---

TIME: 8:00 AM
LOCATION: SDN Meeting Room
INTERACTIONS: @GingerBobOh @princess @Oso @FunnyGuy @Infinite Cosmos

---

The SDN meeting room is less a place for collaboration and more a sad example of corporate neglect. The walls are painted a sickly off-white and covered with motivational posters featuring the A-Teams from popular branches. These are the well-known heroes everyone recognizes. The posters hang slightly crooked and faded, looking down on the Z-Team with a sense of detachment. On the far wall, there is a mirror between a few of the posters, perhaps to see yourself up there with the greats. A long, oval composite table takes up the center of the room, surrounded by uncomfortable, scratchy chairs. The air feels heavy and carries a faint, musty odor, suggesting the ventilation system hasn't been cleaned since the last major budget cut. The only bit of nature is a single, dusty ficus tree drooping in the corner.

It is precisely 08:00 AM, and the room feels especially stifling. This morning's mood is completely due to their Branch Manager, Chadwick. He scheduled this meeting first thing, and it is mandatory with no explanation. Given his history with forced team-building events, this is sure to be a miserable experience.

A faint, ambient light reflects off Chadwick's pristine blonde hair. He stands perfectly still against a large, dark panel in the wall. He watches the Z-Team shuffle in, one after another, showing the familiar low-energy exhaustion he knows well. He takes a deep breath, appreciating the moment as he adjusts the bright magenta of his sports coat.

"This is exactly it," he mutters, his voice a low, excited hum, barely audible over the quiet hum of the ventilation. "The pre-launch friction! This is the raw material! Unrefined engagement, and with a bit of coaching, we're going to transform this space. We’re going to hit 110% on those KPIs this quarter."

His eyes scan the team before lingering briefly on a dusty ficus plant. "It's all about growth, isn't it? Team culture is plant culture, after all. A little water, a little light, and you’ve got a thriving asset. And we have four new little sprouts." He gives a small, high-pitched laugh that seems insincere.

He steps back slightly, a wide, unnaturally perfect smile spreading across his handsome face. He straightens the cuffs of his pink jacket.

"I guess I should get in there. It's show time." Chadwick turns but stops to lean forward. He touches his lips, kissing his finger tips, and gently presses his hand flat against the large surface of the two-way mirror he had been watching. A patch of condensation quickly forms from the heat of his palm and breath.

"Just remember how much The Brand believes in you, my little Champs." With that, he pulls open the heavy door of the observation booth and heads toward the main meeting room entrance, leaving the Z-Team to mingle in the musty air, completely unaware they have been observed.

TIME: Between 1200 and 0800
LOCATION: SDN Compound then meeting room
INTERACTIONS: @GingerBobOh @princess @Oso @FunnyGuy

/Somewhere on the SDN Compound.../

"Vikki, wake up."
"Yes sir."
"Open up Project December."
"Serial Number Five Thousand and One. Sub-header HLE"
"More secret projects, sir?"
"You know it. Establish link to McCarthy Compound."
"Encrypted link established."
"Sort this onto my personal drive."
"Yes sir."
"Ok. Give me an exploded view, side-by-side with editor."

/A holographic, dissected view of a cylindrical object gave the dimly lit room a little more light and paints Quinn's already-pale face an odd shade of teal. A small capsule-sized object gave off soft red pulses of red light on Quinn's desk, an indication that the object is working as intended. Quinn checks his beat-up, but still expensive, wristwatch, noting the time. /

"Did we ever decide on a metal compound to use?"
"Last note on metal compound states 'Tungsten carbide with graphene inlays. Copper-Graphene compound used for electrical wiring components with carbon-ceramic compound as heat shield and tri-sillica as insulation."
"Mmmm..."

