[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/NN7JjDC.jpg?1[/img][/center]
[center][h3][b][color=0054a6]Sean Evens/Overclock[/color][/b][/h3][/center]

[b]Date/Time:[/b] [i]November 11th, 2022. 6:02 PM.[/i]

[b]Location(s):[/b] [i]Redline PRT Headquarters[/i]

[b]Stage 3 Escalation Energy Pool:[/b] [i]1 hours, 36 minutes, 0 seconds[/i]
[hr][hr]

The other Wards were continuing to filter in, and Sean, despite currently being partially ramped up, had his mind running so fast managing all the new inputs that he felt a little overwhelmed in spite of it all.

Workshop's response was kind enough, but the small glower in her eyes only got confusion from him. Honestly, Sean wasn't sure what she was upset about. His caution? Well, maybe he was being a tad too obvious about it, but exactly how could she blame him? He wasn't the one making fuck-off-unstable wild card technology, so he had a right to be wary. The formality? It wasn't like he'd given her his, so why wouldn't he refer to her as anything other than her alter-ego, especially in a setting where secret identities might as well not exist. In the end, he only vocalized an, [color=0054a6]"Mmmm,"[/color] in response and left it at that. They weren't exactly friends, and he didn't need his attention being pulled even more directions, especially given how much of it was focused on keeping an eye on her... gadget.

A younger boy in a rather dapper getup was next to arrive, and Sean could only raise a single brow at the finger-guns and greeting being shot his way. Given his current mood, he wasn't exactly in the best headspace to appreciate the overly familiar address; rather, he'd always been a bit tweaked by nicknames. Maybe it was the small aspect of outside definition, but he'd never appreciated being called by any name he'd not chosen for himself. And the comment on his jacket...? He snorted lightly. [color=0054a6]"It's nothing special. Bog standard stuff. No brand. I honestly couldn't tell you when or where I got it; I've had it too long."[/color] And honestly, it's not like he really wore a [i]costume[/i] per-say; rather he was known in part as a hero for how down to earth his whole shtick generally was. Aside from a domino mask slipped out of his pockets when he needed to slow down to a visual level, he'd had no need for an actual disguise. Sean's other brow rose to join the first in the face of the normally fairly amiable Director's rather... [i]chilly[/i] response to the newcomer as well. Maybe it was the hints of irreverent smart-assery Sean could already sense in undertones.

But his attention didn't stay there for long in the face of the absolute [i]explosion[/i] of words that assaulted him from yet another newcomer, a younger boy, seemingly around the same age as the first. Though Sean wouldn't have quite bet on it; he'd never been the best at determining ages. To be honest, it was all he could do at the present moment to simply smile lightly and nod in the face of the... frankly, [i]fanboy[/i] until said boy turned his attention elsewhere. Sure, having been a hero for two years, Sean wasn't [i]unfamiliar[/i] with praise, but he wasn't exactly overly comfortable with it either, especially when it was this... [i]much[/i]. Under normal circumstances too, he could usually make up an excuse to dart away at top speed, but right now, no such luck was with him. For once, he wasn't in a position to put distance between himself and admiration... to run away from the problem.

And that name... [i]Hope[/i]? Well, it wasn't like Sean was against the concept of bringing light to the darkness, but [i]that[/i] kind of name carried a [i]weight[/i] to it, a [i]responsibility[/i]. To take such a name carelessly in this world was the height of arrogance or naivety. Worse than that, such a name was an unspoken promise to the people you were going to protect, a covenant that would be all too easy to break. That was the sort of name that [i]demanded[/i] expectations be heaped upon it.

This kid -[i]Andrew[/i]- didn't know just what kind of fucking anthill he'd kicked over by claiming that title. That was practically catnip to villains looking to humiliate a do-gooder, practically taunting them.

Sean had never heard of him, and he'd kept tabs on the majority of the serious players in Redline these past two years. If this guy had been around for any significant amount of time, then he certainly wasn't making the kind of waves required to live up to the name he'd snatched. And if he [i]hadn't[/i] been around long...? Well, that just sounded like thoughtless teenage arrogance to Sean. And sure, that might have sounded a bit rich coming from another teenager -if an older one, but Sean liked to hope he was more well-grounded than the average teen parahuman... or parahumans in general. He kept his own ambitions high, but ultimately realistic, expressed grand ideals but tempered them with the knowledge that change was never as simple as simply believing and wanting it. Shit happened. You couldn't save everyone, and to promise otherwise, to claim you could give more than you were actually able? That, quite simply, was to [i]lie[/i], to deceive the people with false hope, and such a thing wasn't fair to either side of the equation.

