In the Shadow of Heroes

At The Bottom Of The Elevator Shaft...

They trucked the Thief of Swords in last night, under cover of the topside building being closed and dark. It's not like Cowls could have had them just walk in off the street: The Thief was a known criminal and those big metal wings on their back made being out and about on the street a liability. So Mari had spent time here in the blacksite, trying to get rest amid the grinding of metal from their wings. But now the elevator was coming down, which meant it was nearly time...

"What angels and devils come to beset me..."

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Ymir Wolff

"What do I bring to Cowls...? Well..." Ymir paused, waiting for the others to finish before elaborating. She looked a little disappointed with some of their answers. Not the neutral ones, of course.

"Not killing, for one. I made that clear. If it's a group effort to take someone out, I'll help where I can but I'm not killing anyone. If I need to finish a job 'cause it's compromised or someone's in agony, I'll end it sure. But I'm not out here to murder. I don't care about excuses either, so don't even try."

They were probably nearing the bottom by now, so she began to crawl back towards the elevator doors. She'd probably touch the ground properly once they were in their meeting area. Probably.

"I think they want me for espionage. I'm good at that. You guys can do the killing thing all you want, just don't drag me into it if you're so good at it."

bork

Saranna - Entrance #2!

---

"So blunt," Saranna said simply in response to the stories and Ymir's declaration. Her smile hadn't dimmed at all. "You must tell us if his wife was also 'an asshole who stood in the way of justice, my Hero.'" She gave away no judgment in that question, just curiosity. He told a very short story. "And a little more besides, like the scam. It probably could be pleasant story with some more details."

As the elevator approached their floor, Saranna began making gestures, moving her head, and stretching out her arms as if she was playing with an invisible ball. And chanting to herself. It wasn't a conjuration. Or a mantra. Anyone who got the reference, could put together the Macarena. Which she confirmed by spinning and dancing out of the door as soon as it opened and sticking it this time, albeit very stiffly. She would have done the same move if the doors had opened to a pit, a room full of suits, or a squad of SWAT pointing AR-15s at them. She didn't look.

Edited by CenturyEye on Jun 16th 2023 at 12:21:25 PM

Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives

Vivian-Getting Down To Business

She frowned after hearing everyone else's story and Ymir's response. "No no no! I'm not a killer! I'm a murderer! Very different!" Another big swig-the bottle was almost empty. "And I hated it. I ain't doing that again. Killin' folks is stupid." She leaned against the side of the elevator and narrowed her eyes at Basil. "And what're you?" she asked, pointing at him drunkenly. "You ain't a....a....a...people." She got another sad expression and chugged down the rest of the bottle. "I'm not neither. Not a people. Not even a good not-people." Vivian's eyes closed and she started to snore.

Clay - First Contact(?)

Clay rests on the chair, chewing on a delicious burger that he'd ordered with the five-finger discount on the way here. He'd found his way here first, but was told to wait for everyone else because team. That was fine; he wanted an excuse to chow down anyway.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait long - The elevator opened right in front of him, complete with twirling woman exiting first.

The inside of that elevator looked like a freak show. There was...a hobo, a zombie, an edgelord and a very VERY clean-looking 'milady' fedora-man.

Damn....This burger had zero onions.

"Yo."

Edited by klom99 on Jun 17th 2023 at 3:34:58 AM

"Doctor, I did say look for the Spymaster. Or should I say Spy....Master?"

Out of the blue and into the dark

A side door would open as a late show to the party, but not the black site arrived into the scene. A tall humanoid covered by grey cloak. The who of this person would have been a mystery to even those that had arrived earlier. Unwilling to exchange pleasantries with them earlier.

They looked over the group that had arrived via the elevator. Seemingly satisfied with the size of the group gathered. They would open up their cloak and take off their hood to reveal... A knight. An actual knight, armour and everything else too. Thought the traditional weapons were missing a palm grip poking from behind their back would be obvious to the careful observer that wasn't too distracted by the knights demeanor.

"Good day." She demonstrated a respectable greeting with a bow to the group. "Please relax, and don't let my sudden appearance disturb your dialog."