/Quinn's hands weaved in and out of the holographic image, moving bits and pieces of the illustration around as if he was playing with a Lego set. /

"Sub gold for copper for wiring components. Test viability."
"Yes sir."
"Compound viable. Expensive. But viable."
"Does it increase efficiency?"
"Yes. By fifteen percent. Cost-Efficiency coefficient under optimal threshold."
"Hmm. Log that, switch back to copper for the time being."
"Yes sir."
"Ok. Fabricate scaled down model. Arrange transport to test site twelve."
"Yes sir. Approximate time to completion is fifteen hours."
"Good. Close current file and open file for Compound B Five One Five."
"File closed and encrypted. File opened."
"Ok. Show graphic chemical model."
"Projection shown. Sir, may I remind you, it is time."
"Mmm. Thank you."

/Quinn reached into his zipped hoodie pocket and brought out a small pill case. He pressed his thumb to the pill case and it gave his thumb a microscopic, almost undetectable, prick before offering a soft click. In it, Quinn took out two tablets. One was an unnatural blue and the other was a deep crimson. Quinn popped both into his mouth and washed them down with a small gulp of water. /

"Ok. What was the efficiency ratings the last time we looked at this?"
"Burn rate was seventy percent. Carbon production was five percent over acceptable parameters. Weight ratio was sixty to one."
"Tsk. Have we tried to sub out the liquid oxygen for...lets say nitromethane and it's various compounds?"
"Yes. Last notes on reagent composition states 'Shit is too explosive. Disregard. Switch back.' "
"Heh. Fair enough. Ok. What if we paired the micro arc-loop to provide stable energy while the liquid oxygen provides initial thrust?"
"Testing viability."
"Combination is viable. Burn rate remains at seventy percent. Carbon production is now within acceptable parameter. Weight ratio is fifty five to one."
"Mmm... Thrust production?"
"Initial thrust remains stable with liquid oxygen as first-stage thrust producer. Ongoing thrust and flight properties reduced by eight percent. Peak speed can be considered hyper-sonic. Friction heat increased by zero point zero three percent."
"Mmm... Ok. Formulate and send to test site twelve as well."
"Yes sir. Completion time is eight hours."
"Ok. Close project and encrypt."
"Yes sir."
"Alright. Meeting time I guess. Vikki, log off and enable mobile."
"Yes sir."

/The screen Quinn had been staring at, and the holographic projector, both turned off. The room returned to a dimly lit state with warm lighting. Quinn adjusted his wristwatch, worn on his left wrist, and tapped the very standard looking mass produced health tracker band on his right wrist. The health wearable showed a dash of blue light before displaying the words "Hello Sir. Mobile enabled. Encryption established." Quinn then rolled his sleeves down, covering both items on his wrists. Grabbing his thermos filled with now-somewhat stale but still warm coffee, Quinn stepped out of his quiet little workroom and headed to the scheduled meeting.

It would seem like he was second to arrive, next to Reforge. As he entered the room, he would just give the other hero a small nod as he took his seat, leaning back like a student going to class. The room literally felt like one of those subliminal space horror games. Fluorescent lighting, off-beige color scheme. Coffee that probably was brewed fresh but then stored in a office carafe pump thing that has a slick patch of slime at the bottom because no one ever cared to actually clean it. Even the air was slightly stale. Quinn sighed as he leaned back in his seat, causing his chair to squeak slightly. Just great. /

---

TIME: 8:00-8:04 AM
LOCATION: SDN Office—>Meeting Room
INTERACTIONS: @GingerBobOh @princess @Oso @FunnyGuy @Infinite Cosmos @DClassified

---

Poe stood just outside the meeting room, leaning against the wall with an energy drink already half-drained. The low hum of the building's ancient HVAC system was a constant, irritating background note, occasionally punctuated by the soft drizzle of rain against the window. She had arrived early, out of habit, but saw no reason to rush into the depressing, musty atmosphere of corporate purgatory.

She’d seen Chadwick slip into what she had always assumed was a janitor's closet or a service panel room before the designated start time. Predictable optimization error, she thought. That man’s entire existence was focused on achieving a non-existent corporate ideal; he was pure NPC noise.

At 08:03, Starburst slid in, immediately looking distressed by the sheer amount of off-white wall space. She offered a nervous greeting, clutching a coffee cup that Poe could identify from twenty feet away as a gross violation of a balanced diet. But who was she to judge as she took another sip of her energy drink.

