Mending the Damage

## Rose | Rhett | Marci02/17/2019

The ride to HQ was quiet and although Dax said he was fine, Rhett watched him like a hawk. It gave him something to focus on instead of dwelling on the shooting pains in his side. The wound was probably going to need some stitches but he’d easily be able to wrap it up for the night and deal with it in the morning.
Hoping to get into the house without much trouble, he hadn’t prepared himself for the abundance of people around inside the house. He couldn’t shift due to the physical strain turning into the bear had taken on him so instead, he tried seeming as normal as possible. Letting his hand slide from his side and shooting a forced smile at anyone that looked his way.
His eyes shot around the room quickly while silently heading for the stairs. Marceline and Elijah were talking in the kitchen and Val was sitting off to the side in the livingroom speaking to Vindaya whom he had no intentions of chatting with. All he wanted and all he (believed) needed was a good shower and some rest.
Once up the steps, which were far from pleasant to climb, he made a beeline to the bathroom. The boy was stripped and standing under the warm water before long. He watched absently while the fresh blood ran down the drain before attempting to scrub the dried blood from his skin. Especially his face.
Saying he didn’t cry under the water would have been a lie. He stayed, leaned against the shower wall, for a good while til the water finally began to chill. It made some of his senses return. Of course he couldn’t stay in the shower forever but he could go across the way and hunker down in the safety of Val’s bedroom. It was the only place he wanted to be right now.

After half-assed drying his hair, Rhett wrapped the towel around himself and searched the medicine cabinet for some bandages which were just out of reach. Forcing him to stretch further than his body was happy with. The wound was already beginning to crust a little as his body worked a bit harder to replace the damaged tissue.
When he came to the conclusion that wrapping it himself was going to take even more energy, he gave up. Taking the gauze with him and, with some hesitation, bolting from the bathroom to Val’s room. As soon as he’d gotten behind the closed door, he felt the weight of his actions crashing down on him. In the dark he saw the woman’s limp body and the lion. God, the lion. It’s blood stained mouth gripping the severed arm of a complete stranger. It made him sick all over again. Only this time, he actually did throw up. Luckily finding a small room trash can and making use of it.
Wiping his mouth and eyes, the boy tiredly collapsed against the bed. Throwing up had taken the last of his energy and honestly, he wasn’t even worried about bandaging his side anymore. None of it really mattered in the moment. Luckily, the towel did cover it, however. Keeping the blood from Valentine’s bed spread. He’d apologize later.

## birdman | Valentine02/17/2019

He couldn't stop Vindaya from leaving as quickly as she did, and could only follow behind for a few moments, before finding himself lost in the hallway again. Her impression of him was still unsure, as it ought to be, but he still couldn't help feeling restless and uneasy about the whole interaction. At least, he thought, she could be certain her secret was safe with him.

He found himself loping upstairs after a while, unsteady on the steps as he finally made it to the top. He leaned against the threshold of his own door, already thirty seconds ahead of himself. "Mind passing me that garbage can so I can throw that out?" he asked Rhett, who hadn't made a sound yet. "Seems like everyone's coming home absolutely fucked from their mission, uh... I assume yours went as well as ours did," he shuddered, entering the room a few steps.

## Rose | Rhett | Marci02/17/2019

Rhett practically jumped at Val's voice. That was just before releasing the contents of his stomach into the wastebasket. His head slowly turned to the taller man and with a small smile he obliged, handing the item in question over. "S-sorry." He sighed before crawling onto the bed. His head feeling both cluttered and light at the same time. "Yeah..." He wasn't in the mood to try making any jokes or anything of that nature.
"I killed a man." The words slid out his mouth so easily that he immediately felt his chest and body tense. Letting the quiet hang around him for a second longer, he forced his eyes closed. They shot back open a moment later with the images returning again.
"Is Andy here?" His question, again surprised him. Why did he want to see their leader? "Val, I did so *bad*." Then he could taste the blood that had been on his tongue previously and before he knew it, the shifter's body had moved speedily to grab back at the trash can. Gripping it just as he had another fit.(edited)

## birdman | Valentine02/17/2019

"I was preparing for that on the way up," Valentine said, bowing his head once as Rhett spoke. He could only really muster a few breaths, not trying to imagine how it felt to take someone's life, rather than let it slip through his fingers. "Usually I can think of something to say about whatever it is I'm facing, but I don't really know what to say, cause I don't know how you feel." he placed the garbage can outside his door and sat down on his bed, next to Rhett. "But I think that's okay."

## Rose | Rhett | Marci02/17/2019

*Valentine’s Room*

Getting himself back under control, Rhett put his head in his hands. His body had begun to tremble with the after effects of trying to keep steady. He listened while Val explained his take on the situation, earning a quiet huff from the young hero. His mind was flying off in all directions but somehow kept leading back to what he'd done.
Swallowing hard, he picked his head up after a minute of having Val beside him and let their arms brush. The familiar touch calming him slightly. "I couldn't save her..." He mumbled almost without any emotion. "I could barely save myself...if Dax hadn't stepped in, I wouldn't be here." There was no sugar-coating it.(edited)

## Mouse02/17/2019

The whole drive here had been a total mess. He hadnt said a single word to the kid bleeding all over his seats. His own focus had to be on the road, and the swirling pit of guilt inside his stomach. He must have been driving ridiculously slow.
He pulled up and threw the car into a parking space. Before he could say anything to Rhett the kid had already hopped out and disappeared inside.
In the brief moment he was alone Dax rested his head on the steering wheel and let thr guilt and pain that hed pushed to one side consume him. He still didnt cry but his hands went to his face and he struggled to recompose himself.
He knew he had to go inside and do something about this bullet wound. He pulled himself out of the car gasping as this stretched out his broken ribs. He slammed the car door shut but he had no rage left in him.
He could feel the bruise forming along his back where the man had hit him with what had turned out to be a metal bat. Dax pulled himself together, but he was a sorry state. His face was splashed with red, his shoulder was still oozing blood through this dark tshirt. His breathing came out strained and it was clear he was in pain no matter how hard he tried to hide it.
He walked into HQ and visible straightened when he saw how many people where already there. "What is this some kind of sleepover?" He said with a smirk before coughing painfully.
He walked over to the kitchen and turned on the tap. He stuck his head under the running water to gulp down the cool refreshing liquid and hopefully clear the metallic taste from his throat.

## Mob Boss Peggy02/17/2019

#julios-pub-and-chicken-shack
Some minutes later, the door burst open in lieu of an elastic man with way too much energy considering how the night went. He wore a long, black coat over his extremely casual spare clothes. Leo almost *never* wore all black.
"Gueeeess who's famous! We are!" He announced, thrusting his thumbs at his chest. He kicked the door shut behind him and strutted into the middle of the living room, calculating eyes scanning the group that was currently there.
"Where's Andrew?" He asked, leaving little time to answer before he put this hands to his mouth and called out loudly into the house. "AAAANDREWWWW~"

## Elysium | Vindaya | al-Fasis02/17/2019

Once in the bathroom and looking at herself in the mirror, Vindaya realized how much of an effort it was just to stay standing. She had a new respect for Lilah.
While there, she took some Tylenol of her own and peeled back her suit and did what she could as cleanly as she could with just water, too afraid to leave any traces of blood behind. Once she was satisfied for the moment, she redressed and, hearing Leo’s booming voice, figured it was time to face the music again. All she had to do was get through tonight. Andy would understand if she had to skip some of their private training sessions this week, although Vindaya wasn’t looking forward to having so much free time.
When she left the bathroom, Val had gone and Lilah and Clara were chatting, which left Marci, Eli, and—
“Did you *all* get shot?” she asked in disbelief, walking over to the trio with her eyes on Dax. Upon closer examination, she realized that while she could heal some of his injuries, the bullet wound would be pushing it; Lilah’s durability had minimized the effects of a gunshot, but Dax didn’t have the same luxury and combined with everything else she was dealing with, an injury that severe would cause her too many problems to be safe—not to mention, it would give her away in a heartbeat. Maybe in a few days’ time, but right now, it would be too much.
“Will you let me see to your injuries?” she asked Dax. Without proper medical supplies, she really couldn’t do much for that bullet wound now except clean and dress it, but that was better than nothing. And the rest, she was fairly confident she could use her power to take care of.
@Mouse(edited)

