Scene #6459: A Golden 6th Anniversary

Owner	Pose
Spring Breeze	The HQ used by the Wards East-North-East in Brockton Bay is fairly high-tech, and located separately from the local Protectorate HQ. The date is June 24th, 2019, and the anniversary of The Storm is being held, not necessarily in celebration, but in remembrance. It was only 6 years ago that the cataclysm scarred the planet after all. However, while it may have been intended as a respectful, somber, quiet gathering by the adults, a bunch of super-powered teenagers gathered together has a way of getting loud and their energy has a way of mixing things up. Especially when they invite guests. How the invitations got out, and why to the specific people they did, may not ever be certain. Some of the choices are obvious. Family members, for example. Others... Like Staren. And Septette??? One of the young heroes in a conference-room-turned-remembrance-gathering is a girl in a visor and bodysuit with a bunch of equipment strapped to her, and there's an older woman in big, corkscrewing blonde pigtails in a similar outfit, but with robotic, spider-like limbs folded closed on her back, and a mask almost like a high-tech welder's mask. They seem to be chattering conspiratorily with each other in a corner while everyone else is mingling or eating or drinking from the food and beverages laid out on the table. Nothing alcoholic, since the Wards are all under 18. Spring Breeze is hanging out in a corner as well, browsing through her phone, aviator goggles reflecting the glare from the screen. Her hood is down at least, and the big flowy scarf is either tucked away somewhere or just wasn't brought with her. The doors into the building are unlocked, and an elevator that descends with barely any indication of movement leads down to the underground facilities where this gathering is being held. Whatever security there should be, it doesn't appear that it's presently active.
Staren	Obviously Staren's been invited as a representative of the Concord. That makes sense. Although, he's a little surprised when he shows up and seems to be the only extraversal here. "Oh. Were we supposed to be wearing our gear?" He's not in armor, and not in a robot body since that'd make him awkwardly unable to partake of the refreshments. He is in his labcoat though, and that's probably not normal everyday clothes for most people. Also: Cat ears and tail. That's weird, right? "Sssoooooo." He comments, awkwardly, glad that at least not everyone else here is a teenager. The tinker lady looks older, at least. "Good work the other day. I am impressed that you made it possible to take those guys alive. Most fights in the Multiverse don't end that way. Most elites can't afford to go for it when dealing with such dangerous people. I'm impressed." He waits awkwardly to see if anyone comes to talk to him. If they don't, he grabs some refreshments to munch while standing around awkwardly.
Septette Arcubielle	"Invitation-only" is an obstacle primarily for those who lack charm, wits, or influence. Septette is sitting on a weapons-grade cache of all three of those things. Once she decided she'd be attending, the conclusion was foregone like a supercomputer playing chess; the game's ending is never in question, only the path it takes to get there. What favors changed hands are indeterminate and unimportant. What's important is that she's here. What's important is whether she'll trip the elevator's weight limit. Fortunately, whether because the architecture is unusually robust or because she does some opaque physics chicanery to balance it all out, it holds, and she steps out into the party. Physically, she looks unremarkable- the purple shawl obscuring her whole body below the neck is a little strange, but not wholly out-of-place at a gathering of costumed heroes. The way her eyes dimly glow is easy enough to miss without scrutiny. Any capes in the habit of reading minds in any fashion, or just carrying moderately sensitive sensor equipment, might notice more distinctive traits. Mentally, she isn't there. Conversely, she lights up certain displays before even coming down the elevator, and proximity to her lights up measuring equipment with all kinds of harmless high-energy readings like she's a miniature sun. Staren might notice her that way, if he's still got any gadgets on him to do that. Or he might notice when she walks over with a cup of punch in each hand and interrupts the conversation by offering him one. "So glad to see you here," she says, her tone as smooth and amiable as it ever was. "This fruit stuff's delightful. Have you ever had it?" Then, turning to the two adults, she gives a polite little nod and a smile for their hospitality.
