[center][h2][color=lightsalmon]The Dispatch Corner[/color][/h2][sup][@FourtyTwo][@Aku the Samurai][/sup][/center][hr] [color=lightsalmon]"Right, I'll stick around just in case. This corner is freaky."[/color] Raúl walks off for a few minutes, then rolls in an elaborate shrine of machinery and candles. Candle lights go up, Raúl hangs around in his corner, chanting in Spanish as the afternoon stretches on. Whether the nearby dispatch terminals ran better due to this ritual is anyone's guess, but having an IT specialist on standby seems to boost the remaining dispatchers' morale. [hr] [center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/3NhTdsYR/eclipse-banner.png[/img] [h2][color=gray]Break Room Chatting[/color][/h2][sup]Nothing about drug policy yet...[/sup] [hr][/center] Apparently the kid was a dispatcher named Tyler. Huh. SDN just takes in anyone, it seems. Still, it doesn't quell his curiosity or answer any of his questions. He vaguely knows the kid's face from somewhere, and it definitely wasn't from earlier in the afternoon. He shoves the thought aside as Lightning Girl addresses him again, slightly disgruntled by the sheer number of people crammed into the break room. This wasn't his scene. [quote][color=gold]"Eh. It will help you sleep at night then. Basically just don't do anything highlighted in bold is what James told me. The rest is....filler."[/color] She added, patting the paper, leaving a little static on it.[/quote] He stares at her awkwardly, feeling a minor jolt as he flips to the next page. Just read the highlighted parts. Okay. [color=gray]"So that's why it was hard to read. Funny."[/color] [quote][color=gold]"I said it because the corporate stuff sucks sometimes. Worth calling it out when you get a chance. We're not in a work camp, they follow their own rules as much as we do. James knows it too. Just won't say it. And much as I like working alone, sounds like a lot of people could do with help. Being a hero means realising the nerds should do paperwork while you get stuff done."[/color][/quote] [quote][color=gold]"Nobody's perfect, Eclipse. But helping others helps us find our own way forward. Doing good means you're....doing something that isn't destructive. Usually. I think."[/color][/quote] He notices the change in tone, but struggles to respond. Now that he thought about it, this was a lot of attention on him specifically. Payback, she seemed to focus on too, but their conversations were short-lived at best. Just bored? Hat Trick and Asteroid were more sociable by a long shot, Madcap, maybe, though he doubts anyone would willingly talk to that guy. Good gift giver, though. He takes a bite out of the pork bun he was given; the flavor doesn't exactly mesh with the Cheetos he was munching on earlier, and it's slightly cold. He used to help others back then. In a different way, obviously. Did that make him a hero? Making sure people didn't go through withdrawal after they got hooked on his product? The appeal of heroing isn't all that obvious yet, not really. Most of the earlier shift was spent tailing officers and being a narc; not enough action, he didn't feel like he was making any sort of noticeable impact, either. Halfway through his whole inner monologue, he realizes that he's been staring at Lightning Girl for an uncomfortable amount of time before responding. He flashes her an appreciative smile. That's all he can muster before he goes back to reading. [center][hr][h2][color=gray]Shipton Railyard, North Pomona[/color][/h2][sup][@Thayr][@SonnetNSunbeam][/sup] [hider=roll result] "[i]Literally[/i] cooked." [img]https://i.postimg.cc/VNDBPM4L/image.png[/img] [/hider][hr][/center] It's dark. He likes that. Reminds him of how it all started. Doesn't last long, obviously, not when their target is lit up like a Christmas tree; whatever operation this is, they don't understand anything about stealth. And neither does he, it seems. His armor reflects a bit of light from the fire. Target locks onto him instantly. Payback whispers to him and Asteroid--she'd take care of the train. That's good. What's not good is that he's frozen like a deer in headlights as Pyress continues to shout at him. [quote][b]"Back away, Shadowbitch! And your two friends trying to cosplay goths! Acid's ours, or else! We're running the drug game now!"[/b][/quote] What the fuck was [i]Pyress[/i] doing in Claremont? He used to work her back in Red Ring, and from what he knew, she hadn't left DTLA. Probably just missed the news, she wasn't like [i]this[/i] back when he first saw her, either. There was no one better to fill the void he left? Really? Pyress is spewing out fire everywhere--Eclipse is staring her down in an attempt to restrain her with her own shadow, but [i]fuck[/i] it's too bright. And hot. He fucking [i]hates[/i] fire. Few years back, he would've wrapped this up in a few minutes. Her flamethrower stops for a second; he's quick to run in. One of his arm blades gets stuck in her armor. She has high quality gear. That's bad. She starts her flamethrower up again and blasts him in the arm. That's even worse. [color=gray]"... Ridiculous!"[/color] He's gnashing his teeth together and uses his free hand to stab her shoulder with his blade. Probably didn't do anything aside from look stupid, but she's distracted, he's digging his feet in the ground to try and push his blades in further; awkward position for both of them. [color=gray]"Asteroid,"[/color] the pain in his right arm is getting harder to ignore, [color=gray]"ACT! [b]NOW![/b]"[/color] Rusty. He's gotten [i]rusty.[/i] The itch comes back stronger now. [hr][center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/x8G7CTpZ/madcap-banner.png[/img][h2][color=dodgerblue]Claremont College Dorms, Claremont[/color][/h2][sup][@Sadu][/sup][hider=roll result] "I SWEAR he's not a complete liability." [img]https://i.postimg.cc/qB9FFVzG/image.png[/img] [/hider][/center][hr] The college is still a mess from when Brick Frog was wreaking havoc on it. The people all look the same, though, bald, shitty glasses, downright idiotic. Kevin the Destroyer looks particularly strong, but nothing the mighty Madcap and his trusty sidekick and reformed criminal Lunara can't handle! Just beat Kevin the Destroyer and... And... [color=dodgerblue][i]"Urk!"[/i][/color] Madcap feels a pang of regret hit his chest as today's events replay in his mind. He turns to Lunara first, clutching her shoulders. [color=dodgerblue]"Am I a bad person?!"[/color] Comms come up next; it plays in everyone's ears. [color=dodgerblue]"A-Team, I am a bad person?! I'm not bad, right? I'm good?"[/color] No instant response from anyone, all the students in the room are either laughing at him or staring awkwardly. Madcap finds himself curled up on the ground with his hands over his helmet's eye holes. Some assholes start kicking him, but he's too lost in his sadness to really notice. [color=dodgerblue]"I was possessed by a villain and made to hurt that old lady, wasn't I? I hate myself.... [i]Ow!"[/i][/color]