## Mouse02/17/2019

Dax lifted his head up from beneath the tap and wiped his mouth with his arm. Each movement irritated the wound or the ribs.
He raised an eyebrow as the pretty dark haired girl approached him and asked to see his injuries. If he hadnt been devoid of energy he would have come up with some sarcastic response.
Instead he pulled off his tshirt, peeling it away from the bloody wound in his shoulder. His ribs where already a mess of deep purple bruises. He sucked in a breath as he lifted the shirt over his head and chucked it into the bin.
He was used to patching himself up and his body held a few scars that had poorly healed becaude of it. He raised his hand to the wound on his shoulder and pressed on the muscle eitherside to test how deep the bullet had gone in. He winced at the pain.
He was exhausted and leaned back on the counter to support himself. He should probably take a moment to recharge, literally and with a power nap. That could come later, he found it difficult to sleep with so many people in the building.
"Thanks.." he muttered gruffly to the girl.(edited)

## Elysium | Vindaya | al-Fasis02/17/2019

Vindaya didn’t need to poke and prod at him to know the extent of most of his injuries, but as she had with Lilah, she did have to peer at the bullet wound to see about the bullet itself. Without Lilah's durability, his wound was definitely deeper and without anesthetic, the bullet would hurt a lot more coming out, but Vindaya could do it. Especially with it being in his left shoulder, there was no way she’d be able to use her powers to heal it completely; at least, not today. At the moment, she wouldn’t be able to hide having a wound like that in her dominant arm. Perhaps once everything else had healed and she had no obligation to show up at headquarters *or* the hospital for a while.
The rest, though…
“I can use my power to heal your ribs and bruises, but I just don’t have it in me to heal another bullet wound today,” she said with a small apologetic smile. While it was true, nobody needed to know why that was—let them think that, like any of them, using her power just exhausted her after a while. “I can, however, remove the bullet manually and bandage it. Would that be alright?”
@Mouse(edited)

## Jax (token white guy)02/17/2019

"We got there quick but the building went up so fast. Some of the news channels are saying the contractors building it cut corners to save costs." Eli leant over the table resting his head in his hands. "We got as many out as we could, but there were six we just couldn't reach. The exact number Val predicted... the question is now did that prediction account for our intervention, or did we just change who died?"

Eli wasn't sure if he wanted that question answered for him but luckily there wasn't a chance as Leos voice rang accross the house. Elis eyes closed for a moment as he let out a sight. "Leo. Hes not here. Hes still on a mission at the hospital with Sam and Isk. He should be back soon but for now Marcis ordering drinks. I'd imagine you have a preference?"

## Mob Boss Peggy02/17/2019

Leo's eyes leveled on Elijah when the man informed him that their dear leader was not home for once. Weird seeing the guy without his mask on. Of course Andy wasn't home when they actually needed to hear from him. His gaze shifted to Marceline at the counter with a tiny hint of a smile, which stayed in place when he looked back at Elijah after a moment. "You've been calling the shots all night, *Capitán,* why don't you choose for me?"

## Jax (token white guy)02/17/2019

*Fine. Were doing this now I guess.* Eli stared at Leo for a second his face neutral, as he thought over thebdays events. Then he placed both hands on the table pushing himself to his feet. "Leo, a word in private if you don't mind?" He didn't wait for the reponse and walked out towards the back yard. It was the only place in the house not filled with people and he didn't want to have this conversation in front of the others.
#training-grounds-1

## Rose | Rhett | Marci02/17/2019

*Kitchen - Front door*

Marci had no idea the turmoil in Eli’s mind but the more he spoke, the more she could understand. When he leaned over the table, she wrapped her slender fingers lightly against his shoulder. Squeezing it gently as to try helping him through without speaking. There wasn’t much, if anything she could say, after all.
Then the door opened and an extremely ragged Dax entered the house. Her eyes washed over him, going from slight annoyance at his comment to genuine concern as she took in the sight. “Dax! What the hell happened to you guys?” Her usual chirpy tone dowsed with worry as she took in the sight and began to walk to him. She got possibly halfway before Leo made his own appearance.
Him calling out for Andy wasn’t too amusing considering the given states of literally everyone. “No need for shouting, babe. Andy’s not here, like he said.” She nodded toward Eli but was still trying to make it to Dax. The guy looked absolutely drained but then the doctor had come back into view. She smiled lightly as Vindaya began asking to see his wounds and such. Marci would have time to talk later but right now, almost everyone was there and safe.(edited)

She caught onto Leo’s response and sighed. Her gaze turned to Elijah as he calmly took in the situation. When he spoke to Leo, she shook her head. “If either of you come back with ever a scratch, I’ll beat you both..we already have enough wounded.” Her eyes briefly flickered back to Dax being tended to by the ever attentive Daya.

When the guys headed out the back door, the illusionist turned herself back to the pair at the sink. “Thank you, Vindaya. Can I buy you a drink?” Her words were meant to be light but somehow they may have come out a bit flat. Seeing everyone in such fragile states was pretty unnerving for the woman. “There’ll be food arriving soon, too.” She informed anyone in earshot before beginning to head for the door. She needed to go get the food and drinks before everyone either passed out or left. Either way, she didn’t figure it would be an uneventful night in the house.

## Mouse02/17/2019

*Kitchen*

Dax narrowed his eyes in curiousity. If he hadnt been in such a state there he might have questioned her powers further.
He glanced over the rest of the group with slow gazed over eyes. "You should probably save your powers for someone else." He said, "but if you could hook the bullet out for me." He conceeded his eyes finding his way back to the girl. The last thing he wanted was her not to be able to heal someone who wasnt seriously injured on his conscience. "Im not dead so." He shrugged and winced.
His eyes flickered to Marci as she began to walk towards him, her voice was filled with concern and his expression became puzzled. Why would she be worried about him?
Now she was thanking the girl who was tending his wounds. "Order me something strong." He managed what was meant to be a smirk but came out as a weak smile. He wasnt used to having anyone give a shit about him. He waved it off, she was probably just a decent person, it had nothing to do with him. He didnt say anything more, he needed to sit down or lay down or something.(edited)

## Elysium | Vindaya | al-Fasis02/17/2019

*Kitchen*
Vindaya, ushering Dax gently into a seat, turned to look briefly at Marci, wondering what she was thanking her for, then went to fetch another bag of ice, which she handed to Dax, and then the tweezers she’d used for Lilah. As she cleaned them, she considered Marci’s offer then said, “Nothing for me tonight, thank you.” While it was true she liked the occasional glass of wine to unwind, tonight was just not the night. Today had not been successful or positive and she was too tired and hurting too much to “unwind.”
She approached Dax and said, “As far as I know, you and Rhett are the only ones left injured and I haven’t seen Rhett, so you’re likely my last patient today. You wouldn’t be depriving anyone else if you let me heal you.” She didn’t know where Andy was, nor several other members of their team, but surely that meant that they weren’t in a dangerous situation.
“Okay, I’m going to pull the bullet out. I need to go slowly so as not to damage anything, so this might hurt quite a bit. If you need me to stop, say so.”
At least, combined with her power, she could more or less visualize the bullet’s position well enough to not need extra tools, which could’ve hurt even worse.
“Ready?”

## Rose | Rhett | Marci02/17/2019

*Front door*

Marceline hovered a minute longer as the doctor set to work, her blue eyes scanning over Dax’s purpling ribcage and the way Vindaya only had to glance over the damage. Of course it was clear what was broken and what wasn’t but Daya took no time assessing everything and that was what truly amazed the illusionist. “Alright.” She finally broke her gaze from her teammates and headed for the door. She’d come back with enough booze to subdue an army and the six large pizzas in tow.
“Don’t die while I’m gone.” She threw the comment over her shoulder just before leaving out the door. Clicking it shut behind her and typing up a quick message on the Rpdex. When Andy replied not long after, she sighed. She could only imagine how he was going to handle all of this and in her mind, it wasn’t good.
Convincing herself that the best thing for her to do was supply provisions, Marceline got into her car and left. She’d be back right around the time Andy and his crew would arrive.