But he digressed.

The next to arrive had... honestly caught his eye in a way he wasn't initially expecting. A girl about his age in a bit of a frumpy getup with messy, pinned-back chin-length bangs that couldn't seem to quite decide if they were more brown or red. Either way, she was on a visual level... honestly somehow hitting right in his strike zone. She had a sort of effortless beauty, the kind that implied she didn't actually work for it, that it came naturally to her, which in combination with her clothes implied a certain level of modesty that he could appreciate. Vanity had never really appealed to Sean in girls, and between recovering from his Trigger, school, martial arts, work and his heroics, he'd never really found time or motivation to date. He wasn't the sort to use dating apps as some sort of naively hopeful quick-fix, and really, he was too busy before to even [i]consider[/i] adding anything else to his plate.

This whole Wards thing... might actually be a solution to that, one he genuinely hadn't considered before, a silver lining to the bullshit. Now that he'd basically been forced to quit his prior job, he was no longer in an environment where his primary dating prospects were people he would have to gamble on trusting with his secret identity. And to be honest, that was kind of a sticking point for him. Maybe it was asking too much of the universe, but Sean was the type to prefer a romance to mostly... just happen [i]naturally[/i], not be a cheap thing sought out to fill an empty social hole or get a quick lay. He wanted something genuine, something with no secrets or -at least- not ones as big as him being a parahuman. Given how casual he was about it, anyone he got that close to would inevitably find out, and he didn't want to lie about that sort of thing to begin with, even by omission. He wanted to be open about his powers, be able to trust his secret with his partner. And before now... he'd never been in an environment where that would be implicitly universally the case. With that major primary hurdle out of the way? Well, suddenly, Sean was in a position he'd thought closed to him for a long while.

But that was getting [i]way[/i] ahead of himself. He'd literally just [i]met[/i] her for Pete's sake, and they hadn't even exchanged more than [i]looks[/i]. Well, granted, she seemed to silently recognize him in some way, to which he simply nodded in recognition of her recognition, even if he couldn't guess what was going through her head. He didn't know anything about her other than the fact that she seemed similarly as unenthused with this as him... if her aloof standing off to the side was any clue, which, to be honest, was just another point in her favor. Maybe it was petty, but he was all for knowing he wasn't the only one not drinking the PRT kool aid. Before that though, he'd actually have to get her freaking [i]name[/i] before he even thought of taking this line of consideration further.

How to do it though...

Well, he could always wait for it to be brought up naturally and piggyback off the offered info. If her disinterest was genuine, then he wasn't likely to earn any points with her for trying to drag her into an unfavorable social situation. The fact that she had pulled out her phone and an earphone and was now literally only half-listening to the proceedings seemed to reinforce this conclusion. Though... there were some inconsistencies... like the small smile that he'd likely not have noticed without his enhanced vision. Though, it was equally likely that was merely due to her enjoying a good song.

That line of thought was interrupted by the Director chiming in again about some apparent Tinkertech earbuds that were now getting passed around. While Sean wasn't exactly sure who this "Grey Man" was -whether it was one of his fellow Wards or some new member of the Guardians, the Master implications couldn't have been more blatant. Well, he [i]hadn't[/i] been sure until the Director unceremoniously gestured at the dapperly dressed boy. Sean's stomach curdled in distinct discomfort at the idea of working with an obvious human Master, but none of that showed in his expression. Instead, given his current doubled speed, to an outside perspective, he merely opened and equipped his own earbuds a fair sight faster than the others, a small frown blooming on his mouth before smoothing away at high speed.

The implication that they would actually [i]need[/i] such protection from their own supposed ally was [i]not[/i] a good one. Either this "Grey Man's" power was involuntary, he had neither the will or morals to bother restraining it... or he was the sort to be actively conniving with it. And given the Director's unusually icy disposition towards the boy? Unfortunately, Sean was leaning towards the latter two.

