The United (In Character)

[KatSea]

Time Skip-Next Day

Nigel "Joseph" Hawthorne




"Daddy ~ Dad? Dad! Dad!" Hawthorne's eyes flickered open as he felt a continuous poking in his right shoulder, his brow pinching in the discomfort of the crude awakening. Then that is when he recalled. He stayed up all night at the headquarters in order to make sure electrical and mechanical functioning was put back on line. He never did make it home. The worse thing was...

He didn't recall falling asleep. Now before him was his own daughter, who should have been in her morning college course instead of lumbering over him as he slumbered. This did not surprise him, considering she was at the office more and more to make sure he was drinking his caffeine and wrapping himself in blankets when it became unbearably cold. He began to open his mouth to scold his only child, only to be interrupted by another voice soon after.

"Nigel. Your scheduled meeting is in about ten minutes. Some of the heroes are already here." Quincy Daniels explained, poking Hawthorne's forehead with the tip of his ball point pin, as if determining if Hawthorne was still alive and well. Hawthorne scowled briefly as he propped himself upon his elbows, his computer chair nearly swirling as he applied pressure to the soft leather. He blinked at his child than at his worker, both who were pointing their fingers and adjusting their sunglasses in unison. Hawthorne was not amused in this moment, his eyes narrowed and the corners of his mouth twitching in minor annoyance.

"Before I go anywhere why..."

"Don't worry Dad. I've got some free time for right now. Besides, you weren't answering your cell." She directed her outstretched finger to the cell phone lying feebly upon its side beside Hawthorne's empty tea cup. Her brow raised in disapproval. a small clack of her tongue against her teeth becoming audible to Hawthorne. "It's a good thing Quincy dear decided to let me in. If not you would have never made it to your meeting." She began to tug at her light blue beanie, her eyes shimmering as she produced a wide grin. "You better go check on your heroes daddy. I don't know how long they are gonna wait. Oh, and before you do go, are they nice to you?" Her eyes dimmed briefly, darkness invading her irises. Hawthorne sighed as he brushed back his hair, stuffing his cell into his vest pocket and adjusting his tie.

"Plenty. No worries. Now, I have a meeting to attend to. Get back to class before I take you." Hawthorne snapped his fingers, the area around him freezing temporarily. He sighed as he stacked his paperwork, puffing his cheeks as he examined to make sure everything was in place. The subject of this meeting was a woman who went by Ceres, a menace who decided to commit crimes such as robberies and minor vandalism. However, she was growing to be worse when it came to civilians, and while she was mostly harmless, she had made a group of men high off of a special plant that Hawthorne had yet to identify. It was very well assumed that those men may have had some horrible intentions towards women who were roaming the street, and that while Ceres may have done some good, she also had a lot of bad intentions under her sleeve. The sooner in custody, the better. He could also very well assume that Ceres had some information on the underground syndicate he was attempting to prove existed, and if he could get something out of her, the WPHO had a fighting chance to prevent any more deaths.

Hawthorne swiftly evacuated his office, his steps heavy and focused. He nearly forgot the feeling of his own two legs, the pressure of his nerves screaming against every step. He ignored it as he bustled into the conference room, plopping papers onto the table and preparing to set up the projector. Quincy had helped him before and he figured he could understand it no trouble. Hawthorne struggled briefly, concerned as he began to taste iron and was forced to snap back into reality. He noted that as he looked up into reality, that a few heroes had already indeed gotten there. Reaper and Bearskin seemed to be bonding in a bizarre way, while Savage was chuckling in his response as his beast watched. Noble, meanwhile, was no where to be seen for the moment.

"Alright. So, munchkin..."

"Says you shortstuff. Alright. So you've got your arms around me. What now?" Reaper inquired, her eyes flickering up to Bearskin, whose arms were very, very loosely placed around the woman's neck. "So, generally if I didn't have the mask on, I'd bite down. But that's a no no in this case. And let's say, theoretically, powers aren't going to work. Where is the better place to aim, nose, crouch, throat or feet?"

"If you can't reach the throat or nose, the tops of the feet are always a good place to stamp down on. Especially if you got a good length heel. I'd recommend in this case scenario for you to slam your head as hard into my nose as possible. If that doesn't work, stamp down on the feet. If you can, loosen my arms and attempt to get the elbow straight into my throat."

"Uh, right now?"

"I'd prefer to keep my nose intact. Alright, next position..."

"Do you mind if I try?" Savage inquired, his eyes sparkling. Bearskin blinked as she kept her arms around the woman, shaking her head.

"Um, as the attacker or as the victim?"

"I am honestly imagining you attempting to climb up my back and choke me out like a mad little spider monkey and that makes me beyond happy." Savage teased, this sentence using more words than he had presented from the night before. He still seemed quiet, but at least in Hawthorne's eyes, he was opening up.

"Oo! That's a good idea. I might need to use someone to help me discover what to do if that happens. At least not to me." Bearskin hummed as she waited for Reaper to attempt to get out of the grasp, finally squirming out as she hummed and glanced down to her own shoes.

"Okay. So maybe heels can be fashionable and life saving. I will look into them."

"And it makes it easier to attack brood over there." Bearskin teased, jerking her thumb in his direction as he shrugged, running his fingers along Stitch's fur, who observed the humans happily.

"I'd rather not test that out."

Hawthorne finally whistled lowly, smiling at his employees as he gestured to their seats. Bearskin still appeared uneasy around the large beast, but Reaper seemed to be content as the creature sniffed at the soles of her shoes. She reached down underneath the table to give the creature scratches upon his head, cooing lightly "Buen bebe dulce." She popped back up from under the table, just in time to catch a stray, pale and freckled hand upon her hair. Hawthorne glanced up to notice Noble plopping wordlessly next to Reaper, eyes tired as he laid his head upon her shoulder.

"Apologizes in advance Reaps. I won't speak. I just need some...Reaps. Right now." He nearly slumped into her form, which she didn't argue against. Rather, she shrugged her shoulders upwards to slide him partially off, but allowed him to rest upon her arm. Her fingers went up to mess with his hair.

"Tired?"

"Beaten down." Without another snide comment, Noble fell silent. His eyes simply remained glued upon the projection, where Hawthorne was beginning to set up his presentation.

"Thank you for all meeting with such short notice. We have been getting reports of two major criminal activities in recent days, first, a small gang of men and women alike who simply appear to be attacking at random, mostly for mugging purposes. There have been some reports of beating, no sexual or murderous motivations seem to be present. We do not want this to escalate any further, for each attack they have grown brazen. Last victim reported was a fifteen year old boy, who was lucky enough to have had a small utility knife upon him at the time. He identified his attacker as a white male, with a crescent scare along his cheek. We assume they will be roaming the streets tonight for a new victim, and we recommend that the team assigned to this case practice patience, but be willing to guard in case an attack occurs. We have a general area where we can assume they will be, and we assume the area in the next picture is where they nest." He clicked the remote and motioned to the next picture, a small, abandoned park where it was obvious that someone had made their residence not too long ago. Needles, evidence of tents and blankets, as well as, not to be surprised, a wallet which was remarkably similar to that of the wallet stolen from the previous victim. There were other signs as well, and Hawthorne knew very well that these people, while most likely intoxicated, were indeed comfortable. Remains of hearty meals scattered the area. He swallowed "We have predetermined who is to work this case specifically, due to skill sets, and of course, slightly newer members. Noble, Bearskin, and...uh, I don't believe she has been given a name yet, our lovely new member and hero will be joining them on this adventure. Now on to the next piece."

He slid to the next slide, a picture of a woman in a white dress with a masquerade mask filling the screen. It was obvious she was flipping off whoever had taken the picture, her demeanor otherwise cool and calm. "This is a villain we have classified as Ceres. Ceres is a menace among the community, and so far has been confirmed of several robberies and assaults upon questionable characters in the city. As far as we know, her powers revolve around plants and growing vegetation. She is also known to have created poison, so those who are this team must practice caution. She is very dangerous, and we assume she is going to lurk the streets tonight. We can only assume when she may attack, and she does not seem to have a place of residence. We know she prefers the quieter parts of town to stir up trouble. The team handling Ceres is going to be Reaper, Savage, and Night Owl. Each team will be given panic pagers in case of emergency, and it will pin point the location to all other pagers. Including the one we have here. A brief warning, do not press more than one pager at a time. The system still has bugs. So if there is one emergency with three people, only one person press the pager. We are going to be heading out soon for these missions, but I require that you ask questions, comments or concerns. I'd also recommend you speak to your team members before hand and get some strategies out in the open before going full force. Now, any questions?"

 

[Mobley Eats]

Quinn Bonnibel Kimberly | Location: Private Chamber to Conference Room | Interactions: Hawthorne & United Team

​

Quinn and Colette had decided to merge once more. It wasn't exactly a difficult choice to make; rather, the conversation with Nat, Noble, and Quincy beforehand was long and taxing. Not incredibly long--as Colette had been running on limited time--but it had felt like an eternity of talking. Of pleading and sighs and hugs and morose apologies and empty promises fulfilled by boundless determination. Once they had endured all of this, merging proved to be a quicker process. Just as agonizing as Quinn remembered. The sensation of every fiber of your being shredding and sewing together with Colette's rocking her from all angles, coming in with sharp, maddening clarity.

And then they were back at square one. Well, not entirely. Quinn and Colette no longer wanted to sink their teeth into each other's throats or wish the other would choke and die. They were past the maliciousness and now found themselves lost in a seemingly boundless phase of...uncertainty. Neutral, indifferent, but civil enough to the point of where Quinn no longer felt like her head was going to split down the middle.

Words couldn't describe her relief.

Later that night, at three in the morning, she and Nat cuddled. They held each other while a million questions and confessions tugged at their lungs but, ultimately, it was the best night of sleep they had ever since losing one another. It was blissful. And Colette...well, Colette didn't utter a single word. Not last night. Not earlier this morning. Not now.

It worried Quinn.

---

"Huh...blue really is my color," Quinn said while studying her form in the mirror. The private chamber WPHO provided wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly outstanding either. A bed, dresser and closet were provided, along with a personal desk and mirror propped to the right of it. The blonde had yet to deck out her little pad and she doubt she ever would--her home would always be with Nat in their apartment.

Speaking of the brunette, she placed a hand on her shoulder and peered at her reflection with a bemused expression. Her chin came to rest on the blonde's shoulder, arms circling her waist from behind. "It really is babe. Although, I gotta say..." She held up Quinn's mask, her mirth practically doubling. It appeared to be a neon blue paintball mask, its visor shimmering like a sheet of rainbow in the florescent lights. "This definitely completes the picture and brings it all together." Gently, she placed the helmet over Quinn's head, watching in pride as her girlfriend's form puffed up and erected ever so slightly, seemingly empowered. The bars of her mask emitted a faint neon blue glow, though it was more noticeable in dim lighting and pitch black darkness. Nat gave the mask a little tap. "Hopefully the voice filter sounds all Darth Vader-y. I know you're a total Star Wars dork."

When Quinn spoke to defend herself, her voice came out distorted and breathy--startlingly close to Darth Vader. "Hey, I prefer the term Star Wars Expert."

"Whatever you say, Han Solo." Nat gave the visor a peck, hiding her smile at the sight of a lipstick mark left behind. She decided not to say anything and opted for slipping her hand into the speedster's. A hint of anxiety seeped into her tone. "Ready?"

Quinn nodded, giving her girlfriend's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Ready."

---

"So apparently we've got self-defense today," Nat muttered while entering the Conference Room with Quinn. The pair eyed Bearskin and Reaper with varying levels of interest and skepticism; those two seemed to be on civil terms rather quickly. As far as the blonde was concerned, everyone could become one another's best friend. It didn't really matter to her. She just wanted unity (ba-dum-tish!) among the group...minus her contributing actual effort to the cause.

Quinn could've sworn she heard a scoff echo in her head, but it vanished rather quickly.

Like before, she seated herself with Nat in her lap. It could've been seen as obnoxious to the others, but the couple could care less, especially not Nat. The technological genius would likely (most certainly) chomp someone's head off if they showed any protest. Quinn had caught the tail end of their conversation and leaned forward a bit, head peering around Nat's shoulder to address the female heroes. "Yo, Reaper. Bearskin. I call dibs on Judo Kung Fu-majig lessons later." She could admit that her combat skills were...not very tactical. She had a fair share of physical altercations in the past, her temper having the rare occurrence of getting the better of her, but she had mellowed out significantly since then. She'd be damned to lose composure nowadays.