## Mouse02/17/2019

*Kitchen*

Dax refocused his attention on the girl who was getting ready to tend his wounds. She had ushered him into a seat and he had obliged for once without protest. He leaned back in the seat to allow her to easily access his wounds.
"You should see to Rhett first." Concern flashing in his eyes but he was too tired to protest in any serious way. He wanted the pain to go away so he could begin to recharge, literally and with pizza and booze.
"Go for it." He said straightening his shoulders slightly.(edited)

## Elysium | Vindaya | al-Fasis02/17/2019

*Kitchen*
Vindaya went about removing the bullet, trying to minimize pain but prioritizing caution. At least Dax seemed a formidable type, presumably he had a decently high pain tolerance by now.
It ultimately took her longer than it had taken with Lilah, but she was still practiced and it was over in no time. “Okay, it’s out,” she said. “I hope that didn’t hurt too much. As for the rest...”
She walked around to face him, arms crossed in front of her. “I don’t know where Rhett is, and healing you won’t prevent me from healing him.” What really mattered was the severity of their individual injuries, but she wasn’t going to go into detail. “So?” she said, proffering her hand. If he took it, she’d heal all but the bullet wound. “If you’re alright to deal with the gunshot wound for another day or so, I can heal that once I’ve rested a bit.”(edited)

## Mouse02/17/2019

*Kitchen*

Dax gritted his teeth, holding his breath untill she pulled the bullet from him. He flinched slightly but mostly he tried to keep still. He would usually be drunk to deal with this sort of stuff but today he was sober as hed been in months.
Reluctantly he took her hand, she was persistent and he didnt like the idea of just being healed. He was the sort that would most likely allow his pain to wash over him for as long as it took. At the same time he wanted her to hurry up with him and go find the boy to heal him.

## Elysium | Vindaya | al-Fasis02/17/2019

Vindaya, gritting her teeth and not letting it show, held his hand lightly in her own and focused on healing. It was tempting to heal the bullet wound while she was here, her power singled it out for her and it felt incomplete not to, but she knew better. She’d just have to tend to that manually.
Once she was done, she pulled her hand away and offered him a polite smile. This brought her tally to smoke inhalation from a whopping nine different individuals, herself included, of varying severities; gashes, tears, and burns, likely a combination from Leo and Eli, perhaps Tempest and Val too; the single but nasty gash and gunshot wound and their accompanying blood loss from Lilah; and now broken ribs (for the second time that month) and bruising from Dax.
She’d take a day for herself tomorrow, she decided.
While she went to work cleaning and bandaging his wound now that the bullet was removed, she mulled over the right question to ask. Finally, figuring it was a safe yes or no question that got as close as she dared, she settled on, “You were successful, I take it?”

February 18, 2019

## birdman | Valentine02/18/2019

*Valentine's Room*

Valentine crossed his legs underneath himself as he listened to Rhett. He was painfully in the present, now, so anxiously listening to what Rhett had to say. "I'm sure Dax'll say- well, er, *think*- the same thing, from what I can see you saved a lotta lives out there, even if... well, you know," he leaned on Rhett a little bit, quiet as he sat. "I think it's part of this whole hero business."

## Rose | Rhett | Marci02/18/2019

*Valentine’s Room*

Rhett’s face tilted up to look at Val’s. Maybe he was right but it still didn’t ease the growing pain in his chest and especially the pit in his stomach. There may not have been many deaths in total but Rhett knew he was responsible for two. Turning his face back to the floor, he sat in the silence for a minute or so trying to think of anything but the crying woman. “She had two kids...” his mumbling caused a new wave of emotion to return.
“I don’t think I can go through that again.” His voice was a whisper but in the quiet, he thought it was more of a shout. “‘Heroes don’t kill people.’” He remembered someone saying that once upon a time and it kept cycling through his head.

## birdman | Valentine02/18/2019

Valentine didn't say a word, then, scooting a whole lot closer to Rhett. The implications he'd felt in the past weren't there now as he sat beside him, putting his head on his bedmate's shoulder. There was no sort of forwardness in his action, or any kind of flirtatious behaviour in any way. The way Valentine sat was just... calm, contemplative. A little mourning. He didn't say much for almost five minutes, just allowing Rhett to sit with him in silence for the time being. If he was honest, it felt relieving to just be in the present with someone he cared about. That wasn't a feeling he'd had in a long time.

"I don't think it's that divisive," Valentine finally said, perking up a little bit. "The world doesn't operate on a set of rules, or a code, as much as I wish it did sometimes," he shrugged. "We don't get to dictate who is good or bad, either. I think it's just... you know, sometimes it happens that way."

## Rose | Rhett | Marci02/18/2019

Normally the quiet would bother the shifter but with Valentine there it made him feel less alone and a little more at ease. When he felt the pressure of Val’s head on his shoulder, Rhett let out a soft sigh. It was like he’d been holding his breath during the moments prior.
He shook his head a bit at his roommate’s sudden, yet welcome, response. He knew Val was right. “Yeah...” Was all he said, his head tilting against the top of his friend’s. “You, uh, your power saved those apartment people..how’re you feeling?” His question redirected the topic slightly, not wanting to continue moping even though he had nothing else on his mind. “You look ok, at least.” Joking lightly, he shifted slightly and pulled the towel tighter around his waist. His hand brushing the gash on his side and a sharp breath exiting his mouth.(edited)

## birdman | Valentine02/18/2019

"Well, I knew six people would die n then they did, so..." he shrugged. "I'm as good as I can be, I guess. I don't like having to witness that kinda stuff twice." Valentine's head came up, and he tilted it as he talked. "You look ok too, man." he elbowed Rhett in the arm, just gently.

## Mouse02/18/2019

*Kitchen*

Dax watched her expression the whole time as she healed him. Curiousity flashing through concern as he felt the bones beneath his skin mend and repair and the bruising seemed seep from his skin.
Once he was healed at least in part he tested in the skin with a light touch, it did not produce any pain but the bullet wound in his shoulder still weeped.
"Thank you... I didnt catch your name?" He looked her over, as if trying to decide if she herself was ok. The girl looked almost as exhausted as him.
Dax cast his eyes away from her to glance around the room as he seemed to contemplate her question. His brain firing up images of the dead woman, of how he'd almost lost control. "Define successful.." he frowned a little. "We won. I guess." He wasnt sure if it could be counted as a win.
"How did yours go?" His question was more direct. He assumed they had all been involved in either his, the fire at the appartment or prancing off to wherever Andy had gone with that spook girl.

## Elysium | Vindaya | al-Fasis02/18/2019

Still working—this being someone else, she was acting more like a normally trained doctor than a superpowered healer—she realized, with surprise, that she didn’t know his name, either. In fact, she hadn’t even thought to ask; she’d seen his wounds and immediately reacted. Incredible (dangerous) how much she’d let her guard down while amongst other super people lately. Was she too eager to prove herself? That thought was souring, but with a power like hers, what else could she do?
“Vindaya Mhasalkar,” she said. “I’m obviously a healer, but I’m a trained doctor, too. And your name?”
She took a few moments more to finish her work while she considered his answer. Finally she moved away, washed her hands, and gratefully took a seat next to him to resume the conversation. “You’re alive, and you won, and I suppose that’s all you can ask for,” she said, unsure if that was true. But it was easier to think of it as a black and white matter.
“Ours was fine. Six casualties.” It sounded nonchalant, but she’d long ago come to terms with the fact that you couldn’t mourn every loss. “But I was able to heal Tempest, Valentine, Leo, and Eli, so they’re all fine.”
She cut a glance to the door leading to the backyard, where the latter two had disappeared some time ago. All considered, she didn’t have a great feeling about that. “Physically, anyway…”

## Mouse02/18/2019

*Kitchen*

Once she was finished with his wound he tested the shoulder, possibly the worst thing he could do but he needed to know what his range of movement could be.
The girls name was a mouthful so he didnt attempt to repeat it. He felt his static fields pulling energy from objects in the appartment. Just enough so that he was no longer on the edge of a black out. "Dax." He never gave his surname, "Im the guy who electrocutes people." he ran a hand through his hair, which still had blood in it. "A doctor... well I suppose that makes sense." He offered a small grin.
Dax didnt owe a lot of people a whole lot of respect. If someone gave their time and, from the looks of the girl next to him, energy. In order to save the lives of others - they were okay in his books.
He looked down at his hands at her words, to hide the shame and guilt that flashed across his face for a moment. "I guess." He hardened his expression and wondered where the hell Marci hadnt gotten to with his drink.
He glanced at her without turning his head, *six casualties*. She sounded so off handed about the whole thing. He put it down to her being a doctor, he imagined she probably saw a lot of messed up shit before.
He recognised Valentine and of course Leos names and found himself surprisingly glad to hear they were okay. He didnt think he would have thought much of these people he barely knew. But then he recalled how quick he had been to throw himself between Rhett and those gangsters.
"How does that work?" He wasnt sure how she would take a question about her powers but feeling much less exhausted he wasnt afraid to ask.