Three agents present. Good enough. It was 08:04 AM.

Poe pushed off the wall and walked into the room, her platinum hair and black hoodie a stark, cynical contrast to the faded, crooked motivational posters. She walked over to the table and dropped into a scratchy chair with a little too much force. The smell of stale coffee was overpowering.

“Morning, Quinn,” she said, her voice dry, without any effort toward warmth. She looked pointedly at his thermos and then back at his face. “Still trying to calculate the perfect coefficient for your morning caffeine intake? You look like you’re about one percentage point of efficiency away from spontaneously combusting, which I’m sure would make your data logging fascinating. Relax, Quartermaster, whatever complicated formula you were optimizing, Chadwick will 're-align' it into uselessness before lunch, I’m sure.”

She then turned her attention to the new face, Sylas, whose domino mask and notepad suggested a commendable degree of preparedness, if not cynicism.

“I’m Poe. I’m the Z-Team’s dispatcher. You must be Reforge.” She gave a curt nod. “Welcome to the basement. I already read your file, so you know the vibe of the Deniable Ops division, yeah?”

Her gaze finally landed on Roxanne’s absurdly topped coffee and muffin. Poe took a sip of her own synthetic blue energy drink. “A balanced breakfast,” she stated dryly, nodding toward the sugary concoction. “I assume the whipped cream is the counter-measure to the actual coffee in that cup. Just try to keep the sugar rush from triggering a full-system discharge before the meeting is over, pretty please.”

Poe paused, recognizing the slump in Roxanne’s shoulders. She mentally tagged the situation as a minor crisis demanding immediate, low-effort mitigation. She briefly scanned Roxanne's clothes, the soft pink cardigan was certainly a stylistic choice.

“Also, the pink cardigan is actually… cute,” Poe added, her voice flat, as if delivering a required, non-negotiable data point. “A good aesthetic distraction from the grim reality of our employment.”

---

TIME: Way too early in the morning.
LOCATION: SDN Office and Meeting Room
INTERACTIONS: @Oso @Tae @Princess [@InfiniteCosmos] @FunnyGuy @DClassified

---

Murph yawned as he rode his long board down the sidewalk in front of the SDN Branch building, being sure to dodge the trash gravel and cracks. Seeing an opportunity in the form of Gordon having just scanned his badge in for entrance, decided to break security law #1, and tailed Gordon through the front door. Skating through the lobby, he took a final drag on his nearly expended cigarette and tossed it into Cheryl's overfilling ashtray. I swear to god, whoever’s idea this early meeting was, is going to have hell to pay.

Sniffing, he caught a scent on the dank ass wind of fried HVAC and took a little detour for a pick me up. One final push brought him across the extra low pile carpet of corporate malaise and into the break room. He tossed his long board up onto the cabinet and rubbed his hands together as he stalked the coffee maker. "Oh baby I hope it was Jim's day to make the joe." Grabbing a disposable cup, he poured himself the sacred brew; he could immediately tell this was a Jim day.

With great distress and many minutes past the meeting time, he dragged himself through the conference room door. With a huge inhale and a roll of the shoulders and neck he greeted the current attendees, "I guess you all are wondering why I called you here today."

He took a sip of the coffee and couldn't help but sigh as its perfect taste bud shriveling, bitter caffeine sends a shiver down his spine. "First order of business for the day," he continues as he makes his way to the head of the table, sitting down and throwing his legs up on the edge, "ignore whatever the fuck has brought us here this early."

Finally he notices that firstly, he's facing someone he's never met who happens to look stern as hell and here on business and secondly, that he unfortunately was not as fashionably late as he would have like to be. "Hey boss lady?" He asks Poe as he gives a head nod toward the new face with the mask. "Is he the reason I'm drinking Jim's ambrosia this fine ass morning?"

---

TIME: 7:45 —> 8:08 After Midnight
LOCATION: Yang’s Home Apartment —> SDN Office; Meeting Room
INTERACTIONS: @FunnyGuy @Princess @Tae @GingerBobOh @Infinite Cosmos

---

“Now that some time has passed, how are you adjusting to this new place of yours?”

