Saint Foundation — A New Beginning

A new day dawned on Capetown, a bright and sunny morning completely out of the question as thick clouds covered the sky. Unlike the hustle and bustle of Super City, Capetown took a while to wake up. Only now were people beginning to fill the cobblestone streets, heading off to work or school or wherever they were going. For many residents, that was the docks. Boats bobbed on the briny water, seagulls calling, the spray of salt flooding the air. With its brickfront buildings and stone streets, most visitors and strangers would think they'd gone back in time. To everyone else, it was home.

Sitting off the boardwalk was a massive building, tall and narrow, gold and silver paints glittering in the sun. This was Cape Towers, home to one of the Saint's Foundation's many branches. It loomed over the coast, stretching out and over. It resembled a long billowing cape, lifted just off the ground and held towards the seas. It wasn't as old as the rest of town. Didn't have the same history. But it was a symbol of their legacy. For the city's heroes, it was the first and last stop and worthy of respect. But today was Orientation Day.

As usual, it was held in the Lounge Room on the top floor. It was large and spacious, well suited to accommodating the sheer number of recruits that filled it. Rows of rectangular tables were lined up along the back wall, stacked with delicious appetizers and punch bowls. They stood in front of enormous windows, big enough for squad of trucks to plow through. You could see the whole town no matter where you looked. If you didn't know better, you could mistake it for vintage train set. It was quaint and colorful, old and new, the present and the past coming together in glorious harmony.

As the new recruits poured in, their senior officers were nowhere to be seen. The Foundation was known for letting it's members mingle. It could take minutes for a meeting to start, maybe longer. To the newcomers, this may have seemed unorthodox, even inefficient. But there was a method to the madness. Until things got started, all they could do was graze and mingle. But it helped build a foundation of a different sort. As part of the Foundation, communication was key, but there was no better way to foster it than casual conversation.

Gilgamesh — King of Uruk

In the corner a young woman was stuffing her face. She was tall and muscular, strong as an ox and just as large, abs of steel and pistons for arms. She had gotten here first. She was dressed as a king, crown sitting atop her head, sword and shield resting in front of the table. She had the body of a barbarian, but she held herself with as much dignity as she could muster. This didn't stop her from filling her face with crackers, but she wouldn't let manners get in the way of a good meal.

Tae-hyun Chong

Tae-hyun knew the importance of making a good first impression. Especially when that first impression was made on superheroes! He'd idolized these guys since he was a kid, bought every comic and collectible and piece of merchandise he could get his hands on, he had cosplayed as some of these heroes! He had to amaze them, prove he could be here.

Hence, Tae-hyun had entered the lounge in full costume, eagerly introducing himself to everyone he passed—"Hi! I'm Windwing!"—and was practically bouncing across the room, a beaming smile on his face. If someone didn't seem interested in talking, he'd move on to someone else—but surely, someone had to want a conversation!

Shao Fei: Saint Foundation

Out from one of the elevators came a monkey girl, dressed in a pair of casual sweatpants and a pullover hoodie, walking in with her hands in her pockets and headphones in her ears as she sauntered in as casually as could be. Her hands and feet were bare and indistinguishable from each other, and a tail poked out from beneath the hem of her jacket, as she picked a seat at the table and plopped herself into it; propping her legs up onto the table one at a time in a manner perhaps a little too casual. Her head bobbed slightly to the music she was listening to, as she pulled out the phone her headphones were connected to and began to mess around with it. A small rucksack that had been hiding against her back was tugged off and set beside her chair for later, its contents unknown for now.

Despite being obviously simian in nature, she had the stylings and demeanour of a teenager, and her short stature and lithe build would probably have others mistake her for one. But she had indeed registered as an adult, and the impression she had chosen to give was... nothing. Unremarkability was a powerful tool, and a tone-setter. A degree of unprofessional naivety and laziness was also crucial. She wanted to set standards low, so that she could be seen for who she was instead of who she presented herself as. That meant the purest simplicity.