Meanwhile, Night Owl had waved eagerly upon seeing the women enter, his smile as chipper as always. "The most wonderful of morning greetings, my friends! Did last night's sleep treat both of you well?"

Nat squirmed a bit, still uncomfortable with how friendly the man was. However, she forced on a smile and waved back awkwardly. This seemed to please Night Owl, his radiance seeming to double (she didn't think that was freaking possible). "Uh...h-hey, Night Owl."

Quinn tipped her chin in the man's direction. "Sup, Owl. Talons are looking on point." A snort escaped the blue hero--man she was on a roll with the puns today! Of course, Nat and Night Owl had differing opinions on the matter; the former visibly cringed and gave her a nudge of playful disapproval, while the latter clapped in congratulations.

"Ah, wonderful, my friend! You had just made, as they say, the joke, yes?"

"Err, yeah." Now Quinn didn't have quite as much hype about the pun. She decided to keep it polite though; she knew the man didn't mean any harm. She tightened her arms around Nat's waist and the brunette leaned back in response, her dark eyes widening a tad at the sight of Noble finally entering. Obviously drained and dead on his feet. It stirred some concern and protectiveness in the engineer's gut, though she'd take that second sentiment to the grave. Regardless, she decided not to say anything and just gave him a small wave, an encouraging smile to boot for the tired hero. Quinn caught the motion and glanced up at Nat. "Making friends? I could've sworn you wanted to rip that dude's head off yesterday." A pause. "Buuuut then again, he did help you save my ass."

Nat patted her helmet. "You catch on quick, babe."

"That's what I'm here for."

Anymore of their bickering came to an end once Hawthorne arrived and started briefing them on their first mission. Hooooly crud, this is really happening, Quinn thought, her heart rate steadily climbing. "Huh, a batch of random thugs? Doesn't seem like it'll cut into my nap too long," she joked while bouncing her leg nervously. However, Night Owl seemed to squirm a bit as Hawthorne mentioned the teams.

"I see...I do not very much like the idea of being separated from meu Querido, but if you truly believe this is best..." His talons drummed against the table, teeth nibbling his bottom lip. Quinn never from the time he took care of her how much Leo adored Jen. And how protective he was of her. Splitting up was probably eating away at him like grade A acid.

"Random thugs or not, practice caution," Nat interjected while placing a hand on Quinn's knee, ceasing the jitters with a comforting squeeze. "I had taken the liberty of installing a comm in...err, Blue's helmet," not the most creative name, but it would do for now, "Along with a GPS tracker. Just in case the Panic Pager fails in anyway. W-which I doubt it will, mind you. Just extra precautions. Now, about this Ceres woman..."

"Yes, if this Ceres has the abilities of plant control and poison, then she is likely a dominant range fighter, with poison as an aid to inside fighting. It'll be good to have Reaper, Savage and I together." Night Owl grinned pleasantly at his partners. "We shall make a wonderful balance, yes?"

"A brief warning, do not press more than one pager at a time. The system still has bugs. So if there is one emergency with three people, only one person press the pager."

Nat squinted. "I'll get to work on that tonight." That could be a detrimental 'bug' to have while the heroes were out in the field. The kind of enemies they faced moved in groups, no matter how despicable their nature. The possibility of having multiple people pounce everyone at once in different locations was insanely high. Either way, it sounded like an easy problem to fix.

Blue raised her hand. "Yeah uh, Hawk Boss? Quick question, if I just so happen to fall asleep in the middle of combat, will that get me fi--ow! I was joking!" The blonde pouted while rotating her aching foot. Christ--Nat could pack a painful stomp!

"If you dare take a nap during this, I will personally flip shit and you and I both know that me flipping shit is not a walk in the park." Nat flashed a deceivingly sweet smile, making Blue break out into an anxious sweat. The blue hero chuckled sheepishly while sinking into her seat a bit, hold this firm on the brunette's waist.

"Oh, y-yeah. Trust me. I know...Uh, heads up to whoever I'm fighting with," Quinn had forgotten which heroes she was grouped with already, "I can, like, run really fast. There, I talked strategy and sturf."

"You...are impossible."

"Omg, you flatter me."

 

[KatSea]

Arthur Ruth



Arthur could not recall how he had gotten home the night before. He knew that there was talking. A lot of voices. Back and forth. He knew that the young brunette knew something, although, in the moments that mattered, he didn't know what that was. He recalled slumping on someone soon after the ordeal, trying not to break down foolishly and with a mere block in the road. He couldn't help but feel rotten to his core after what had happened, but at least he knew there was a life that had been saved. But, in it being ruined, was it truly worth the saving? He knew it was. He knew someone's survival mattered above all else. But what of their independence, their happiness and joy? Arthur could sympathize with the struggle, for he no longer felt that his body was his own. That did not matter to him, but he knew very well that others did not deserve the struggle. The only reason he had put up with the ordeal was simply his fear of letting others fall into harm's way, and disappointing the old man. Arthur wished to help others in their lives, but he also knew that this stress upon someone's shoulders was less than ideal.

He had allowed for Cyrus to lead him back into the car and waited a good ten minutes until he could strip off the costume, toss the mask into a dark corner of the room. He could draw aside the sweat upon his brow, he could recline into his roommate and feel his chest rise and fall without the assistance of three others within his mind. He recalled Cyrus placing blankets around his shoulders, and he recalled that the digital clock upon his head board read far past two. He did not remember anything past his head hitting the pillow.

"Aye, mate, you be late." Arthur heard a gentle voice greet him as Cyrus nudged his torso with his foot, Arthur realizing now that he was half hanging from the bed. His head and upper torso slumped over the mattress, his blood beginning to rush to his head. He grimaced, rubbing his sand encrusted eyes. He had forgotten Hawthorne mentioned another meeting. If not for his roommate, Arthur would have slept until the end of time. But for now, he would have to settle with eleven thirty. He propped himself upon his comforter before fully rolling out of bed, yelping as the last end of his cover caught at his stomach, wrapping him in a cocoon as he collapsed to the bedroom floor. He groaned, rubbing his head as he squirmed fruitlessly from his fuzzy prison. "Cyrus...how are you already dressed?" His eyes flickered up to catch his good friend brushing back his gravity despising hair, before his hands drifted to adjust his bow tie. He plucked at his polka dot suspenders before pulling a blazer over his shoulders. Cyrus shrugged.

"I wake up and the elves dress me. Come on bud." Cyrus pulled a partial piece of Arthur's uniform before tossing it directly into the center of his face, where he proceeded to laugh "We really need to wash that bad boy out soon. Oh, and the mask. Can I throw that in the laundry bin, or is that handwash?" Arthur rolled his eyes and slowly pulled the top part of his costume over his body, peeking his head out from the collar once he adjusted it. He bit his lip. As hard as he had worked upon this costume, he began to learn hatred towards it. He truly felt as if it was attempting to meld into his skin and take hold, like some red, poorly made Venom.

Arthur could make several jokes that would have made both Gwen and the rest of the Marvel community angry at him, so he decided not to think any further upon it. Rather, he did as any good hero would have, and got ready for work. He scrambled helplessly for a few moments around the bedroom to find his mask, nausea piling upon his tongue as he could instantly hear the voices creep into his skull once again. He sighed, placed it over his face, and tied it around his head. He flattened his ginger mess of hair, only to have it puff up with more volume. He rolled his eyes at the gesture, searching in his cabinets before pulling out his gloves. Pale red sparks blossomed at his fingers, something he had never seen before. When his energy was red, it was bright, vibrant, nearly a blood tint. He decided to ignore it, feeling Cyrus's nails dig into his wrist before he was dragged, with no help of his own weight and lack of slumber, out into the free world.

---

Arthur was surprised as he had entered the HQ that Cyrus kissed his own hand before pressing it upon the top of Noble's head. Arthur grimaced, although he knew that his friend would not be able to see it. It was not an uncommon practice for Cyrus to be affectionate, but Arthur had difficulty adjusting to physical contact after the stress from the night before. He felt...oddly tense. His muscles refused to rest. His eyelids weighed upon his demeanor like concrete, his steps heavy and labored. He trudged to the office doors, creeping in silently. He noticed first that Reaper and Bearskin were getting along well, which did not surprise him considering yesterday's brief conversation. He figured he should apologize to Bearskin, but for the moment, he had found that Reaper's presence soothed him, and the desire to spend if but a second with her was clawing his stomach from within. He did not even realized he had missed her until he had seen her mask, and without hesitation, he made his way over, slumping his body into hers. "Sorry." He mumbled, his weight falling to her arm as she nudged him off. However, a smile was present at his lips at the small gesture of affection that she bestowed, a brief ruffle of hair.

"W-working with mama bear and..." Noble found that confusion drowned his brain in endless noise and shattered thought, his chin resting upon his arms to behold the brunette and a new hero, in the same position as the blonde and the brunette yesterday. He could make one assumption, and it almost made him chuckle. This was restrained with the minor remains of energy that Noble had, and rather, he nodded at Bearskin, mouthing one word. "Sorry." Bearskin seemed unaware, however, simply giving his retort a response of a small salute. She turned her attention towards Night Owl, placing a hand upon his arm.

"We shall be fine. Besides, I think the combined abilities within your team is strategic enough to handle the problem at hand. I myself shall be fine. With...dork one and rocking blue on the other." Bearskin's grin was visible, and despite himself, Arthur mirrored her reaction.

"Relax good...er...Oh my apologies I cannot for the life of me think of nicknames today...I've got it handled Owl. She'll be fine, Blue avenger over there will be all good too." Arthur promised, noting that Reaper's form was rumbling next to him. Laughter.

"Oh. And I have your back too Mochuelo. That and you have a very good dog and...brood mcbrood over here to look us over."

"I...If...If that was my media name, I'd politely give up the hero business." Savage commented lowly, Stitch grumbling his agreement with a heavy head. Despite himself, the beast plopped head first into Savage's side, curling up and almost falling asleep. "That and good dog here is fit for battle." Arthur noticed that Hawthorne was beginning to make the sign of the cross over his body, but was stopped about three fourths of the way through as the team seemed to confirm that they could handle the situation at hand. The man nodded his belief towards such a statement, leaning against the meeting table.

"I'd say we have some good time before we strike. I recommend half an hour to get ready on this. Gear up, I'd like to have these criminals in before it's time for..." He prevented himself from finishing. "Before it's time for previous engagements."

"Date with tea love?" Bearskin inquired pleasantly, to which Hawthorne blushed readily. He glanced down in his shame.

"Er...time for work ladies and gentlemen."

"So...let me get this straight..." Once Hawthorne proceeded to sit and read over files outside of the other's concerns, Bearskin raised a finger. "You control astral mumbo jumbo."

"Yes miss."

"And you run really fast." She poised the question to Blue, nodding her satisfaction. "Perfection. This'll be a slice of cake. Would it be possible that you two could have a chat with me before we head out? I'd like to plan some stuff ahead of time."

"Absolutely. Can I ask one favor?"

"Oh...oh...do I want to even hear?" Bearskin sounded exasperated, but was relieved as Noble merely mumbled.

"We all get espresso shots before we leave this joint."

 

[KatSea]

Collab: Noble Blue Lead

Bearskin wasn't particularly pleased by the partners she had received for the mission ahead, considering her comfort zone belonged with one person when it came to her job. This did not mean she was disappointed by her partners, no, in fact she was relieved by their skill sets and given abilities. The issue was, in her mind at the very least, both were incredibly inexperienced. Bearskin had not known about Noble until about two months ago, and even then, from what little she did know, his track record didn't seem all that impressive. A few thugs here and there. One big job with Reaper, one odd night with Scorch.

Blue on the other hand...this concerned Jennifer even further. This was her first technical job, as far as Bearskin was aware, and she wasn't sure how'd she fair with her speed. Both of their powers were possibly unstable(not to mention dangerous) and Jennifer wanted to make sure both young adults got home safe and sound. That, and deeper within her still, was a desire to show how well she could be on the job and possibly manage her own team. This was a small audition. Get this right and Bearskin could manage the job just fine.

Her shoes clacked against the concrete, causing her eyes to dart down towards the top of her shoes. "Seguro, querido." She mumbled under her breathe, her mind scrambling for the correct words to hope that Leo was alright. Or, at the very least, would keep most of his feathers. Her head popped back up in a snap, a low humming coming from Noble behind her. He seemed slightly better after Bearskin allowed him some black coffee on the way down.