Sliding the earbud case into his jacket's inner pocket, Sean watched with half an eye, as the frumpy girl caught the set tossed to her easily in both hands... while the trashy one scrambled but managed not to drop them as well.

The Director made a prompt for introductions... and a gesture for the frumpy loner girl to get with the program. Clearly, he wasn't enthused with her lack of showing even the most basic team cohesion. It was one thing to be of few words like Sean; it was another thing entirely to not even humor team unity by sitting at the table. In line with that mode of thought, Sean wasn't all too inclined to speak up first. Despite his power being the sort that might encourage a reckless "strike hard, strike first" approach, Sean instead was a more careful sort typically, especially when it came to the unknown. His power encouraged waiting, watching and carefully picking your moment. Sure, he could ramp up ahead of fights, but the energy waste was atrocious. Therefore, in life as in battle, he'd come to be a more reactionary sort, scouting out the unknown first before carefully choosing his course of action.

In short, he'd let the other Wards make the first move and then adjust his approach appropriately.

Unfortunately, Workshop seemed keen to take center stage, and as she called herself "Beverly" (a name Sean honestly couldn't recall), the device in her hands seemed to be making far more ominous noises... [i]before going off[/i]-! Sean's Breaker state instantly hit stage two, and he jolted in his seat, almost standing up before his accelerated vision caught sight of what was spilling forth from the makeshift Tinker grenade.

[color=0054a6][i]Confetti?[/i][/color]

Closing his eyes and allowing his Breaker state to slide back down to the first stage, Sean leaned back in his chair and struggled to calm his abruptly thundering heart, as the southern gal was swallowed up by a harmless mass of paper. The sudden crackling buzz of energy all too close to the Director shot both his heartrate and power level right back up again, as Sean stood abruptly in the face of a portal, prepared to lunge forward and pull the Director away from an intruder-

Only to cluck his tongue at the raggedy, afroed African-American girl stepping through the space gateway with an all too casual quip on her tongue for the ridiculously reckless stunt she'd just pulled. Sitting back down and scoffing lightly at her introduction as "Aaliyah", Sean really unfortunately couldn't help commenting dryly, [color=0054a6]"I know from personal experience that the Mover life can make things seem slow, but there are [i]far[/i] too many ways teleporting into a highly-secure meeting between unmasked Parahumans could go [i]terribly[/i] wrong for everyone involved."[/color] He ran one hand through his brown hair. [color=0054a6]"Honestly, it only takes one twitchy trigger-finger to get someone seriously hurt."[/color] Shaking his head, Sean bit his tongue to stop himself from pursuing that line of dialogue further, waving his hand with a sigh. [color=0054a6]"Never mind. Far be it from me stop you."[/color] [i]From suffering the consequences of your own actions,[/i] he tactfully refrained from tacking on.

Honestly, realistically, he wasn't exactly in any actual position to tell the others what to do, so he'd have to count on the Director to do something about that misstep. As if on que, the Director did indeed make his own admonishment, nothing so specific as Sean's gripe but clearly stated and understandable. It was all too easy to get used to overusing one's powers for trivial things. On a certain level, that could subconsciously distance a Parahuman from the rest of humanity. Sean knew it well. even just being a hero at all created a vast separation between him and regular folk in his civilian life, discouraged connections for fear of being revealed. Given how much he hated the cold, for example, it was simply too mind-bogglingly convenient to run his power at first stage at all times while outside to knock the bite out of the wintery northern air. In most every other measure, however, he refrained from indulging casually; after all, it was all too easy to accidentally perform superhuman feats and not realize how it might appear from an outside perspective.

In other news, Frumpy Loner Girl had finally taken the Director's hint and come over to the table, seemingly also taking it upon herself to help Beverly out of her predicament. Sean blinked a bit at the apparent stutter in her voice and raised a brow outright at her introducing herself as "Memento", an obvious cape name. Why she hadn't returned the favor of using her actual name, Sean couldn't rightly fathom, however, especially given the whole glaring lack of masks thing they all had going on. Because, honestly, what was the point in concealing that detail at this juncture?