The couch was being benched up and down in the young monkey’s palms, not really breaking much of a sweat. It wasn’t a particularly heavy couch compared to what most people had, implying that it wasn’t very high quality. That wasn’t to say that he could complain. Not many who were in the position he was in walked out of it with a new apartment.

A one bedroom, fully furnished with the bare minimum of things: A couch, fridge, and toilet paper in the bathroom. Anything else of his, Yang brought from his old home. The catch was supposed to be that it was in the shady part of Cascadia but that was nothing new to him. Hoods were generally the same in different parts of the US. Just slightly different rules based on region, but the most important rule was constant; You mind your business, other folks would mind theirs.

The condition of his staying here though may be a bit of a problem though— being a superhero usually meant getting involved in other folks business to uphold the law or whatever. It was why Yang figured it was best not to bring mama with him, to her worry concealed behind frustration. It still didn’t stop her from following through the phone.

”It’s fine, Ma. I haven’t gotten to fully explore the place yet.” He exhaled, raising the couch back into a starting bench position despite laying on the ground.

“So that means you haven’t gotten into any trouble yet.”

”Yes, that was a pretty bold part of my paperwork.”

“You mean your second chance. Not many people get to have one, your father didn’t. So you better not throw it away!”

”I know, Mama. I won’t.” Was his calm, slightly irritated reply. It felt like the thousandth time she told him that.

“Good…So, have you been on your first mission yet?”

”No, but my first meeting and shift are today.”

“And what time are you supposed to be there?”

”At eight.”

“Oh good. So you’re on your way?”

“No…”

“No? What do you mean, ‘no’?”

“I’m not on my way yet, I was doing some warming up. Besides, I have plenty of time. It’s only 7:30–“

“MUYANG LEE!!” An indignant mother’s fury nearly caused the monke to drop the couch on his head.

“GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THE HOUSE, IT IS 7:55! WHAT DID I JUST SAY ABOUT NOT SQUANDERING YOUR SECOND CHANCE?! I HAVE HALF A MIND TO-“

”Ma! MA! Listen I was only joking! I’m on my way right now. I’m looking at the building as we speak.” Yang called, trying to hurriedly but quietly throw on his clothes and grab his necessary things. With her anger tempered by his reassurance, she sighed.

“I’ve told you not to run up my blood pressure like this with your games. Hurry inside. Behave yourself. I love you, máoqiú.”

---

So yes, Yang was late, and kind of illegally floating on his cloud but front desk office people directing him where to go didn’t seem to care that much. He viewed it only “kind of” because it was only a few feet off the ground. Besides, the whole needing a license to fly thing made no sense to him anyway. It wasn’t a plane where you need and have all those flashy buttons. Besides, how would somebody know if a cloud was up to code anyway? A thermometer? A wind chime?

Either way, he still eventually got off to walk the rest when some random buzzkill eventually asked about it. The building smelled old and crotchety, like a library. Did people even still go to those? Didn’t matter right now. Yang had been trying to hurry up and eat his bread bowl that he’d gotten. The line for the little bakery didn’t help with his being late but his stomach couldn’t resist.

Yang was dressed in the custom made varsity jacket that Sifu Shaun got for him, a white tee, then some black combat pants and boots with red laces. They didn’t exactly give him a dress code or anything when he was signing up. So he went with enough effort to look respectable and ready for action, but not like a square.

On coming up to what was surely the meeting room’s door, he entered without hesitation. In his quick scoping of the room, he caught three cute nerds, the craziest deathhawk he’s ever seen in person and… When Yang caught sight of the classic black mask, a devilish grin formed. The Monkey remembered him from the old days. Approaching the table, he was finishing up the outside of his bowl.

”Sorry for being late, everything looks the same around here.” Yang hand-waved his excuse, as the vibe didn’t seem to be too terribly formal. Nobody was really talking all that much, and some chairs were still empty which led him to believe that whoever boss was hadn’t actually started anything yet.

