Several heads turned, and some of the conversation quieted around the room, maybe that's what caused both heroes, trained by experience, to turn towards the source.
Gal had just come from the kitchen, setting out some bowls and foods at her own grill. It had been a few days since she got to show off, and it was a secret pleasure for her. Her habit was knowing what happened in the place, and the towering lady noticed Manion and someone else quickly. The tiara she wore, hidden in the thick afro, gave her some measure of premonition. Her eyes narrowed.
"Evening sugar," she spoke to some of the regulars, sharing a quick pat on the arm or handshake. "Good ta' see ya'," to another table. Her path was not direct, but certainly ended at Manion's table.
"Good evenin', sweetie," Gal stopped next to him, laying an immense hand on his shoulder like an old friend. "Was hoping tah' see yah' tonight." Manny, and his companion, couldn't help but notice that she also carried a large cast iron skillet, sizzling and glowing a dull red in her other, unprotected, hand.
"Yah' haven't introduced me tah' your friend." Unseen by Manion, her gaze fixed the armored man like a spear. A deep red glow filtered through her hair where the powered gem in her headpiece brightened. He had to look far, far up into her eyes.
((OOC: See Manny? There might not be trouble, but Gal looks out for people. She's just there to make sure it stays civil.))
"Hi Gal, its good to see ya too. This is..."
"Gilidry." He said firmly, interrupting Manion. "I am his Mentor. He has made himself rather scarce lately, and I followed him here so that I could find out why, and to discuss a few other recent developements." He paused for a moment, considering his next words carefully.
Now was not the time for deceit he decided. He placed an open hand on his chest and continued. "There is one other with me, a Warshade, I would give you his name if I could pronounce it properly. Translated to our tongue it means roughly "Shadow of the Wolf". He is a symbiote, or companion if that is a more familiar term. He speaks through me when the fancy takes him. Neither of us mean to cause any trouble."
He looked down from Gal's eyes, and across the table to Manion, who had bowed his head slightly at his mentor's rebuke. In a soft voice he said, "I am sorry if I have caused any disturbance. If you like we can continue our conversation elsewhere, but it will be continued. He still has questions to answer. I am afraid he may have done something very foolish."
((OOC: Bit-o-background. Gilidry is not an overbearing mentor by any means. Although the recent joining with, and adjustment to, the Warshade has put a certain amount of stress on him. He does still care deeply for Manion's well being. In his preveious incarnation Gilidry was an Empath and a Healer (Mind/Emp controller), but the joining with the Kheldian was not a complete success. There were certain complications. One of the results was that he lost all of his previous powers. Now unable to read the minds of others, or even offer the slightest measure of healing, he feels a great sense of loss. Although he agreed to help the Warshade by volunteering as a host, he still holds a slight grudge against the alien inside him for the loss of his abilities.))
((Welcome back Sib! Glad you had a good time. 
))
"Men do foolish things," Gal said to Gilidry, her hand still lightly resting on Manion's shoulder. "'S why the Goddess made them." She smiled, not unkindly.
"None of my business what you two say, and you can talk all ya' like here. White noise and pink, makes anyone more'n a few steps away hear mumblin', tha's all. I don' know much of the 'shades, but I live with Sibling, so tha' makes it a lil clearer.
"You stay nice, Beth or Gypsy'll be happy tah' serve ya'. Won' meddle, jus' stoppin' in ta' make sure ya' know Manion's a friend of tha' house...My house." She finished, emphasizing the ownership. She changed the skillet to the hand that had been on Manion's shoulder and held out the right.
"I'm Gal, welcome to my place." Her grip was firm, even in his armor. He was also glad that there was something between his skin and hers, the heat coming through his gauntlet was intense.
"If he is a friend of your house then we have something in common." he said taking the offered hand. "Rest assured I mean him no harm. I will 'stay nice'. I would not do such a fine establishment the disrespect of acting otherwise. Beth can continue to serve us, unless I misunderstood something." He gave Manion a sideways glance with this comment, smiling again as he noticed the color returning to the young man's face. "It is a pleasure meeting you Gal. Thank you for the welcome."
