2012-11-27 Group Dynamics

Tommy's studio apartment is kinda cluttered with books and magazines and teenage junk. He has few places to sit down, too. The bed a chair by the desk. He has a working, nice laptop and the remains of several others scattered around. It is a mess, and that counting he did tidy it up for Nori and her friends. On the other hand, there is a pizza in the oven, almost ready!
Noriko knows that times are changing when she agrees to visit Tommy in his own territory. For as long as the two have known one another, she never realized that he had such a comfortable place to live. It's embarrassing, to say the least. The two are virtually polar opposites in this regard, but what can she do? She's not about to invite everyone down into the tunnels beneath the main subway routes! Tommy's offer wins out, and after playing some minor phone tag with Eddie and providing an address she sets out that way on her own. Even better if she can be the first one here, just to make sure that there aren't any ..mishaps between the two. All she can do is knock on the door and hope for the best.
Eddie's pretty surprised to get an address when Nori calls. He thought they were just going to meet in the park or something. He would have been fine with the tunnels though. He knows them like the back of his hand anyway. Either way, he packs up some of the extra untouched pies from Thanksgiving and brings them along. He's not showing up alone though. Since Gar was there when he got the call and has a certain something in common with Eddie, Nori, and Tommy, Eddie asked him to come too. With a bag containing three pies in hand, Eddie blinks when he sees Nori up ahead. "Hey, Nori," he greets, glancing to the friend with him. "Guess this is the r-r-right place."
Gar was indeed there when the call from Nori came, having graciously volunteered to help him and the Norse gods finish off some of their leftovers. He happily agreed to go with, showing up with Eddie, empty-handed and dressed in his uniform. "Guess so," Gar replies, looking toward Nori and the door. When they get closer he flashes a grin to her, and gesture vaguely to his hair, "I like the hair. Looks awesome."
Tommy's place is hardly great, but considering the costs of living in Manhattan, it is not bad. He is a thief, of course, that is not a secret for Noriko. But he does not flaunt it, he does not rob banks or takes dumb risks, he just picks pockets and burglarizes the odd upper-middle class apartment when he needs to pay the rent.
He opens the door, arching an eyebrow at the presence of Beast Boy. But he is green, so probably he is a mutant. "Come in, find a place..." he cleans up some extra space, very, very quickly, almost a blur. "You all know about the missing homeless mutants, right?"
Nori very nearly jumps when she hears her name being called from behind, spinning about to find the familiar look of Eddie standing there along with a most -un-familiar green face. "Eddie..! Gees, hi," she offers while continuing to stare back at the Green Fellow beside him. "Thanks..nice skin?" One thing's for certain, this new guy is one of them. Or close enough. -Green skin!-
Then the door opens. Thank you, timing. Nori passes a quick smile back to the other two in the hall, motions toward the now open door, and follows through by stepping into Tommy's place. So much for beating the others here, she's just going to keep her fingers crossed that everything goes over smoothly. "Think so, yah." Considering she's one of those homeless mutants, word does get around quickly. "And Eddie having some crazy idea about being a little more 'pro-active' about it." She thinks. Empty chair. Flop!
Eddie just blinks as he looks around at Tommy's place. Not anything he was expecting. "Oh um, these are for you," he offers the bag of pies to Tommy. One apple, one pumpkin, one chocolate. The speedy cleaning gets a little smile out of Eddie before he nods. "Y-yeah. I've been trying t-t-to look into it," he replies. "It's not a crazy idea..." he trails off with a frown. "Oh yeah, um...this is Gar. He's a friend of mine," he introduces his friend to the others.
At Eddie's introduction, he lifts his hand slightly, smirking at Nori's -- compliment? "Thanks," he responds, before nodding in greeting to Tommy. "I've heard some mention, yeah. Eddie filled me in somewhat on the way over." His grin fades as he puts on his game face, locating some form of seating as he settles into it. "It's not a crazy idea... But uh... What /is/ the idea, anyway. I assume you have some kind of plan, right?"
At Eddie's introduction, Gar lifts his hand slightly, smirking at Nori's -- compliment? "Thanks," he responds, before nodding in greeting to Tommy. "I've heard some mention, yeah. Eddie filled me in somewhat on the way over." His grin fades as he puts on his game face, locating some form of seating as he settles into it. "It's not a crazy idea... But uh... What /is/ the idea, anyway. I assume you have some kind of plan, right?"