His steps were unflinching as he walked around the table, past an open seat to instead slip into a chair right beside Reforge. He sat in it sideways, with his legs and tail dangling over one armrest, and his back against the other. He flailed his fingers from pinky to pointer in a greeting gesture to Pink Sweater before looking back up at Forge.

”Damn, homie. In high school you was the man, homie. Fuck happened to you?” Yang snickered.

TIME: Whenever the meeting is taking place
LOCATION: SDN Meeting Room
INTERACTIONS: @GingerBobOh @princess @Oso @FunnyGuy@Tae@DClassified

Several more members of SDN started filtering in. Quinn sat back in his chair, covering his 'health tracker' on his right wrist with his left hand, trying to appear as nonchalant and relax as he could while trying to collect data points on whichever heroes he doesn't have data on yet.

"Ms. Vance. As per usual with the sharp tongue. Don't you worry about my caffeine intake. What I have here in this bottle is just the right mix for myself. Keeps me grounded, if you will..." Quinn let out a small scoff at the mention of Chadwick. Their 'intrepid' team mascot. All jawline and perfectly coiffed hair with a tan faker than a three-dollar bill. "Why aren't you running the show already? Why must we interact with that buffoon of a man... Whatever. Quinn said, voice flat with laced with disdain.

Then. Quinn turned his attention towards everyone else in the room, addressing those he hasn't in the order he deemed most efficient... "Moxie. Moxie Moxie Moxie..." Quinn said in a measured, teasing tone "We haven't had a chat in quite a while. I've missed our deep conversations . When can you drop by and have a chat again? ?

Quinn then turned his attention to the newer faces in the room, sans Chadwick still. It was unlike him to be late but whatever.

"Hm. Pink sweater... A choice for sure. I'm Quinn. I'm basically Poe, but less quippy and better with chemicals. The questions of who is actually better with technology is one we will never have answers to, isn't that right, Ms. Vance?" Quinn shot Poe a quick glance, with notes of disobedience and challenge behind it.

"And you. Sir. You look like a bag of sunshines and fun. Do pep up, eh? I can give you some uppers if you're ever feeling down. No drastic side effects, I promise. Unless you'd rather tango with Moxie like I have done of course." Quinn said towards Liam. Another new face, more data points for him to gather at this point.

"Mr. Graves. Your exploits I have heard about. Yes, 'Jim's Ambrosia' is certainly the doings of our high-strung leader Chadwick. You should come by my lab from time to time. I've got better coffee and certainly some fun chemicals that you'd like to try out. Like I said, no drastic side effects of course. " Quinn said towards Tripwire. It's hard to conceal a power that deals in what looks like coincidences. The notes of his prior deals were certainly an interesting read...

"And you. Monkey...? Just where do you hail from? Surely there are data logs on one such as yourself... I'll be sure to look for it. Fascinating. Unless you need to go through some sort of transformation to reach this state, which would be cool in and of itself. I can only assume you were, as the kids say, born this way. In any case. I'm Quinn. Resident smart guy. You'd find no monkey business with me... That's your territory, as they say."

Finally, the first person to arrive before him. If Quinn guess, this was the straight-laced one, the one that will try to clean up whatever mess the 'team' would get into. "And you, good sir. Your file I've read. Another fascinating power. Just...don't touch me or my lab equipment, please. I don't know if you'd like what you see..."

---

TIME: 8:11 AM
LOCATION: Meeting Room
INTERACTIONS: @GingerBobOh @princess @Oso @FunnyGuy @Infinite Cosmos @DClassified

---

Poe sat amidst the burgeoning chaos of the meeting room, her expression a mask of practiced, clinical boredom. She took a slow, deliberate sip of her drink, the cold aluminum a grounding contrast to the escalating "theatre of the absurd" unfolding around the table.

She looked over at Quinn, her gaze flat. "You sound like a drug dealer, Quinn. A very high-functioning, low-rent one. And if you’re wondering why I’m not running the show yet, it’s probably because I’ve been trapped in this corporate purgatory for only a few weeks. Some of us prefer to map out the server architecture before we initiate a total system override. Patience is a virtue, look it up."