Once Gal had left Gilidry turned back to Manion. "Its good to see your making new friends," he said shaking the heat and stiffness from his hand. "I am sorry for my harsh tone earlier, but you can be a hard person to find when you dont want to be found. You arent in trouble. You and I both know I dont have that kind of power over you anymore, the probation was over a long time ago. So stop acting like you're being punished." He pulled the gauntlet off of his right hand and flexed his fingers a bit. A faint but noticeable aura could be seen around his hand before he put the glove back on with an inward sigh. "Now, out with it. You said turning in your badge was the last step. I want to know what the other steps were."
Manion finally looked up into the eyes of his old friend. "I am sorry that I disappointed you, and that I've caused you so much worry, but Im not sorry for what I've done." He rolled up the sleeve of his left arm, revealing slightly scarred, but blank skin. "Modern medicine can do many things. I had the markings lasered off. Chest and back too. There is no more Tsoo ink in my skin." His voice was shaky, but determined. Besides, it was too late to turn back now.
"So thats it then," Gilidry said in a voice that was surprisingly unmoved by what was revealed. "Well, did it work? Your healing, your leaping... all your powers gone then?"
"No. Not completely." Manion said sadly. "I still heal faster than normal, just not quite so super I guess you could say. There is enough of the ink still in my body to affect me. The doctors said that even with a bone marrow transplant and a blood transfusion I would still likely have a measure of the powers. Seems that the ink does more than color your skin. It changes you inside too somehow. You were right Gil, it will never go away."
Gilidry chuckled and with a sneer replied, "Oh wonderful, so now your just a handicap Hero. What happens when the Freedom Phalanx calls you up from the Reserves? What happens if there is another invasion? You had something that could allow you to help the helpless. Now you will be lucky to be able to help yourself. Was it worth it?"
Manion was shocked and upset with what he was hearing. "Gil, listen to yourself. This isnt you, not the old you anyway. Since when was being a non-super a handicap? Did you always think like that, or is this that thing talking again?" He paused for a moment to let that sink in.
"If there is another invasion, then I'll fight. Right alongside everyone else. Im sure that Heroes werent the only ones fighting off the Invaders. Probably a lot of normal folks out there doing what they could too. Dont think that they cant help themselves. You seriously underestimate a lot of good people.
Besides I still have my powers, they are just a little weaker now. If it came down to it I could still help. If the Phalanx calls, I will answer. But until then I think I've done enough. I've busted more slimeballs in this city than I have friends. I've gone to more dimensions and beat up more Arch Villains than I have books on my shelf. Tyrant, heard of him? Yeah I helped bust him too, got the badge from Statesman himself. I've done my time. I've paid my dues. I wasnt made for this, and I didnt want this. I want out."
Beth's voice, louder than normal, came from a nearby table where Sibling and a few other's sat. Manion had noticed the green outfits, Sisters at that table and the other table, with the tall woman wearing yellow skin.
"Sure, as soon as I finish checking on some other tables..." Was all that was easily heard. She looked straight at Manion, seeing that he noticed she was coming and stepped their table.
"Gentlemen, will you be staying for dinner?" She noticed the arm, even as he slid the sleeve back down. She kept her mouth shut, being the waitress, and making the question just what it was.
((OOC: Manion, don't let Beth interrupt, but she would be curious about your visitor, for obvious reasons. If you just want to talk to G, then give Beth the wink and nod, she isn't dense, just curious.))
Manion heard Beth's voice from the other table, and saw her start coming towards them. As he tried to cover his arm again, he saw her quick glance. The color drained from his face. He wasnt ready for this yet. He was going to tell her on the walk home, and hadnt quite figured out what to say exactly. Before he could say anything though, Gilidry spoke up.
"I'm sure we would love to stay for dinner. Right Manion?"
"Umm, uh yeah. Sorry." he said, focusing on the current conversation with a slight shake of his head.