She would call it a calculated amount, but not really. Truth was that she liked baggy clothes, because tighter clothes itched her. Especially formalwear. Shoes were even worse, since her feet were essentially enlarged hands and there was no way to stuff them into anything. So she just had to go with a certain style, even if it was sloppy in execution. Even if someone brought it up, she'd be able to explain herself practically.

She didn't make a greeting to the woman who was already there, but she did raise her head and offer a brief but friendly smile to Windwing as he announced himself, greeting him with a short nod and a genuine sparkle in her fiery-golden eyes.

"Hey, whassup? Somebody's excited. Good to see it."

Edited by Enirboreh on Oct 7th 2023 at 10:55:41 AM

Ryan Brady

Entering the building, Ryan Brady looked around somewhat nervously - this was the first time he had ever actually worn this costume that was supposedly given to him by his grandad. He had never honestly talked with his grandfather before, and then all that happened at his school and suddenly he just...had a grandfather. And was now aware of the fact he apparently came from a line of heroes that went back to fucking World War II. And here Ryan was - nervous and conscious about how his costume might look on him.

He tried to make sure his shoulder cape was on right, but at the same time, this tight spandex plus how he wasn't exactly one of the lean athletes made him conscious of how he might look in it. Sure the babes back at his old school didn't exactly mind that he came with a bit more gut than some of the other guys. He was still fit, strong, capable...

Man I hope there's hot babes here—- Then he saw Gilgamesh sitting there, and a grin crossed his face. Holy shit she's eating like I do sometimes, but she's ripped. And hot! He started getting ready to make his entrance—-

Then some short guy started almost bouncing off the walls, readily introducing themselves to just about everyone. Despite his approach being interrupted, Ryan returned the greeting amicably, "Yeah uh, sure bro. My name's Ryan Brady. I go by Atomix cuz I'm like...atomic and shit, like an atom bomb I guess."

Tasha

The next to enter was a towering beast.

Taller than any man, with white fur stained red in places with warpaint. Tasha took in the atmosphere of the lounge with amusement. She was unconcerned with how out-of-place she looked, in her costume that showed off most of her muscular body. Twin axes dangled from her hips, made of crystalized ice that shimmered faintly in the light.

Altogether, the picture of some tribal warrior, fearsome and strong. Yet her movements were casual, a calm smile on her face.

For a few moments after she entered her golden-brown eyes followed the overeager child who bounced around. Then she stepped forward, to introduce herself to the gathering circle of her comrades.

"I am Avalanche, Hero of the Cold North." She announced, her voice a deep growl, "Or Tasha, to my friends. I look forward to seeing your strengths."

Gilamesh

It wasn't long before the King noticed the newcomers. She was content with gorging herself, but a king needed to attend to their subjects. She rubbed her mouth on her sleeve, standing tall as she marched, addressing them with grace and dignity as she bowed.

"Greetings and salutations! It is a pleasure to see such brave and noble souls entering this noble profession! It is equally heartening to see so many you in such excellent shape. My full majesty and martial prowess cannot be expressed through something as trivial as a name, but you may refer to me as Gilgamesh should you so choose."

She was interested in most of the heroes assembled. In terms of physical ability, the bear and the musclehead were in her league, but the monkey was fascinating in her own regard. She didn't know them at all, but they brought back memories.

Maxx Gellan

A short young man steps out of the elevator, wearing a patterned red coat over a name-brand white shirt and red jeans. He wears a confident smirk on his face, as he knows there's no point looking nervous at a time like this. After all, he's Maxx Gellan, the coolest - not to mention hottest - guy around, and if anyone can make a good first impression, it's him. At least, that's the plan.

First things first, though, Maxx takes a sideways glance at the snack table. He may or may not have skipped breakfast this morning due to nerves, and he can't take it to the Maxx degree so easily on an empty stomach. Snickering to himself over his clever use of his own catchphrase, Maxx starts to move towards the table when he too is interrupted by an overexcited kid offering him greetings. Noticing a few of their other victims close by, Maxx decides that food can wait and that now is as good a time as any to officially make his presence known.