She turned her head slightly as Murph made his grand, messy entrance. She watched the trash gravel from his board settle onto the carpet with a slight twitch of her eye. "I suspect the influx of fresh blood is exactly why we’re here at an hour usually reserved for milkmen and people with actual souls, Murph. As for why Chadwick thinks 08:00 is the optimal time for ‘synergy’? I have no idea. My best guess is he’s trying to catch us before our survival instincts fully boot up."

Reforge’s cynical assessment of the SDN’s blame-shifting culture earned a rare, sharp noise from Poe; a click of her tongue. She turned toward him, offering a lazy, mocking finger gun that was a pitch-perfect, deadpan imitation of Chadwick’s nauseatingly upbeat brand of leadership. She continued that imitation with her next words.

"You got it, bud," she said, her voice dripping with enough sarcasm to corrode the table. "Spot on. You’re learning the corporate meta faster than I expected." She let out a sigh and shook her head. "God, even mocking Chadwick is nauseating."

As the room continued to fill, Poe’s internal ledger began recording new data points. When Muyang floated in with the confidence of a man who didn't realize he was in a basement, followed by the walking personification of trauma that was Liam, Poe leaned back in her squeaky chair.

"Speaking of other newbies," she remarked, her eyes flicking between Muyang and Reforge. She didn't miss the way Sylas’s jaw tightened or the look of recognition in the Monkey’s eyes. High school history? Rivarly? Fascinating. She mentally filed that under ‘Potential Team Friction.’

"For those of you who just stumbled in: I’m Poe. I’m the Dispatcher. I handle the electronics, the routing, and the tactical oversight. I’m the voice in your ear telling you when you’re about to walk into a claymore."

Moxie’s entrance brought the usual scent of expensive distractions and psychic weight. As the empath began her rounds, leaning into Quinn and hovering over the new recruits, Poe didn't even look up from her can.

"Down, Moxie," Poe said dryly. "Don’t go scaring the level-ones immediately. We need them at least semi-functional before the briefing starts. Try to keep the ‘blissful distractions’ in your pocket until we’re off the clock."

Beside her, Roxanne was practically vibrating. Poe noticed the girl’s blush deepening and the way she was trying to hide inside her pink cardigan. High maintenance, Poe thought, though not entirely unkindly. One more social interaction and she’s going to spontaneously combust into a cloud of sugar and anxiety.

She checked her watch, then glanced pointedly at the mirror in the room, a quiet question beginning to form in her mind. That closet was behind there, wasn’t it? Would he?

"He’s still in there, by the way," Poe announced to the room at large, nodding toward the mirror. "Our fearless leader has been in a janitor’s closet behind that wall for fifteen minutes. He’s either practicing his ‘I’m not mad, I’m disappointed’ face in a bucket of floor wax, or he’s forgotten how doorknobs work…or he’s watching us. Place your bets now."

---

TIME: Still too early in the morning.
LOCATION: SDN Office and Meeting Room
INTERACTIONS: @Oso @Tae @Princess @Infinite Cosmos @FunnyGuy @DClassified

---

Sipping his coffee while he playfully waved his feet back and forth from their propped up position on the table, Murph watched the motliest of crews trickle in. First up, an honest to god monkey man. Murph thought they only made those for the movies but given the things he’s seen here in Cascadia, he guesses it’s not the most surprising “Alright so I take it, Nukong Lee and Mr. Serious know each other, less introductions required I guess. Whenever we get to that point…”

He turns his attention back to the black brew warming his hands and nostrils, indulging himself on a loud slurping sip that he draws out for far longer than practical as the door opens and the broodiest man he’s ever seen walks in silently, ignoring the people gathered in the broodiest way possible. Finally he ends the sip with a loud lip smack of satisfaction as Azaela walks in.