"Good. If he has already ordered, then I'll have the same. If not, then a menu please." He had noticed the look between the two, and realized that Manion had not talked to Beth about his decision yet. He must have had the surgery done recently, possibly even today judging by the fact that the arm was still lightly scarred.
"I'm curious Beth." he continued. "I dont want to keep you too long, but if you would indulge me. I noticed that when Manion intoduced me, you seemed to recognize my name. What has our friend told you about me?"
((OOC: If Beth has any questions about Manion and Gilidry's history, or about either of the men's current conditions, she has but to ask. Neither of them can read minds, so although she may be obviously curious, the reasons may be a bit harder to see. Oh, and Im sure Manion wouldnt mind the interuption.))
"It's no trouble," she said, "it's going to get busy tonight, but I can still get you a menu and talk a little. The Sisters won't let me serve them anyway, so it's pretty much you, the couple in prom clothes and the little girl there." She pointed to the curious young girl and lab-coated man.
"Manny mentioned you, his room mate and sponsor, I think he said. I'm unpowered, so I don't know how all that works with clearances and stuff." She stepped away for a minute, and returned with menus and a drink list.
She was being intentionally obtuse, not really knowing if Manion would want her to say all they talked about. If he was Manny's sponsor, after certain trouble, then he already knew. Whether he would approve of Manion telling her, well, she wouldn't mention it. Apparently, he wasn't any too happy about whatever they had been discussing before she arrived.
"Nothing specific, he doesn't talk a whole lot, but he does listen." She allowed a sweet smile, arms across her waist, more little girl than she was.
"You want me to leave you to decide? Specials tonight are Calamari and Gal's Savory Southern Pie, and we have chocolate mud pie for dessert," she winked at Manion. She was keeping one eye on the podium, with Martin being out of the room.
Jasper pulled at his collar and swallowed. "Oh, I don't want to give you the wrong idea about her not taking me seriously. You see, Crem is an entity from another realm, if you will. The closest way to explain it is that she's literally a demon. Such entities can be bound by specific spells, rituals... er ceremonies. The whole reason she's in our realm is because she has already been bound by such a spell. Thing is, it turns out the caster was just some kid who got into his uncle Joes Circle of Thorns stuff and I guess thought he and his buddies could do a magic version of Weird Science. He couldnt help but chuckle, getting a mental image of the scene as Crem once described it to him. I guess she wasnt exactly what they expected and they all ran off terrified before they finished, so shes bound to the kid and cant go home until she can find him and get him to reverse the spell. I think shes more upset that they messed up and she lost most of her powers, but Azuria has been helping her to regain them in trade for doing some heroing.. Anyway, she knows I know she cant be bound to two people at the same time, and I think she might not get that this is a totally different sort of thing. She might think Im playing a joke one her my fault really, I kind of have a habit of making light of things, but its how Ive gotten by being unable to get home myself.
He watched with interest as Martin turned the wine. As for your questions, red is her favorite color, or at least she would say she makes it look good. He grinned. One of the things he loved about her was her absolute self confidence. Hed been pulling her leg again when he suggested she try out to front Hotel Genevas house lounge band so shed have something to occupy herself when her contacts ran out of missions. He was tickled to death that shed not only immediately gone out to audition, but come home as a professional singer.
If she declines, Ill be terribly disappointed, but Ill live. Just being roommates and the best of friends will have to be enough in that case. As far as her conventions go, she described herself as part of the high order in her realm. From what I can tell that put her above middle management but not quite qualified to get the keys to the executive washroom, if you catch my drift. She likes to be treated as if she actually got the keys, by mortals, but Ive seen her be tolerable of disrespectful behavior to those that have something to offer that piques her interest. He grinned again remembering a recent incident in a shoe store when she let the manager get by with all kinds of inappropriate remarks about the size of her feet because in the end he was able to find what she wanted in her size. Basically, she prefers to be treated like a VIP whenever possible, but she doesnt go for the sniveling imbecile routine. She says its contrived.
He noticed Martin was finished with the wine. Well, I suppose Ive kept you long enough. Hopefully Ive provided enough background, and honestly I think just stepping back from the situation has strengthened my resolve a tad. I thank you and the management in advance for accommodating us.