Shaking the ultimately minor gripe away for the moment, Sean raised another brow at her claim to be able to "heal". Now, Sean wasn't exactly a scientist, but he did have basic pattern recognition. "Healers", pure ones, weren't really a [i]thing[/i] with Parahumans, not as far as he could ever recall hearing. Usually, that "healing" effect was a side-effect or twisted usage of their actual powers or just a supplementation to their primary suite. So, between her lack of elaboration and the Director's somewhat ominous commentary on the matter, Sean was inclined to gird his loins for what was shaping up to be an... [i]interesting[/i] future reveal... in every Chinese proverb sense of the word.

The Director's heated expression and words dragged Sean's attention back to Grey Man (who had thus introduced himself as "Will") and Andrew, where the former seemed to be almost... off balance socially. Honestly, Will's rather show-boaty demeanor was already starting to grate at Sean, the unnecessary and curated dialogue setting the Breaker's teeth on edge. He'd worked in fast-food, dammit; he knew a feigned cordiality when he saw it, had been the user himself all too many times, in fact. Well, okay, to be fair, Andrew was also not giving his best showing, so between the two, they managed to flail at each-other socially in just the right manner to get along disturbingly well. Not that Sean was unhappy to see that Grey Man was actually getting some level of social outreach directed his way in these circumstances, but the complete lack of any manner of caution on Andrew's part -aside from apparently donning the earbuds without hesitation- was... unencouraging.

Sean barely managed to school his expression into one of mere displeasure, as Grey Man continued to ramble on. His expression briefly darkened when the boy made an absurd declaration of being a purveyor of illegal activity, before further elaborating that he'd just used his power... a power that hadn't been blocked by the nonexistent earbuds on Aaliyah. Sean's hands clenched into fists briefly in his lap, before he folded them onto the table all too calmly, lacing his fingers together lightly. Grey Man's power was obviously vocal-based, but he couldn't determine anything more about it at this juncture. The empty apologies that followed the act fell on deaf ears, as Sean closed his eyes and took a slow calming breath, restoring his composure.

Clearly, Grey Man had been recruited under circumstances similar to the bullshit the PRT tried and failed to pull on him. Either sign up and get with the program... or go to jail. In other words, [i]Grey Man[/i] was most certainly [i]not[/i] to be trusted at this juncture, not with such a clearly irreverent attitude towards using his powers on his own [i]allies[/i]. The fact that he mostly failed was of no concern whatsoever, only that he even dared make the attempt [i]at all[/i]. He was a blatant manipulator, one far less clever than he likely thought he was, and being effectively denied his power had apparently thrown him off his game enough to reveal his true colors. Now that Sean had seen them, he wouldn't be letting his guard down for a second.

Deliberately taking his mind off of what was now the second-most worrying member of the group -only led by Beverly "Time Stop Bubble" Workshop herself- was a challenge, but Sean found himself pursing his lips at the words of Andrew. The kid was a motor-mouth supreme was a blatant lack of social skills... and enough lack of subtlety to actually admit that [i]out loud[/i]. Sean restrained a groan of embarrassment by proxy, his mind already conjuring the epic PR clusterfucks to come, as he briefly ran one hand down his face. The fact that Andrew had actually [i]consulted the Director openly[/i] about his socialization skills -or lack thereof- and then went on to all but flagrantly ask out both Will and Memento [i]simultaneously[/i] made Sean have to restrain a violent twitch of irritation. By that point, the frivolous hair color changing was honestly just the cherry on top, and the damned "dictionary" comment made him want to pull his own hair out.

Right, third most worrying member of the team officially [i]located[/i].

The Tinker with the cybernetic arm finally spoke up and introduced herself as "Jane". Her specialty... was [i]interesting[/i] and apparently fairly broad, running the breadth of limbs like her arm to fucking mech suits... Though, she sounded a little oddly self-conscious about that. Maybe all her gear looked as Mad Max as her arm? In that case, Sean could see where she might be a bit tender about the aesthetics of her personal brand of technological bullshit. Aloud, he simply voiced with a grin, [color=0054a6]"Damn, [i]nice[/i]. So, what I'm hearing here is that every little boy and girl's dream of following in Luke Skywalker's footsteps is finally in reach?"[/color] Lounging back in his chair, Sean chuckled. [color=0054a6]"Well, if Memento's healing doesn't work out, consider me signed the hell up. Mad Max limb is better than no limb, you know?"[/color] Something about Jane was honestly niggling at the back of his mind, like he'd seen that junky tech of hers out in the wild, come across some stuff vaguely similar in the hands of villains and other criminals, little supplements here and there that made more than one encounter more frustrating than it had any right to be. Originally, he'd assumed that tech came from Workshop's carelessness, but in hindsight... the "Mad Max" tech had always tended to be far more reliable in the end, less likely to backfire and defeat the enemy for him in a ridiculous manner.