"Good morning, geeks!" Maxx calls, addressing the other heroes nearby. "I am Maxx Gellan, the Phoenixcaller! Manipulator of flame, true heir to the Magellan throne, and master of taking it to the Maxx degree!"

Seymour Greene Seymour was approaching the Lounge with a toothy grin on his face. He's had some dreams in the back of his head of joining these heroes in the past, but his lack of powers (or any resources that could reasonably make up for that) caused this dream to ultimately float in the back of his head to occasionally have a wistful fantasy or two about slugging some corrupt a-hole that thought they were above the law. Well, now Seymour was about to live that dream.

The eagerly went through the doors to the lounge, seeing the other new recruits. He wasn't the first one here, but it looks like he was still pretty early.

The giant of a man, er, plant-person of sorts made of a bizarre biomass, says quite excitedly, "Aw Yeah, this is happening!"

Tae-hyun

"Hi! It's nice to meet all of you! Wow, you're all so cool!" There were stars in Tae-hyun's eyes, and he eagerly bounced on his heels. "I'm Tae-hyun! I'm the fourth Windwing after Benjamin and Johnny and Paul and that means I can control wind and that makes me a superhero I've always dreamed of being a superhero I haven't heard of most of you but you're all probably awesome and eeeeeeee this is the greatestdayofmylife!"

...he said all of that without pausing for air.

"I can fly! I haven't gotten too far yet but I know I can! I can't wait for us to work together!" Tae-hyun smiled brightly again.

Akiyama Kozakura - Foundation Lounge

As the more boisterous and cheerful among them gathered together, the brilliant glow of the optimism kept a certain former magical girl observing from afar. Adjusting her hood (which she put on with the weather looking as it was and just... didn't take off upon entering) to hide her face better, Kozakura brought her gaze down to a small plate of appetizers she gathered. She went out of her way to choose a rest bench as disconnected from the crowd as possible to enjoy her snacks in relative peace, but she knew she had to get familiar with some of the active heroics in the city. But, she wasn't in any rush to do so - not yet.

All things at their own pace, she thought as she nibbled on a piece of prosciutto. ...this is pretty good.

Giph Starburst

Zhvmmp!

Ordinarily Giph would not have made use of her rapid transit ability in such a mundane situation, but this building was far too large. Confusingly so. She'd heard legends about humanity's tendency to build unnecessarily large buildings when they weren't constrained by environmental conditions as they were on Luna, and the Foundation academy facilities had certainly been an evolution from what she was used to, but this was a whole new plane. If she were to float at a casual pace - let alone walk - it would take her eons to get anywhere.

Besides, she felt depleted from all the floating. She needed hydration.

All of a sudden, anyone who cared to pay attention may have noticed the small alien creature in a dark jumpsuit floating by the punchbowl, gingerly pouring a glass to the brim with bright red punch, loaded with as many fruit slices as she could manage, and topped with one of those miniature anti-precipitation shields. She had been told the presence of such an item greatly enhanced the quality of the beverage.

She took a visual scan of all the other individuals present - hmm, certainly an interesting arrangement, very diverse. Thus far there appears to be no social clustering, though she expects that to change in short order.

The alien psychic slid onto a chair close to the humanoid simian (...more simian than usual) and took a sluuuuuuuuuurp of her glass of punch, savouring the taste.

>Greetings Gilgamesh, Windwing, Mr. Gellan, Atomix, Avalanche, and others whose names have not been communicated. Have you all sampled this fruit-and-alcohol-based beverage? The taste is pleasant. she telepathized, hoping to perhaps gauge everyone's reactions and begin to see where they all stood. You had to start small with humans... and human-adjacent Earth species... she had been told.

>I can confirm it has not been spiked with any form of poison, toxin or anaesthetic. she added, just to let them know she could be trusted.