"Man...did we seriously have to walk?" Blue griped, arms crossed behind her head casually as she strolled along with Bearskin and Noble. She knew that she had superspeed and that running to the destination in mind would save the effort, but she was far from comfortable with her abilities. One wrong move mid-stride and she could go flying and seriously injure herself against a lamppost or something. Or a car. Point was--it wouldn't be pretty. Besides, Blue couldn't leave the others behind in the dust--she wasn't that inconsiderate.

And it definitely had nothing to do with that fact that she'd be jumping in alone. Without help. And human body shields. Nope. Nothing of the sort.

Another thing bothering her was the lack of communication on Colette's end. Before the entire atomic splicer fiasco, she couldn't make the French woman shut up but now, Quinn's head seemed scarily quiet. Lonely. The sudden change of pace was jarring, somewhat. Well, either way, I won't push her, she thought with an internal shrug.

After a few more minutes of walking, the abandoned park Hawthorne described came into view. It was as barren and swathed in overgrowth and trash as Quinn expected, though she couldn't help but grimace at the sight. Christ, West Point City needed to polish up the community; its problems stretched beyond villainy control and civilian security.

"So, I'm guessing this is the spot?" Quinn released a long, drawn out yawn, not even trying to smother or mute it. She needed a serious nap after this.

"I see targets a few yards up." Bearskin bobbed her head in the direction of the figures, who appeared to be gathered in a small semi circle, heads appearing to be down. She snapped her fingers and watched a pink spark fluttered into view before she was able to rip open the dimension with her own fingernails. She reached inside, only to pull out a pocket knife. She withheld a long sigh and closed up the pocket dimension. "This will work. Okay. Blue, I think the best way to approach this is for you to attempt to get a better glance at them, if not attack them with your abilities. Noble will transport us ahead and we will meet you there. Do you feel comfortable with this arrangement? If you feel safe, we can continue. If not, Noble can head up in front of us"

"What if I didn't feel…"

"Noble, quiet."

"Yes miss."

Blue immediately tossed her head back to groan in protest. "Friiiick, you're making me put in effert already?" Great, just wonderful. Of course, a small and logical (and greatly underused) part of her saw this coming, but it didn't make the feeling any better. Physical exertion was such a drag. She rubbed the back of her neck while avoiding eye contact with the heroes. "Err...man, I guess? I can try or whatever--ow!"

Whatever pouting she planned on doing came to an abrupt stop her earpiece emitted a sharp ring. Was that...was that Nat? "Crap! Forgot she can hear and see everything...fine, fine! Jeez." Heaving a sigh, Blue lowered into a running pose, eyes locked onto the thugs up ahead.

She could do this.

It would be fine. Just like riding a bike…

Holding her breath, she jolted and suddenly disappeared in a bolt of blue lightning.

All it took was a blink on the thugs' part. Before they knew what was happening, a rushing force knocked them off their feet and they landed on their backs with harsh thuds. "The actual fuck?" one of them growled while cradling his back. Just as he was about to let loose a string of curses, Blue's form drew his attention, who stood before the thugs.

Frozen. Absolutely petrified and having no idea what to do next.

"Uh..g-guys? What now?" she yelled out.

If Bearskin wasn't irritated by the near refusal of the task, she found that the sudden exclamation of what she should do was sending trickles of annoyance down her back. She knew better, now, Blue had done her job, but in the meantime, Bearskin needed to get to her before she could possibly get into any more trouble. Fine by her.

"Noble can you get us there?" She inquired, her fingers clawing into the space beside her. A thin, pink ridge of energy flared up, before she pulled it apart and reached inwards to grab what she prayed was going to be her pistol. Surprise flooded her as she grasped the hilt of her utility knife instead, but realizing there was not much she could do in this time, closed the pocket and bowed her head towards Noble. A large hole in the park ground had reaped open, a crackle of blue electricity occasionally sparking into the opening. Bearskin peeked into the hole, noticing the dying grass a few feet away. Noble grasped her arm, pulling her towards the portal

"Milady." He bobbed his head before stepping in with her, the sudden transportation feeling new and unfamiliar to Bearskin. She felt as if every single one of her cells was ripped mercilessly apart before being reassembled. Nausea threatened to cake her throat.

"Thanks. Alright…" She found her balance and bounced eagerly as she looked from goon to goon. "Good job. Let's take these fuckers down now…"

Much to Bearskin's knowledge, Noble was able to spot that the men had weapons. "I've got this." Blue sparks ignited, and in no time made their way towards the man hooligan's waist. He grinned at his accomplishment, the man appearing to be blown back by the impact. "Alright. Be sure to tell Hawthorne that he had his weapon drawn and then I did that."

"Mind tossing in that I was useful somehow too?" Blue quipped, a smirk in her voice. However, the thugs didn't seem nearly as amused. One of them, a gangly criminal swathed in tattoos and a shaved head, scrambled to his feet and immediately revealed a handgun.

"You don't know who the fuck you're messing with!"

Bang!

A bullet ripped through Blue's shoulder, making her stagger back from the force and shock. She was hit…she was actually hit. "F-fuck! Ow, ow, ow! You can't be f-fucking serious right now," the hero said while clutching her wound. Blood spilled past her fingers and trickled down her arm; this brand of pain was something she had never experienced before. In comparison to having her body burned to ashes, sewn back together, ripped in two, and meshed back again, this one stood out starkly.

"Well, what're you sitting on your asses for?!" the tattooed thug snarled, gun still aimed at Blue. He nodded towards Noble and Bearskin. "Fuck them up!"

The thugs jumped to attention. The one who had his weapon taken away by Noble approached cautiously, fists raised as he attempted to engage in some close hand-to-hand combat. On the other hand, the criminal who locked his sights on Bearskin whipped out a butterfly knife, sizing her up with a dark leer, before exploding forth in a dash.

His movements were quick and viscous, and instantly slashed a gash into her side. "Let's dance, sweetheart," he cackled.

Bearskin had visibly flinched at the gunshots, despite having fired several the night before, and found that the task at hand grew fuzzy. A sharp pain at her side flared her reality back into view. Adrenaline flooding her system, she instinctively clenched her fist and reached back to strike him. The ringing within her ears made it difficult to focus, but she managed to throw a punch to his torso. Her eyes glided down to the knife at her side and she swiftly plunged it into the man's shoulder. Twisting and thrashing it in his wound, she made sure that it granted enough damage before ripping it out of his skin. She kicked him back in a steady movement before bouncing back to the balls of her feet.

Noble was having a harder struggle than his bear counterpart, and found that he was awoken from near slumber as a gunshot rang out. "Heh?" he questioned, realizing no amount of espresso could save him in this scenario. His eyes traced back and forth between Blue and Bearskin, realizing both of them were bleeding steadily. Why, this is a conundrum!

He fired up energy in front of him, this time light red. Waving his hands, he focused on creating individual shields for each partner. They were not the strongest he could make, but it would protect each one decently for now. He tossed each one in front of his partners, before forming another circle in front of him. He filled it to its center with energy, pressing the middle over and over again to release flares of energy. He blinked as they dissipated before even escaping the circle, a sigh cascading from his lips. "Ladies I promise I am not overcompensating."

Blue nearly flinched when some sort of energy plane formed around her, though the confusion lifted after realizing it came from Noble. A shield, huh? Sure would've been nice if that showed up BEFORE I GOT SHOT--

"Pay attention, you dolt! A voice suddenly rippled through Blue's skull.

"Colette? Oh shit, you live!" A brief pause. "...Too soon?"

"Entirely, now focus on the brute with the gun. Your heightened metabolic rates should take care of the wound soon."

"Uh, right. Right. Do I like, just...?"
An annoyed sigh from Colette. "Just strike him! Attack! Do something!"
"Alright, alright! Yeesh..." Christ, why did all the women in her life have to be so bossy? She was only content with Nat taking control of the wheels. Either way, Blue couldn't deny that Colette was an intelligent woman and (more than likely) had good intentions.

With bated breath, she cleared the space between her and armed thug, and clocked him in the thug with a speed two-punch combo, his head snapping left and right from the impact. He staggered back, vision doubling as he scrambled to aim at her.

"S-speed don't mean nothing when you're dead!" However, the harshness of his threat fell flat when the bullet shot wide. He cursed and attempted to reload, backpeddling.

Bearskin's head threatened to snap back at the sound of the gunshot, keeping her mind shut to possible recollections from the night before. Her shield before had gained a small fracture, gratitude fluttering in her chest for her immature partner. She held clenched fists before her in defense, bouncing on the soles of her shoes as she inspected her enemy for an opening. She pinpointed a target upon his jaw, striking with precision. A satisfying crack rippled through her fist. The man, stunned from the strike, stumbled back and exposed his throat. She applied a swift kick to the opening, smirking underneath her mask as she was able to send him back.

Nice job, me.

Noble, meanwhile, found boredom with each blow that he managed to evade. His eyes rolled back and he internally thanked Gunner for the brief loan of dexterity. Irritation flooded through the energy crackling at his fingertips. With a flicker of his wrist, he sent the dark blue energy to the man, only to miss once again. The energy smoldered into the grass, leaving a small indentation and blackened fauna. His blush, luckily hidden behind his mask, was enough to put his hair to shame. "I knew I should have had more shots…"

"No worries, dude," Blue said, "We'll load up on a full breakfast and everything after this. Nat's treat." That earned another painful ring in her ear, but she chuckled nonetheless. Whatever humor she had left took a detour when a bullet sailed past her head. "Christ! DUDE YOU'RE REALLY TRYING TO KILL ME?!"
"...He's a hooligan. Of course he is."
"Nobody asked you," Blue grumbled before sprinting into her opponent's guard, elbow extending to crack into his nose. However, he caught the blow in time, grinning sinisterly.

Until a fist replaced the strike with a satisfying crunch.

"Fuck!" the man screamed while cradling his nose, a thin rivulet cascading past his fingers. Vision bathed in red, he went to raise his gun, only for his eyes to bug out of his skull at the empty weight in his hand.

His gun was gone.

"Mind if we ditch this?" Blue said, twirling the weapon on a single finger. The shit-eating grin could be heard in her voice.

"Son of a!" Angrily, the thug's fists cracked against the shield, bouncing off the surface harmlessly. "Fight me, bitch!"

"Pretty sure that's what we're doing…"

"Keep," miss "Still," miss "You fucking," miss, miss "ASSHOLE!" Bearskin's head whipped around at Noble's laughter during this exchange, the young man hopping with ease from side to side. In spite of herself, Bearskin cracked a smirk.

Eyes flickering to Blue's endeavor, Bearskin decided it be wise to gain another weapon to support her. Ripping open the pocket dimension, Bearskin quickly searched the nooks and crannies. Once her hands grasped something, she frowned. This is not my gun. Despite this, she plucked the item to reveal…

"Oh God either of you tell Owl about this and I will kill you." She vowed, shoving the owl plushie back into the pocket dimension safely. To explain it simply, she thought they were cute and to give one to Leo at some point. Just...not in the middle of a battle where she could get shot.

"Fuck it," she mumbled, approaching the man attacking Blue as his fists struck into the shield Noble provided her. Approaching him from behind, she delivered a straight aim to his skull. The man slumped with an almost sickening thud, leaving Bearskin to breathe a sigh of relief. She dusted off her hands to the rhythm of Noble's childish laughter.

Noble continued to bounce out of the way of each attempted hit, forcing a yawn as the man's face grew vividly more red with rage. "Let us dance good sir!" Noble proclaimed, waiting for the right time when the man struck again. He managed to grasp the man by the wrist, twirling him around once before pulling the stunned (and somewhat flustered) man to him. Noble placed a gentle hand to the man's chest, grinning as energy sparked. "I promise you this is gonna hurt you more than this is going to hurt me."

Arthur was not expecting that statement to be a lie, and with a powerful crack, the energy flew him back from his enemy, sending him straight into the ground. He groaned as his back throbbed, his creation of a small crater sending a hint of pride into his trembling chest. Slowly he muttered, "Ow. I...I need some Reaper loving after this…"

Blue blinked, slowly lowering his fists as she watched the last of the thugs fall unconscious. "Huh...Cool, we did it," she said. Shoulders falling slack, she addressed the others in a somewhat exhausted tone, "Can I nap now?" She didn't want to admit it out loud, but her legs were visibly shaking from the ordeal. Too many bullets were flying for her tastes; she'd much rather catch up on sleep while Nat combed her fingers through her hair.

"Nice work Blue, Noble. I think we are going to need to transport these men before we can head out and get some rest and relaxation. Noble think you could…"

"Need a minute...I don't think I'm going to be able to father children anytime soon…" He whimpered slightly in his pain, causing Bearskin to visibly flinch. He slowly pushed himself up from the crater, placing his hands flat upon his lower back to stretch it out. "Alright...you need some Noble funky mojo, you got it mama bear." Staggering, Noble made his way towards the men to transport them. Bearskin turned to Blue in the meantime.