Majima Goro	Majima was supposed to be there with Staren. He said he'd be there and everything. But he wasn't there at the Warpgate when he was intended to be, and he certainly wasn't mysteriously smoking a cigarette against the wall when Staren arrived. Is it frustrating? Maybe. But the man works his own way. The door is pushed open wide to reveal a man in a snakeskin jacket with an eyepatch. "Ahhh, traffic is such a pain, isn't it, everyone?!" He swaggers in, arms wide as he spins around. "But when you're late to a party, you've got to bring something to make up for it, right?" He is followed by a man with a wheelbarrow. The man is clearly in his late thirties or so, a meeker looking Japanese man in a blue button-up shirt and white pants. He's wearing a hard hat, for some reason. The wheelbarrow is covered, and from the looks of things, whatever's underneath that sheet is heavy and vaguely shifting. Majima makes a fingergun motion at the wheelbarrow, clicking his tongue. "So here I was, buying everyone some extra snacks for this little shindig to make up for it, when some rude man came into the store in this goofy-ass outfit, eh?" He rips off the wheelbarrow's sheet to reveal a gagged, rope-bound and heavily bruised-looking man in.... a yellow snakeskin jacket, albeit much scrawnier than Majima, and his black pants aren't even leather and the metal on his shoes just doesn't shine as much.. "Ehh, what was your name again?" He lightly whaps the man's cheeks with the back of his hand. "Lnnmph!" The man replies, before the man in the blue speaks up. "Oh! He said his name was 'Elite', Boss!" Majima looks pained for a moment, before swinging his hand and barely flicking Nishida with the middle finger right across the nose. "That's not the -point-. We're taunting this idiot who was dressed like me for some reason. If you hadn't let his friend get away--" "We thought he WAS Kazuma-sa--" Nishida is struck full on, this time. "He wasn't Kazuma Kiryu! He just had the same /suit/ for some reason!" With that, Majima turns around to everyone. "...at any rate, I thought I'd bring you all a present! It would have been two, but...ya know."
Spring Breeze	Toolbox looks up before Staren calls out to her, mainly because the young woman she's with was already looking at the entrance as though expecting him from behind her opaque visor. "Hey, Mister Wiremu! Good to see you again! I'm glad you got our invitation! Have you met Hardware yet?" she gestures at the other heroine. "He was there when the Undersiders attacked the Brockton Bay Portal. I remember that much. Between Grue and Skitter, I didn't have the clearest view." She shudders a bit at the memory of being covered in bugs, even though she was the one least affected due to her suit being apparently secure enough to withstand their swarming and mandibles long enough for the deal to be struck that let the villains get away. "And to answer your question, you didn't have to, no. We're wearing our gear because we have identities to protect." Spring Breeze looks up in surprise when she hears Staren's voice, pulling her hood up to cover her braided and tied blonde hair before starting over to see what's going on. A few of the others present also seem surprised. Not so much by Staren's cat-like features as that he's here at all. "Oi, wot's dis bloody gobshite doin' 'ere? Ah'll fookin' show ye' wot's wot! Ye cain't jus' be comin' in 'ere all--" a small red-haired, foul-mouthed, Irish girl, the same one who was present for that initial battle near the portal, comes hurriedly towards Staren with her fists raised like she intends to box him into submission, but Hardware waves her off hurriedly. "It's fine, he was invited!" Toolbox puts her hands on her hips indignantly, her curly blonde hair practically bouncing with the force of her leaning in to scold the tiny heroine. "Ginger Snaps! Language!" Nightstar, in his black and white costume with the star patterns, who met Staren during the fight against Xian and Lung wanders over, a paper plate in one hand with a half-eaten slice of pizza in it and a cup in the other. The lower half of his mask is raised so he can eat and drink. "Oh, hey. It's Catman." Hardware has been keeping her attention on the huge energy signature in the building ever since Septette arrived, since all her equipment has been screaming at her, so she doesn't continue trying to put herself between Ginger Snaps and Staren when Septette approaches. "I'm going to need to upgrade the filters on my diagnostic gear. The static is killer." she grouses. Then she turns her attention towards the door again, >before< the new arrivals appear. Maybe the security isn't as lax as it appears. When Majima and his wheelbarrow-toting friend enter, Hardware groans a bit under her voice as she looks at the covered hauling tool. When Leet is revealed, a few of the Wards laugh, a few more groan, and Toolbox's spidery robotic legs unfold from her back as she uses them to walk over quickly. "Hello! Thank you for coming, and for nabbing this man! He's a repeat offender. I'll get him to a holding cell and call the proper authorities for you~." Her robot appendages then lift Leet out of the wagon, stabbing him briefly with the tip of one of the limbs, apparently delivering some kind of drug or something to knock him out, and then carrying him off down a corridor.