## Elysium | Vindaya | al-Fasis02/18/2019

“Try not to move that too much,” Vindaya said quickly, considering his wound again. Maybe she could fashion a temporary sling for him out of an old piece of clothing or something; she’d ask once Andy returned. Just to help encourage him to keep it immobile until she could either heal it herself or give him a real sling.
Clearly, something more had happened in Chinatown. Dax certainly wasn’t the type to go into it and Vindaya wasn’t the type to pry, so this wasn’t the conversation to be getting information from. But from what Lilah had been saying, whatever the four of them had been through, it was significant. She wondered if she should make more of an effort to seek out Rhett, but he knew to come find her if he needed her.
At his question she frowned just a little. “How do I heal them, you mean?” It seemed odd and she wasn’t sure how to explain it; how do you explain an experience that’s unique to you and only you, an experience that’s as natural to you as breathing? (Not that breathing was very easy at the moment…) “Well, how do you, err, ‘electrocute people’?” she asked, not necessarily looking for a serious answer, but trying to point out how difficult it might be to explain how one’s power worked.
(She may have also been deliberately misunderstanding the question. But she wouldn’t admit that. It was perfectly reasonable.)

## Mouse02/18/2019

*Kitchen*

He seemed to resd her expression as he frowned. "No way am I wearing a sling." He couldnt stand the restriction of it, having stitched was bad enough for hi..
Dax frowned at her rebuttal to his question. He had phrased it awkwardly. "I presume you can only heal a certain amount before it effects you?" He brushed over the statement. He was trying to make conversation and without his snide remarks, flirtatious comments or defensiveness it was clear he didnt really know what to say but that he was totally oblivious to other peoples comfort levels. That or he purposely ignored them.
He smiled a little when she asked him about his power. "I take it from anything electrical, store it and then redirect it." He shrugged as if his simple statement explained the whole thing.

## Elysium | Vindaya | al-Fasis02/18/2019

She should’ve expected Dax’s immediate reaction to her not so subtle pondering. Patients like him weren’t uncommon. It might be unwise of him, but at least she wasn’t liable if he went and hurt himself worse or if the wound took longer to heal. His problem, not hers.
When he rephrased the question, she couldn’t exactly misconstrue it. But he’d made it easy to answer with her usual partial or vague truth, so she breezily said, “Something like that,” as though he were exactly right. For all intents and purposes, he was.
As for his power, she didn’t ask questions. After hearing about Val’s, his was blissfully straightforward. And Dax was similarly straightforward to talk to; his gruffness meant that she had little to worry about. It was only when people tried to get interpersonal that things would get complicated.
A little dryly, she remarked, “I don’t suppose you’re an electrical engineer.”

## Mouse02/18/2019

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow when she brushed off his question without adding to it. "So it does effect you?" He mused, wondering where there was an unoccupied shower he could borrow.

He let out a short laugh, "mechanical engineer so yeah close enough" He shrugged. Being the one who always seemed to break things he was lucky that hed also been very good at fixing them. He loved tinkering with machines.

## Elysium | Vindaya | al-Fasis02/18/2019

Vindaya was a skilled liar and she knew when she’d deflected too much. It was time to change tactics. If she wanted to avoid appearing dodgy, she had to volunteer more specific information, make it seem like it was the whole truth. So she sat back, conscious of her body language (this too was a vital part of lying), and said, “Any power requires some exertion to use. Mine is no different, but I have so little occasion to use it that I often don’t notice. But it’s roughly based on the severity of what I’m healing.”
Ironic that this was how she protected herself.
Content to continue making small talk until something else happened, until someone else arrived, she asked, “Do your powers help your work?”

## Mouse02/18/2019

Dax smiled and shook his head. "You should be a politician." He remarked in response. Unfortunately he had used the same tactics a million times over to deflect such questions. He leaned back in his seat and glanced at her.
"No skin off my teeth either way." He shrugged. It was wrong, he did care if healing him effected her, but he didnt care much if she didnt want to play to his curiousities.
He considered the next question, "Sometimes, not really." He pushed his hair back and looked at her. "Usually just a break stuff a lot with them so I learnt how to fix what I break." He shrugged. Again it was the most simple explaination. His electrical abilities had been known to mess with nearby devices. In his earlier days even touching a mobile phone would overload its system. Now he could control himself much better.

## Mob Boss Peggy02/18/2019

*Living Room - Entrance*

Yes, using one's phone while driving is a serious faux-pas never to be done by anybody, but Andy couldn't keep his eyes off of his screen at every stop light and down some straightaways. There were so many accounts of what had happened at the Slummi apartment fire and in Chinatown, complete with photos of the action, heroes, experiences, and theories.
He almost ran a red light after seeing a picture of a full-grown male lion fighting in the streets. The whole thing was blowing his mind. He knew that this would be big, but it was about to get bigger than he had ever imagined.
He was *ready* for this, but he was worried about his team. Andy (badly) drove Finch's car back to HQ as quickly as possible. Sure enough, his parking spaces were packed. He parked the car crookedly, blocking out nearly everybody, took a deep breath, and rushed inside.
Wide, worried eyes scanned the living room. Nearly everyone there had some degree of blood on them. Dax was covered in it. Vindaya was caring for all of them. Andy looked at her, wondering how much she'd absorbed, exactly, but there was one person he needed to see the most.
"Where's Rhett?" He asked, his voice coming out nearly breathless without meaning to. He hardly knew where to begin. "Is Eli here?"

## Rose | Rhett | Marci02/18/2019

*Valentine’s Room*

Rhett shook his head quietly while listening. “*Six*?” His voice caught a bit but he swallowed the pain and sighed out the disappointment. Not toward his teammates or Val but just in general. Human life had always been very valuable in Rhett’s eyes. Minus his own for some time.
“We’ll be having our nightmares together then.” He mumbled with the smallest hint of a smile. For whatever reason, the boy was suppressing it all in the moment. Piling all his skeletons in the closet for later sorting. Now wasn’t the time.
His laughter came out softly at Val’s comment and his eyes scanned over the other’s face. “Thanks. I don’t feel it.” Standing, he carefully put the gauze in Val’s hand. “Can you help me wrap up before I bleed out everywhere?” He wasn’t planning to talk so much or even tell Val about his side but with those powers of his, he couldn’t be sure what Soothsayer knew and didn’t. And perhaps he *should* have gone to the nice doctor lady downstairs. Oh, well.

## Rose | Rhett | Marci02/18/2019

*Living Room - Entrance*

Marceline’s mind was going a mile a minute as she drove her car as it was intended to be driven. Speeding down the lesser populated streets to get to where she was headed. First stop was the liquor store where she came out looking like a damn bandit. Even if the people of HQ didn’t think they were going to drink, Marci wanted to have it incase. She liked being overly prepared with these things. Besides, there were still three boys staying there with Andy and his helpers so it wasn’t like it’d go untouched for long. She even grabbed a separate case of beer simply for Kyle. The kid needed it.
Next, she headed for the pizza place. They had her order ready just as she stepped into the building, waving her cash for them and taking the food off the counter. She didn’t wait around for the change. Jetting back to her car and roaring down the streets of Canora Klau.
It didn’t even surprise her to see Finch’s car returned to the house. She eyed it, judging the horrendous parking job and assuming it was for good reason before finding her own space to take up. It would take a couple trips but the woman made it work. She left most the alcohol outside on the front steps before entering with armfuls of drinks and food. “Get outta the way.” She called from behind Andy before slipping past him. Luckily, he wasn’t too out of it to not hear her. “Your captain was outside with loudmouth and kitty cat’s probably upstairs somewhere.” She informed him simply while depositing their meal to the dining table.
When she straightened, her eyes immediately went to Vin and Dax at the counter. She was happy they both seemed pretty okay. Grabbing a bottle of whiskey off the table and setting it in front of Thunder, she moved back outside to finish bringing things in.