"While he works on that, I can try and patch you up a little bit before we head back to HQ. You might need some before we go," she offered, placing her hands on her sides. Her gaze went towards to an open area, appearing to picture a dimension ripple she could tear through.

"Eh, I think I'll be alright," Blue said while fingering her wound. It had already scabbed over, so she supposed Colette was right about the whole heightened metabolic rate spiel. But still...that was freaky. It would take a while for her to get used to that.

The speedster continued prodding, far too invested (and semi-disgusted but in a fascinated way) to really pay attention to her surroundings. Especially to the sound of approaching footsteps--belonging to multiple people.

Noble focused on a portal beneath the three men, the young man not bothering to notice the footsteps of multiple people. It could have very well been Bearskin and Blue pacing, so he didn't pay much mind until he heard Bearskin mumble

"Uh...guys, I don't think we are quite done here…"

Just as she said this, prompting her teammates to turn around curiously, a shout crossed the distance between them and even more thugs. "Fuck! What the hell are heroes doing here?!" A trio of men came barreling in, each brandishing firearm and raising them to riddle the heroes from top to bottom in bullets.

However, it was the final lackey lurking in the back that made Blue toss her head back in annoyance. An AR-15 assault rifle. Perfect. Just perfect.

"Oh--COME ON!" Blue admonished loudly. Heaving a quick sigh, she rolled up her sleeves (not really, but just mimicked the motion like some sort of cartoon character) while grumbling, "You guys got some serious size insecurities. Don't you know what they say about dudes with big guns?"

"Heh. That was actually somewhat humorous," Colette chuckled.
Blue smirked while falling into starting position. "I try." The thug in front had his sights set on the speedster...only for her to disappear the next moment. He looked down fast enough to catch lingering blue sparks between his legs, the hero sliding into his blind spot from behind. A punch-kick combo rocked his spine and sent him tumbling forward, knocking the wind from his lungs.

Noble blinked as three more men appeared to greet the heroes. He figured he should have knocked on wood before he attempted to finish his job, an exhale managing to escape through his clenched teeth. He pressed his knuckles together, humming under his breath as he allowed for his power to take control of him, rather than the proper chain of control.

Shock flooded the young man as his power swirled around him, a vibrant blue, striking all three of his enemies without incident. Noble did need to duck, however, as a crackle of peaceful energy flew across his head. He blinked, slowly running his hand over his hair. Yep. All still there.

"Thank God," he mumbled, eyes locking with one target. He snapped his fingers, a spark skimming across his knuckles before striking the man. He blinked. "I got good all of a sudden. Now Gunner can't…" He shut his mouth, not wanting to open up that road of discussion. He knew Gunner would bitch anyway.

Bearskin threatened to freeze at the sight of the rifle, but was set at ease knowing that Noble and Blue handled it without a sweat. That was something she could give them credit for, and that was keeping calm when a situation went awry. She didn't want to admit the contentness that threatened to settle into her chest. Swiftly, while she still felt composed, she attempted to strike one of the men in the chest with the heel of her shoe. The man crumbled to his knees, but with one last shred of energy was able to aim his weapon at Bearskin's chest.

The bullet hit. Bearskin collapsed, shock flooding her system and preventing her from reacting. She realized, in relief, that the bullet didn't hit anything major. She could still feel the hunk of metal in her skin and she worked on training her breath, waiting for her teammates to finish the job.

Blue saw the bullet rip through Bear's chest, which in turn ripped a curse from the speedster's throat. "Shit, shit, shit--"

"Light 'em up!"

The command was directed at the large brute manning the rifle. Grunting, he zeroed in on the heroes and unleashed a hailstorm of steaming copper...only for the monstrous force behind it to jerk him backwards and force the barrel down. Chunks of earth and glass exploded left and right until he let up on the trigger. "Uh...that was just a test run," he said.

Blue rolled her eyes. "Test run. Riiiight…" Welp--it was probably best to take out the big dolt first, as that rifle would be Hell to deal with. She'd much rather take care of him as soon as possible. Tossing up a quick prayer to whoever was willing to listen in that moment, Blue zoomed up to the man. However, her confidence faltered mid-stride and she tripped over her own feet, stumbling towards the man at high speed. She attempted to take advantage of the momentum and smack into his jaw with a punch…

"Fucking owww." Blue cradled her poor, throbbing fist. What in hell was that thug's skull made of?

"That all you got, girly?" he cackled, jamming the barrel into her stomach and prepping to tear a family of holes through her.

Noble's eyes darted frantically between his fallen member and Blue, who was able to get shot to bits. He swallowed and realized he could either call one of the spirits within his mask, or he could let the energy flow through him without risk of accidentally becoming overwhelmed by panic. He swiftly clasped his hands together, once again allowing the energy to take over him. The impulse managed to strike both men harming his partners, the shock overwhelming their bodies and sending them slumped into the ground. "Told you I wasn't overcompensating," he mumbled, turning to his teammates.

"Are you two alright?" he inquired, stamping his foot into the ground and causing portals to open underneath the fallen men. He almost smiled as the men plopped into the abyss, concern now tainting his features as he realized the extent of their injuries. "I am going to get us right back to base, promise."

Blue released a breath she had no idea she was even holding as the thugs were suddenly whisked away via Noble portals. Her entire body slackened in relief. "Cheezus Christ on crackers dude," she said, "You totally saved my butt. Thanks." If it wasn't for Noble, she would've been a dead woman, as every single muscle in her body had locked up with fear when the gun jammed into her stomach.

Nonchalantly, she made her way over to Bear and Noble. She raised a finger. "Now then…"

Thump!

And collapsed, completely unconscious.

 

[KatSea]

Cyrus Booker

"Resolutions and lovers in the kitchen," Cyrus Booker's headphones blasted ridiculously loud music through his ears. He couldn't help but sing along as he was alone in the infirmary, the quiet day relaxing him as he waited for the employees to come back from their shift. Cyrus didn't expect anything too major, the goons were easy and he suspected that plant girl wasn't all that jazz. Come on, how dangerous can be a little plant grower be? What are you supposed to do, throw petals?

"Love is clueless and destiny is wishing," Cyrus's feet quickly pivoted, swiveling him merrily in a circle as he bobbed his head to the beat, bouncing his fingers against imaginary drums. Each beat of music sent a grand symphony into his pounding heart, excitement blossoming in him as if he was a child again. His knees buckled as he swiveled again, walking backwards and jovially pointing at a fictional audience.

" This is my heart, it's on the line...SEL-"

"Cyrus stop, my ears, my sweet, sweet delicate ears!" Cyrus let out a scream that was far from human, realizing that his shoulder had been patted, screams of his friend now visible before him. His headphones were plucked forcibly from his ears, the man being turned to face the checkered face hero. Arthur's eyes sparkled with genuine disappointment. "I need you for a minute, bud."

----

Cyrus help Arthur place the injured women onto the hospital beds, Blue fully unconscious still, while Bearskin was fighting against it and losing. Cyrus could already tell that, despite being shot in the chest, Jennifer Clemons was remarkably lucky. The bastard might have been blind as a bat, with shaking hands and a nervous trigger finger. She was mumbling complaints against Cyrus starting on her first, saying that it was just some blood on the uniform, but Cyrus shut her up with a quick sedative. Her head plopped down, Cyrus taking the opportunity to begin a minor surgery upon the woman's chest. It was no so complex that he had to ask Arthur to leave, rather, Noble placed himself beside Blue's bed, inspecting her wounds as Cyrus worked in near silence.

"The nice thing about Blue's powers, it seems, is that she heals really quick. I think she will be up before you have time to work your magic on her, Cy."

"I've called in some other assistants, they'll make sure she's okay" Cyrus mumbled, noting that reality seemed to drain away as he worked, plucking the bullet safely from the hole in the poor woman's chest. He didn't seem to damage her any further, internally. He knew that, despite the healing, she would still have a gnarly scar and be sore for a little while. He peeled his surgical gloves from his hands, placing his palms over the wound.

"Can I watch the magic unfold?" Arthur asked, if somewhat sheepishly. Cyrus knew he wasn't always a big fan of blood, but anything cellar and medical appeared to fascinate the young man. Cyrus was convinced the cancer had something to do with his fascination with cells, tissues and organs, but knew that he had seen enough blood in his life for one man.

"Come up." Cyrus administered one more sedative, knowing that each one ran only a certain time period. They weren't heavy sedatives, mostly because they didn't need to last long. Cyrus was quick and efficient. Bullets weren't something that came by often, so he was a little perplexed by how long it took him.

Bearskin's tissue was the first to heal, beneath the skin. Cyrus glanced to Arthur, the awe palpable even with the mask. The tissues stitched itself back together, latching onto each other seamlessly. Next was the skin, rapidly expanding beyond the wound until Jennifer was left with nothing but a small scar, which looked more like a burn than anything else.

"There. Now the hope is that she won't kill me when she..."

"Heh. That's why you buy them dinner before you sedate and perform surgery on them." Arthur patted his friends shoulder, guiding Cyrus over to Blue as the remaining assistants informed him that she would recover swiftly and it shouldn't be much of a hitch. Cyrus sighed his relief. He could already feel sleepy from closing Jennifer's wound, but he assumed it would pass soon.

"K-kitten?" A soft growl greeted Cyrus, sending the hairs at the end of his neck flying straight up. Lumbering over, Vincent's creature rested a body onto the opposing hospital bed, its claw resting over the hero's hair. Surely enough, Reaper slumped, groaning and curling into herself. Cyrus could feel the sympathy well in his chest. Cyrus blinked as Stitch proceeded to tap his shoulder, the creature bouncing on its four legs. He pointed to the door, before pointing to his fury chest. Cyrus's head tilted at the beast's direction, but it was answered with a nearly inaudible growl. "V-vince...k-kitten...in...s-s-soon?" Stitch bobbed its head, leaning down to lick Reaper's head one last time before standing erect. Stitch's head skimmed against the ceiling, but it managed to hobble out(with only some difficulty from the door frame.)

"Oh God...My day isn't ending." Cyrus grumbled.

"So what was this about a Selene gi-..."

"Noble shut up. I am putting the song back in." With that, Cyrus popped the headphones back in and returned to work.

 

[Mobley Eats]

Whoops Averted | Interactions: Savage, Stitch, Owl, Cyrus, Noble, Blue and Bearskin @KatSea | Location: HQ Infirmary

If there was one word to encapture the current state of Vincent Aaron, it would be a simple word. A word so commonly used that his tongue received it as if it was an old friend, it's gentle cascade down his lip something of comfort. That word, was linear and simple, straight and to the point. Fuck

He had offered to carry Ceres, while Stitch bounded up the steps to get the unconscious Reaper to a safe abode. They had fought well, he would admit, and was relieved Virtue did not need to be called in. He did feel humiliation, however, as his arms and neck began to itch from the poison flung onto his skin by the spores. He grimaced, keeping his grip upon the unconscious villain.

Ceres would stir by the time Vincent's feet graced him to the nullification room. He propped her inside, being sure to be gentle. He knew that she was wounded, and despite his better judgment, he didn't want to harm her more than necessary. Her eyes would eventually flutter open, defeat settling quickly into her shoulders as she realized where she was. Vincent crossed her arms, realizing any words he was going to speak were going to be cut out by a single repetition

"La mamma mi ucciderà." Vincent would try to interject, only for the phrase to grow louder. Slowly he closed the nullification door behind him, rubbing his hand over his temple. He wanted to rip off his balaclava, but the job wasn't quite done here yet. Meetup and a check up on the others.

"Owl, got her secured. Let's...let's get us both patched up." He offered to the man, nails threatening to scratch into his arm. Fear pulsed through him and he clenched his fists, shoving them deep into the pockets of his uniform.

Owl nodded in response to Savage, though he couldn't help but gaze back to the nullification chamber, absolute sympathy coursing through his aching veins. Ms. Ceres fought hard and valiantly, only to awaken in an overbearingly white box that sapped your being dry of what he thought to be a piece of one's soul...their existence.

He batted away a shiver, before replying in what he hoped to be a bright tone, "Yes, that sounds the most pleasant, my friend. My wings…" He gestured to the twin feathery appendages, which were folded in somewhat to conserve space in the hallways. However, he could only bend them so far, as a limitless amount of thorns punctured them, sending ripples of dull pain through his body. Ms. Ceres was quite the formidable foe. "My wings are in very much the need of the gently plucking. And I, afterwards, crave to be in the healing arms of meu Querido," he said.