Staren	Septette's here? Staren is surprised. "What are you doing here? We need to talk. Is it really you at Nessos, or an impersonator?" Others come over and stuff starts happening though, and he kind of has to take it all in. Staren ahs at the explanation about the costumes and nods. "I guess I could've done the same," He lifts the collar of his labcoat one side to clumsily cover his face and wiggles his ears and tail. "...but somehow I don't think it'd work!" He's smiling at his joke as he lets go and his coat drops back into place. The Irish girl gets looked at with a dismissive expression. Her freaking out isn't making a good impression. Then he has to hold in a laugh when he hears she's called /Ginger Snaps/. Nightstar gets a nod, and then Staren turns to see "Majima? What took you so..." His eyes fall on that wheelbarrow. What. Okay. He brought the superheroes a present. Well done, apparently. Then he realizes Toolbox just walked off. "Great. Now we're the chaperones." He turns back to the Wards. "Does she have a problem with me? And is there anything you folks want to know about the Multiverse?"
Septette Arcubielle	Septette takes a diminutive sip of her fruit punch while she pretends to think about Staren's question. She doesn't need to take time to think, but creating the impression of having done so is sometimes useful. "You know, given my high profile and the size of the Multiverse, it's more likely that you're talking to a cosplayer than the real me right now." Then she breaks into a little smile, and offers him the cup of punch a little more insistently. "Yes, it's the real me. But I guarantee you nothing's going to be solved by wracking your brains over what's happening there. What happens in Nessos should stay in Nessos." She seems... warm. Unruffled in her friendship, for someone whose regime he apparently wants to depose. Is that what "no hard feelings" means to her? The ginger catches her eye a moment later, and she allows herself a sensible giggle. "Oh, have you managed to upset the locals already? What'd you do this time, Staren?" Light teasing aside, she detaches herself from the gaggle around Staren to approach Nishida, claws clanking on the floor. "Show me your eyes," she demands, like that's a perfectly normal thing to say before even shaking hands. If he doesn't resist, she'll put her gloved hands on either side of his head and force him to look at her for a good few seconds... then releases him with a friendly nod, once she's satisfied he isn't concussed from being struck. "You're fine. Thank you." "Do you just pick up enemies on the street as a matter of habit, Majima? Or was this an impulse kidnapping?" There's no real disapproval in her tone; just friendly banter. If only she knew. Reaching into her 'pockets', she pulls out a small bottle of pitch-black liquid with little starry motes in it, and offers to pour him a cup. Now that he's seen what's underneath, it's perhaps a tad uncanny the way that frame holds a humanoid silhouette under her concealing clothing of choice.
Majima Goro	As Leet is taken from the wheelbarrow, Majima helps Nishida back to his feet, idly counting some bills. "...now ya ain't gonna wanna hang at this party, so go take the boys down anywhere that's open and go nuts, arright? If anything goes wrong, I'll come down." He passes the wad to Nishida, who bows in response. "Got it, Boss!" And with that, Majima's the only remaining representative of Majima Construction in the room. "...eh? We're the chaperones? I don't remember signin' up for that!" He looks over at Staren, his one eye widening. There is a vague horrified twist of the mouth. "...I mean, I can handle a party without drinkin', but these guys don't look like they gotta be babysat or nothin'," He waves an arm around to gesture at the red-haired girl, the guy in black and white, Septette Arcuibelle... That gesturing hand stops, falling down a bit. "...ehh? ....Ah, never mind." Still, she's asked questions, and that's worth answering. "Sure, I'll take a cup of...whatever that is, why not," He offers, tapping his head with a gloved finger and a knowing smile. "Eh? Punks are always getting up in my business wherever I go. Probably what keeps me in enough exercise to stay lookin' this good, yeah?" He looks out towards where Leet has been dragged off. "Not like I gotta go around to find some thug to bring like a birthday present, you know."
Septette Arcubielle	"It's positively amazing how the supply of criminals seems to meet the demand of vigilantes for faces to punch," Septette observes mildly, pouring some of the fluid into a plastic cup for Majima's benefit. It's perfectly opaque even in the thinnest droplets, and the little sparks of light move around in it as if of their own volition. It's like the night sky deliquesced and bottled, and the flavor's like an incredibly strong herbal tea with an alcoholic aftertaste. The little glowy bits have a bit of crunch and waxy chew to them, like crisp honeycomb. "They call this stuff 'vespers', where I'm from, though I've taken a liberty or two with its composition for the celebration. We used to use it to read the stars when we couldn't see the sky," she says contemplatively, pouring a bit off into a cup for herself. "It's good stuff even if you're not a Zodiac, though, isn't it? But it stains like the devil, so don't spill."