((OOC: Sorry to detain Martin for so long, had a few things come up that prevented me from posting. Glad your trip went well, Sibling.))
"Yes milady, I would love to hear your theory, I was a might bit busy and have only one idea about what might of happened. AJ said turning his chair to face Osmella. He had an idea what had happened; the portal was fine befor the incedent, there was an experienced opperator at the controles, and every one with in proximity of the portal had been checked, that left outside factors.......powerful outside factors.
Adavan, Energy/Energy Blaster
Advent Force, Energy/Regen Blaster
Manion noticed the smile, and the wink. He smiled in return. He was starting to relax a little now that the topic had shifted slightly.
"Well, I never did like the term sponsor. He was just a good kid in a bad place. I had to help." Gilidry continued. "I prefer mentor, teacher, guide, even friend. You're right he is a good listener, but I do know that when it comes to certain subjects you can hardly get him to stop talking."
"Gil...please"
"You're right, Im sorry. Beth I appreciate and respect your reserve. Even though you wouldnt have said anything I didnt know already." he smiled. "I tell you what, if you'll stay a moment longer, I believe I can fill in some of the blanks for you. For Manion too."
Manion glanced back at Gilidry with surprise. "What do you mean?"
"If you are serious about your decision, then you know you cant stay with me anymore. That was part of the agreement. It also means that you and I will see a lot less of each other. Even less than we do now. And there is one question that you never asked me. If you are to get the answer to it, now is your chance."
"I still dont understand, what question Gil?"
Gilidry sighed, then looked up at Beth with a smile. "I think you may find this interesting too. If you'd like, please stay and listen. You would hear about it later anyway Im sure." He took a small sip of his water then continued. "You see Manion and I go way back. Back even further then he realizes." He stopped for a moment and let Manion think about that for a moment. "Still not helping any?"
"No Im sorry," Manion replied.
"Ok, fair enough. I was hoping that I wouldnt have to get long winded on you, but it looks like I need to." He smiled at his own little joke then continued. "The question you should be asking is why I didnt arrest you way back when."
"No you told me the answer to that already. You realized I wasnt a Villain, and wanted to help get me out of that mess." Manion said.
"Yes, thats part of it. But why would I want to do that?" Gilidry pressed.
"I thought that when you entered my mind to subdue me like the rest, you saw something..."
"Again, only part of it. Think about this for a second Manion. I am not... was not a fighter" he corrected himself. "In order to come out of a fight alive I had to make sure everyone in the room was unable to fight back. If for some reason even one criminal wasnt put into submission, things got very dicey for me. When it came to a person wearing gang clothes I only had one plan: Subdue first, ask questions later. So again I ask you... Why?"
"You recognized him?" came Beth's small voice.
Gilidry looked up suprised, and said with a large grin, "Bingo. I never used that power on you Manion, it didnt work on good people. You were so surprised over what I had done to everyone else in the room that you froze. Your suprise lead to fear, which lead to indecision, which lead to inaction. You subdued yourself. I took that moment to search your mind to be sure that you were who I thought you were."
Manion was still confused. "Ok that all makes sense now. But how did you know me. I had never met you before."
"Ahh now we get to the good stuff. When I first met you Manion I was about 20. I was a fresh new Hero, and back then I was a sidekick to a huge tank of a man, every bit the classic Hero. He was a great Mentor, and we made a good team. We specialized in search and rescue. People trapped in buildings sometimes arent very loud. Injuries, noise, a lot of things can drown out a voice. A mind in pain on the other hand, can be very loud. I could hear that, and home in on it. Even if the person was unconscious as long as their mind was still alive, I could sense and find them. My partner would follow me, picking up the survivors and carrying them to safety, where I could heal them. We were good at what we did. So when the call went out that a building here in Kings Row had caught fire, we headed there right away."
Slow realization crept across Manion's face. "I think I see where this is going."