"Hi, Gar." He glares Nori for taking his only chair, but instead of settling on the bed or the floor starts pacing around. "A plan? Uh... I have no plan yet. I just wanted to warn Nori, she fits the profile of the vanished people all too well." He hesitates a second, which for him is a lot. "Mutant, young, homeless, and drug habits. Only a couple from New York proper, though. Most are from... upstate."
That's right. Nori got the best place to sit. Of course, she winds up paying for it soon enough when Tommy drops -That- piece of news to the others. She barely has time to acknowledge Gar being introduced when her name is given, along with her ..habits. She flinches, visibly, not so quietly muttering a "-Thank- you, Tommy," while trying to make herself disappear upon that chair. How did this suddenly turn around to being about her? Missing people, let's focus on them! It's enough that she doesn't even fully acknowledge the arrival of three different types of pie.
"Nori is one of the people Billy and I wanted to ask about j-joining that team we all talked about," Eddie explains to Gar. "Actually...Tommy is t-t-too," he says, glancing at that speedster that looks so much like his best friend. "This isn't about the t-team thing though," Eddie adds. Then Tommy goes and drops that info bombshell and Eddie turns a concerned look Nori's way. "There are kids and teenagers v-vaninshing in the city too. I don't think it's connected but it's still something to watch out for."
Gar listens to Tommy, shifting his focus towards Nori briefly, before he looks back to Eddie, taking it all in before he says, "Homeless mutant kids. People notice, but no one cares enough to do anything. Could be several unpleasant things, but again, no one does anything." He looks between the three others, saying, "This /should/ be a team thing. We need to do something. The Doom Patrol would have, which means I will, and I'd prefer to have someone watching my back..." He glances then to the pies and reaches for one, still baring his serious face as he begins to dig into the chocolate dessert. "Sho, are you witsh me?" Beast Boy, everyone.
Oh yes, if you want tact, you are talking with the wrong twin. Tommy can be a jerk, but at least looks like he is doing some investigation and going out of his way to warn possible victims. "A team? Like the Justice League?" Tommy laughs briefly at the idea. "Well, of course no one is doing anything. They are homeless, and mutants on top of that! What are you going to do?" Ding. Pizza is ready. Blur. In five seconds everyone has a quarter of a large pizza (extra cheese) on a paper plate. "Billy, you said? Uh, he is not super-fast too, is he?"
"We're going to find others to form unlikely teams with," Nori mutters with a light sigh as Tommy goes sailing across the room. She barely moves amidst the blur of speed within the room, errant chunks of her bangs swaying in the breeze while the rest of her remains stationary. At least she has food now, without having to unfold herself from the chair in search of chocolate pie (because that looks good enough to be worth the effort.) Then, loud enough that everyone present can hear her without difficulty, she says "'Justice League' sounds a lot more welcoming than 'Doom Patrol.' If you're looking for someone to watch your back, Gar, you can do worse than this crowd. Heck, Tommy could watch -all- of our backs, if he's not too busy taking things from them," she adds with a narrow-eyed glance back to the other kid. Then her attention shifts back to Eddie, asking "There's -other- disappearances, not connected to this? When did this city turn into New Gotham?"
"We d-don't have to bring everyone in on this. The four of us should be enough," Eddie murmurs. "Not exactly like the Justice League. We were thinking something...without the goverment or anyone out of our age g-group breathing down our necks. D-doing good and helping people like these missing mutants," he explains. The sudden pizza just makes Eddie blink a few times. "Umm, thanks," he says. "No, he's not a speedster," the booster adds for Tommy. "Kids and teenagers have b-been going missing all over the city. Especially in Central Park. That's why I've b-b-been there so much lately...I'm trying to find out more. I d-d-d-don't think things are connected though since the upstate kidnappings are g-going after all age groups and the ones in the city are g-going after just younger people."
