Though on the exciting cusp of beginning his first real operation alongside his team, Arthur stepped from the vehicle with a frown on his face. He would have liked to arrive sooner and meet or at least observe the Crues as a civilian, without attempting any confrontation or revealing his identity. Now, even if they remained in a single spot in preparation for their show, there was too much going on for any kind of interaction.

He turned his attention to Leonard, listening with rapt attention as he explained, with his characteristic eloquence, the purpose and power of those little cards of his. Possessing next to no knowledge of Free Bird or its ability, he gave the man a respectful nod as he shared a few details. [i]Infohazard based on written, or perhaps drawn media that implants ideas into the viewer,[/i] he mused. If that guess reflected reality, Leonard harbored a capacity for subterfuge and manipulation limited only by his imagination, which was more than a little scary in the hands of a witty fellow. It essentially put him on the opposite end of the spectrum from Blue, whose ability seemed devoid of nuance but was incredibly effective in combat. Then again, Free Bird could just as easily be crazy strong in a fight; it was all luck of the draw.

After graciously receiving the results of Leonard's preparation, Arthur produced his own. In his hand the mustached strongman slung a leather satchel. He didn't bother opening it up, since its contents -a collection of normal everyday items- held no significance for the others. Yet, regardless of what lay inside -which changed between every mission that called for it- that bag held for him a crucial importance, a fondness even. Today it contained a couple toy animals, three pieces of mundane equipment, a plant, a bit of food, and a few other things. Were this the sort of venue that disallowed personal items, he might have encountered a spot of trouble, but nobody would begrudge a fellow bringing something like this into a theater.

In reply to Mieke, he breezily said, “If my timing's right, we have just aboot a half hour until the show starts. Chances are they're already backstage. If we tried to get 'em before the show, they might get spooked and make a break for it. Still, we could do that or attend the show and meet 'em after. However, we should take precautions.” He held up three fingers and let his experience speak for him. “We've got three users on our hands. If they're performers, I wouldn't be even the slightest bit surprised if one or more of their abilities worked through their show. Area of effect, audiohazard, infohazard, who knows? Take this Stand I met once, Clattanoia. Little table that can make miniatures of any building, and then the real one mimics things done to the miniatures. Soon as you step into the building, you're a target. Or Ape of Naples, with its rage aura that got stronger the more people saw it.“

“Furthermore, we can't rule out the chance that one can detect other users. The moment they step out onto stage, they could catch on to us and potentially escape.” Arthur stepped back and crossed his arms, tucking his bag under his arm as he did. “As such, at least one of us should stay out of the theater.” He noticed Hogan itching to be on his way, and gave a nod before glancing at the others. “Right, no time to lose. I'm sure Hogan knows he'll make a ruckus if he goes in the normal way, so if he wants to get in that bad, a side-entrance hopefully leading backstage is your best bet.” He turned to address the crocodile. “I'd be happy to join you again, Hogan.” Since that meant they wouldn't be in the audience, Mieke, Blue, and Leonard could all attend the show. If they got good seats, that would leave the Crue Brothers surrounded.