Ultimately, Sean put those thoughts on the backburner, but given the circumstances...? Well, despite the assumedly extensive vetting process conducted by the PRT, he'd have to take things as they come and hope he was just worrying over nothing.

Shaking his head, Sean paid mind to the Director accepting Andrew's barrage of questions and answering them... honestly as smoothly as could be expected in this situation. The day's itinerary was finally laid out, and Sean nodded along approvingly; all of that sounded more than reasonable. To be honest, a group patrol at this stage was probably highly premature, but he refrained from voicing his opinion on the matter yet. Ultimately, the Director had the final say in such things... for better or worse.

Sean raised a brow in some measure of disbelief at Andrew's seeming immediate assumption that he'd take on a leadership slot. That sounded like [i]way[/i] too much responsibility way too fast, especially for a gig he'd not even wanted to begin with. The Director, in turn, made some good points, but Sean ultimately nodded gratefully in response to the noncommittal answer given on the issue. He couldn't help a little chuff at Will's dry inquiry on a "dart board" or "spinner"; to be honest, there were [i]worse[/i] ways to decide, and the randomization element would quell a large part of any jealousy that might be provoked. Sean smiled approvingly at the idea of a group "vote" of sorts on the matter of leadership. As an appreciator of core American ideals like the democratic process, he could more than approve of the idea of the team choosing their own head. Even...

[color=0054a6]"Why make it just one?"[/color] Sean shrugged with a familiar smile finally finding its way onto his face, the expression of a mediator, one he'd worn many times as a hero on the job. [color=0054a6]"Unless I miss my guess, it's not like any of us would have any real experience with being in command."[/color] Unfortunately, he didn't exactly consider his helping teach martial arts equivalent to the current matter, and openly advocating himself for such a position to begin with just left... some sort of sour taste in his mouth that he couldn't quite describe. [color=0054a6]"That's a lot more pressure and responsibility than people tend to give it credit for. In an ideal world, we could just make decisions as a united group, but if there's an insistence or need for a head, I think it would be much more reasonable to have two or three among us share the load, especially given our numbers."[/color]

The elevator opening again caught his attention, admitting a rather conspicuously [i]alone[/i] -no officer escort in sight- blue-eyed older boy with a shock of white hair, obviously dyed this time for a change. The odds of a [i]second[/i] Cape joining them that could also conveniently color-change their hair were long, so Sean had no reason to assume any different until proven otherwise. The newest newcomer was [i]big[/i], obviously athletic, taller than Sean even at a guesstimate, and it was easy to also assume he was of a similar age. The white-haired boy spoke with a sort of easy confidence when introducing himself as "Caiden", but... something about him was already setting Sean's teeth on edge.

It was nothing he could exactly openly put to words, but several things just seemed... off. The clearing of Caiden's throat to interrupt discussion and deliberately draw attention to himself even when simply walking over would have served well enough. The fact that his own addressal to the Director somehow managed to sound ruder than Grey Man's, despite the latter verbalizing himself more informally. There were a bunch of other little things, like the way he held himself, his clothes, his far more "friendly" presentation to the other Wards... Hmmm, perhaps that was it...? It was the way he was [i]presenting[/i] himself. Under normal circumstances, Sean might not have twigged to anything being overtly off, but with Will making a show of himself and his own personal experience, Sean had more than enough immediate context to peg Caiden for another manipulator... one far more experienced and refined than someone that likely relied half on their power for things, which made [i]Crosspoint[/i], by contrast, far more threatening.