## Elysium | Vindaya | al-Fasis02/18/2019

Vindaya might’ve ended the conversation there—“you should be a politician”—were it not for how little he cared to probe any further. Even though he was right, she didn’t like being accused of lying or dodging the truth and had no desire to deal with any sort of confrontation. At least he was not the type.
That said, they’d about covered their mutual ground in a matter of minutes. She thought to keep asking about his work, though over the course of their conversation Andy finally returned home (expected but not ideal for several reasons, at least she could ask for proper medical supplies now), as did Marci. After everything, Vindaya had no desire to partake in food or drink, but she was glad someone was worrying about it. As such, she sent a brief smile Marci’s way and a soft “welcome back.”
Gesturing to Dax’s new bottle of whiskey, she said, “I think you’ve earned it.” Then she turned her attention to the darkness of the backyard, where she could make out two silhouettes but could hear nothing and couldn’t see in any great detail. Based on Leo’s comments throughout the day and her general sense that there was tension between them, she didn’t have a great feeling about that conversation, almost wishing that Leo would just come back inside already.
And Eli too, of course.
Feeling a little silly for paying them so much attention, she tried to return her attention to Dax and move to the next small talk topic. “Is that what brought you here?” she asked, again, not really looking for an in-depth answer. (And still blissfully unaware of what had transpired on RPDex, having not checked her phone since she’d sent her own message earlier.) “Looking to fix things you break?”

## Mouse02/18/2019

*Kitchen*

Dax glanced up at Andy as he entered the room. The guy looked flustered and stressed. He definitely needed to relax, it seemed the weight of being leader was wearing heavy. He personally had no idea where either Rhett or the other guy was so he stayed quiet for once.
When Marci reappeared with food and booze. As if she could get any hotter, she happened to plonk a bottle of whisky in front of him. He smiled at her, "Cheers love." He took off the top and knocked back a mouthful. His eyes followed her as she left the room to collect more things from her car.
His eyes snapped back to Vindaya only when Marci had left. He seemed to size her upwith his gaze, as if looking at her properly for the first time. He wasnt used to people asking *him* awkward questions. "Im just here for the whisky and the view." He took another swig from the bottle. "What about you?"

## sephet02/18/2019

*Kitchen*

Kyle came back in after taking a moment to gather himself so he didn’t freak out or panic as the place filled up with people. He wasn’t doing the best job keeping himself from looking shell shocked and a little terrified but he smiled a little and moved to help sort out the pizzas. “Thanks. Seems like everyone’s had a pretty rough day.”
He’d riffled through Andy’s cupboards before so he knew where to go to pull out some glasses for mixed drinks and people who *didn’t* decide to claim entire bottle of whiskey and drink like a pirate out of a movie. He got out plates for pizza, figuring he can do more dishes later even if it’s a bit forward of him to decide to use Andy’s dishes without asking.
He looked around with a bit of a frown, everyone who’d gone out seemed to be accounted for, plus one except… “Did Rhett get back?”

## Rose | Rhett | Marci02/18/2019

*Kitchen*

After finishing with her trips, the woman had taken to entering the kitchen and beginning to pull out the plates and such. Only, she was beat to it by Kyle. He'd apparently come from upstairs and was now sorting the food around and helping with glasses and what not. She smiled slightly at his involvement and shrugged at his thanks. "It was your idea, babe. A damn good one." Putting a hand lightly to his shoulder, she squeezed it then stepped away to deal with the numerous bottles of liquor.
"This is for you, by the way." She said while picking up the six pack of beer and shaking it lightly so that Kyle knew what she was referencing before putting it into the back of the fridge. "And I know I saw him heading upstairs earlier...sneaking past like a fuckin' phantom." She sighed but had been preoccupied at the time with Eli. "I've never been upstairs but I'm sure I could find him if necessary." Her words were laced with worry but not too much. He'd been okay enough to get up the stairs, at least.
"What the hell happened, babe?" She asked the question for a second time, turning her gaze to Dax at the counter. She shot Vindaya a pleasant smile and apologized quickly for interrupting anything but she wanted to know. "Surely a bunch of thugs didn't do all that to the four of ya." She threw a glance to Clara, who'd just been introduced, and Lilah who was doing the introducing.

## Mob Boss Peggy02/18/2019

*Kitchen*

"Clara," Andy repeated, briefly looking at Lilah when she interjected to tell him about the unfamiliar woman. He found himself pleasantly surprised at what he heard. Andy didn't mean to stare, but if what Lilah said was true - and there wasn't a doubt in his mind that she'd never lie to him - then this person, Clara, was miraculous. "Like Diax." He said, referring to the golden age villain with the barest of smiles. He didn't really feel like smiling, but didn't want to seem unfriendly either.
"Thank you. I'm Andy - Torchlight. I'm the leader of this operation." Andy said gently. If he had lost any of his team tonight, he didn't know what he would've done. "I have to tend to my team... But we'll talk more another time. You're welcome to stay as long as you want tonight."
Someone mentioned Rhett again and Andy felt his chest knot up when he looked away from Clara to see Kyle. But his attention was again diverted once Marceline asked the group what had happened.
"I want to know, too. The news is only telling half the story. It seems like the people of Chinatown aren't letting too much information get out about you guys."
@Jax (token white guy)(edited)

February 19, 2019

## Elysium | Vindaya | al-Fasis02/19/2019

Between Dax straight up drinking from the bottle and his behavior changing, Vindaya was a little put off. She could excuse both, she just wasn’t sure that she wanted to be there for either. At this point though, with Rhett still injured, Andy finally back, and Leo and Eli duking it out in the backyard, Vindaya wasn’t sure it *was* a good time to leave, despite her customary habit of leaving early. Without work as an excuse, she didn’t have much of a reason to tonight. (That anybody except for Andy or Val knew of, of course.)
So she stayed, a little warier and more guarded than she had been. “Call it being proactive,” she said.
She was actually more than grateful for Marci interrupting and was content to sit back and let her do more of the talking. This was why she had been making small talk, waiting for someone like Marci to come in. Besides, Vindaya got the sneaking suspicion that Marci was far better equipped.
That said, she was interested in the answer as well, and she made no secret of paying attention.

## Mouse02/19/2019

*Kitchen*

The kitchen was getting busy. Dax leaned on the counter his shoulder giving him a little grief and his muscles aching. He placed the whisky bottle in front of him on the surface. It was helping take the edge off the pain as there was a distinct absence of painkillers. Also he felt that between getting shot and having his car mutilated, he deserved it.
He glanced up at Kyle as he came down and started getting out plates. "Rhett is fine." The kid had shot off like a bullet as soon as the car had pulled up. Dax had seen the look on his face, he couldnt blame him for wanting to get away from everyones questions.
Dax looked up at Marci, still lost in thoughts about what had happened. He wasnt really sure he even *understood* what happened - let alone knew how to put it in words. He glanced at the eyes that seemed to be on them.
"Fucking Yeti-thing" he shook his head as if this explained everything and took another swig from the bottle. "Nearly kicked our asses" He grabbed a glass and poured himself a drink instead, pausing as he did, "Oh and cat boy evolved."(edited)

## Jax (token white guy)02/19/2019

*Kitchen*

As the man approached Clara stood from where she sat. The first question seemed a little aggresive but she could understand that bieng a stranger in thier base. She let Lilah introduce her and began to wonder if Lilah was capable of speaking a sentence without dimminishing herself.
"I'm a friend of Eli's, and Im only here to make sure your team got medical help but you seem to have that sorted." She gestured to the Doc as she finnished.
As Sparkles answered Clara stepped forward to fill in the cosiderable gaps in the story. " I saw the call for help, like Im sure you all did. The gang wouldn't have been much trouble by themselves, as long as I could stall them till civilians cleared the area." Clara sighed a little. "Then everything went to shit. People started shooting and someone named "sunny" showed up. A super on the gangs payroll. Lilah and myself took on sunny while sparkles and... Rhett was it? The kid that can turn into a lion and shit, dealt with the rest of the gang."
"Long story short your team did the best they could in a shitshow of an opp." Her report given she sat back down next to Lilah and stretched her arms accross the back of the chair.