"She got you good, my friend." Savage's brow furrowed as he inspected the poor man's wings. He couldn't imagine what it was like to have such an extension of oneself, but he could imagine it was simple to limbs from what he knew about birds. Needless to say, thorns anywhere pierced and scorched the skin. He would know, having a few remaining himself. For a first target, that woman was difficult. He was relieved he had backup, though. Doing this with Stitch and only Stitch would have left to one embarrassing story to tell his sunshine.

"I think our friend Booker will be of assistance." Savage confirmed with a nod as he walked, making sure that Owl had enough room for his wings. Folding them in like that would have only aggravated the wounds, and Savage didn't want to cause any more trouble. "Sounds like a fine plan, my friend. So you and Bear are a thing then?"

"Hmm?" Owl blinked, twin amber eyes flickering behind the mask as confusion washed over him. "Thing? Yes, we are both...things of the existing, yes? As you are as well."

"Ah." Savages brain found itself caught in a logic loop. He seemed to have forgotten how strange some phrases of speech sounded, and from what he could pick, the owlish hero was not from around. Savage thought he could pick up an accent, but he hadn't put effort to pinpoint it. He puffed out his cheeks in thought, considering his words cautiously. "Well, I suppose we are all existing things. I misspoke. I'd assume you two are in a relationship?" He paused. "Romantic?"

"Ah! I see," Owl laughed, the realization dawning swift and out of left field, though an amused smile pulled at his lips. He shrugged casually. "We are, as you say, the best of friends. We are one another's Querido and I surely cannot imagine this life without her in it." For the briefest moment, the corner of his lips faltered. "Romance, however, is an unlikely future for us, I am the afraid."

"Querido?" He questioned, although an amused smirk pulled at his lips as he noted the infirmary door up ahead. He stopped in his tracks briefly. "I was where you were once; believe it or not. It doesn't hurt to be honest. That or your gonna wake up one day and she throws a pencil in your face and tells you your oblivious. That might be too oddly specific." Smirking, Savage stepped inside and nearly bumped into his seven foot creature. His head gently collided with the creatures fur, Stitchs paws already cradling the man's elbow. "Hey...buddy." Savage managed in English, Stitch ignoring him as he began to work on the man's scratches. He rolled his eyes. "You are taking mister Bookers job away from him."

"Hush"

Owl's brow furrowed in deep thought. Throwing a pencil in one's face to assert their affections for the other...He assumed it was simply a strange American custom, though he couldn't imagine how that inspired or expressed the romantic feelings. Either way, he was never one to judge another's culture and the sudden appearance of the darling creature from before stole his attention. Beaming at the duo, he said, "No worries, my friend. I'm certain Booker will have much to work on with my wings, yes? Oh! And Querido…"

His lips pursed.

"It means the best of friends in my mother tongue."

"She really put you through the ringer, Owl. You might need some Stitch help as well." Stitch leaned his head down to nuzzle against Vincent's head before hobbling inside to let the two inside the infirmary. Cyrus and Noble were both panting at a spare bed, watching some assistants attempt to wake up Bearskin. Cyrus pushed himself up, hands hovering over an awakening Reaper. "Ah...Welcome home gentlemen." Cyrus glanced over at the creature and the two heroes, watching Stitch circle behind the winged man.

"M-may? I-I?" The creature stammered, eyes pleading to both Cyrus and Savage.

"Let Booker help." Savage confirmed, training his gaze carefully on his creatures movements.

Owl's lips pursed, rubbing the back of his sore neck. "Yes, she did indeed put me through a ring, explaining the pain in my body." He imagined squeezing an entire human being through the opening of a ring would be horrifically painful, so he somewhat prided himself for understanding that bit of American slang. His thoughts derailed when Stitch asked to take care of his wings, however, and a warm smile instantly split his cheeks. "Of course! You and Cyrus may do whatever you please. I am grateful for the care and help, yes? ...Oh dear."

But then his gaze landed on his Querido. Worry filling his eyes and tone, he asked, "Is she the okay?"

Stitch immediately nuzzled his hairy, dull cheek into Owl's, lumbering past and extending a claw towards an embedded thorn. A smaller figure slid underneath the oaf of a creature, pressing his hand against Owl's back. "Ah, this isn't hard at all! You may have been through the ring…"

"Cyrus." Noble mumbled from the corner, plucking at his mask. Stitch couldn't tell if he was irritated or anxious like Vincent could get. He wasn't shaking or panting, so he assumed there was no reason for cuddles. At least, not yet. Despite Noble's seeming irritation, he made his way over to Reaper's bed and slumped into the mattress, fingers carefully tracing the fabric of the sheet. Stitch's eyes floated across to meet his owner, who simply granted him a shrug. Taking this as permission, Stitch clutched the first thorn very cautiously and wiggled it out of his wound. Without waiting another second, the creature drug its claw against the wound. A thin, silk like shimmer expanded from the tip of its claw, encasing itself around the wound. A complementary lick accompanied on the man's head, before he went to the next.

"Er, right. Bearskin is alright. She had a wound to her torso, so I gave her a sedative so I could handle it properly." Cyrus structured his words carefully, not desiring to spill it out loud that Bearskin had been shot in her chest. His eyes flickered behind thick rimmed(yet horribly cracked) glasses to see Bearskin beginning to stir, if not lazily.

Owl would apologize thoroughly for his blatant disregard of Cyrus's words afterwords, but as soon as he took note of his Querido's awakening, he weaved away from the medic and creature, before pulling up a chair next to her. His wings, trembling with lingering agony and aches, folded somewhat against his back, accommodating the squeeze in position. Tenderly, his fingers caressed her cheek, just below the rims of her mask. "Querido? ...Can you hear me? I am the here for you."

Bearskin's eyes fluttered open as a gentle touch was administered to her face, confusion painting her demeanor the moment she was able to gain enough sense to gather information revolving around her surroundings. It had felt as if she had blunk and her environment was different, she was on her back and felt a dull pulse travelling through her chest. Sluggishly, she raised her hand to press her fingers along the old bullet wound, which merely consisted now of a clump of new and irritated flesh. Groaning lightly, her hand instinctively shot towards her Querido's against her face. "Ah...anjo...oh...remind me...remind me to kill Booker...later." She slurred, eyes peering up to see the medic, wide eyed and innocent, scuttle over to Reaper's bedside and watched carefully as Stitch lumbered over behind Owl, inspecting his folded wings. Bearskin tried to shoot her anjo a smile, despite the internal struggle as the sedative wore off.

The relieved sigh to escape Owl was by no means silent nor stealthy, and his shoulders visibly relaxed, his wings twitching ever so slightly while Stitch tended to them. A natural smile graced his features as he gripped her hand, a thumb swiping soothingly across her knuckles. "I do not know if Booker will appreciate such a reminder, no?" he chuckled. However, his humor ebbed away rather quickly as concern bubbled to the surface once more, eyes falling over her healed wound. "The mission was of difficulty? I… I am still regretful for not being there by your side, Meu Querido."

"He won't see it coming. Pap…" She tried to chuckle, her free hand sliding over the wound to hide it from view as his eyes threatened to catch sight of it. "You see...the trick is to not let them know it's coming." She carefully guided the hand held in her own to tap it against her temple. Watching the creature behind Owl work, Bearskin shot a thumbs up in appreciation and watched its head bob merrily with each wound successfully stitched up. "Do not apologize, anjo. It is not your fault, I should have seen it coming." Rolling her elbow to meet her side, she attempted to prop herself from the bed, eyes fluttering briefly. "You are okay, yes?"

He noticed her attempt to hide the wound, so he graced her with respect and averted his gaze, focusing entirely on her face. Even with the mask on, he could envision her clearly and the thought alone uncoiled his muscles even further. "No matter where the fault lies, I believe the healing of cuddles is the much needed after this, yes?"

However, as she tried to sit up, he placed a gentle hand to her uninjured shoulder and slowly guided her to lay back down. "I am the completely fine, Meu Querido. These are just a few thorns. We were the able to apprehend the villain."

"If you didn't offer me cuddles later I was gonna pout until you did…" She claimed with a thin smirk, bouncing her head lazily. Inspecting him further, she hesitated to reach out to skim her fingers along his uniform, making sure he was being honest with her. She had no suspicion that he was not, but she knew that if she tried to hide her wound from him, he might do the same for her. With this touch, she did not protest against his direction for her to return to the bed. "Hey...I'm fine...Don't move me back on the bed unless you are planning to climb on board…"

"Not in front of my dog…" Savage muttered from the other side of the room, pressing Stitch's ears to his head before exiting the infirmary altogether. Bearskin's head tilted curiously before returning towards her Querido. "Wonderful! I will still give you a look over when we get home...Just to make sure Stitch didn't miss anything."

Owl's smile widened. "This is why you are Meu Querido.You are the reader of my mind." Without paying Savage's comment any mind--aside from a jovial chuckle--he gently clambered into the bed and adjusted accordingly until Bearskin's back was pressed to his front, wrapping his arms around her waist while nuzzling into her hair. "And I am the okay with this." A pause, before he added warmly, "Our home… What a wonderful utterance, yes?"

Bearskin wasn't genuinely expecting for her Querido to snuggle into her side, but she accommodated for his presence, easily sliding into the embrace with a warm and slumbering smile stretched along her demeanor. "Didn't think you were gonna take me serious Anjo...careful not to hurt your wings okay?" She glanced back towards him, hearing a faint utter of whispers from Cyrus as the skull faced hero stirred and used Noble as a leaning post. She swallowed hard, relieved that everyone had come home in one piece.

For the most part.

"It is the best...sharing a home with you." She confirmed, turning her head to meet his gaze. Her thumb dragged across his forearm lazily. "Now, you sure the villain wasn't too much of a problem for you?"

Owl nodded, a content hum reverberating in the back of his throat at the gentle caress. He mimicked the motion, a thumb of his own swiping back and forth across her knuckles. "I'm very much sure, Meu Querido. But," he curled back into her, exhaling warmly as the muscles in his body unfurled with creeping exhaustion, "I am the more certain that my worry for you was the most high. These hugs are my only medicine."

"Sorry, meu anjo. I worry too much about you...despite the fact you can easily handle yourself." Eyes fluttering in content with his touch, she chuckled and leaned her head back further into his chest. "I handled it just fine...ask Blue and Nerd over there…" Poking her thumb in their direction, she grinned sleepily. "I am glad I could provide you a cure. Querido. From what I've seen you've fought hard today and you deserve this."

He sighed tiredly, but not in an entirely unpleasant brand of fatigue. His conscience had fuzzed a tad around the edges, though Bearskin's voice registered with sharp clarity. "I believe that we all, including Blue and Noble and the rest of our team, deserve the cuddles of healing and rest, yes?"

A momentary pause.

"Querido? I… I believe in this team." His hold on her tightened. "I have the good of feelings about them."

"I agree. Today has been rather tiring." Her fingers gingerly wrapping around her querido's wrists, making sure his grip on her was still firm. A small smirk pulled at her lips. "I think Blue and Noble agree with you as well, although their counterparts…" Shaking her head, she curled up tighter. "I think I trust these nerds. They did a very good job today...saved my life more than a few times. That, and saved me from some well placed embarrassment. I think we made a good choice."

"Yes…" Although Owl's response came in the form of one slurred word, it held true to everything she said. Yes, today was tiring. Yes, he trusted the "nerds" as well. Yes, he was darn certain that they performed spectacular for their first mission together as a team. And yes, they definitely, most certainly, made the right choice. The way in which they were brought to the organize was less than satisfactory but… in the end, he still had his Querido and he was now living with her. It was well worth it…

His eyelids were suddenly growing unbearably heavy, just hanging onto consciousness by a thread.

Hearing the slur in her Querido's voice, she drummed her thumb against his knuckles and hummed softly to him. "Sleep, dear. You deserve the rest…" Reaching blindly, she ran her fingers through his hair and combed it away from his eyes, a small smile of amusement stretched across her demeanor. Would she have to check in with Hawthorne? Hell if she card...freak...she forgot in the short amount of time she was separated how comfortable Leo's body was against hers. "I'll watch over you."

"You must… must rest… too…" Despite his protests, Owl slipped into slumber before he could think to do otherwise, his grip around Bear unshakable. Even as his eyes closed, his thumb continued to move against her hand seconds after, before stillness overcame it as well. All that was left were the gentle exhales escaping him.