"Yes you do." he looked back and forth between the two younger people at the table. "My partner and I arrived too late. The Hero that tried to difuse the bomb in the building didnt realize that there were others, and unknowingly set the rest off. We did manage to save a few people, but the fire was too fast, too intense. A young boy happened upon the scene as things were winding down. He obviously lived in the building and began calling for his parents in a panic. Seeing my partner, he recognized the Hero and came running over pleading for help. My heart was torn, and even though I was certain that there was no one left, I went back in anyway while my partner stayed outside to console the boy." he paused and took a drink of water to clear the lump in his throat.
"After some research it was determined that the building was bombed by the Tsoo, who were eager to gain more territory. They had moved in from Independance Port, and hoped to blame the fire on the Skulls, which would lead to them getting forced out by the Heroes. Almost a good plan. The trail was very hard to follow, and quite a few things kept me off of that case. More immediate threats to the city kept popping up and distracting me. Finally I managed to track down the group that was responsible and headed to their hideout to bust them."
"Wait, are you saying..." Manion said with horror.
"Yes, I found you helping the very gang that hurt you. The irony of it is disgusting isn't it? Now you see why I pulled you out of there."
Martin paused, adjusting the wine in the shelf with the habit of a man tasked with unseen criticalities.
"Sir," he turned with the bottle in his hand, "This would be beyond my experience. I am a simple butler, indebted to Miss Gal and glad of her patronage, but with no knowledge of mystical or metaphysical matters. I do know of someone who could advise on this matter, if you will allow."
Martin was thinking of Gypsy, she was tied to the occult and understood many of those practices. There were also Sisters in the building, but he personally had spoken to Gypsy before. He would need to ask Narshawn, as her mentor, but he was seeing a way to approach this.
"Sir, we should not be gone too long, or raise suspicion. I will consult with someone who understands the occult and then place a message in your menu. A simple order for the house special will suffice as to your acceptance of my arrangements." He reached into a pocket and withdrew a small plastic object, a smoked kind of swatch.
"Hold this over the special sections on your menu. It is a polarized plastic, The specials will read like her menu, but my message will be revealed." He handed the card over and opened the door again, carrying the bottle.
"Well," Osmella began, her manners changing as she warmed to her idea, "I've never seen the Portals before, at least not the mechanical units that your company uses." She amended, smiling at a small inner joke. She moved some of the items on the table around, setting up her theory.
"After we camped in the control room, I spent some time looking around," she hurriedly added, "but I didn't alter or manipulate anything. I just observed, your engineers and techs are fairly skilled." She was looking between Sibling and Ada, then at the table and back again. "It appears that your equipment uses magnetic resonance fields and high-order harmonics, probably using Gaussian field-space for distorting the bonds in atomic attraction."
Sibling smiled wisely, proud that this young woman, who they had actually seen as a child, would blossom into this. They had no clue what she was talking about, physics was not their study, but she was very bright. Ada's eye quirked, and Sibling nodded, out of Osmella's sight.
"By using magnetic fields, you are also subject to the flux caused by other events, like quantum variations, which is why the barrier is never truly solid, but also never totally at rest and stable. The equipment has to constantly adapt to the environment. So any large scale variation could cause a change in the field, and possibly a change in destination." She was moving objects on the table, engrossed.
"Let's say that here, you have a portal," she moved a salt cellar. "And here you have the exit zone across the galaxy," a small vase, "that link is tentative on the specific harmonic of the field, and a change will move the exit point. On Diva's world, the Guardian was in need of help, we now know. It is possible that she could have created a flux, pulling a portal's natural gravitation, to her destination. It would have been crude, and not well targeted, but would work."
Gypsy arrived, carrying menus and a platter of juices. Osmella paused, looking directly at Ada, as if for approval or understanding.
((OOC: Answer or not Ada, but I will add more in a bit.))
"I...need to see to some of the other guests," Beth said quickly, leaving behind the menus and heading past the large planted dais, out of sight of their table.
Manion realised something wasnt right. He looked up quickly and followed Beth with his eyes as she disappeared. "Oh man..."