Shaking his head lightly, Sean tried to banish the spurt of perhaps irrational paranoia, but it couldn't seem to settle down, not fully. Ultimately, upon inner examination, he realized he didn't actually trust [i]anyone[/i] here, not yet, not the way he needed to be able to. Before today, all of exactly [i]no one[/i] had he ever willing told about his powers, so to suddenly be thrust into a situation where his secret identity was suddenly being spread to all and sundry amongst a bunch of teens that he couldn't rightly assume were devoid of a plant or spy despite even the PRT's resources? Amongst teens like Andrew, who seemed obliviously blunt enough to [i]accidentally[/i] out any number of them?

In that situation, Sean could acknowledge that he'd held back from introducing himself for more than a reason as simple as wanting to read the room. At the end of the day, he didn't want to out himself any further than his face, and he could suddenly greatly understand Memento's position... if, indeed, that's what this was. Her apparent caution was one he now realized he shared. It was completely justified. So, now, the question is if he should show solidarity with that now... or wait to see if she'd revoke her stance to take on the one employed by the majority. Honestly, that was where Sean was leaning. Refusing to give out his real name would be a blatant refusal of solidarity and an obvious display of his mistrust, and further, the Director seemed like the kind of guy to not give a shit about his preferences and use his real name openly with the others regardless, completely nullifying the point.

Jane -the girl with the cyber arm- was speaking again... and asked a fairly relevant question. Why had the Director come after them. Coincidence? Power? Looking to add preexisting reputation and PR to the team through [i]certain[/i] members? Hell, some members of this team were actively dangers to the others. Workshop and Grey Man were genuine threats for entirely different reasons, only one being hapless and the other a bad-faith actor enough to provoke specific safeguards. Wasn't this place supposed to be some sort of "safe space to train powers and avoid danger"? Well, granted, Sean considered that to be frank bullshit, considering how badly the PRT was outnumbered in Redline, but were they just unable to go the extra mile to at least give the [i]presentation[/i] that their words were truthful? Were they [i]that[/i] desperate for warm empowered bodies? Frankly, Sean was inclined to think the answer was honestly some mixture of all of the above, but maybe the Director had a different brutally pragmatic -or shockingly altruistic- answer in store for them...

Will's commentary on the matter reflected that assumed pragmatism, and glancing around at the ages arrayed before them, Sean had to agree, snorting wryly, [color=0054a6]"Seems about right. Just about everyone here seems to be on the older end of the spectrum. Obviously, most parents aren't [i]stupid[/i] enough to pretend like we're [i]actually[/i] going to be safe all the time, no matter what flavor Kool Aid the PRT is serving them, so the only ones that seem inclined to risk it for the big financial and support benefits are those with kids that are closer to flying the coop, the ones that can be reasonably expected to handle themselves."[/color] He crossed his arms and nodded with something of a half-smirk Will's way, leaning back in his chair. Regardless of his personal... [i]issues[/i] with Masters, assuming the PRT wasn't a bunch of morons and had vetted Grey Man extra hard, then he was... [i]moderately[/i] willing to give him the benefit of a doubt. Not enough to remove his earbuds in the younger boy's presence [i]ever[/i] but... enough to give him a chance. It might have been different if the brat's power "slip-up" had been on Sean, himself, but for the time being, he'd give him enough leeway to watch his back and give credence to his concerns.

Then Andrew started talking again. The kid's admission that he was an orphan... explained some things. Though, even for an orphan, Sean had never seen anyone this clueless. A rather dark part of his mind suggested that it was this very behavior that had kept Andrew from being adopted to begin with, even at his age, but Sean shoved that brutal thought down. Sean barely kept his smile intact when the kid went on about some nonsense regarding anime of all things. Damn, this guy was really a mood killer, he couldn't help concluding. And further... the looks Will was shooting Andrew's way spelled nothing good for the future. Sean honestly wasn't sure how he was going to deal with this, having such a frankly gullible and grating teammate around, but then again, it wasn't like his old workplace had been all sunshine and roses. Shit happened, and some people were just going to piss you off. Being an adult was largely about being able to tolerate those annoyances and remain amiable and smiling in the face of it all, and if nothing else, Sean prided himself on his customer service.