Saranna - Oh that's a Step-Stopper

---

Saranna's jerking to a stop was far from smooth. But this was happening: Vivian's eyes had shut, and her mouth was making that gurgling lion sound, and she looked like she'd be kissing the ground any second. Saranna took the young lady's hand and leaned Vivian on herself before lifting Viv up to piggyback carry her out of the lift. That seemed more dignified than hoisting Vivian over her shoulder like a sack of rice. Either way, Viv only had to be carried a short distance to a chair. Saranna didn't sit herself, preferring to stand, parking her cello case beside her.

"Yo!" Saranna waved back to the one who spoke to her upon her exit. "Sorry to have made you wait. That just seemed urgent."

She mirrored the bow from actual, literal dame in shining armor. The knight towered over her, but any average person on the street had to look down to look her in the eye. This was hardly new. "And now I feel bad. I should have let you rescue the lady."

Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives

Ymir Wolff

"Is that a knight...?" Ymir paused for a moment upon seeing the literal knight in shining armour, taken aback for a second or two before shaking it off and crawling out of the elevator. She then dropped down off of the ceiling, landing softly on her feet before standing up and stretching, flexing her knuckles and taking a moment to flick her wrists as—

-SHNIKT-

...something protruded out of each of them, before quickly receding back out of view. It had been so fast that it was impossible to tell what they'd been, but they had looked long and sharp at the very least. Ymir didn't comment on them, merely humming to herself as she checked her clothes and made sure nothing was catching awkwardly before she returned her attention to the others.

"Okay, we're here. Let's hope there's no dress code," she remarked, gesturing to her own attire as well as the eclectic fashion show that was the rest of the group. "Imagine how awkward it'd be if there were suits up in the lobby that we were supposed to wear. Anyways, they know who they hired. It would be funny if some intern screwed up with us, though."

bork

Kellen - Even More People.

Kellen felt slightly bad for Vivian. Not everyone would be okay with killing, and he wouldn't wish that fate on anyone. He was knocked out of his thoughts by Saran's movements, and the door opening. Is that... the Macarena? he idly wonders as she spins out the door and sticks it.

The man resting on the chair... unnerved him a bit. Something about him was off. Then there was the knight. He didn't know why, but he felt a strange sort of... ease. Not that he knew her, but... ah, it was strange. He wondered how many more he was going to work with.

"Hero of Justice." he nods. "Good to work with you."

You piss off the Venom T-Rex. Roll initiative.

Vivian-Sit Down and Shut Up (?)

Vivian fell heavily into the chair, and her forehead hit the table with a loud and painful-sounding THUMP! "Owie. owie owie owie" she murmured, even though it couldn't possibly have hurt her. Turning her head to the side while it was flat, the young woman's eyes blinked open and she looked quizzically at Clay and the knight. "Who're you? I didn't see you in the elelelelevator." She blinked again, more slowly. "And where exactly are we? A basement?" She moved her still-flat head to look at Saranna. "Thanks for putting me in a chair." Vivian closed her eyes and began to snore again. Somehow, she still had the bottle in her hand.

Knights introduction

"It is of no trouble, best to act first instead of giving others the opportunity to act." The knight answered Saranna

"Yes, that is a knight Indeed." The knight answered Ymir "Yet I hope that mine pressence is not so strange that I have to be refered to in such an impersonal manner." The knight shook her head "As I know there is no dress code, if you would preffer to be less rugged mine lugeage has extra clothes that might be to your liking, albeit slightly large. From what I observe of you that shouldn't be a problem for a skilled spider such as yourself."

"Allisun, The Witch Knight" The knight responded next to Kellen "We shall find out whether your words strike hot iron, Hero."

Pausing as if to think of her next step she'd excuse herself from the three and walked over to the drunkard now laid onto the chair, knelt and gently answered each of their questions from besides them "I am Allisun. My arrival here was much earlier, that is the reason you did not see me in the elevator." "We are indeed underground, where exactly I do not know." It became time for the knight to ask some of her own questions. "Is your head okay? May I offer you some water?" if Vivian answered her with silence or better a yes. The knight would hand her a sealed bottle of water.

Basil

Kellen's bluntness made Basil laugh, a soft cheery sound. "Dedicated to justice at all costs. A man after my own heart."