"Im sorry Manny, I should have waited. I should go. Promise me that and I will talk again tomorrow. Im not satisfied with this decision of yours yet." Gilidry said as he stood up to leave.
"Yeah sure." Manion replied, not really hearing what was being asked.
"Good I'll call you, keep your cell phone on this time."
Manion looked back at Gilidry and said, "Of course, sorry."
Gilidry paused for a moment, looking back towards where Beth had disappeared with a furrowed brow. "No, I think I should be the one apologizing. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"My family was from Jerusalem, and moved around a lot." Janice looked at her clasped hands, resting on and hiding the box. "We were all faithful, but my father was also an intelligent man, so he tried to make sure we learned about other cultures as well. I am the smallest one, here," she pointed to a girl barely older than Wadi, mostly hidden in the traditional robes.
"When things went bad, and so many started suffering in the Middle East, he brought us the America. When I was old enough, I joined the military." She did not go into all of her life, some things just were not for this sort of conversation, and this was about the girl anyway. She noticed that Wadi sat, listening intently, not fidgeting as most children would.
"I spoke Arabic, my mother was also from the tribes, so I knew several dialects, which helped with what I ended up doing. I had been in your village for several months, basically spying on Iraqi troop movements and monitoring Whopmuds with my team."
"Pardon," Gemini spoke, as interested as Wadi. "What is Whopmuds?" Racial slur perhaps, she thought.
"Umm, Weapons of Mass Destruction, double you em dee. Troops call them Whopmuds. We didn't find any, never saw them, and sent a lot of news to the forces about that. The village was peaceful, people just trying to live. We actually felt like friends there, and since I spoke like a native, I could help cover when Security Forces rolled through. Everything was good until January sixteen, five AM."
She stopped, looking up at the young woman, seeing the features of her father and mother there. People she had come to care about years ago, friends. This girl was what was left, and now she was becoming a woman, and in a way, Janice felt it was her own daughter.
"The Army attacked the town, and the propane and fuel tanks were hit. Wadi," she reached across the table to the girl's unresponsive hand, "your parents died, your mother was only a few feet from me. The impact threw her against me, and she was holding you, it was sudden. That was why you survived." The girl's face was drawn, but she was not crying.
"I woke up to your crying. I had a piece of steel sticking out of my leg, but something about the chemicals had changed me. I healed faster. There was little left of the village, but you were there. I carried you for two days, until we reached the front and Allied troops. Six months in the infirmary. I fought for custody of you. The Army kicked me out," she smiled ruefully, again not saying why.
The young girl's hand had softened. She was still young, but there were things she understood better now, why this woman had been absent, and now wanted to talk to her. Janice did not seem like the Sisters, she was distant but solid, not like a mother or like a blood sister.
Food arrived, and Wadi stood, startling Janice.
"I serve the Ladies." She said, which made Janice feel somewhat awkward, but the look the young girl returned gave her some peace. What had been cold and distant, was now clear. The girl placed the meal in front of the tall blaster, after Gemini and then Sharon, returning to her seat for her food last.
"Champagne is it then. I have never tasted it, but I have heard that it is a wine that sparkles naturally and is sweet and pleasant. Not as much as your company" the white and gold clad warrior's eyes surveyed Steve's face to see his reaction to her sentence "but still, one of the most renowned wines there are."
Falcon had noticed Steve's expression: the way he seemed to avoid looking at her eyes or face directly, as if she was of noble descent and deserved better; his back straight but his head only slightly bowed in a respectful but not humble gesture; he really seemed to treat her like a true lady, as if she was a princess straight out of a children tale.
A thought came to her mind for a couple of seconds: was he looking at her with such admiration because of her shining attire? Would he still have treated her as a princess if he had seen her in the woods some years before, long unkempt savage hair, dressed in leather trousers, grey fur boots and gloves and cape she made herself from a wolf skin, sweaty and bare chested? Not much lady like: she smiled at herself, amused. She could paint the two images (how she was back then, how she was right now) one near the other in her mind, and the contrast was rather funny.