## Mob Boss Peggy02/19/2019

Andy listened to the three patiently although his face was locked in an expression of great stress and concern. He couldn't stop looking at the blood all over his comrades. Dax was covered in it, flinching in pain as he moved - a subtle movement that Andy couldn't miss, and Lilah's arm which didn't seem to be damaged anymore. For more than a moment, his gaze lingered on Vindaya, wondering how much she had absorbed and how critical she was, despite not showing her pain.
He held up his phone to mutter more notes into it quietly. "Sunny, part of the triad, a super - yeti?" So Rhett *did* turn into a lion. Andy's eyes flicked upward at the staircase. Somehow, he knew the shapeshifter was hiding. The house was painfully lacking Rhett's usual energy.
Andy's attention shifted back to Lilah across from him. He kept looking at her bloody arm and the crease between his eyebrows sunk even deeper. "You guys fought an entire gang and a yeti monster thing... Were you... *shot*..? Who else?" He asked, telling to keep his voice level. His chest was tight with anxiety at the notion that any of them could've died tonight.(edited)

## sephet02/19/2019

“He was very big, very hair and very strong. He threw a car way easier than I could.” Lilah rubbed her neck absently thinking back on it. “I did get shot, though because of my durability it wasn’t that bad and Vindaya healed me. I was able to keep up the fight with a bullet hole, at least?”
She blew out a sigh and tried to run her fingers through her hair. It was tangled and messy from the day but she tried to smooth it out. “Civilians got hurt. And worse. We did what we could. There was a *lot* of gunfire. You were… you were right about me needing a proper suit. If I could have avoided getting shot I would have been able to do better. I’m sorry.”

## Mob Boss Peggy02/19/2019

*Kitchen*

Lilah tried to make things sound better than they actually were and it wasn't working. Andy's frown deepened. His mouth was scrunched up as he bit the inside of his lip, looking down at his phone to send out a quick message to their costumer.
"No, *I'm* sorry." He said, with his stomach in his throat. Because of his stupid mistake, members of his team got *shot*. Lilah got *shot* for them. Andy was angry with himself for letting it happen without them being sufficiently prepared.
"I shouldn't have taken no for an answer. I was so..." *So stupid.* He sighed deeply, cutting off the thought. it didn't make sense for him to be more upset than the person who actually took the bullet. "I'm making you an appointment with Mr. Greene. And I'm getting you all better body armor."(edited)

February 20, 2019

## Elysium | Vindaya | al-Fasis02/20/2019

Vindaya, seeking out what she expected to see, misinterpreted Andy’s lingering gaze as accusation for not healing Dax’s gunshot wound. She straightened her back and frowned a little but said nothing; she didn’t have to explain herself to Andy. Her choices were her own.
It did not occur to her that he could’ve even been the tiniest bit *concerned*.
But she did spare another glance at Dax, who was clearly in pain. Maybe she *should* just suck it up and heal him?
As she ran the risks of doing that through her head, she tried to pay attention to what had happened. While some jaded part of her that had seen some of the worst and most grotesque of humanity pass through the ER couldn’t muster any concern or sympathy, another part of her simply couldn’t believe that this was a normal part of her life now. It seemed she couldn’t stop asking herself *since when?*

As for better armor, at least hers was doing its job and doing it well. There were no signs of blood anywhere and, as a nice bonus, it was holding her now broken ribs together fairly well until she could properly wrap them.
Still, Andy blaming himself was ridiculous for several reasons, and she felt obligated to point that out, though not out of kindness. “Andy, I hardly think anything that happened was your fault. By the sound of it, things would have been a lot worse without them.” She gestured to the three heroes—or, two plus Clara—in question.

## Mouse02/20/2019

*Kitchen*

Dax listened carefully to Clara's explanation, she could clearly give a report better than him. He shrugged after and sipped his drink, nursing the glass like a drunk in a bar although he was sober as a nun.
He didn't volunteer the information on his injuries when Andy asked who other than Lilah had been. He just stared into his glass and avoiding his gaze.
He doubted Andy would care much that he was shot, he didn't see any reason that any of them would. Besides, he was sat there was his fucking top off and a hole in his shoulder. It was pretty obvious that he had been shot. Although the purple bruises covering his ribs had all but vanished, his back was still a myriad of bruises.
He listened to Lilah apologise and frowned. From what he had seen she had been pretty bad ass and if it hadn't been for her and the crystal girl that yeti would have sent the body count through the roof.
When Vindaya piped up next to him about Andy's tendency to self blame he glanced at her. His respect for the girl going up and up. He glanced back at Andy and straightened his back, his shoulder protesting and causing him to wince. "Mate, we threw ourselves into that situation and that was our choice."
He paused to shrug, "We can all learn from this shit and do better, but the way I see it there aint no reason to sit around and beat ourselves up. You two least of all." He gestured to Andy and Lilah with the drink in his hand. "We saved some people, fucked up some bad guys and you all acting like a few flesh wounds are the end of the world. Yeah we could have died - but we didn't. Its part of the job and shit can never be 100%" He shrugged and stood up from his seat to define the end of his mini-speech, which was probably more than he had said to anyone - even Andy since he had been involved.
"Now, has someone got a shower I can blag to wash this shit off me?"(edited)

## Mob Boss Peggy02/20/2019

Andy was feeling a little irritated and conflicted. The irritation came from the fact that everyone seemed to jump on him for his millisecond of self-pity regarding the *entire mission,* when he really was *only* regretful of the fact that he didn't make sure that they were better equipped before going out there. Not the fact that they went out there in the first place.
But did Andy even try to dispute with Dax or Vindaya? No, because Dax was intimidating as heck and Andy didn't want to start a confrontation right now. In addition to that, it seemed that the man was just grumpily ranting on his own, anyway.
But Andy probably looked really freaking pathetic right about now for not saying anything.
His conflict came from the fact that he cared for these people and didn't *want* to see them get shot and injured. But he knew more than anyone that from the beginning that was the whole point; To put their lives on the line for their city and the people, and get hurt and get better at what they did.
Andy didn't feel like doing a whole darn speech right now to clarify. If anything, he wanted to curl up with his team and recover in comfortable silence.
"Across from the living room. There's a bath and a shower." Was all that he could say to the man, gesturing with his hand in the direction of the psychedelic bathroom.(edited)

## Mouse02/20/2019

It was pretty clear from the lack of response to his comments that it hadn't gone down the way he meant it to. Dax ran a hand through his hair awkwardly and looked at Andy with a frown. "Shit man, I'm sorry." He shook his head actually looking uncomfortable for once. "I just meant you should feel bad about the shit you could have done or that we got hurt or whatever."

He grabbed his glass and downed it - drink, drink was the only thing that could stop him talking out of his ass. "Fuck it whatever, I'm going to clean my shit up. You guys better be done being wet blankets when I'm back. Eat some pizza or something I don't know." He rolled his eyes and walked out of the room in the direction of the shower. Feeling a lot like the asshole he was.

## sephet02/20/2019

“Hey.” Lilah got up and reached out to put a hand on Andy’s arm, keeping her voice a little soft. “He’s right. We did make it out this time. And we learned what we need. Maybe we can run some drills about fighting groups? O-or get some paintball guns to train for being shot at, you know?”
She sighed, flushing a bit and gave him a small smile. “All our injuries are from them targeting us instead of them. And I’m not sure who else would have dealt with the yeti.” She paused and looked back to Clara. “You had things under control, but even you were a little overwhelmed by the yeti. I’m being down on myself because I need to learn more, but my strength helped. Everything helped.”
A little quieter she spoke directly to Andy. “I *am* sorry I kinda… exploded? The other day… you were right that my clothes were insufficient. I was afraid. I mean I still am, but it’s worth risking that embarrassment to be properly equipped for this fight.” She wished she could fully stop ruining things every time they were together. She liked Andy, and hated how often things were awkward between them.