Some of the others seemed more reserved. Ymir was less comfortable with it, clearly, and Vivian seemed outright distressed. She also was the first to notice that he wasn't human. Or at least the first to vocalize it.

"I am, in fact, a machine in the shape of a man. Though I like to think I have a soul." He suppressed another chuckle at Viv's predicament, opting instead to exit the elevator and greet the rest of his teammates with another showy bow. "Basil Adami. Codename Gentleman. Cyborg assassin extraordinaire. Charmed, I'm sure."

He stepped aside with an unnecessary twirl, choosing to lean against a wall instead of sit. One foot stayed on the ground while the other knee bent, placing a heel against the wall to steady himself. He looked rather precarious, but his legs didn't so much as shake.

"I heard this was supposed to be subtle work, but you lot seem quite... conspicuous. Should be a fun challenge." He withdrew a quarter from his jacket pocket, and began to do finger tricks with it, flipping and twirling it expertly, all without looking.

What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?

Laurie

Laurie kept her head down the rest of the trip. She couldn't read thoughts, but from Sarana's face, she knew she wasn't winning favors. As soon as the elevator opened, she skipped out, flopping onto the nearest sofa.

"There was. A dress code, that is. But after everyone started wearing grungy t-shirts and pantaloons, there wasn't much they could do to enforce it." It was hard to tell if she was joking, but she was clearly amused. "So long as you don't bless us with your birthday suit, you should be good. You should see mine." It wasn't an innuendo. She had a literal birthday suit, even if it was gaudy. She could thank Cowls for that one. "I can say it now, it is a '"hoot.''"

She stared at Basil. A few years ago she wouldn't have believed him, but it wasn't the strangest thing she'd heard of. He was still very handsome, but knowing what was under there was a bit of a turn-off.

"So you say. I'm not one to judge, but now I can't help but wonder. Were you always this metal or did you use to have more soul?"

The Aftermath of Excess

Vivian wordlessly took the bottle of water with a nod of thanks and leaned back in her chair. As she began gulping it down, Viv nearly shot water out of her nose at Laurie's "pantaloons", but recovered enough to just cough. As she drank, the young lady glanced around at the assembly of....unusual people. Then she glanced at the guy eating a burger. "Say, is there food? Drinking and talking about murder gets me hungry." She paused, clearly horrified at what she'd just said. "Well...er....just the drinking part. I don't...always talk about...murder. Often. Ever." She groaned and THUMPED her head back down on the table. Then back up to chug down the rest of the water, clearly intent on not talking again ever.

Saranna - Those Murder Munchies

---

"I know the feeling," Saranna gently stroked Vivian's head, not least because Viv had managed to hit it from a stationary chair twice. "I'm sure you're doing fine, sweetie. Loath for anyone here to judge you. Except for the getting pretzel bites over Honest Mikes bison kitchen sink burger." Well, Ymir probably wouldn't be throwing her stones from a glass house but details.

"You still have Paws Bandito then?" Saranna didn't bother with a transition there. She didn't need to. Just switch straight to talking about fun stuff. "Is your cat housesitting now and giving your plush couch a fresh layer of scratches?"

"By the way," she told the knight. "'Best to act first instead of giving others the opportunity to act' is very nice. I'm going to put that on a shirt." It was not just talk. She knew her way around a sewing kit. "Maybe a door. That's alot to read on a shirt." Saranna didn't know her way around making nameplates, but she knew google-fu!

Edited by CenturyEye on Jun 21st 2023 at 4:22:02 AM

Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives

Sublevel

As the last of the group made it into the room the lights would flicker for a moment, just a brief flash between light and darkness. In that span of less then a second a new figure had arrived at the front of the room, sitting atop a stool and smoking a especially poignant cigar that let out a steady stream of smoke over his face. A face that...was nearly impossible to read. Oh certainly he had a face, two eyes, a mouth and nose, all the basic features on a human.

But attempting to hold onto the memory of that face for more then a moment simply caused it to slide off of the mind. "Pardon my appearance, I've been told the feeling is...disquieting." his voice was low and gravely, as if someone were attempting to talk past a throat full of sand. "My name is Cigar, and as of this moment I am your handler for the duration of your time in our company. Please take a seat, I don't intend for this to take long."