 

[KatSea]

Nigel Joseph Hawthorne



Hawthorne had to admit, he wasn't entirely confident the two missions that had brought to his heroes's attention were going to go smoothly. He was pleasantly informed that they had indeed, ended with the successful capture of two major threats to the nearby area, and had...minimal, injuries. No one had been shot dead, no one critical. It went appropriately, to say the least, and Hawthorne couldn't have been prouder of his new team. It was difficult, for certain, placing the heroes on teams independent as to what they were used to. He was not anticipating the best results with the two major duos broken up, but was also pleasantly surprised to learn they could function independently from each other, and easily slip into a new team role. It was all filling in rather wonderfully, which eased some of the tension from the man's shoulders. He knew that even the Titans had their rough start, Sirena had inevitably shocked her own husband without her immediate awareness. Freakshow lost quite a few limbs, took some anger out against Hawthorne, and even Guardian had bumped herself in the head with a shotgun she was attempting to toss from the suspect's hands.

In retrospect, he figured that the new heroes had actually flourished in comparison. Miraculous! Splendid! Now he just had to pray the next week or so would continue without a hitch. That whoever ordered the hit on his former titans would touch the new recruits...he swallowed in his anxiety. No. He would make sure that all seven of them would be safe and sound. Yes. That was a promise he intended to keep. He did not know them now, but he had a feeling, much like the last group, they would grow to be family. Hawthorne couldn't handle another heart break in his place of work. Pulling himself together with a tight tug of his tie, he propped himself from his work desk and merrily hopped to his own two feet, a little pep in his step to make up for the previous pessimism. He could handle this just fine! Now it was time to praise the heroes for their good work, and to introduce a hopefully simple and none too worrisome routine. Night shifts were of upmost importance. Now more than ever.

Pushing himself from the constraints of his office, Hawthorne kept his head high with a pleasant smile along his features. He could handle this just fine...the first meeting went swimmingly. This one should as well. Colliding his forefinger into his thumb, a pleasant crackle travelled along his skin and encased the area around him in complete and utter stillness. He could do this in fifteen minutes, so problem. Hell, he could do it in ten if he truly wished to be a show off. Scurrying to the break room across the hall, Hawthorne collected coffee cups and filled them appropriately, allowing room for cream and sugar as he saw fit. Placing them at each seat for each individual worker, Hawthorne settled at the head of the table, slumping into his chair and placing his hands over his temples.

Snapping his fingers once more, the stillness erupted into a gentle clatter of moving seats. Ah yes. The meeting had now taken place and it was up to Hawthorne to present the good news! But..that required effort on the good man's part. And effort took energy...Sleep, sweet...sweet sleep...

Hawthorne shook himself from the daze. No more! Beaming brightly at his workers, Hawthorne patted the circle table beneath him with the balls of his palms. "Excellent work today young heroes! By no doubt is your work deserving of praise, and by no doubt is it appreciated by the citizens affected by these villainous characters. Excellent work today! And I am glad to see you have all been treated by mister Booker...if you do have any more concerns regarding injuries or possible aftermath affects, please do turn to our medic. He knows what he is doing." For the most part. He decided not to add this little gib of humor, pressing his knuckles to his throat as he cleared a breath. "Your financial award has already been delivered into individual accounts. To avoid any heartache, we are doing it in small increments over time. Your identities are of most importance, and we do not wish to compromise such things to silly organizations...such as the banking industry." Rubbing the back of his neck and craning it from left to right, he drummed his fingers against his thighs.

"As for the villains you have apprehended today, it is my pleasure to inform you that we will be transporting them to their proper...homes as it were, as soon as possible. Naturally, the thieving hooligans shall be placed in another prison from miss Ceres. An interrogation will follow her soon, but you do not need to worry yourselves. If any of you do wish to participate in such activities, please come see me later today. Now, as for what happens next...believe it or not heroes, many of you get the rest of the day off if you so wish. I will recommend a mandatory meeting for the next few weeks as of...perhaps every other day for now. But, I will present the next part of your plan as of signing up with the WPHO. Nightly, we require that two or more employees conduct a night shift to insure that we had not missed anything during the day. I will present a schedule to be filled for the next two weeks, as it pertains to what works best for you...if any of you have any questions, Neil, Quincy, Cyrus or I are always available. I have also made sure that those who have requested panic pagers have properly received them. If there is any issue, be sure to press the button long and hard. We will send someone from the agency to assist immediately. Now, I am glad to see many of you appear sound, but recall, if there is any issue, you may speak to mister Booker. I wish you all a fair day, and you are free to depart when you see fit."

 

[Mobley Eats]

Quinn Bonnibel Kimberly | Location: HQ Infirmary, Conference Room | Interactions: Natalie, Hawthorne & United Team

​

Quinn recalled a little bit of what happened after she fainted. There was the chorus of shuffling feet and movement, the voices of Bearskin and Noble surrounding her on all sides, before a plummeting feeling shot nausea up her spine. As far as she could tell, that was likely some weird trippy shit on Noble's part, so it was whatever. What wasn't whatever? What wasn't cool?

Those fuckers had actually shot her! Right through the shoulder, like poking soggy paper with a pen. God, she knew that for a writer, the pen was their sword, but that was a bogus stretch. Damn thugs. Of all the things to happen to her on the first day of the job... Well, begrudgingly, Quinn could admit that some good came out of it.

Colette. Colette had finally talked to her, though she was as prickly and morose as ever. But, then again, there were moments, times in which the French woman wasn't terribly annoying. Hell, even tolerable. Plus, it helped that she had an inkling of kindness left in her soul to praise Quinn's funny commentary. Heh--that's right. Quinn was damn funny and she knew it.

Anyway--off topic. Way off topic.

Bullet wound. Fainting. And now--waking up.

A groan slipped from Quinn's lips, her eyelids refusing to budge under the weight of fatigue. Even with her vision closed off, she could tell that an invasive light emitted from overhead, intense and artificial. Okay, cool. She was inside... of some sort of building. And she was in a bed, judging by the soft texture underneath her and the sheets covering her body. Man, this bed was damn warm too. Err, well, unevenly. For some odd reason, her left side was cooler than the other...

Wait.

Hold on. Was that...?

Another groan slipped past Quinn's lips, this one louder than the last and swimming with bubbling annoyance. Seriously, why couldn't he just open her freaking--

Her eyes snapped open.

The sudden blockage of air coming through her nose startled the speedster awake. She shot up, a hand flying away from her face and returning to the body lying next to her. Huffing, Quinn shot Nat a glare, her blond bun an absolute mess of dangling waves. "Do you seriously have to keep waking me up like that, jerk?" A teasing smile was just about to grace her lips... only for it to falter at the lack of amusement on her girlfriend's part.

Pure "I am pissed" radiated from her like a furnace on the brink of exploding. Eyes narrowed, face broiling pink, nostrils flared, and cheeks (adorably) puffed up. Her lips trembled. "You're the jerk, you fucking JERK!" she snapped, snagging the pillow to whack Quinn in the face with it. The speedster unleashed a long line of garbled syllables, completely unprepared for the assault. Awkwardly, she pulled the pillow down, only exposing her blue eyes as she stared at her girlfriend cautiously.

"Uhhh... Babe. I'm confused. I am confusion. What did I do now--"

"I thought you're a speedster! What happened to that, huh?! Why'd you..." Nat sat up as well, her visage growing redder and hotter by the second. Then, suddenly, a hiccup. Followed by another and then, just seconds after, a strained sob. Tears stung her eyes as she cradled herself, head falling to Quinn's shoulder. "W-why didn't you move out of the way? F-fucking idiot! You just h-had to go and get... g-get shot!"

Oh... Oh, fuck. Quinn had royally fucked up, hadn't she?

"Precious... Hey, come on." Heaving a sigh, Quinn looped an arm around Nat, not finding a hint of resistance on the brunette's part, and rested her cheek against the top of her head. She pecked Nat's forehead. "I'm sorry. I was... you know, the same old idiot. I should've paid attention more, had my head on straight." She... should've taken it more seriously. Fuck--how could she be such an idiot 24/7? Nat had already lost her once and barely made out of the ordeal with her heart intact. "But hey, look! Check this out." Quinn unzipped her jumper, just enough for the cloth to slacken and let her pull it down to expose her shoulder. The wound was completely healed, only the faintest trace of scar tissue left behind. "Completely healed. I'm okay, Precious. Promise."

Immediately, Nat traced Quinn's skin, fingers shakily examining her scar. "But what if you didn't have heightened metabolism." Quinn could've sworn her voice shook even more than her hand. "W-what if you wasn't so lucky, huh? W-wh... w-what if.. i-if y-you did... d-didn't..."

Stuttering.

She was stuttering.

The air evacuated Quinn's lungs and yet, at the same time, steel coated her insides. To see Nat fall back into the old habit was the highest of rarities--a true sign that her nerves had been thoroughly shaken. Quinn enveloped her completely, tightly, without a single drop of wavering in her grasp while planting several more tender kisses to her temple.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Over and over. And with each repetition, Nat slumped further and further into Quinn's embrace, balling up fistfuls of the speedster's jumper, her back heaving with silent sobs.

They remained that way until the meeting was called.

* * *​

As before, Nat was seated comfortably in Blue's lap, the perfectly available chair next to them remaining vacant. It likely always would. And again, as before, the couple couldn't help but blink in synchronized bafflement as coffee appeared on the table out of nowhere.

"...I still don't understand," Nat muttered under her breath, brow furrowed.

"Magic, babe. Pure dee magic," Blue quipped helpfully, her voice once again wavering through the cloaking speaker of her mask. That earned an eye roll and bemused scoff from the forensics engineer, but nothing than that as both of their attention snapped to Hawthorne.

"Excellent work today young heroes! By no doubt is your work deserving of praise, and by no doubt is it appreciated by the citizens affected by these villainous characters."

"Better be. A few of us ate lead," Blue grumbled under her breath, only loud enough for Nat to hear. The brunette nudged her, a silent warning to keep the sass at minimum. Besides, that was her job. On the bright side, she could tell that Blue was pleased at the mention of finances and could already guess that the speedster would want to blow a fraction of it on buying the latest Halo game.

Not that Nat had any qualms about it. She was particularly dying to whoop the speedster's butt on it.

As Hawthorne rambled on and on about the apprehended criminals, Nat couldn't help but tune him out somewhat. As far as she was concerned, he was merely glossing over everything she expected to hear. By no means was she not absorbing everything he said--she definitely was, for Blue's sake--but the enthusiasm was lost.

"Nightly, we require that two or more employees conduct a night shift to insure that we had not missed anything during the day."

Aaaaaand it was back again.

"I will present a schedule to be filled for the next two weeks, as it pertains to what works best for you."

Without missing a beat, Nat sat forward in Blue's lap, arms draped over the table and hands clasped. She stared down Hawthorne. "And what exactly does a night shift entail?" she asked. "Night time just means less vision for us and more stealth for whoever wants to get the jump. Or, hell, just to evade our attention completely. I don't know if your previous team or tech department has developed anything similar, but I refuse to let anyone take up night shift until I introduce a proper intercom system between partners and, if possible, tweak their masks for the addition of dim light vision. Seeing in pitch black, actually."

"Nightvision. Niiiice," Blue mused, her legs bouncing with excitement. "I'm gonna be a literal blue tiefling!"

"Baby? Please. Your inner nerd is showing."

"You love it."

"...I do." Clearing her throat and ignoring the pink flooding her cheeks, Nat looked back at Hawthorne expectantly. Meanwhile, Blue diverted her attention to the other heroes, specifically Bearskin and Noble.

"You guys healed up alright?" Although her tone was casual, some worry lingered. Persisted. Besides, she wasn't the only one who got shot. Of course, Hawthorne had already reassured that this Cyrus dude healed them already, but she just wanted to make sure. What could she say--she was thorough when she wanted to be.

 

[KatSea]

Nigel Joseph Hawthorne



"I should have known the woman behind the mask was Jester..." Hawthorne heard a soft mumble emit from Noble, who had remained surprisingly quiet during the meeting, his chest rumbling underneath his uniform. Both Savage and Reaper's heads tilted towards him, seemingly in amusement, before slowly turning their gaze back towards Hawthorne, embarrassment clear in their adverted eyes. "Er, what I mean to say is, Doc's got a point, Hawthorne. Do you have anything that might help with stealth? I know brood and Reaper both got the creepy night time surprise combo, cause good God if I wanna see either of them staring back at me in the middle of the night..."

"Thanks?" Reaper muttered, hand on the back of her head and confusion clear even with the mask placed firmly over her face. "I think that might have been the nicest thing you have ever said. But, with that being cleared up..."