## Mob Boss Peggy02/20/2019

*Kitchen*
Andy inhaled deeply and sighed again as Dax left the area. Yet another time when Andy's lack of communication became a problem. Or maybe they were both mentally exhausted. Dax was probably in so much pain, and maybe partially drunk? Andy didn't know. He certainly *did* feel like a wet blanket, was all he knew.
He didn't realize that he had been looking downward somewhat solemnly until he felt a touch on his arm that caused his eyes to raise to Lilah. He had always been surprised at how gentle her touches could be despite how strong she was. She took just as much care in seeming 'ordinary' as any of them did. The tiniest, stressed inkling of a smile appeared on the pyromancer's face in response to her own smile, which he thought looked exhausted if not a little contrived. "That's a good idea. I should bring everyone out to the quarry."
He looked to the side at Clara and again tried not to examine her too closely. Meeting new supers was always a huge interest for Andy. He had always been eager to find out more about people's abilities. Clara, however, seemed like her personality was closer to Dax's than to Lilah's. He'd have to get to know her better before asking too many questions.
In fact, he was rather surprised when Lilah started speaking to him directly. That *moment* had been such a source of intense embarrassment for him that he hardly wanted to talk about at all. It seemed like such a stupid thing for him to be embarrassed about, but he didn't really know until now that she was just as embarrassed as he was. After everything that had happened since then, that little awkward moment shouldn't have mattered anymore.
Those little awkward moments were starting to add up, though, and he was convinced that it was fully *his* fault.

Despite having thought about it *so* much, Andy still didn't really know how to respond professionally. He did so, slowly.
"I'm more afraid of you getting hurt than how Mr. Greene feels about the way you look." Andy said carefully, his gaze falling to the side. "If you're really nervous, someone can go with you... Marceline?"

## sephet02/20/2019

“Going to the quarry would be good. We can set up some training courses, too. We all have the chance to learn more.” She nodded and gave his arm the gentlest of squeezes. “It’ll be okay. It’ll be good.”

“If he’s willing to work with me, I’ll work with him. If Marceline wants to come I’d welcome the company.” She laughed a little sheepishly and shrugged. “If nothing else we can use my genetic fabric to make lightweight body armour for everyone, you know?”

## Mouse02/20/2019

Isk had gone home to have a shower and change her clothes - to get rid of the cold clincal smell of the hospital. So when she arrived outside of HQ in a baggy pair of paint splattered denim jeans and a vastly over sized jumper with the sleeves pulled up she hadnt quite been expecting so many people to be there.
She had seen the updates on the forum and decided to come over and see if she could help out at all. But she stood outside the door for a long moment trying to pluck up the courage to go in. Her hands clutching a bright yellow tupperware container covered in illustrations of sunflowers. Inside was some cookies she'd baked a few days ago. A recipe apparently passed down from her grandmother. The colour of box matching the paint on the outside of the house almost perfectly.
Eventually she walked in and moved to the kitchen admiring the colourful decoration as she went. She stood awkwardly for a moment a little way away from everyone. Her hair now loose and messy around her shoulders she tugged it with her free hand. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of everyone.
"Uh... Hey" she offered a tiny smile. Feeling totally inappropriate and scruffy. She placed the container on the counter. There was a clear tension in the air, everyone looked exhausted. "I brought some snacks..." she said "My nana always said that there wasnt anything that couldnt be solved with tea and biscuits." She played with the end of her hair and smiled at them all. She caught sight of the alcohol and pizza on the side. "Um... I guess that works too." She laughed a little.

## Rose | Rhett | Marci02/20/2019

*Kitchen*

There was a lot going on by the time she was able to fully process everything. Having stayed quiet as everyone said their peace and take on the situation. Her eyes had lingered on Clara as she'd given a much more in-depth report. It was slightly humorous to hear the contrast between the clearly skilled woman and Dax's more simplistic approach. Before she could make any sort of comment, however, Andy was speaking again. His face was screwed up in a rather heartwrenching expression. She wanted to hug him, to be honest.
"Andy..." She began then stopped when Vindaya spoke. So cool and calculated, she wondered how on earth such a person had joined this group. From what little information Marci had gathered on the other woman, she had already decided the doctor was a person deserving high respect. After all, she did just take care of over half their wounded.
After Vindaya offered her reasoning, Dax was next in line it seemed. Marceline's eyes hovering over him, the blood that still coated various parts of his body. She wanted to reach out and try scrubbing some of it off as she'd done with Val but refrained. There was no telling how Dax would react. Not that that scared her in the slightest.
His sudden burst of talking brought a small smile to her lips, the woman had no idea he could sound so *caring*? She kind of liked sober him but like all things, his speech came to an end and he moved from the counter inquiring about a shower.
At Andy's answer, Marci turned her head to him again. She respected how calm he was keeping but could see the storm brewing under that sad expression of his. Her eyes darted back up as Dax opened his mouth again. His awkwardness attracting her attention and holding it as he actually apologized. That hadn't been expected but she still ended up forming a smile and turning to look at Andy again. "They're both right, babe. You don't need to beat yourself up too much...accept that it happened but don't let it eat you alive."

When Lilah stood, Marci's eyes traveled back in the direction Dax had headed. She wanted to follow him and help however she could but then again, this was a pretty public place to be showing such care. Plus, it would look hella suspicious after that little burst of information being spewed over the rpdex. Something else she wasn't going to let go anytime soon. Watching as he disappeared out of sight, she took a deep breath then exhaled. About this time she heard her name being mentioned and lifted her head to look at Andy, straightening herself from the counter where she’d been leaning forward.
“What’s that?” She asked sweetly before listening in on the rest of the conversation. She gave Lilah a lopsided smirk, eyeing her briefly before nodding her head. “You got it, babe!” Her enthusiasm was slowly returning now that some of the tension was being relieved. She still caught herself glancing off toward the bathroom, though.
At yet another new voice, Marceline’s head whipped around to see a rather adorable sight. “Who might you be?” There was a flash of curiosity as Marci eyed the new arrival. “You are the cutest thing, Andy where are you finding these people?” She threw a smile to the pyromancer before moving around the counter to wave a hand around the house. “Please, eat, drink. Be merry.”
Popping open one of the pizza boxes, she stole a couple slices and set it on the counter next to Vindaya. She didn’t know if Daya would eat it but at least it was right there now. “Water, I assume?” The woman grabbed a glass and filled it before turning again to Vin. “We’re lucky to have had you around tonight.”

## Elysium | Vindaya | al-Fasis02/20/2019

Vindaya, finding it hard to catch her breath, was content to stay quiet, remain seated, and listen. She had no desire, nor was it her place, to try to soothe anyone. It was beyond her why they were all feeling so guilty and apologizing to one another (all of it about conversations and events she hadn’t been privy to). It was, however, increasingly bothering her that Dax was still injured when she had the ability to do something about it. Still, she let him go off to shower, figuring it could only do him good.
Maybe if she healed him *right* before leaving, nobody would notice? And it would be healed enough by Thursday (eight o’clock) that she’d be able to hide it.
She was still considering this when Iskra made her entrance, and while not the most *welcoming*, Vindaya at least made a gracious host (never mind that it wasn’t her house). “Help yourself,” she said, gesturing to the food and drink she had no intentions of touching.
Even once Marci set some in front of her. Vindaya gave her a polite smile, taking the glass of water and running her finger along the rim. “This is what I’m here for,” she said, consciously resisting the urge to look at Andy. To Marci, she remarked, “You seem to be a natural at this.”
Then again, Marci hadn’t been in any danger today as far as Vindaya knew.

## Rose | Rhett | Marci02/20/2019

*Kitchen*

Marceline smiled pleasantly in response to the doctor's polite expression. She wasn't much for small talk generally but was rather interested in the healer. Deciding to indulge the both of them, her shoulder jolted upward in a shrug before putting herself beside the woman. "I'm not all that sure what you're referring to but I take it as a compliment." Her endearing smile loosened briefly as she noticed the disinterest of the food in front of her.
"Have you eaten today, babe?" Her tone was a little quieter as she questioned her company. "I got salads too, or if you'd rather I cook something, I don't mind." Marci's eyes flickered about Vindaya's face, wondering what the reply would be.

## Elysium | Vindaya | al-Fasis02/20/2019

Vindaya didn’t terribly mind the company, though she was having to focus a little more on keeping it together. For once, she was actually somewhat looking forward to going home and lying down. But Marci was pleasant enough, if a little too mothering. (Or perhaps Vindaya just didn’t understand the concept.)
Before she could even think about it, Vindaya was lying through her teeth. “Of course, before the fire,” she said. She didn’t remember the last time she’d eaten or what it even was, but that was pretty standard for her. With her days so busy, it either fell to the wayside or was just a forgotten detail. Either way, she didn’t have much of an appetite at the moment. “No need to go further out of your way tonight.”
With the way her chest was aching, Vindaya really didn’t want to make the effort to continue conversation, but knowing Marci, staying silent wouldn’t cut it. Eager to talk about anything other than herself, she said, “I meant taking care of people. You’d make a good nurse.” This was intended as more of an objective remark than a compliment, but it was true in both senses.