Staren	Staren makes an annoyed 'hm' sound as Septette casually mentions Nessos. He doesn't WANT to depose her regime. He WANTS her to make sense so he can defend her work with proper conviction and without being made to look blindly trusting fool. What'd he do? "Not think much of their justice system. I thought the whole refusing to kill their targets was playing silly games when future lives are at risk but it turns out they're pretty good at it. As for the supply of criminals, there will always be people who want to do things their way, won't there."
Spring Breeze	"'Snaps has a problem with everyone." Nightstar answers dryly. He's definitely one of the taller present despite being a teenager. The Irish girl in the gas mask and forest green jumpsuit turns on him, and Nightstar skips backwards reflexively, hands automatically going to guard his groin. Seems he's had experience getting punched for annoying her. A guy in a black and yellow costume with bulky gauntlets comes over. "Let's not speak for others. If Toolbox invited him, then he's welcome. We weren't technically allowed to invite the people we invited either. Same for you, Miss." He looks towards Septette. He has a smooth, featureless, reflective black mask that shows the face of the person in front of him. "I'm Shadow Soul. I lead the Wards here in Brockton Bay." He looks towards Majima and says. "And we are always glad to have help with criminals. Can you provide the name of the place you apprehended him? It's not that I disbelieve you, but protocol requires that I get witness statements for out-of-town and free-operative heroes taking spontaneous action." Ginger Snaps finally stops menacing Nightstar and turns around to answer the question. "Ah'll speak for myself, aye. While th' rest o' us were fightin' ye' were jus' standin' around workin' yer gob!" Hardware sighs. "He wasn't obligated to help and didn't know who was who. I'm sure that if a similar situation came up, he'd take action this time." Snaps snorts derisively. Breeze has been hovering nearby, too awkward to get into the conversation, but when she spots an opening, thrusts out a hand to Majima and says quickly, "Hi, I'm Spring Breeze. Nice to meet you. Thanks for catching that guy."
Majima Goro	"Eh? If ya wanna be specific about it, I was technically a criminal till just recently," He points out, slurring the black, sparkly stuff in the cup around once before moving to sip at it. There's a pause. His brow raises. "...Aaahhh. That's good stuff. Gotta say, looks a bit too much like poison for me to feel entirely safe drinkin' it, but..." He proceeds to immediately slug the rest back, leaving his teeth looking sparkling black. "Anyway, what ya gotta keep in mind is that it ain't just vigilantes out for criminal blood, yeah? Tojo Clan and the Omi Alliance been skirmishin' for a long while, and it ain't like it was that long ago since I had to deal with some upstarts on my own side. Part of why I ended up bailin' outta the yakuza," He says, cheekily holding out the cup in case there's a refill in store. Meanwhile, Staren gets a sharp turn of the head. "It ain't that hard to just not kill a guy, Staren, and if ya gonna cross that line, ya better have some good reasons." "Oh, yeah, it was that convenience store 'few blocks east of here." It will turn out, in fact, that Majima was telling the truth, should Shadow Soul look into it. Though, it will also turn out that that there were several instances of low-level criminals being found bludgeoned and bruised in nearby alleyways by a man in a snakeskin jacket, but it's equally possible all of that was just Leet, right? Of course. It's entirely possible, since he and Uber were right there in the area about to do a shakedown. With that, he takes Breeze's hand. "Eh? Ah, no problem. I can't stand when punks don't know when ta keep their yaps shut."
Staren	Staren rolls his eyes at Snaps at first, but... he can imagine someone reminding him to be more empathetic. He sighs and looks at her earnestly. "I get how frustrating it can be to know you're working to do what you know is the right thing and someone refusing to help. But if I just trusted the first people I talked to without evidence, I'd have been just as likely to meet the Undersiders first, get fed a story about how you're all working for a tyrannical government they're rebelling against, and then I'd have ended up fighting /you/. And feeling even more the fool when I found out the truth. Maybe hurting people. Especially since I'm used to /killing/ bad guys so they don't continue to be a problem. Sometimes, following principles instead of just going with your gut can be frustrating, but it helps prevent making mistakes. That's why you're working for the government and making sure the bad guys get a trial instead, right?" Staren takes a deep breath. "I usually kill bad guys because most worlds don't have the infrastructure to deal with superpowered criminals, or they're impractical to capture. It's an unfortunate necessity, not the best way. Sometimes heroes make mistakes, after all." Beat. "Fortunately, that day I made the mistake that inconvenienced and annoyed you, and not the mistake that ended up with lives lost."