He watches her as she slinks around, doing her rounds like a cat that’s fattening up her prey. A cat that smells like a Bath and Body Works, Murph realized suddenly, quite to his satisfaction. I’m gonna have to save that one, it’s good. Finally, she makes her way to him, leaning against the table. “I’ll continue you make things interesting just to watch you sweat in particular, my sleep paralysis demon.”

When tall, dark and handsome finally deems it the time to address Murph, he scoffs at the dismissive remark that is made. “Aye aye Captain Mysterio, prepare to be ignored so hard.” Murph then pointedly turns his attention away from the man, acknowledging Roxanne’s greeting, returning the gesture, “And a good morning to my favorite strawberry candy.” He offers a wink and a lift of the coffee cup to her.

Like a mosquito buzzing in his ear, Murph can hear Quinn prattling on about his “special drugs”. He chuckles as Poe calls him out specifically for it before responding in his own turn; “Sorry Quinnston, my boy, no one can beat Jim’s coffee, its the pisswater that makes it so special.” He states as he pointedly swirls the cup under his nose, making sure to roll his eyes effectively in pleased satisfaction.

Turning to Poe he groans, “Eew, people actually have souls? I thought those were fake. However, if the esteemed Chaddifer thinks the buttcrack of the day, cus eight is shaped like a butt” he snickers into the back of his hand, “is prime time for bonding then he’s missed that sweet spot. Pretty soon here I’m using college rules and taking the day off class.”

Poe mentions the glass and Murph is appalled that Limpwick is creepin through a mirror, decides to suggest, “I say we stare at him until he decides he’s uncomfortable.”

---

TIME: 8:13 After Midnight
LOCATION: SDN Office; Meeting Room
INTERACTIONS: @FunnyGuy @Princess @Oso @Tae @GingerBobOh @Infinite Cosmos

---

Forge’s disbelief was met with an extension of his arms in amusement. How the high and mighty have fallen. The poor bastard ain’t changed since Yang last seen him. It was written all over the way he looked around the room with damn near everything everyone else said. Speaking of, Yang used his tail to swivel the chair around with each person that spoke.

Only briefly did his smirk twitch when he heard deathhawk speak and golden eyes stared a hole through him. ‘Nukong Lee’…? Unless they were handing out files on him, that shit had to be some typa racist. Kong was a chinese phrase, but clearly this dude didn’t know any of the uses for it. A voice whispered to him that he was potentially a fan. Wukong, Nukong, okay. Then he did get the last name right, maybe boss man was handing shit out.

”Fo’sho, and we have Charley Horse-mane himself to Welcome us to The Jungle.” He snickered, then rolled his eyes as the door opened and a blond guy came in.

Bro looked like a drug commercial victim. He looked defeated, depressed, distressed, dehydrated, digested, and defecated. Yang didn’t know what they told him before he walked in here, but he hoped the guy’d recover from it one day. Maybe he couldn’t get his bread bowl before he got here.

What was next overshadowed the room. Yang smelled her before she even fully opened the door. Delicious but dangerous, was what his senses told him. Energy radiated off of her that he couldn’t quite figure out…and that was probably the point. Then, just as her look suggested, the devilish chick went around the room tryna charm the place. When addressed himself though, as the damage dealer, the Prince flourished a hand and wrist.

That though was when cute nerd number 3, Quinn, joined the conversation. A lot of what he said didn’t really keep much of Yang’s interest outside of two things. A. Moxie, the hot demon chick, got with him before. Seemed to fit in with what his senses warned about her, unless Quinn was a real good talker or somethin.

Then B. Self-proclaimed smart guy asked if there were files on him. Smart guy woulda read files if they existed. That meant there was no way for dude to know if he was chinese or not. Which means that he was wrong for giving Horsehair Deathhawk the benefit of the doubt. He said some disrespectful shit bold as fuck.

But before Yang could go beat his ass, with words or worse, since he didn’t shut up anyway, cute nerd number 1, Poe, spoke up; Said bossman was probably watching in from the mirror. Yang’s guess, probably to see how they all got along. Which meant that he was better off sitting in this chair behaving and remembering his second chance… He spun the chair around a couple times in quiet annoyance.

Damnit Ma.