"Well, the facility does have some stealth equipment. Nighttime uniforms were popular back in the day, and we have some few left over and others we can easily make with measurements given to us. As for a communication system, we used to have a telepath as a member of our group. She is no longer here with us, and we have attempted to work on a stronger communication system. We would be more than grateful for your assistance on such a project. You can discuss this with Quincy when you find time, but for the meantime we have some form of panic pagers and comms that can register with individuals seventy feet apart. If it is alright with you, I am conducting the work schedule as of tomorrow. For today, we will have a few of our assistants handle the watch. Neil's ability is rather useful for that..."

"And target practice." A voice muttered from across the table, but Hawthorne recognized the sentiment and tone immediately, deciding it was best not to look up ad confirm what he knew was true.

"A night watch begins from seven to two o clock at night. Typically, if it feels that there is no bizarre activity for the night, the shift is shortened from ten to three. Times can be adjusted, but as they are seen, partners will patrol the city and handle any activity that makes itself present. These can come from 911 calls, reports of danger, or knowledge of a particular villain and their patterns. Partners will have time to prepare and plot out if it is seen fit. A total group may be called if something major occurs, such as terrorism or a major shoot out. You will be contacted by pager or cellphone as it sees fit. If there is any issue, or there is another suggestion for how to keep this procedure much safer, do let me know. If anything is to go wrong, keep your thumb on the pager for as long as you can. We will have a healer in the facility on a twenty four hour basis, and we will provide first aid kits to you as well. Communication systems will be bettered as soon as possible in order to keep in full contact with the facility. But again, for now, you are free to do as you wish but would be appreciated if you could look over the schedule for the next week. Next meeting for us is in two days from now. If any of you have any more concerns, please do present them, I wish for this to be as safe as possible for the team."

With Hawthrone's words completed, he noted that Noble swiveled, despite the small grimace that was hidden underneath his mask, towards Blue and plopped his cheek into his hand. "Psh, healed as well as i could. I am in tip top shape, miss blue. No need to worry..."

"Fine as well. Are you? We...we sort of took a beating." Bearskin chimed, quietly, still shooting a smirk towards Blue. "Gotta admit, you were pretty cool out there. But uh, it was a bit of a struggle. I think Cyrus handled us fine but, how are you?"

 

[Mobley Eats]

Natalie Precious Kross | Location: HQ Infirmary, Conference Room | Interactions: Quinn, Hawthorne & United Team

​

Nat merely huffed in reply to Hawthorne's reassurance about night shift communications and the organization's history with it. She could admit that having a telepathic connection among them could be a huge benefit but, as far as she was concerned with the other members' abilities (which wasn't much at the moment), no one was blessed with such an advantage. Her rested her chin on a single fist, her fiery gaze following Hawthorne's every move like a hawk. "Fine. I'll definitely be talking to your team about this as soon as possible." Besides, she already had a few rough drafts in mind and WPHO had advanced technology galore; she could construct the world's first time machine with those things.

Well, of course, if she actual had the correct algorithms and quantum mechanics at hand... Her thoughts were straying.

Point was, her future likely held half as much sleep as she managed to scrape up now. But that was a minimal cost in comparison to the benefits her efforts would (hopefully) reap. Not having much else to say, she nodded and leaned back into Blue, arms folded. "Whoever you're paired up with for patrol, it doesn't matter. Please keep say and take care of yourself. For once," she whisper-hissed towards her lover. The speedster shrugged in response while gently prodding at the brunette's arms with teasing pokes.

"Babe, I've got this. I'm, like, invincible now! You could actually legit whack me with a pipe now and I'd be all good." However, her voice immediately dipped into a softer volume, the apology heavy and noticeable. "I swear I'll keep my eyes peeled... I'm not leaving you ever again, Precious." Nat didn't respond with words, but the shaky breath that escaped her was answer enough.

"Now, now, Mon Querido," Night Owl gingerly patted Bearskin's arm, a warm smile peeking through his mask. "We must the prove that we are not as ugly as the clone man's heart. Though his actions were rather..." He gave pause, choosing his words carefully. "The over of killing." He had to admit though, if ripping through one of those clones with his claws wouldn't lead to any physical harm for the original Neil... No. Even then. Night Owl couldn't bring himself to envision it. The guilt simply wouldn't allow him to. Hoping to clear his head, he diverted his attention to Reaper and Savage, beaming at the pair. "Yes, both are very much fearsome! I am the certain that you shall work excellently on the night shift. Oh! Also, Dear Natalie." He clasped his hands together, taking a moment to gather his words again. "I have, as you say, the vision of darkness. Vision night? Night vision! Yes, yes. I am not a blue teeth thing, as stated by Blue, but you do not need to worry about adjusting my mask in such a way."

"Err... I appreciate the input," Nat mumbled, still weary of the over zealous man. Of course, Night Owl didn't pick up on the discomfort (or, rather, he deemed it best to overlook it), so he merely nodded and smiled again.

"You're the most welcome, my friend."

"Question," Blue piped up, "What do you take every morning, dude? Cuz whatever it is, God do I need some. Sharing is caring, yeah? Ow!" Nat jabbed an elbow into Blue, who just grumbled into her girlfriend's back. "Was just kidding, jeez. That was one strong jab... Do you even lift, bro?" She figured she was safer replying to Noble and Bearskin though, so she was as quick as her abilities to switch topics. "Never used the word worry or anything. Was just, like, checking." She shrugged, maintaining an indifferent tone despite her foot tapping away at the tiles like a squirrel hyped up on twelve sodas. "I'm fine. Cool as a cucumber." A pause. "...I hate cucumbers. Fresh as a daisy sounds better... Anyway, don't go buttering me up now, Bearskin. I've always been cool, just extra jittery now." Even with the mask on, her grin could be heard in her voice. She couldn't ignore that one bit of observation though; they had their asses handed to them and the worst part--by normal, powerless thugs. What would happen the next time Blue was out on the field with them? Would she freeze up again like a coward? An idiot? Would she get shot again? Could she even heal from a supernatural blow, rather than a bullet? Christ... Christ on brown rice. These series of questions were not helping the erratic tapping of her foot at all.

With a big of a struggle, Blue tried to chuckle lightly and shrug. "Anyway. I'm fine. You're both fine. We made it alive from our first mission. That's what I call a damn good success. So," she stood, not at all batting an eyelash as she looped both arms around Nat and hefted her up too. The brunette, surprisingly enough, didn't have an extreme reaction. She merely rolled her eyes and grimaced, allowing herself to get kidnapped. Plus, it was kinda a nice reminder of how strong Blue was despite her thin form. "I call this cutie here are my partner. Err, well, I guess whoever else wants to deal with my awesomeness and can actually be on the field. I feel like Toph who's finally getting her life changing journey with Zuko. Still can't believe the show robbed her of that--the fiends."

"You're such a dork, my god," Nat groaned while pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Ah, yes. That is very much the good idea." Night Owl also stood, though he waited for Bearskin before even thinking of moving any further. "I am quite curious to see which of my wonderful teammates would be willing to patrol with me? I am the delighted to work with any one of you."

 

[KatSea]

Nigel Joseph Hawthorne



"I should have known the woman behind the mask was Jester..." Hawthorne heard a soft mumble emit from Noble, who had remained surprisingly quiet during the meeting, his chest rumbling underneath his uniform. Both Savage and Reaper's heads tilted towards him, seemingly in amusement, before slowly turning their gaze back towards Hawthorne, embarrassment clear in their adverted eyes. "Er, what I mean to say is, Doc's got a point, Hawthorne. Do you have anything that might help with stealth? I know brood and Reaper both got the creepy night time surprise combo, cause good God if I wanna see either of them staring back at me in the middle of the night..."

"Thanks?" Reaper muttered, hand on the back of her head and confusion clear even with the mask placed firmly over her face. "I think that might have been the nicest thing you have ever said. But, with that being cleared up..."

"Well, the facility does have some stealth equipment. Nighttime uniforms were popular back in the day, and we have some few left over and others we can easily make with measurements given to us. As for a communication system, we used to have a telepath as a member of our group. She is no longer here with us, and we have attempted to work on a stronger communication system. We would be more than grateful for your assistance on such a project. You can discuss this with Quincy when you find time, but for the meantime we have some form of panic pagers and comms that can register with individuals seventy feet apart. If it is alright with you, I am conducting the work schedule as of tomorrow. For today, we will have a few of our assistants handle the watch. Neil's ability is rather useful for that..."

"And target practice." A voice muttered from across the table, but Hawthorne recognized the sentiment and tone immediately, deciding it was best not to look up ad confirm what he knew was true.

"A night watch begins from seven to two o clock at night. Typically, if it feels that there is no bizarre activity for the night, the shift is shortened from ten to three. Times can be adjusted, but as they are seen, partners will patrol the city and handle any activity that makes itself present. These can come from 911 calls, reports of danger, or knowledge of a particular villain and their patterns. Partners will have time to prepare and plot out if it is seen fit. A total group may be called if something major occurs, such as terrorism or a major shoot out. You will be contacted by pager or cellphone as it sees fit. If there is any issue, or there is another suggestion for how to keep this procedure much safer, do let me know. If anything is to go wrong, keep your thumb on the pager for as long as you can. We will have a healer in the facility on a twenty four hour basis, and we will provide first aid kits to you as well. Communication systems will be bettered as soon as possible in order to keep in full contact with the facility. But again, for now, you are free to do as you wish but would be appreciated if you could look over the schedule for the next week. Next meeting for us is in two days from now. If any of you have any more concerns, please do present them, I wish for this to be as safe as possible for the team."

With Hawthrone's words completed, he noted that Noble swiveled, despite the small grimace that was hidden underneath his mask, towards Blue and plopped his cheek into his hand. "Psh, healed as well as i could. I am in tip top shape, miss blue. No need to worry..."

"Fine as well. Are you? We...we sort of took a beating." Bearskin chimed, quietly, still shooting a smirk towards Blue. "Gotta admit, you were pretty cool out there. But uh, it was a bit of a struggle. I think Cyrus handled us fine but, how are you?"

 

[KatSea]

Vincent Aaron




"Thanks...Nobs, Blue. Really appreciate the spook sentiment." Vincent replied sleepily, one cheek resting lazily against his clenched fist. Stitch's large muzzle prodded at his arm vigorously, demanding and impatient as the creature wriggled its head through to rest it on his lap. Large, dark orbs flickered up at Vincent in appreciation as his fingers drummed against the creature's nose, scratching past up to his ears. "I think Stitch has the spookiest feature of all of us, though."

"Yes. He's frighteningly adorable." Reaper called from Vincent's side, grinning cheekily underneath the skeleton smile.

"One could say the same thing for you, Reaps."Noble's hands immediately shot up to protect his mask as Reaper's extended palm threatened to collide with the material. "What? Im just making up for what I said earlier~"

"I pray for your eternal soul, Noble. Honest to God I do." Reaper grumbled in response, retracting her hand and flickering her wrist as if to dispel the urge to strike the smile from underneath the mask.

"Much appreciated." Noble commented huskily with a rumble at his chest, but Vincent could understand a brief moment of hesitation as his eyes drifted past the former Skull kid over to the rest of his squadron of heroes. Noble sobered briefly at the sight of Blue and Natalie, hazel eyes softening as his throat constricted visibly. "Mm, don't tempt mama bear to go at someone with a metal bat. I think she would like the target practice~ Much appreciated again miss, so so much respect, but I think you know its true."

...This man really had a death wish on his head, didn't he? Skull kid, sure he understood. Their dynamic seemed to flow naturally. Probably how Noble distanced himself in a...less than ethical way, and kept their conversation flowing. With Bearskin however, it was questionable. Whatever sarcasm that trembled from his lips refused to make their way over to Natalie and Blue.

"Mmm, I don't think with her, but maybe I can do a one shot double-...damn it Owl." She cooed teasingly, eyes playful but lightly hardened. Her hand came to rest protectively upon Night Owl's arm, before retracting hesitantly. Vincent thought back to the conversation he had with Night Owl, and for a moment a bubble of humor threatened to pop against his lips. Oh, that was just precious, wasn't it? "Fine, fine, not as ugly as that...though I'm sure I could still rock the boots with a slightly more ugly inside...but that aside." Bearskin's form stiffened slightly as she pushed herself straight. "I sneak a little secret spice in his coffee in the morning, makes all the difference in the world..." Waving her fingers teasingly, Vincent had to bite down a smile as Bearskin leaned over and whispered something in a different language, presumably along the lines of "No, I don't."

