Much-Needed Motivation

## Mob Boss Peggy01/16/2019

#private-training
Andy watched Vindaya quietly. She had the wrong opinion about him. It was obvious now that they were on both sides of the spectrum in terms of how much they valued the 'cause'. Vindaya didn't want to work on it, or rather, she was afraid of doing so. As she left her final words of the meeting to him, he tried to understand her.
Despite how different their ideaologies were, he still wanted to appreciate Vindaya. He certainly *admired* her accomplishments in life, for they were far more than anything he had done thus far. He wanted to get to know *all* of his heroes. Although during the past few weeks it was becoming more and more obvious that he wouldn't be able to get along with all of them.
It was a shame that Andy was having so much trouble meshing well with the other members of the group around his age. He found that the younger ones had been much easier to work with in general.
He didn't watch her as she looked down, and he was looking away as well. Andy was sure that he had smothered her, but he didn't see it as an error on his part. The leader's mind turned. Maybe the others needed to be reminded why he had done what he did by bringing them all to this place.
At her last remark, administered as if it was a wise proverb, he looked at the doctor. The words mulled around in his brain, but he didn't catch on to any deeper meaning. He only thought... *Yeah, injuries are like that.*

"Stay as long as you like." He responded before following her up the stairs and back into his crowded house.
As he returned to the living room, his eyes curiously scanned the people currently standing in it. Catching sight of the extremely large man standing near the door, Andy's wide eyes were locked on him. "Um. *Hi.*"
@Elysium | Vindaya | al-Fasis @Bookie(edited)

## Jax (token white guy)01/16/2019

Eli walked in through the back door and walked over to the kitchen bench. He leant over it as he looked across the small crowd that had gathered in the living room. Another new member. The group was growing larger by the day. It was definitely time to speak with Andy, once he was done greeting the new member of course. The New guy didn't look like the type you interrupt.

Eli looked at the bearded man and waved. "Hey man, Eli Stone nice to meet you." He glanced over at and spoke a little quieter. "Andy when you've got a free moment can we talk?"

## Mob Boss Peggy01/16/2019

It took literal seconds for Andy to be approached by yet another member of the group for a private conversation. He felt like the most popular guy in town, but after his conversation with Vindaya he wasn't in the primest of moods. Elijah however was a breath of fresh air, and one of Andy's favorite people to interact with, to be perfectly honest. He was a great roommate and the pyromancer felt lucky to have him around.
"I suppose I can spare a moment," He said with a little light-hearted smile, although it was slightly apparent that he had not had the most positive experience in the basement and had a lot on his mind. The latter was not uncommon to see in Andy these days anyway. He let Elijah into the kitchen this time and opened up the refrigerator to see what was left. Not very much thanks to their newest feline addition.
"What's on your mind?"

## Jax (token white guy)01/16/2019

Eli leant back against the bench as he spoke. "Heres the thing man. This groups pretty big and looks like its gonna keep getting bigger. We've started a new age of heroes but unless we do some serious planning its gonna be a short one." Eli took a brief pause to gather his thoughts before continuing.
 "When we hit the streets where gonna need direction and some structure. Weve got you as our leader but you can't be everwhere and unless the teams have someone to rally behind they are gonna start falling aprt as soon as the shit hits the fan. You need to appoint some team leaders. I have a few suggestions.
 Vindaya for one. Shes got expirience in tense situations and she keeps a level head." Eli knew that Vin was a born leader despite her blunted social skills. His second recomendation was abit more.. suprising. " I also think that leo should be made a team leader. Hes someone the others can rally behind and he can inspire confidence. Pluss I think the resposibility would be good for him."
He looked up at Andy expectantly. "So... what are your thoughts?"

## Mob Boss Peggy01/16/2019

Andy was quiet as he listened to Elijah, closing the refrigerator door without taking anything out. He kept his hand on the handle of it, watching the man as he spoke and nodding along in agreement. He wasn't thinking about much. Even though Elijah gave some suggestions and reasons to go along with them, Andy had already made his own decision.
"Actually," he remarked, with an uptick to his voice. "I want *you* to be one."
Andy just *knew* Elijah would protest, so right off the bat, he held up his hands to stop the larger man from talking, while he quickly continued.
"You're responsible, you're reliable, you're one of the most level-headed people I know, and people *like* you. I saw you out there helping Valentine train. You really care about people." Andy placed a reassuring hand on Eli's shoulder. "You've got what it takes. You're *perfect* for the job. I trust you, Eli."
Once more, Andy refused to let the other hero interject. He placed the other hand on Eli's other shoulder and looked up at him with confidence. "Just think about it, okay? We'll talk more later!"
With that, as quickly as he came, Andy let go of Elijah's shoulders and buzzed away toward the backyard.