He waited for those who would sit, not motioning or speaking until everyone was where they were going to be. "Now then, some of you might be under certain illusions about the nature of our organization and what you might be asked to do. Yes, there will be times where you will be asked to end the life of another. However unlike the common soldier or assassin you will know exactly why you are doing this, why it is necessary that the life of an individual will be snuffed out, and should you be opposed to the action even knowing the 'why' you will not be asked to pull the trigger, just to step aside and not act in such a way to oppose your fellow agents."

Cigar tapped at his namesake for a moment, letting a small pile of ash fall from it. "Assassination won't be your primary duty however, espionage, data collection, even some of the good old fashion brawl in the street might end up as part of your mission briefing. And as I said before, there will be no bullshit. You will go into each mission knowing 'why', that is either a blessing or a curse based on your mindset. I'm not here to threaten any of you, my superiors have either bribed, threatened, or just politely asked you to join already. You all know the 'why' that brought you here, and seeing as you are here I won't insult you by offering an out or condolences. The moment you entered this building you accepted what you were doing."

The man brushed the last of his cigar against the leg of his chair before setting his face forward. "We intend to start you out slowly, get you into the swing of things, but before that I will allow any questions you might have. After that we will go into a mission briefing and planning session."

Allisun looked up as the lights flickered. For a moment a ring of orange would flash in her eyes due to the darkness. Then she'd turn her head to the voice and obediently find herself a place to sit.

This was nothing new to her, a knight was made to follow orders of their supperios without thought. The fact she'd know what they were going to expect of her to do relieved some doubts about how well she could co-operate with the handler. In her eyes already being treated like a trusted ally rather then a possible traitor was much better then what she had expected.

Ymir Wolff

"I have my outs already. I made that clear when I joined, so I'm fine with this. Just so all of you know, I'm doing this because I want to. The provisions I get are nice too, but soup kitchens exist," Ymir said, twitching for a moment as if unnerved before leaping back up onto the ceiling again. "Just so we're on the level. Hi, Cigar. That's a good name. I don't think I've got any questions, I'm a find-the-answers-myself kinda gal. Only way I can trust it. So I hope you don't mind me doing what I do."

Which seemed to be currently just sitting upside-down on the ceiling and looking at everyone intensely one at a time, as if she could see through them. She couldn't, but she wasn't lying about her need to investigate. Even people she'd just spent a long elevator ride with.

"Oh, wait. I heard something about suits or equipment or whatever. I said no first of all 'cause I wanna think it through real slow. Who've I gotta talk to in Cowls to figure that out? I'm guessing that comes later anyways though."

bork

Kellen Espinoza

"Equipment, huh?" he mutters. "I agree with Wolf Spider. I don't know about the others, but I'll need it." Kellen says to Cigar. "I second Wolf's question." "As for living arrangements, I assume you have that under control?"

You piss off the Venom T-Rex. Roll initiative.

Saranna - Set em Up and I'll Knock em Down

---

"As you wish," Saranna answered with a rather husky hiss. "Mmm, it just means your lovely face is a fresh experience every time." That feature obviously didn't bother her, and her voice was nearly in the same register, and she made gravely (and rough) work for her. Smoothing out her dress and finding a sitting pose was a worse experience than meeting Cigar per se. After having let Viv be, she sat sideways, draping herself over the back of a chair and holding her head in her hands, watching Cigar with a casual smile. By then, she'd hung up her shades and donned her actual eyeglasses. And exposed her very jaundiced eyes to poor, unsuspecting hearts. Grey and yellow made for a stunning combo if she said so herself.

Saranna listened, but also played a game. She stared at Cigar for arbitrarily long or short times then covered her eyes or looked away and occasionally tried looking at him in a mirror. She valiantly held her giggles with the actual SCP they had as a handler. He wasn't safe, and he wasn't contained. Wonder if the foundation knew he was doing Black Ops?

"That sounds so nice!" Cigar's putting them above 'common soldiers' and saying they'd be given reasons really did. Though, there was no way that was true. She wasn't really concerned about the why though. Well, she was but just for making a good story. "I appreciate the effort, and I'm pretty easy. You had me at: you'll use me and tell me 'come here. Maul that!' I will. And so on. Again. And again. And again. Till no one remains, just as asked." She said that with the same cheer and peppy smile as when she greeted the guard upstairs with hot cocoa.