Gar looks between them, then Eddie again, but when the pizza arrives, he pauses to begin devouring that next. After the mention of the Justice League and the Doom patrol and the doubt, Gar frowns, "What? The Doom Patrol was a legit superhero group. You've never heard of us?" He scarfs down some of the crust, mumbling, "Billy has..." A few more seconds of silence from BB, before he says, "So, what leads do we have, if any? Also, if we're going to do this right, we should know what everyone is capable of. Tommy, you're obviously fast. Very fast. Eddie can mimic and boost, while Billy throws out some powerful spells... What about you, Nori?"
"All age groups, but they are homeless, and mutants," for Tommy this is important. Because no one cares about homeless or mutants, and being both is like not existing and never had existed. He has been there and can be there again, since he is a runaway. "'Cause, missing kids can be very bad, but I bet the police is in the case."
Gar comments about the powers makes him pay attention. "Spells, uh? And what do you do?" They don't know what Nori can do... quickly, he grabs his laptop and hides it in the fridge, just in the case the blue-haired girl wants to show off.
Noriko 'huh's softly. A group of kids with strange powers working free of any and every outside tie, including parental supervision. That..actually sounds kinda cool. "Our own little task force," she quietly adds to the thought of just four of them getting involved. "Alright, that makes sense. Different places, different people being snagged. The Park is huge and always has something weird going on. Plenty of subway entrances around it." Eddie seems to have a good grasp of things, points to him.
She's equally curious when Billy's abilities are mentioned. "-Spells?- Like magic?" Then when Gar asks about Nori's personal tricks she goes back to looking apprehensive. "I uh..I zap..things." Tommy understands, once more a nonchalant blur of motion. He's got the right idea, though for as much as Tommy can get on her nerves she doesn't want to risk burning his place to the ground, either! "Like..with lightning. And stuff." Pause. "I'm also not very good at it." But, it's cool. She has pizza.
Almost as soon as Gar mentions the Doom Patrol being a legit group, Eddie takes a deep breath and launches into fanboy mode. He starts explaining the entire public history of the Doom Patrol including members and notable superbattles. When he finishes, he just ends up blushing. Yes, he's a nerd, sorry if that's weird, Gar. Clearing his throat, Eddie nods to Tommy. He knows what its like to be there too which is why he's so focused on this. He manages to keep himself from going all fanboy again when Gar's powers are asked about though. "A plan...umm...going up to upstate, finding whoever's taking these p-people, rescuing everyone we c-c-can and kicking bad guy butt...that's all I have."
Gar grins at Eddie's faboy rant and he daps him on the shoulder lightly. Tommy's question though draws his attention back to him, but Nori responds first. His eyes widen slightly, and he grins, "Seriously? That's awesome." A few seconds go by, before he remembers the inquiry into his own abilities and he simply stands, pauses to think a moment, before he leaps forward through the air. Mid-air, he shifts, turning from green kid, to green ferruginous hawk, and he circles around the apartment once before he dive bombs the middle of the room, shifting again before he hits the ground into a massive green siberian tiger. He turns to eye both Nori and Tommy once, before he's back to Beast Boy. "Any animal, past or present, I can shift into. Mass means nothing. I can shrink to the size of an aphid, or grow into the size of a T-rex. Also, I can... err... well, communicate, I suppose. It's not really as sophisticated as true communication, but I can get the gist." He then looks back to Eddie, taking his seat again, "Alright, so we go upstate and start poking around. If we can find an abduction sight, I'm sure I can sniff out some clues, or Billy might know something useful as well."
Tommy looks at Nori, waiting for her to mention she is super-fast too. Nothing. He frowns. He tries the pizza, and it is too hot. But Gar demonstration draws his attention. Of course, he attempts not to look impressed, but mostly fails. "Er... New York is a pretty big place to search, even super-fast people. I was going to see if I can find some homeless mutants upstate and talk to them, see if they have heard or seen anything suspicious." Not the greatest plan, but it is what detectives do in movies and books.
Nori just has to stare as Eddie goes into that long-winded rant about facts and details that the Doom Patrol itself has probably forgotten some time ago, this kid's sounding like a living dictionary of documented superheroes..! In the end, all she can do is mouth the word 'wow.' It's impressive, but also a teensy bit obsessive. Hearing the rest of his plan makes her wonder just how well he's got this figured out, but it's not like she can do any better. It's given some thought then followed up with a noncommittal shrug. "Guess that works. I suppose I could look around for anything underground?" Doubtful, but hey. Do what you can. Or, don't do anything, as she does avoid the matter of her speed boosting. It's strange and uncomfortable, where she has little control over energy projection she tends to have even less over accelerating herself down the sidewalk.