## Rose | Rhett | Marci02/20/2019

*Kitchen - Downstairs Bathroom*

Listening intently, Marceline had no reason to think the doc was lying therefor she simply nodded in understanding. She tilted her head away to take in the plate of food before reaching out and grabbing one of the slices. "Well, if you're not hungry." She began with a small smile and took a bite out of the slice of cheesy goodness.
"Oh, please." She shook her head at Vin's statement. "If anyone's going out of their way it's you. Go sit on the couch, relax a while." Surely saving lives had to be draining business and from what she was seeing, this woman had dealt with this sort of thing more times than Marci could count.
Marci took a second to hear Daya elaborate on what she'd meant and grinned a bit. "Believe it or not, I can't very well stomach shit loads of blood." She breathed out a nervous laugh then took another bite of pizza. After swallowing, she picked up the bottle of whiskey left on the counter and tilted it back to get her own mouthful. Letting it go down, she let out a sigh and stood up. "I think I'm going to check on Dax." She wasn't really sure why she was saying this to Vindaya but regardless, she put a hand to the doc's arm and moved away from her. Leaving the untouched slice of pizza to rest in front of the woman. Going to the bathroom door, Marci only paused outside long enough to give one good knock before pushing inside. She didn't mean to intrude but then again, she did. "Hey, babe."(edited)

## Mob Boss Peggy02/20/2019

*Kitchen*

Things were fine. They were going to be fine.
Andy knew better now than to get too personal with certain people, particularly Lilah, and thought that she maybe felt the same way. No more awkwardness. No more sensitive conversations to screw up. Things would be strictly professional. He matched Lilah's sheepish smile and nodded, too. "You're full of good ideas." He remarked, forcing a positive uptick in his tone.
Then, a little voice broke his gaze from the strongwoman. "Isk! You made it!" Andy instinctively exclaimed, noticing at once that she looked a little different but not quite picking up that she had totally changed outfits. His face seemed to brighten automatically when she appeared. "Iskra, have you met Lilah? She's strong - *super strong.* And she bakes too," He said, glancing back at Lilah. "She makes the best cinnamon buns ever."
He continued. "Lilah, this is Iskra. She was with me at the hospital. She can speak to spirits. Thanks to her, we have a better idea of how to find that necromancer woman."(edited)

## sephet02/20/2019

*Kitchen*

She felt the tiniest pang of something when Andy seemed so delightedly interested in the other woman’s entrance. She ignored it, it would be stupid to let herself feel bad about something like that. She just kind of wished Andy would be happy to see her, she seemed to do everything wrong and made things uncomfortable between them.
“Hi! Your nana sounds a lot like my gran, only it was all sweets in general.” Lilah grinned cheerfully at Iskra and held up a hand to shake for a second and then drew it back. “No wait there might still be blood. Sorry.”
“Spirits like ghosts? Honestly that sounds a little like it would be scary. But I can see it must be very useful too. I hope we don’t end up taking advantage of you.”

## Jax (token white guy)02/20/2019

Clara sat silently as the hustle and bustle of the super team continued around her. As she slowely looked from one person to another she could almost see the care they showed dor each other. The bond in this team while new, was strong. A fammiliar feeling that she greatly missed.
Clara had always been observant. Paired with her skill at improvising plans, had kept her alive and helped her excel at her chosen career. She could spot potential dangers and work around them. She could also get a good read on people. Some things were fairly obvious. Sparkles seemed to have a relationship with the dark haired woman named Marci. *Go sparkles.* She also picked up on the nevous energy between Andy and Lilah. But the thing that concerned her the most was the doctor. Something was definitely off about her. Everytime she shifted or moved the action seemed.. rigid. As if she was trying to keep herself still when she moved.
 Clara stood and walked slowely around the room skirting the conversation between Andy, lilah and a third woman whose name Clara has missed. She walked up beside the doctor and stopped for a moment before speaking. Looking into the doctors eyes she spoke quietly so as not to draw undue attention from the others. "How bad is it? Cause while I'm not a doctor I can help with bandages and stitches if you need it."

February 21, 2019

## Elysium | Vindaya | al-Fasis02/21/2019

Vindaya made no move towards the couch or anywhere other than the chair she was sitting in. She was certain she could still stand and walk without limping (or collapsing altogether), but there was no need to spend the limited energy on doing so.
When Marci put a hand to her arm—oh so conveniently, right where Lilah’s gash was—she had to bite back a hiss. Thankfully, Marci didn’t seem to notice, having already redirected her attention. Vindaya took it as a good sign that she was more concerned about Dax, but then again, she hadn’t been checking RPDex that day.
And she would’ve continued to sit there, listening and trying to keep it together while she waited for a good reason to leave, except that now it was Clara’s turn to approach her. This song and dance was starting to get old; how many people tonight had asked her if she was okay? And, despite the fact that Clara had little leverage over her, surrounded by other people who had the exact same knowledge she did, Vindaya hadn’t forgotten the blackmail. It left a lingering bitter taste, underneath the ash and smoke.
“It’s only some smoke inhalation and I am just fine, thank you,” she said, back straight and arms folded. She’d tend to stitching and bandaging herself in the privacy of her own home. Peering closely at Clara, she said, “I’m glad to see you haven’t gotten any *more* injured.”

## Mouse02/21/2019

As the tattoo'd girl walked towards her she offered her a small smile. She wasn't sure how she felt about being called cute, so she felt her cheeks grow red. "Thanks?" She managed to both the girls who had told her to help herself to food and drink, before they got lost in their own conversation.
She jumped when Andy practically yelled her name. A bright smile spread across her face, "Hey stranger." She moved towards him and the girl who stood beside him. She was beautiful despite looking like she had been in a fight and Isk immediately started tugging on the sleeves of her jumper.
Andy's introduction made her laugh a little, she was glad when the other girl retracted her hand before she had the chance to turn it down. She offered her a bright smile. "You have a lovely name." She mused.
She shook her head at Lilah's comment about her powers. "Its not as scary mostly, you get used to it." Her eyes widened as Lilah mentioned that she hoped they wouldn't take advantage of her. "Oh don't worry about that. I'm happy to help where ever I can." She turned to take a glass and surveyed the alcohol, she didn't usually drink much, but she wanted to feel normal. So she grabbed a bottle of vodka and poured herself a too large measure in her nerves and added some coke.
She turned back to them and when she took a sip of the drink she pulled a bit of a face, but continued. She hated to waste things. "So... Um... How did today... go in the end?" She wasn't really sure how to describe what had happened or whether to bring things up. She had read what had been posted on the RPdex.

## Jax (token white guy)02/21/2019

"Ok..... I dont believe you, but ok. And as far as my health goes I owe that all to Lilah over there." It wasnt the first time she had seen someone trying to hide an injury. Weather it was pride or embarrassment that stopped her from sharing Clara wasnt exactly in the Doctors good books at the moment. Clara glanced over at the others in the room and let out a deep sigh. "Listen... so I'm not really good on the whole social skills front, and so I'm not really sure how to say this, but Im sorry for bieng a dick the other day."
Clara had been rethinking what she had said the other night over and over in her head. She would never out another super, but this doctor didnt know that and Clara might have made her life hell worrying about it. "I was injured, and *maybe* a little bit scared. I was caught offguard by the Eli connection and I said some things which werent ok. So Im sorry. I would never give out your secret like that and to prove it Ill give you one of mine."
" Ask me anything Doc and Ill answer truthfully."

## Mob Boss Peggy02/21/2019

Andy still didn't feel entirely at ease in his own house, but they all had a point. Everyone survived to fight another day. They had almost all gotten some experience fighting and saving people. Andy was proud of them. He watched Lilah and Iskra talk for a while, grateful that Lilah was so friendly to the newest member of their team, considering how apprehensive Iskra had been when he visited her shop the other day.
"I'd say it was a success. I know that everyone did their best tonight." With that being said, Andy knew that he was neglecting certain other members of his team by just sitting there, and slid off of his chair, adjusting the scarf hiding the nasty rash on his neck. "I really have to check on Rhett, I'll talk to you guys la---"
"OYE! Look at what the cat dragged in!" Came a familiar, rambunctious voice from someone who stepped in from the other end of the house. Andy felt his blood freeze.