Yeah... [i]Yeah[/i], that was it. He just had to treat the kid like an especially annoying coworker and only deal with him when necessary. Within that frame of mind, suddenly, Andrew became [i]much[/i] more tolerable. It wasn't like he was going to have to deal with him 24/7, not even during Wards work hours. Surely, he could handle this much. To do anything less would be a disgrace on his reputation as a hero. Honestly, what even was he practicing martial arts for, if he couldn't stay disciplined and polite in the face of slightest amount of inconvenience? Self-control was the name of the game, and despite any appearances to the contrary, he had [i]that[/i] in spades. His power [i]demanded[/i] it.

In other news, it seemed Memento -who had apparently thankfully rejected Andrew's impulsive "date" request- had in turn been goaded somewhat into a demonstration of her powers... and [i]of course[/i] Beverly was the only one reckless enough to actually let herself be injured to test them. Luckily, Memento had enough sense to make it a mere skin reddening, hardly an actual "scratch" by any definition. Her explanation that her ability was in reality [i]injury transfer[/i] left Sean understandably [i]distinctly[/i] worried, both about the obvious pain she'd have to endure to use it and about the potential psychological impact that would have long term. An ability that demanded self-sacrifice to use... sounded distinctly unhealthy by any account.

Her further elaboration that she could make clones of herself to murder for the sake of others did [i]not fucking help[/i] soothe his worries. Sean barely managed to keep his expression merely concerned instead of outright [i]aghast[/i], as he vocalized what he felt were two very important questions. [color=0054a6]"Your power gives you some level of pain immunity, right?"[/color] he inquired of Memento. [color=0054a6]"Or, at least, you can transfer injuries directly from a target to a clone without using yourself as the middleman, right?"[/color] Frankly, if the answer to either of those questions was "no", then he was about to become a whole lot more fucking concerned. That didn't sound like a [i]healer[/i]; that sounded like something... far more [i]abusive[/i].

The elevator opened yet again, partially interrupting his worried musings, as a startlingly small Latino girl with her hair pulled into a scrunchie shuffled in. Sean, for one, was genuinely taken aback by her age; she couldn't have been older than [i]thirteen[/i] and [i]way[/i] too young for this! Now, certainly Andrew and Will seemed young-ish, but they at least seemed to have already hit the typical teenage growth spurt. This girl most certainly had [i]not[/i]. Given the display of comparative giants leveled against her, the girl's initially blatant nervousness was obvious. The fact that she was wearing braces in that suddenly plastered on smile of hers and the actual school uniform she was wearing under her puffy jacket also gave him something to work with. First of which was that an actual uniform implied she went to a private school, which generally implied both a home and schooling environment that "expected more" and were overly concerned with appearances. And braces implied that -at her apparent age- she was likely suffering some self-esteem issues. Parahuman powers didn't [i]just happen[/i], not without pressure... pressure he was already in a position to speculate about.

Now, Sean wondered perhaps if things had changed, but generally, braces tended to not be treated well by other kids, never mind teens. They typically got you slapped with stereotypes like "nerd" and mocking labels, private school or no. Bullying happened; attempts were made by little hormonal assholes even towards the likes of him. Sean had been lucky enough to be able to physically handle himself through any rowdier sorts and socially adept enough to maneuver through attempts to attack him other ways. He had been able to handle himself and been more than willing to throw away his teenage pride and get the school faculty and his parents involved, eventually putting a stop to continued attempts to screw with him. But not everyone was [i]him[/i].

The Latino girl found a seat without so much as a word to the rest of them, directly in contrast to her apparent friendliness. Rolling his jaw, Sean considered the approach to take here. He knew that older teenagers tended to be rather... [i]intimidating[/i] to younger kids. He recalled as much. After all, he'd been their age at one time too. So, she maybe wasn't too enthused about all this when she could have been hanging out with friends her own age... Still, Sean knew younger kids tended to like being taken seriously to a certain degree, and girls [i]did[/i] on average mature faster than boys.

