if he went into the gym like this it would freak everyone out and would cause them to run off before Elliot had a chance to talk to them.

He then looked down the hallway, I am such an idiot, why did I not think of Elliot in the first place!

He started to run down the hallway as fast as he could and hoped that Elliot would have some answers for him because if not then he was in deep trouble which made him run down the hallway even faster.

Before he knew it he was outside just to see Elliot standing in front of a car. He ran straight towards him and called out his name.

 

[Private_Label]

Ike was still appologizing to Catrina when Greg screamed in the Hallway. Something snapped inside the Chemical Engineer, something she had thought she had locked away behind strong doors....

Ike shuddered and curled up into a fetal ball on the chair next to Catrina.

Ike Wrapped her arms tightly around her legs and burried her head against her knees. In her mind she heard her younger brother cry as he had all those years ago when she couldn't protect him from their abusive father.

"See what you have made me do?" Her father bellowed.

"It's all your fault for not watching him. You should have kept him from crossing the street. You know he is not allowed to cross the street."

Ike couldn't stop the tears from flowing as she sobbed into the hem of her green dress.

 

[The GrandMage]

Ryan

Ryan snorted. People's views of the world were all different. She focused only on the negative, to assure herself of her decision. The fact of the matter was as many nutjobs as there may be trying to attack her, there would be twice as many praising her as divine deliverance and protecting her. She felt safe where she was, not living up to her potential, and she didn't want to face anything he might say against that, so she lashed out at him.

Ryan didn't care at all. He had long realized that he was who he was and other people's opinions were meaningless. He'd already said he wouldn't play that game of superpower roulette. Yes, he may gain some power to make it worth it, but he may destroy his life for something of no help to anyone. It was Russian roulette with a half-loaded gun. And Ryan was too smart to be sucked in by some faint promise of being more than human.

Ryan took the pamphlet and his glasses, and chucked them towards the nearest garbage can. He waked calmly over to Matt's wife, and shook his head. He looked at her translator, then back at her. "Today is possibly the worst day I've had in ten years. And you know what, I think Matt's death is probably the lowest point this could get to. He was one of the best people I ever had the honor to meet. I'm gravely sorry for your loss, but something tells me today won't be a good day for you, either. It's not a good thing to see your husband's supposed friends acting like this. At least I seem to have a good excuse: I'm a horrible human being."

He turned, and looked at Ike. He frowned, not knowing how to handle this. He turned, and walked towards the punch bowl. This was going to take a whole lot of crappy punch to swallow. "By all the Gods, I should have known this was a bad idea. But no, I had to come anyway. 'What's the worst that could happen,' indeed."

 

[genoine]

Ben had been expressing regret over an insensitive comment he’d made about her crappy timing when Ike approached. The woman’s attempts to apologize were welcome and brought a sense relief; Matt’s affection for at least a couple of these people hadn’t been a waste after all. She mouthed the words, “Thank you, I’m sorry too.” as Ben assured Ike that Trina’s hearing wasn’t impaired.

Ike Wrapped her arms tightly around her legs and buried her head against her knees. In her mind she heard her younger brother cry as he had all those years ago when she couldn't protect him from their abusive father.

Ike couldn't stop the tears from flowing as she sobbed into the hem of her green dress.

Less inhibited than some with her actions due to her imparity, Catrina touched the stranger-woman softly on her back in a reassuring sort of way. This was more what she’d expected, what she’d been prepared to deal with. Overwhelming emotions, especially those on public display, could be debilitating. That was the last thing she’d wanted to contribute to, and so she sent quieting thoughts Ike’s way.
Oddly enough, that spot on Ike’s back began to grow warm, a sense of lightness and freshness seeped through her.
Catrina looked up at Ryan’s approach, listening to his unhappiness as well, and shook her head sadly as he withdrew.
Like the coming of a spring breeze, calm and clarity were gently restored as a single thought seemed to penetrate both Ike’s and Ryan’s brains, a foreign voice that said, “This isn’t the way it was supposed to be…”

 

[Screech]

Elliot had rushed off out of the room and, since then, events had taken a turn for the worse with arguments. Robert sat back down next to Alex. He sighed, looking at the pamphlet in his hands again.

"I don't know Alex. I mean, at foist this looked like a joke, y'know? And now people are going crazy. This is just so strange it's untrue!"

Robert sighed again.

"Ah to hell with it! I've been taking the safe route ever since I got married. What's it got me? A small house, and an assistant manager position in a small shop. I'm in"

He quickly signed the pamphlet and stood up.

"After all, what's the worst that could happen"

 

[Ravenloft]

Elliot

Elliot turned, one hand still on the hood of Roni's car, to face Greg's... Cloths, racing toward him. "Greg, you're invisible." Elliot said, winning the understatement of the year award. A self satisfied smile spread across his lips. "Thats a very respectable power, many ways you could use it for the benefit of society..." Elliot mused, chancing a look back toward Roni.

 

[IDreamofBunnies]

Roni glanced down at Elliot, "Get a real lab rat Elliot, I'm not letting you touch me again until you have some kind of proof that you can fix this, lord only knows what more harm you could do. Now please get out of the way."

She started the car and turned on the headlights.

 

[cats]

I was amazed at all that was going on, it was some poorly written mellow drama of clashing personalities. I toyed with the idea of this all being real and then risighed myself into thinking this was a practice play for the reunion, perhap the most clever joke ever. A sigh drew me back to reality.

'I don't know Alex. I mean, at first this looked like a joke, y'know? And now people are going crazy. This is just so strange it's untrue!' I nodded in agreement. He sighed again. 'Ah to hell with it! I've been taking the safe route ever since I got married. What's it got me? A small house, and an assistant manager position in a small shop. I'm in.' I was suprised by the sudden change, but I myself was prone to such ideas and quick thinking.

He signed the contract. I set mine next to his. "Well this certinly has been interesting. You think the reunion theme will be super hero's and they doing a trial run on us?" I began contemplateing going out for icecream after this, perhaps I should bring robert along. "So if you could have any power what would it be?"

 

[Angelus]

Greg

He looked at Elliot and wanted nothing more than to scream at him but he knew that it would be a waste of time and moved slowly towards the hood of the car. He put his hands onto it and turned his head to look at Elliot although he knew there was no way that Elliot could see it, "I know that I am invisible. I can see or more importantly cannot see that. The only thing that I want to know is how to stop it so that I can change back."

It was then that a horrible thought came to him and he wondered why it had not come to him yet.
"Am I going to change back Elliot. This has happened to me before but is this now permenant, will I stay like this forever."

He then jumped up onto the hood of Roni's car and looked down at Elliot, "What is going to happen to me now?"

As soon as those words left his lips Greg felt something growing within him again and he raised his hand to see that it was there. A smile came to his face and he looked down at Roni, "I am sorry about this."

 

[TumbleUpStairs]

Melissa

After an extended moment, Melissa decided it would probably be best to just take a seat and let everything boil itself out around her. She tugged down her skirt again, feeling overdressed, and shuffled to a seat, weaving around anyone in her way and trying not to stare. She found a seat not too far from the small group still seated but still more than a few chairs away, crossed her legs, and watched. silently. She paused mentally to consider the situation she had just walked in to: more than one person screaming or crying, everyone either looking disturbed or determined or a mix of both, and a woman in fetal position for crying out loud. She saw around her only faces that she couldn't recall - she had a bad memory for people - and settled on feeling apprehensive and curious.