Saranna shrugged then before quickly resuming her slinky pose. "If Cowls wants to give me a detailed brief and your excellent reasons and justifications before you point, it's fine though." It didn't sound like sarcasm. Their reasons may have been excellent. But so were everyone's. "As for espionage and data collection? The roleplay part, maybe, but data collection and puzzle solving feels like office or an escape room stuff." Hn. The team sort of stung at first, like they needed more than her. Turns out, they were very necessary. She'd let them handle all that stuff. As for her. "But I guess I have an excellent team. Just set em up, please, and I'll knock em down."

"So, I have no questions," Saranna said winking. She had expected things from a note with the job that was rigged to explode in 8 seconds after it was read to this being the job. Not proper onboarding. "I'll leave the floor to my fellow travelers and eagerly await your briefing."

Edited by CenturyEye on Jun 22nd 2023 at 7:38:22 AM

Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives

Vivian-Brass Tacks, Secrets, and Lies

She was still leaning back in her chair, the water bottle cool against her forehead as the mysterious man spoke. Vivian hadn't even glanced at him yet. "What do you mean by data collection? How are you gonna stop people from seein' us? Taking pictures? What if I get hungry and want more pretzels? Or booze? Where do we sleep?" She then glanced at him tiredly, still clearly inebriated but coming down. "How do you shave with your face all spooky?" Viv glanced up at Wolf Spider on the ceiling. "And doesn't all the blood go to your head up there? And your hair hangs down in your face? You need a scrunchy." Viv took another drink of the water, scowling at it.

Laurie — Been There, Done That

Laurie was bored. She should have known this was coming. Old cigar face always had a flair for the dramatic. She'd been through this same song and dance before and it was starting to get old. But she appreciated his honesty. If she was going to lose her soul and perhaps her dignity, at least he had the decency to tell her straight.

"Don't mind old cigar breath, he's always had a thing for theatrics. Some days I think he does this for funsies. If I didn't know better, I'd swear he wants to make people sweat. But he's not so bad once you get to know him."

She didn't say anything else. She knew what she signed up for. She wasn't sure she wanted to be here, but where was she supposed to go? Everything she had, she owed to them. Least she could do was give them their money's worth.

Basil

Were you always this metal or did you used to have more soul?

The coin froze in Basil's fingers, though his expression didn't change. "Well. That's the question, isn't it? Truthfully, I don't know if I'm really the same person, or just a copy. Not that it matters."

He returned to flipping it just as Cigar appeared. The forgettable face trick was impressive, he had to admit. Evidently it worked through cameras, given it was working on Basil.

The spiel seemed a bit unnecessary. He'd assumed that everyone else had been given the same rough overview he had - that Cowls did the dirty work necessary to grease the wheels of society - and to at least some extent agreed with it. Then again, there were some strong personalities here. Perhaps it was repetition for the sake of easing concerns.

"If we do come into conflict with heroes, I'm assuming we shouldn't kill them." Basil mused. "That being said, what's the stance on lethal force for non-targets? Is it a 'no' under any circumstance, or can we use our best judgment?"

What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?

Clay - Obligatory Office-ing

Clay silently listened to Cigar's explanation. The face trick was fun. Reminded him of the time Ambrose subdued a bunch of shapeshifters by inverting the timing of their morphs and keeping them constantly shifting. Poor fools were in a personal hell 'till they gave up their artifact.

But those were the old times. Cigar seemed straightforward, which he appreciated. They'd get along well, probably. The other 'team-mates' seemed like a clusterf*ck bunch all on their own. If nothing else, they weren't boring.

"Only question on my mind is living arrangements. Other than that, it is whatever it is."

"Doctor, I did say look for the Spymaster. Or should I say Spy....Master?"

Blacksite Orientation

Aside from the faint grinding of metal on metal, the winged one was silent through the introduction. That wasn't to say they were inattentive, no; they were simply simmering in a silent envious flame over how much their handler had through power what they themselves had to accomplish through mundane acts that now no longer worked because of these damnable wings. Anyway when questions were opened they spoke up.

"What's my role in this team?"

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.