It's probably for the best that she doesn't have anything more to add because Gar takes every bit of her attention in another instant. She emits a stifled squeak and hikes her knees up closer to her chest as the green skinned one is suddenly -flying around the room as a bird,- then lands as something even more worrisome! "That's a ..that's a big cat..." Ahem. "Okay, so we have a green bloodhound, that could be useful. Or anything else that we could need..." Hmm. Tracker, aerial scout, even a spy (would they need one of those?) Gar's a peculiar wildcard. "One thing, guys? We've talked about sticking together, now we're talking about splitting apart. We can all do something but we should probably stick to pairs." Go go buddy system!
"Actually um...I've already been to upstate New York to t-t-talk to a few of the h-homeless up there. So we at least have an area to start in," Eddie admits. Gar's demonstration just makes Eddie grin. He loves watching powers in action like that. "They t-told me about the aductions they saw too," he adds. He nods to Nori. "I don't think we should split up either...I think we're definitely dealing with s-s-something...not normal behind this."
Gar listens to the group, smiling faintly at Nori's reaction, before he puts in his two cents. "Buddy system sounds good. I'm thinking either Eddie and Nori or Eddie and Tommy, and I'll go with the other. His boosting powers will help you out more then they will me, and I'll need someone who can do range... Or who can close the distance quick in case there's a fight. Do either of you," referring to Tommy and Nori, "know how to track? Or..." Now he looks to Eddie, "Do you think you'd be able to keep my powers if we split up? We can have a bloodhound per group.""They saw abductions? What did they see?" That got Tommy's attention, since he is not even sure it was kidnappings. "And no, no tracking, I am a city boy. I can cover more ground alone, though, and search a lot of space very quickly." Another glance to Noriko, who can also run very fast. "We can be in touch using cellphones, right?"
The idea of teaming up with a booster is slightly unnerving to Nori. The last thing that comes to her mind is wanting to make herself -more- powerful! Yet, if Eddie and Tommy team up then there's no telling what the two might start talking about. Eddie's turning out to be a good friend, it isn't something she's anxious to jeopardize due to another not being able to keep personal info to himself. Which..leaves the option of her teaming up with Tommy. Well, they do have some history together. "No one goes off on their own," she suddenly counters when Tommy mentions working better alone. "I can't track, but I can say that if we go under the streets you can say goodbye to cell reception." Sigh. Alright, step up to the plate and try to be a team player. "Tommy and I could go together. We've got a better understanding of what each of us can do." Not to shoot down Gar's idea but it's better to watch Tommy's back than to turn hers on him, she suspects.
Eddie shakes his head. "N-no, my powers stop working if you g-get too far away. As for tracking um...n-not really unless I copy it from someone," he explains. Looking to Tommy, Eddie frowns. "Well it wasn't anything like g-g-guys in black vans," he murmurs. "But they said the people just...stopped what they were doing and started walking away. They w-w-would't respond to anything and nobody could get their attention. It ...sounds kind of like something or someone was c-controlling them," he says. "So it s-sounds like an abduction to me," he adds. "Actually I could keep up with you, Tommy," he offers. "I'm not sure we'll have reception up where things are happening. It's...um...near the adirondack state park..."
Gar makes a slight face at Tommy and Nori, before he sighs, "So neither of you can track... but you both want to go together?" He glances to Eddie as he sort of shoots down his best plan, then looks back to Tommy, "If Eddie can keep up with you, then he should be the one to go with you. He also seems to know the most about what's going on, so it'll have to do if you don't have a tracker." He then looks to Nori, "Like it or not, you're going to be best off with the green kid. I don't do well with range. It's kind of why hunters mostly use guns, arrows, or spears, not swords, plus, if we don't have access to Eddie's info, I can at least track through scent." He shrugs his shoulders, he was never the strategist in the Patrol, but that doesn't mean he hasn't picked up on a few things. "That, or we can also stick together."