## Mob Boss Peggy01/16/2019

“Hey, come inside, I need to talk to everyone!” Andy called out of the back door to everyone in the yard. He went back inside and shouted out into the house, up the stairs and around the first floor. “I need everyone in the living room! I'll only take a few minutes!”
@everyone [[I have moved everyone currently at HQ and the training grounds into the living room.]]
After gathering all of the heroes inside of the cramped living room, Andy placed himself in front of them, standing in front of the gently lit fireplace. He clasped his hands together before speaking.
“I want to thank you all for coming. This is the biggest meeting we've ever had. There's barely enough room in this little house for all of you!” He joked, despite the fact that it was true. The pyromancer cleared his throat and looked around the room.

“I want all of you to know something very important.
You are all special. And I'm not talking about the kind of special that Mr. Rogers tells everybody they are. *You* are going to change the world.”
There were no stutters from the man at this moment, as he spoke about this thing that he was so intensely passionate about. Even the flames of the fireplace seemed to be drawn to him, flickering stronger than before. This wasn't the Andy that couldn't function around a pretty girl, nor was it the Andy that broke down when things in his personal life went awry. There was confidence in his eyes, in his voice, and in his posture.
“Just being here is an act of defiance against those in power who want to get rid of people like us; Those who have exploited us, and those who want to suppress our voices and our talents.
Every single one of us could go to jail for just being here and doing this, but you're here anyway, and that tells me that you're not satisfied by the way the world is. It tells me that you want things to be different, and that you want to be a part of that change.”
As Andy spoke, he looked into the eyes of his fellow heroes, glancing around the room at each of them and gesturing meaningfully. It was clear that he was speaking from the heart. He cared about the cause, and he cared about the people sitting and standing around him.(edited)

“There are superpowered people out there that want to hurt others. There's somebody out there right now mummifying children and getting away with it. There are people poisoning and using mind control to harm the weak and vulnerable. There is a woman out there who can *raise the dead* who thinks nothing of killing innocent people in order to build some kind of zombie army.
Regular people don't stand a chance against these threats. They don't *need* the police, or the army. They don't *need* more guns or bombs. They need *us.*”
The flames swelled and died down, matching the intensity of his voice when it became louder and settling as it calmed again.
“Being a hero is very dangerous, I won't sit here and lie to you and say that everything is going to be perfect. This is not a scripted television show or cartoon. Any one of you could get seriously hurt and we've had more than just a few close calls already.
The reason I called you here today was to start preparing you for the real work. So that you can be the best that you can be to prevent the worst from happening to you or your teammate next to you.
This is serious and life-changing. You could get shot, stabbed, beaten, maimed, or mauled. That necromancer woman wouldn't hesitate to turn any and all of us into undead soldiers.”(edited)

He stepped closer, one step away from the fireplace. The fire's flickering tendrils looked as if they were reaching for him. Andy's tone quieted thoughtfully.
“I have told you all time and time again that you are free to opt out before we get in too deep. You're free to walk out of this house and never come back, and I won't blame you.”
He gestured humbly before the passion returned to his voice.
“I want all of you to think about what you want out of this, what your purpose is, and what you wish to accomplish in your life. Do you want to let the government keep telling kids that they are too dangerous to be trusted with themselves just because of the way they were born? Do you want to see your city overrun by supervillains that only we have the power to defeat? Are you comfortable living a life on the sidelines, or do you aspire for something more?”
A short pause as he scanned the crowded room.
“The fact that you keep coming back tells me that you do. I want you to go home today and really think about it.”
The pyromancer placed a hand on his heart and his body settled gently back into his usual, modest slump. The smile that found its way back to his face was full of fondness.
“I'm so proud of you guys. Thank you.”