She noticed his eyes examining first the table, then her hands, then her shoulderguards, and often going back to the little patch of bandage on her chest. The thought that he could've looked at her breasts in a lustful way didn't cross her mind: she knew that the bandage was easily noticeable, it was in a rather centered position after all.
"You are right, I have a story to tell."
She touched the bandage absent mindedly with her index. "I have no qualms about telling you how I got this wound: in fact I think it is an exciting story, but it can be that I see it that way just because I experienced it. It could be a little long though, are you sure you are up for it? I wouldn't want to bore you."
[Ok, Sibling, everyone, I'd like to solicit your opinion: should Falcon tell Steve the story of the wound here, re-telling it in the 1st person and as short windedly as she can, or should I post the full lenght story I've written about it on the RP forum for everyone to read it if they wish to do so? Well I could do both, too. Or maybe you see other possibilities other than these 3? I will eagerly wait for your suggestions about it 
]
(OOC-I want to play. Can I play? I have the perfect character. Can I play? Please please please Sibling!?)
A tall man walks in. Shadow is covering his face as fire leaks from his eyes. He takes his coat off and drapes it over his red and black spiked shoulder pad. He is wearing black clothes. His shirt has red flames and so does his pants. Black cutoff gloves, black with red flame boots. And a black cape with red flames, his face still hidden, as he walks to the bar.
"Vodka, leave the bottle..." he says already laying out the money as he pushes one hand through his dark red spiky hair. He looks up and his face is revealed. He is about thirty-one, dark red tuft, and black and red shades. "Heres the money." he says.
He takes off his sunglasses to show tired eyes. Red and swollen. He hasn't slept in a long time. The sadness in them deep as the bay around Independence Port. "By the way, my name is Coldfire Kaiser, whats yours?" he asks with a forced smile.
((OOC: Lady, this is open, you need not even ask. Please...))
Jasper accepted the plastic swatch gratefully and tucked it away in his pocket.
"Thank you so much. I can see I made the right choice in eateries. Here's to the house special." He grinned and gave Martin a thumbs up before heading back to the table.
-
Crem waited patiently, hands folded in front of her. She wouldn't dishonor the wood by putting her elbows on it even though it was obviously not of the soft variety on this world that tended to an affinity for creatures of fire such as herself. Pines and such that were tied to flame to spread seed, making her a potential agent for birth as well as death.
At one point a young girl came by and filled two of the glasses set on the table with iced water. She flashed Crem an easy smile and welcomed her to the establishment, explaining that menus and fresh bread would be arriving shortly.
This sort of reception from a mortal was something she had worked on getting used to. She expected them all to react as her summonors had, with a healthy dose of fear; a good many of them did. However, the locality she'd wound up in appeared to have a large proportion of people that were used to dealing with the extraordinary. Just the other day a citizen had walked by her on the street and complimented her heavily on having cleared out some gangsters from the neighborhood. She was used to being complimented, but before those that did it did because they had to. Here they did it because they wanted to. Quality versus quantity. It was one of the things that took some getting used to but she was bgeginning to really notice the difference in a good way.
Jasper returned to the table, less rattled than he was before he left.
"Did they have a suitable wine?" she asked, flashing him a mischevious half smile to let him know she was well aware he was up to some kind of shenanigans.
"Well," he replied, returnng the grin, "they were out of Nighttrain so..."
Her grin fell into a questioning look.
"It's a joke Crem. I'm letting you know that my experience with wine has been of the cheap variety, the absolute opposite of what they have here." He quickly changed the subject. "So tell me how your day went. Arrest anybody with a big name?"
Minutes passed, the couple engaged in a lively conversation, while the restuarant started to fill for the evening. Martin spoke to Beth quickly, and she left the podium, passed by Manion's table again, a rather pasted on smile showing, then on to the hallway near the door.
Hardly a minute later, she was back, and spoke quietly to Gypsy as she passed, the dark-skinned woman nodded, also passing through to the Bar. With the comings and goings, it was not at all out of place. When she returned, she carried a small basket of steaming bread and two wine goblets of fine work. She wore a loose fitting tunic and long pants in deep blue, tucked into worked leather boots. The outfit was stitched and embroidered, as all of her clothes were, with a muted pattern of glyphs, part of her heritage.