Tommy sighs. Looks at Noriko again. "Nori 'forgot' to mention she is almost as fast as me. So we can cover more terrain together. You two can become birds and do aerial searches, I guess. It makes sense if I go with her. On the other hand what Eddie says sounds like some kind of mind control or possession, so maybe spitting up is a bad idea."
"Something was -controlling- them?" Noriko asks. "That's creepy. Definitely not splitting up, then." They have somewhere to start their search, they have ideas of what to look for. What some of them -don't- have..is common sense. Gar speaking up earns a quick glance from her before she averts her gaze, trying to keep her face from flushing. Half a dozen excuses all butt heads with one another in trying to be the first one that she voices, yet all of them fail to come through. None of them are useful things to say, anyway. Gar's got this well figured out, she merely nods then turns her attention onto her cooled hunk of pizza. Tommy's also speaking up for her again, and this time an excuse does make it to the surface. "Yah, but I'm no good at it! I can ..dodge a subway train, not do laps around the block. Look, maybe splitting up -at all- isn't a good idea, we don't even know what we're looking for yet. People are getting singled out, right? A group of two is still an easier target than a group of four. If we lose any one of us then things are going to get harder."
Eddie just gives Gar an apologetic look. He does wish his powers were better sometimes. He stays quiet as the others speak, eating his pizz as he listens. Tommy revealing Nori's powers gets Eddie giving the girl another concerned look. "It definitely sounds bad," he agrees about the controlling. "Maybe...sticking together is the best idea. We could...speed around carrying whoever n-needed it to different points, examine the areas..." he trails off, hoping they get the ideas.[Young Allies] Kate Bishop Adds Ben and Karo, "They've both basically got a 'majority vote'/no objections and it has been a few days
Gar nods firmly, together did sound like the best plan after all. "Alright, together it is. We'll all head upstate and look around, try to find something to work with." The control aspect was not something he liked the idea of, and he frowned faintly at his hands, before saying, "Mind control..." He shivers very faintly, saying all he needs to say on the subject. As for Nori's powers, he looks at her again, then around the room, "Any /other/ abilities people should be aware of?"
Tommy nods, "I guess you could turn into small animals and ride on my shoulder?" As long as he is not running very fast. Bad things happen when he carries something (or someone) and moves near the speed of sound. "We could, hrm, put in a map all the last places missing people was seen. Particularly the 'spooky leaving' ones and start searching from there. Or tracking. Also try to be the first on the place of the next disappearance and see if Gar can track the victim. We better start packing for a camping trip."
There are, of course, times when Noriko should be quiet about things, and times where she should be open about them. Here, if these guys are all wanting to work together as a team, this is the latter category. No one wins by withholding information. "Yeah..alright. It's like this. I draw energy out of everything I'm near. It builds up, my mind starts to race, I can't control it. Too much, and I might fry something without meaning to. The pills, which I -don't- have a problem with, help. If it's not too much then I can use this energy in speed jumps, or I can zap things, or I can charge a battery, but don't ask me to as I might destroy it. I can put energy into stuff made out of metal and I'm real good at frying anything electronic." Pause. "..I think that's everything."
Nodding, Eddie takes a small notepad out of his backpack and starts scribbling down notes on the plan. "We can do it. We'll find whoever's b-behind this and stop them," he says firmly. There's some of that endless faith. Nori explaining her powers gets a curious noise out of Eddie. "Electrokinesis with physical and mental enhancements from electrical energy..." he trails off with a small smile. "That is so c-cool,' he adds. "You'll get it under control eventually. When I c-couldn't control my powers when they first started working either. I still have some trouble with them too," he says. There's a moment of thought before Eddie shrugs. "All I know is a b-b-boost and mimic. I glowed all weird once but...its never happened again and I don't know what made it happen."
Gar nods, then says, "I'm trained in hand-to-hand combat, know just about everything there is to know about any animal you can think of, and I heal a lot faster then most people... That's about it." He flashes a slight grin, canines clearly elongated, before he says, "Alright, then... I think we're starting to sound a /little/ bit more like a team. Camping gear is good. I've... got nothing. Don't really need it when I can shift into something with fur... but if any of you do..." He says this, looking between the three, not bringing up his own current homeless, penniless state. Not even a subway tunnel.