Septette Arcubielle	Septette politely pours Majima a second cup, though the miniature bottle looks to be getting a little low- she puts it away pretty decisively after that. "Everybody's a criminal if you look at it right," she answers, rocking slightly on her heels. "So many laws, so many governments... they say the average person commits three and a half felonies a day. It's more about: who considers you an enemy? Who are you challenging? Is it the people in power?" She casts her gaze around the room performatively for a moment, looking at all the Protectorate capes, then looks back to Majima. "If it's fighting between criminal organizations, that's a different grade than, say, challenging the status quo. Gets you painted by a different brush. Usually doesn't get you mobbed by the spandex hitsquad."
Majima Goro	Eh, a refill's a refill. Majima downs the shot without hesitation, letting out a decided sigh of satisfaction once he's done. "...Three and a half? Huh. Yeah, that seems bout right," He nods. "You know, I dunno that I'm exactly opposed to the Japanese government, though. Heck, helped a guy write a sales tax, once," He says, then back around all the superheroes in question. "'sides, the Yakuza kinda /is/ the status quo, in a lot of ways, y'know? Sure, the police try to arrest, but that gets...complicated." He waves a hand a bit, before giving Staren his attention. "Yeah, Staren's a good guy, yeah?" Majima extends a hand. He snaps his fingers once. "I ain't seen him hold back on a decision yet less it was the best idea he's got, y'know?" There's a grin, and he extends both hands out. "But I know he's sure a heck of a lot closer to the law'n order side than I am, even after goin' legit."
Spring Breeze	Hardware asks Staren about the technology of other worlds, Shadow Soul shows some discomfort reconciling other-worldly criminals with the laws of his own world (it's way over his paygrade to decide if someone else's laws apply here, and Majima >did< help catch a bad guy), and Breeze starts to loosen up a bit or at least exist in proximity to others with her attention on the conversation instead of her phone. A few others introduce themselves and ask questions about the worlds that Septette, Staren, and Majima come from. Toolbox returns right as Hardware is asking Septette, "So how exactly are you putting out so much energy?" "Hey, everyone. It's getting late. I think it's time for guests to get headed home. Shadow Soul, can I speak to you?" There's some complaints from various people about having to stop the party already, but it >is< a school night. Toolbox pulls the leader of the Wards aside and quietly and hurriedly speaks to him. Breeze looks on apprehensively, but it's Hardware, and whatever sensory gear she uses, that picks up what's being discussed and has her stiffen noticeably. Finally, Toolbox comes over, her robotic legs folded back between her shoulders, and speaks to the combo of Breeze, Hardware, Staren, Septette, and Majima. "We have a problem. It's been communicated to me that one of the Riders appears to be approaching on a direct course through Brockton Bay. It's possible that it will change direction, but we have emergency protocols to follow in preparation. Anyone who isn't willing to potentially die defending this city needs to go home or find a shelter." Hardware says, "Shit. We >really< can't let it get access to our Portal." Toolbox wags a finger. "Language! And yes, that is one of the PRT's concerns. I'll brief anyone if they have questions, but we need to move fast."
Staren	The spandex hitsquad. That's a good phrase Staren will have to remember. He smiles a bit at Majima's praise as well. Staren happily gives Hardware a summary of how most Earths are 20th-21st century and the more advanced ones seem to be focusing on computer technology, that his had a heavy focus on human enhancement before the apocalypse and also there's magic now, and that he's seen other worlds that focus on magitech, or developed space travel, he'll even hand out some futuristic tablets if they're interested. And then Toolbox delivers some bad news. "The Riders? ... Are these giant creatures with control over the elements and energy? I need to go get my giant robot." He will head out after the briefest explanation, but he'll keep in touch to recieve more details.
Spring Breeze	"Giant? Some of them can be quite large, though they vary in size. There are four of them. Death, War, Conquest, and Famine. They each have multiple powers. Each one is like a walking natural disaster, but they're dozens of magnitudes worse when they're together." Toolbox explains in answer to Staren. "Their abilities hybridize with and amplify each other." Breeze speaks up quietly, "Capes have even seemingly destroyed them in the past, but they just reappear later, even stronger. Precogs can't track them, so we're stuck observing them from sattelites and things like that and just trying to evacuate people out of their paths. There have been fewer encounters since the Storm, because there's fewer people left alive for them to run into." Toolbox nods and says, "But sometimes they'll just suddenly veer off their course towards a population center." Hardware says, "Hey... Do we know which one it is? I mean, it's bad no matter which one but some are worse than--" "Death." ">Fuck!<" "Young lady, don't make me warn you about your language again! Though I share your sentiments."