"I don't know if Bear here butters up more than she slicks..." Noble mumbled with a playful, joyful hum, avoiding the sloppily flung rubber band that Bearskin had plucked from her hair. "Jesus if you do that with a rubber band I dont wanna see how you handle an actual firearm. Oh wait I have. Wait, oh shit, thats right, you are a little scary. Heh. Forgot about the whole bullets in people's chest thing..."

"Mmmm, zip your lips Noob."

"Well Blue, I'd be more than honored to work with you. Or you, Savage." Reaper claimed, politely with her hands clasped before her. "Nobs uh...as much as I love working with you, I think that we need to spread our horizons a bit. I promise a little fight or two in the future~"

Yeah. No hurt there. Noble simply waved his hand off and pressed his mask to his hand.

"Mm, Savage I agree. I think it might be fun to work with you, my dude. That or Owl over there...Angel wings, holy shit..." Vincent blinked. He didn't expect the two heroes to suggest working with him. Not that he was disgusted by it, and in fact even felt flattered. Stitch's head lifted from his lap readily, ears flickering back as he glanced over to Reaper, then back to Noble. Tiredly, he hobbled over to a stiffened Noble, his eyes keeping track of the creature. Slowly, Stitch's paw came to rest at his ginger mop of hair, and his muzzle rested on his lap.

"...think Stitch feels good with that. I'm good with it." Vincent was tempted to lower the balaclava to offer the young man a smile, but realied the moment that were to happen the entirety of his face were to be exposed. Rather, he uncomfortably went to readjust it, pressing the material further into his cheeks.

"I'd be honored to work with any of you..." Bearskin paused, eyes flickering to Night Owl uncertainly. "Meu Querido, would it be appropriate for us to...patrol the first time? Just to be more prepared...I understand if you want to experiment. But perhaps we allow the girls to handle their first shift together and let the...how should I say... "Bros" get their first shift out of the way. Up to you, meu anjo."

 

[Mobley Eats]

Nocturnal Shift | Interactions: Night Owl, Bearskin, and Criminals @KatSea | Location: West Point Warehouse

Alright. When Jennifer had signed up to work with Leo, she hadn't expected their first shift to be that very night, a mere day after getting her ass kicked by a gang of thugs. Well, at least she had something to look forward to. A secondary ass kicking in two days always brought up her spirits. Well. It at least tried to lift her spirits. If she got even one more bullet to her chest she was going to gently request a week off to fume and fumble around with her secondary location of work. But, for the meantime, she found it necessary to hold in the puff of air that threatened to escape her and slip the mask back over her face. Her nose scrunched. Sometimes a voice in the back of her head that reminded her too much of Jonah would ask "God, you ever consider that you look like a moron with that thing on?" And the answer was, well, yes of course. Sometimes she did. The lighthearted degrade on her psyche caused her to smile ever so slightly, slinking past her hiding spot towards the primary location Hawthorne had informed Leo and her of.

Approximately three to five thugs had stored away a stash of cash they had stolen over a variety of burglaries around town. Not to mention they would embarrass and horrify their victims by stripping off what they could and stealing that too. What had Hawthorne claimed? Fifteen houses in the last three weeks? Roughly a house every other day or so, which concerned Jennifer as she kept her hand to the gun at her hip. Yeah. That was...not at all concerning. But, she had faith in her partner and herself. This should have been nothing more than an errand.

"Oh, meu querido I hope we have fun tonight. Cause I may need two tubs of ice cream after this…" She grumbled slightly under her breath, making sure her partner was close behind. She glanced at the warehouse that Hawthorne assumed they could have been hiding out. It...made sense. It was rickety and molding on the edge of the foundation. Jennifer sniffed for a second. Yep. And rotting with seawater and fish. Gross. "Alright, querido I believe there may be a window for you to climb through to get an advantage from above. I am going to try and go through the lower floors. If all goes to shit," She tapped at her wrist, where she had wrapped the pager with a dark pink cord. "Ill tap twice. Sound fair?"

"You give the word and the tubs count may increase to three," Night Owl said as he trailed behind his partner, neon eyes taking in his surroundings with a cloaked vigilance. Something about the dilapidated and rundown condition of the warehouse sprouted a sense of dejection in his chest; criminals were a danger to society and innocent people, but it never stopped him from feeling sympathetic. He knew quite well the frustration that came with living in molded, rusty and rundown vicinities.

Regardless, they had a job to do.

He nodded in accordance with the heroine's suggestion, not at all anticipating anything for him to object to; they've been partners for quite a long time, it was only natural that they had a routine by now. "That sounds perfectly the fair, meu querido." With a flexing of his shoulders, wings unfurled from his back and he double-checked the pager on his own wrist. Just in case. He looked at Bear once more as a hint of soft concern ebbed into his tone. The customary words before every assignment escaped him. "And you remain the safe, as I will promise to do the same."

"Trying to fatten me up so you'll get warmer cuddles during the winter time?" She teased, fighting to swallow down the nerves erupting in her chest. This...this should be less than hard, as it was customary for her and Owl to do this job on the daily. Last night however put her in a different perspective, and nibbling the inside of her cheek, she focused on a breathing technique they forced her to learn when she had first...left the military. Forcing any trace of uncertainty from her features, she turned to face him, smile thin yet confident as she placed her hands on either arm.

"And I will do my best to keep you from harm, as I know you will do for me." She replied, eyes softening at the concern. "Give them hell, meu anjo." She shot him a quick thumbs up, giving him a wink before ducking towards the other side of the building where she spotted a nearby entrance. She placed her hand to the gun at her hip and clipped off the safety.

Slipping inside without an issue, Bearskins eyes narrowed as she witnessed a total of five thugs, one who appeared to be…rather massive and somewhat of an intimidating presence. No matter. Her eyes darted about the room, noticing...several crates. Shipments. Probably just came in from God knows where and contained God knows what…

Nothing legal she was sure. Peering towards the nearest one, she slipped behind one of the crates before finding herself face to face with her target, his head swerving in her direction the moment she lifted her fist to collide it straight into his nose. Stumbling back, he managed to evade her second hit, but as she rounded with her other arm, she used the momentum of her previous swing to drag him towards her. The crunch of his nose as it collided into the plastic of her mask was almost satisfying.

He failed to understand how he could physically hand these criminals a piece of Satan's residence, but Owl still nodded and took Bear's encouragement in stride. The moment she set off, he did so as well with a powerful downward swipe of the wings, pushing a gust of wind under his feet. His silhouette scaled further and further up until he touched the rooftop, keeping mind to land softer than a feather, before dashing to the opposite end of the building. He peered over the edge to notice a window--slightly agape.

It would do.

He launched over the edge and swung around, clinging tight while planting his boots on the window sill. From his vantage point, he took note of the number of criminals and crates available, but Bear's stealthily form was what had his attention. Goosebumps sprouted along his limbs, a shiver of calm seeping into his bones and smothering the nerves in his chest. Even after years of handling crime, the pre-fight jitters never left him. Until right now. Impossibly so, his glowing eyes brightened and dulled simultaneously and he fell as still as a statue. Just a moment. A single move or buzz from his querido, and he would--

Combat unfolded.

Owl flew in and slammed to the ground behind the most troublesome of them all--the massive brute Bear had noted earlier. "Who the hell?!" he boomed, his massive muscles seemed to swell with a big breath. In an instant, he exploded into a sprint and raged forward like a bull seeing red. Beefy arms came inches away from tackling Owl to the ground, only to enclose around air as the hero flew over him. A nimble dodge.

Except for the steel-like grip around his ankle.

With a roar, the giant yanked Owl down and smashed him chest-first into concrete.

At the same time, the thug who had his nose thoroughly crunched under Bear's headbutt howled in agony and fell onto his haunches. Blood seeped through the fingers tightly clenched around his face. The world doubled. Tripled. Then back to double. Snarling, he settled on one image and tried to sweep Bear's feet out from underneath her, only for the moment to leap over his efforts like child's play. He scrambled forward to throw a punch, but the dizziness did him little service and his knuckles cleaved through empty space.

Alright! So far so good, she guessed. The rush of adrenaline that first blossomed through her veins had slowed to a pleasant thrum, but quickly rushed through her system once more as the sight of her partner dragged her back to either. A swift tug from the Kingpin sized thug brought Leo to the ground, where a minion laid in wait to strike. His heel collided with Leo's rib cage, and while the hero was nimble enough to avoid the next hit, Bearskin found herself distracted. A second too late, she noticed a large mass crashing into her, sending her face first into the concrete below. Groaning, her eyes peered from the side of her mask and noticed a man leering over her, boot inches away from her face. Swallowing her heart back down her throat, she swiftly planted her feet beneath him and used the momentum of her weight to pull herself away from the blow. Huffing, she maneuvered herself behind him, swiftly rolling back to her feet and craning her neck. It was gonna feel good as hell cracking this knucklehead's skull...

Approximately Half An Hour Later​

It was hard fought battle. Bruises and gashes were acquired on both sides, but only one won out. Even as the duo emerged from the warehouse, their bodies sore and energy depleted, it was clear that they have emerged victorious. Was it by the skin of their skin? Perhaps. But that was a feeling that they have grown accustomed to. The underdogs of West Point City. Spat upon. Shamed. Mocked. Overlooked.

But no more.

Night Owl and Bearskin were only the beginning of a new era. A piece of something much larger and mightier than anyone could ever predice. They were the newest protectors.

They were United.

Henceforth, their story continues.

 

[KatSea]

In retrospect, worst-case scenarios were just fictionalized nightmares that came from anxiety-fueled paranoia. Well...usually. What was the likelihood someone you met was going to be a serial killer? Unless you absolutely missed the red flags and the white van being driven around, it should have been unlikely. Maybe you met a creep and took the long way home, sure, that was far more likely. But being butchered? No. Unless you absolutely had the worst draw of luck, most people walked out of first dates alive (if perturbed.) Gwen found herself at an interesting cross road in this respect. The issue was, she had met this man before for coffee. She had let him into the house before to meet Izzy and he had been more than pleasant. She had done every rule in the book to make sure that she stayed alive after deciding a random stranger could be a contender for being a romantic partner. And yet here she was, bidding her time in the restroom after he gave off some strange clues to suggest he was there to have a...different kind of fun with her. Suggesting they go to her house before going on the the dinner date? That was fine, why not have a moment to share a sip of wine before going on. Mentioning she'd look better with his tie around her neck? A little odd, but hey, it was harmless, right? Mentioning that she would look prettier if she was lying down? Creepy, but not malicious- Lying down unconscious. That was more concerning. So she excused herself to the restroom, quickly locking it as she sat herself on the edge of the bathtub. Who was she supposed to call, Izzy? Considering she went out to do whatever she did most of the time (clubbing, or having a normal social life or something silly like that), she doubted that she'd answer the phone. Arthur? Maybe. What was he going to do? As far as she knew he had a movie night with Cyrus. Then...there was the last resort.

The panic button Hawthorne gave her. Sure, she could have a randomly assigned hero sent to her door, it would have been fun to see a large creature scrapping at the door and scaring the shit out of her date, or maybe that weird owl man swooping in through the second story window...but then came her identity. Yeah, she pressed the button, whoever came may not know exactly who she was, but it would be easier to get the idea. Then there was option Z, the worst one she could think of, where she would go handle him herself. Sure, she had the abilities to handle him, and sure, she could scare the shit out of him. But then he'd know something was wrong with her. Bones protruding from someone's knuckles never meant anything good.

Gwen exhaled, shakily, feeling her fingers tingle and threaten to go numb. She had to breathe or otherwise she'd expend her sensibility and precious energy. Maybe he was just awkward, but suggesting he wanted to see her go limp? Tie around the neck? Serial killer, unlikely. Unpredictable pervert? Most definitely. She scrambled through the pockets of her sweater, cursing herself for dressing so nicely for a potential abductor. Sure, I put all this energy into looking nice for someone like this- Should have just worn fucking sweatpants so I'd at least be cozy when he tries to knock me out-

"Hey, Gwen?" A voice echoed from behind, a gentle knock on the door. "You coming back out soon? I want to show you something before we head out if that's okay, I think you'll like it."

Nausea piled in her gut.

"In a second- Girl stuff, you know?" She called back, awkwardly, finally gripping the pager in her hand.

A pause, before another knock slammed against the door.

"I think you need to come out now, Gwen."

"Just a second-" She hissed to herself, gulping down a breath of air. "Fuck it." She jammed her thumb against the pager. If it's fucking Noble on the way I think I'd just take this guy instead- please be anyone but-