Outwardly, he genuinely couldn't help an incredulous sigh at Andrew nominating him as a leader [i]again[/i], despite being clearly shot down by the Director... Only, Sean supposed, understanding the Director's implications would require some reading between the lines, which Andrew might be less than adept at... Shaking his head, Sean briefly pinched the bridge of his nose, before raising a single brow Andrew's way. [color=0054a6]"Look, we're not voting on anything anytime soon. And frankly..."[/color] He panned his gaze over the whole table, meeting eyes where able. [color=0054a6]"I would much prefer that sort of position only be awarded to me -or anyone else, for that matter- on the basis of [i]merit[/i]. In case you haven't noticed..."[/color] He spread his arms and shrugged. [color=0054a6]"I'm a bit of a solo act in this city... or [i]was[/i] till now. I can be as bright and shining a hero as the next guy, but that doesn't necessarily mean I know a damn thing about actually leading people, either charismatically or -more importantly, I'd say- [i]intellectually[/i]."[/color] Setting his arms on the table and lacing his fingers again, he nodded, almost as if to himself.

[color=0054a6]"And besides which,"[/color] he chuffed, [color=0054a6]"It seems in somewhat poor taste to immediately elect someone you don't even know the real name of, especially after all of you were so generous enough to offer yours already."[/color] Shaking his head, he shrugged and grinned. [color=0054a6]"Well, if nothing else, I can immediately remedy that little issue."[/color] And hopefully humanize himself enough to get Andrew to... maybe cool it with the fanboy routine. Certainly, he knew heroes could be idolized as much as any pop star, [i]more-so even[/i] for fairly understandable reasons, but if he was going to spend extensive time with this group, it was better that they weren't looking at him like he was supposed to be Parahuman Jesus, even if he was objectively the strongest speedster Mover he'd ever heard of. Even if it was foolishly easy to fall into the trap of feeling invincible when he was sufficiently ramped up, it was much better in the long run for his team to know he did have limits, that he was as human as anyone else. People expecting miracles from him could honestly only end badly for everyone involved... especially if he allowed himself to be foolish enough to attempt to supply said miracles.

Nodding in resolution, Sean sat up a little straighter and leaned back in his slightly turned out chair. [color=0054a6]"Some of you may know of me for one reason or another, but it's not like I'm the only Parahuman in the world. For you out-of-towners that might be amongst us -and those of you who don't really keep up with the clown scene, I go by Overclock out there in the wild, as... several people have mentioned. That's my name, but I've never really gone for a costume in general. It's kinda been my 'brand' up till now, but I suppose it couldn't last forever..."[/color] He shrugged noncommittally, not letting show the discomfort thoughts about [i]that[/i] particular impending change provoked. [color=0054a6]"Outside the domino mask, my name's Sean."[/color] He didn't bother with his last name. It was ultimately unimportant and an extra layer of security until someone decided to slip up. [color=0054a6]"I'm seventeen years old, and I suppose heroing is my high-octane "hobby". Though, I guess that's a bit of a frivolous word for it. I've been taking martial arts for long enough to be a black belt, and that definitely contributed heavily to my discipline as a hero, the kind that let me safely perform my work for the past two years without getting criminal charges lobbed my way or stepping on any toes... Well,"[/color] he chuckled wryly, shaking his head, [color=0054a6]"not the ones that [i]matter[/i] anyway."[/color] Quite firmly implying that the PRT didn't even factor into his consideration, not that anyone but the Director would grok onto that. [color=0054a6]"Then again, there was no Wards program back then to answer the call of, so now that there is..."[/color] He briefly spread his arms again. [color=0054a6]"Well, I am here."[/color]

In the meantime, Memento seemed to have decided to take a shine to the small girl of her own volition... and dragged Bev along for the ride. Rapping his fingers lightly on the table, Sean was a bit torn. On the one hand, he'd actually intended to reach out to the smaller girl himself, but he'd apparently lost his chance in the flow of introductions. Going over there now, where the girl was distancing herself from the group on a couch, would be probably a little overwhelming, having three teenagers suddenly up in her face and looming over her. Was there really an approach he could offer that differed from Workshop's enthusiasm or Memento's softness?

No, not really. Instead, all he did was shoot perhaps the first fully genuine smile he'd made since arriving in this glorified prison towards the Latino child. Whether she acknowledged it or not was hardly much his concern, so long as he was managing to project a moderately friendlier and more welcoming atmosphere from the main table. He'd keep half an ear on that conversation and chime in himself if an opening to bring things together presented itself... assuming the Director didn't just bull through like with Memento's hesitance.