It is sad Tommy is probably the one with most resources, and all he has is the one-room apartment, rent paid two months upfront, and a couple thousand bucks hidden in a nook behind the fridge. "More power stuff? Uh, I am strong besides fast, about as strong as four men. I have good control of my powers, but I have to eat a lot, in fact I am going to put another pizza in the oven. One sec." It is more around five seconds, but he is fast. His slice of pizza is already gone. "Anyway, if you are serious about this, when can you start?"
"Electrokawhatsis?" Nori asks, giving Eddie another peculiar look. "I don't know about that, I just tend to get a little ..jumpy." Fortunately it doesn't end on that note, Eddie's words helping to reassure her enough to earn a faint smile. "You turned into a glowstick? That could be useful. Should try to figure that one out, sometime." Gar gets himself another surprised expression, pointedly asking "You know how to fight?" Glad someone here does! "I um, don't have any gear, but maybe we could buy some..?" Money's always an issue for her as well, but she does have a special touch with anything electronic and this city's ripe with ATM machines. Tommy raises a good point, adding "We're going to lose daylight fast. If we're going to do anything today, we might want to do it soon." Which would mean without any gear. Consider it a trust building exercise. "Also, you had to mention food again..." she gripes. Time to nab some of that chocolate pie while it's still around.
Eddie blinks. "Electrokinesis. Control of electricity," he explains. Fanboy and comicbook nerd. "Yeah, it was weird. During that concert I helped stop those aliens from destroying." he shrugs. "I've b-been getting hand-to-hand training from Thor and Sif so I c-can fight too. Um," he shifts a bit. "I don't r-really have gear that would be useful out there. All my stuff is useful for surviving in the city..." he trails off. "What would we n-need to buy? I've got some money. I n-n-n-need to tell Thor and Sif I'll be gone or they'll get worried. And my boss," he says. Yes, Eddie has a job.
"As soon as possible," Gar replies to Tommy, then he nods at Nori, "I do. Just in case I ever get depowered." Tommy's announcement garners a grin from BB, "Oh good, I could use another few slices." After that, though, he's back on Nori, saying, "I can train anyone who needs it. Or at least, I think I can." Teaching is a completely different animal from doing. "Obviously not before we leave. Not enough time, but if we all come out of this alive, I'll try it."
Tommy has been in enough scrapes to know how to fight, but right now he is just too fast for normal fighting techniques. Maybe he could go seek the Flash for lessons. Except chances are he would end up in the juves again. "Tomorrow, then? I can... find some camping stuff later. Ropes, maps, flashlights, compass, er... I'll google it. Eddie, can you email me whatever you have about the places of the disappearances, I will put them in the maps. You guys have my cell, right? Can I have your numbers? What else? Oh yeah, leave word were you are going with close friends and family. Just in case, so we have someone looking for us if we vanish."
"Okay, yeah, that," Noriko agrees to Eddie's translation of the word. Close enough for her! "-Aliens?-" Dang... Well, clearly the three individuals around her have had themselves some real world experiences. There's a joke somewhere in here about her having lived in a cave over the last few years. She's feeling more confident about them all working together, though she has to wonder if they're feeling any of that confidence in her. Back to Gar, she has to ask "You can get depowered?" But, hey! Fighting lessons? That brings a tiny smile back around, "Cool." As Tommy starts rounding up the various scraps of information she nods to the timing, "I can do tomorrow." Making preparations for her is easy. No one to contact, nothing to grab. Though, she may as well nab some extra cash just so she has -something- to offer. "I've got numbers for you and Eddie, not for Gar." But, that's easily remedied.
Eddie nods quickly. "I g-gave you my cell number yesterday," he reminds the speedster. Nori gets a nod. "Yeah. I know a c-couple aliens. I've copied their powers before too. It was pretty awesome," he grins. "Tomorrow is good. How about we meet up in Central Park? It'll be a good place to go on from," and he's got a couple things still stashed there they can use.
Gar nods, confirming the date. "Tomorrow it is, then..." he mutters. The phone number requests start going around, and Gar flinches inwardly. When Nori mentions not having only his, he clears his throat, saying, "Eddie knows how to get in touch with me." Mostly because he's using Thor's house as a temporary crash pad. "Central Park then. I'll be the guy in green."
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