As she approached the table, she felt somewhat worried. Her skills were still being trained, but her mentor had given her a task.
"Good evening," she said in her thick accent, meticulously pronouning the words. "Bread and wine is for you, and your menus. I am Gypsy's Queen, your server this evening." She handed the menus to the lady first, and the man second, opening them and pointing to the specials on his. "We cater to all types of tastes, I will recommend the Goulasch, it was my mother's recipe, but some do not have the stomach for it."
She smiled pleasantly at the lady, taking in her face and body, and comparing to the occult features sher knew. Her natural magickal abilities were also working, telling her certain things.
"I may leave you? Or would you like to be ready?" Her English was good, but not perfect yet.
((OOC: Jasper would see the following if he decides to look at the menu using his Capt. Spiffy magic decoder ring: "Sir, Gypsy has seen, she knows the race. I can arrange a setting she will understand. She will know you intend equal partnership, not bondage."))
"Lass, ye' could nah' bore me," Steve said, listening to the sound of her voice.
((OOC: Post as much as you like Falcon, it's all part of the stories here. I look forward to it!))
"Guess you have no words for the broken..." Coldfire said to the bartender. "Bah, what do I know? Your probly to busy to talk with me. It's ok."
Coldfire turns and looks into the bar, he sees a lot of other heroes chatting. The one he really notices is a woman decked out in armor chatting with a man. He looks back at the bottle, "I need to find something to do with my life..."
He looks down and frowns at his dirty pants, he had just gotten done beating the hell out of a lot of Devouring Earth and barely got away. "Well, bottoms up..." He says drinking a third of the bottle at once. "Wish I could find me a friend in here." He whispers looking over his shoulder at the woman again.
((OOC hey, should I start talking with an NPC or one of my alter egoes?))
"I beg your pardon, sir." The tiny ice maiden managed to finish a tray of beverages for Gertrude to carry. The place had been busy even before they officially opened.
"I am Narshawn, welcome to Ladies by the Lake." Too short to actually see over the bar, she hovered at a comfortable speaking height. "There are several parties in the restaurant, but I will not neglect you. I only ask that you are careful of the bar, it is alive."
She offered a sincere, very toothy smile. She had learned that her needle-like teeth startled most normals, but in the restaurant, she was one of the least different.
Sibling watched Ada, he didn't seem too concerned about the Portal problem. They didn't know exactly what his place was in the company, but they knew he was no mere employee. They also knew he had a collection of mementos from his travels, things like Black Swan's shoes, Neuron's gloves, Malaise's battle mask, so he was also no mere hero.
"Well, Ada," they said quietly around a cup of tea, "you know that anything the Sisters can do is yours for the asking."
Osmella was watching, carefully. The twins and the blaster were old friends, talking and acting with a familiarity that only good friends could. To some it would lead to certain assumptions...
Sibling's smile cracked and a curious tilt of their head towards the younger controller.
"Anyway," they said, "Lady Osmella was our student once, and in honesty a very good one." The pale blonde girl blushed, which surprised even her, Sibling was very spare with praise towards her. "She was even able to deal with Cliff."
Now, Ada's eyebrows lifted and then settled in surprise. He had dealt with the male twin before, and it was an experience. He could only imagine what being tutored by him would be like.
"Some lessons he is better at giving, and while Oz is not a Teek, he has much better battle instincts than Angela."
The blonde controller interrupted, "But I would not want to live with him...again." Osmella smiled and Sibling laughed.
"He has his moments, Oz. Gal has done wonders for his sense of propriety," Sibling paused then smiled wider, "and she says she heard that." Their head swiveled to indicate the kitchen.
"Oz, maybe you could tell Ada what happened to the portal? You have our permission, and we know you have an idea." Sibling sat back, trying to get the two talking to one another, instead of using the twins as a centerpiece.
((OOC: 100MPH is no fun, Ada, keep it under 80 and enjoy holding onto your partner...))