[center][h1][color=#357302][b]Chatterbox[/b][/color][/h1][/center][hr]
Hanging about the bar, stirring a drink with a small red umbrella. There was the barest of smiles on his lips as he watched the various interactions in the room, humming softly as he did so. Broker had given him permission to use his power, but he would play it safe, he'd decided. There was, after all, a distinct possibility that there was someone in the room who could identify the presence of his power.

He would rather not tip his hand.

So it was that he remained apart from those in the room and simply watched, for once...almost silent. He was biding his time.
[hr][center][h1][color=#3068FF][b]Evelyn Chambers – [i]Tulpa[/i][/b][/color][/h1][/center][hr]
It had a rough and emotional—if fairly uneventful—three weeks since the incident at the warehouse. She was in full costume with the attention of many fans, if not so many who apprecaited her personally. She told herself it was because she was one of the newest wards, with only two missions under her belt, but even Lillian had more people come up to her than she had.

It grated.

Smiling, she still occasionally managed to get lost in the adoration and idolization and occasionally the recognition of those few fans who understood her name and had hung on every tidbit of news about her. It seemed that the PRT had done a decent job controlling the story about the warehouse to some degree as more often than not those who approached her personally—rather than to just fill some quota of getting all the Wards signatures—seemed to see her in an exceptionally positive light. When it was the little kids it made her smile warmly. Given that she was wearing a different mask, one for public appearances rather than the field, they could actually see it when she smiled.

She liked that. It was connection and it felt good. Even in the sometimes euphoric haze of attention she continually found her gaze drawn around the room to the other capes who had been allowed to make an appearance.

Every time she thought of one, the 'shadow' seemed to twitch and writhe in the foundation of the building where she was keeping it. It put a damper on things, but nothing could take away the little girl in her who wanted to go all doe eyed and squeal everytime she saw a hero.

She'd idolized some of these people as a little girl, and once she'd gotten her own powers and gotten past the trauma, she'd found herself far more obsessed than she had been before. Evelyn thought there was a good chance that a part of that obsession with capes was her power talking...rather than her.

It was a weird thought, but she didn't mind it too much.

A few times Evelyn snuck a little peak at another cape's powers using a hidden thread from her 'shadow' right through the floor. She felt a little [i]bad[/i] when she did it, but not in a criminal way. It reminded her that she was only seventeen, it reminded her that it was okay to be a little naughty.

At the thought she couldn't help but let her eyes wander to a few of the other capes in the room. She bit her lip briefly at the thought. Man, that guy in black with the white boots was [i]yummy[/i]. Swallowing hard, her eyes darted away, her cheeks—though largely hidden—reddened. Fortunately  the Wards were approached by another cape, a case 53, and her appearance, not to mention her [i]appearance[/i] served to distract her.

[color=#3068FF][b]"Wow, you look amazing."[/b][/color] The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. She brought a hand up and covered her mouth, embarrassed.
[hr][center][h1][color=#B8EEFF][b]Outsider[/b][/color][/h1][/center][hr]
Though the emotion had been mild, and still was, he'd found himself rather surprised that the Minutemen were invited to the event. He was glad for the publicity and used some of the time to build his image—though he did it in constume rather than in Second Vessel—and spread his name and willingness to help. He wanted to do hero work and he wanted to use his power to help others, not to mention give them a better impression than his other form tended to.

He found, to even greater surprise—though muddied bu its dullness—that he was actually well liked among those who knew him...and that more people than he thought would have, did in fact know him. It turned out that turning into a giant airborne sea monster made one pretty popular with the kids—at least those who weren't terrified.

So it was that he actually found himself smiling for much of his time, and not just the smallest of smirks, but an actual smile. He knew that the emotion must be more like jubilation than or intense joy to make him react so. It felt good.

Still, the whole thing was somewhat marred by the fact that he knew this might just be the last time the Minutemen were together, after all this [i]was[/i] Kyoshi's last gig. They hadn't been close, but she was an asset and a good hero. He'd miss her.

Glancing about, though he never really strayed from their booth, Outsider sometimes caught people staring at him, less with the eyes of adoration that people tended to aim at heroes, and more with, well, [i]want[/i]. It was weird to have so many women, even if most of them were a good few years younger than him, giving him so much attention. He supposed his costume did put an emphasis on his body, which was noticeably fit.

Good genes and significant exercise would do that to a guy. While not particularly uncomfortable, it [i]was[/i] kind of weird when he noticed a member of the Wards, of all people, staring at him. Then again, maybe he'd been wrong, the girl was wearing a mask after all. Maybe she'd been looking at someone else.

Oh well.

Dismissing the thought, Outsider turned back to his booth just as some kids rushed up for pictures, begging him to come outside and change forms. Laughing for the first time in a little while, he told Kyoshi and G4M3R, before they tugged him away and he disappeared out the door.

Today was a good day, he decided. He hoped he could have more of them soon.