Jay Beggs Fitzgerald - Lounge Room - It's Showtime!

Not long after Giph entered the Lounge Room, loud jazz music played in the background and the doors were suddenly kicked open with such force that they were sent flying across the room, barely missing the people seated at the table.

A short-haired blonde woman in an elegant 1920s gown jumped into the room, making a sleek landing on her feet. She twirled around, wielding a white umbrella like a staff. As it turns out, indicated by the fact she was covered in a violet aura, she already used a spell on herself that enhanced her strength, speed, agility and durability. She then bows down and glances at everyone in the room with a smirk as she tips her hat to them.

A kid in a wingsuit, a muscular woman in armor, a monkey girl, a tall polar bear woman, a venus flytrap-headed dinosaur, a hot-headed boy in red, a hoaded woman lurking in the corner and an alien were all in the room. They all look like very interesting folk, which intrigued the blonde woman.

"Hello, hello, everyone!" The blonde woman rose up exictably, spinning her umbrella. "It is I, Jay Beggs Fitzgerald! Also known as MagiFlapper! I'm the proud descendant of the great Fitzgeralds from the Jazz Age!"

Edited by Cutegirl920fire on Oct 7th 2023 at 4:25:35 AM

As everyone was greeting and mingling and saying hello, a figure was seen dozing off in the corner, seemingly unseen, but quickly revealed to be a rather tall, muscular young man dressed rather casually, but seemed to just ignore most of what happened so far until someone decided to star a musical number. Good thing he wasn't showing his other side or that would have been a real pain. Taking his necklace, a quick spin of chains obscured him for a moment, before revealing now a black armor with chains tied to his arms.

"Starting the show already?" He asked.

Giph entered, and Ryan was lost already.

First was a gargantuan polar bear woman, now there was a—-an alien, and more people were making their way in. A dinosaur with a venus flytrap head? A haughty guy in red... Was that guy like, a tree? This was all so incredibly whack that Ryan honestly didn't know where to begin. And there was the woman dressed like the 1920s never ended.

"I'll uh, I'll be honest this is like, way more than I'm used to. I just came here from the suburbs, played football all the way up to senior year. Not much heroic experience outside of punching an assassin in the face." Ryan said as the introductions commenced, but figured if they were discussing their famous relatives, he should as well. Chances were this wasn't gonna be like Claim to Fame. "I'm the original Atomix's grandson. My grandad was one of the original Heroic Society folks who fought in World War II. Seems he got his powers from some kinda experiment gone awry."

Carol

Carol had no intention of drawing attention to herself. As she was among those who were obviously not human (being made of mud and all), she was unfortunately guaranteed a bit more attention than some of her peers, but she was otherwise determined not to stand out. The more of a spectacle she made of herself, the more people would think about her, the quicker they might draw links between her and her progenitor.

That said, brooding in a corner like she noticed a few people doing would stand out almost as much as the guy literally dashing around the room like he would die if he sat still (maybe he would, superpowers were weird). No, the best way to blend in was to just act normal. Considering the girl who'd gone in ahead of her had literally kicked the doors across the room before announcing herself like some kind of celebrity, normal didn't seem like a high bar to clear right now.

Walking into to the room in the shadow of that bizarre entrance, Carol gravitated toward the snack tables. She didn't really eat, but that seemed to be where most of her peers had gathered. The mud-girl offered a lazy wave as she approached.

"Yo. I'm Carol."

Abigail-What's All This Then?

She was a little nervous, to be honest. I mean, she'd met a few other heroes, and seen some, and looked at her dad and others old videos and souvenirs, but this was really real. What if she wasn't any good? Or useful? Or if her amulet broke or just didn't work? She'd debated coming in human or in rock form over and over, before deciding to stay human. She wasn't trying to impress anyone.

As she traveled up the glass-walled elevator to the appointed lounge, Abigail couldn't help but gaze suspiciously at a bird hovering in the sky. It was probably nothing. Just like that dog (wolf) that had been following her the other day. Or the black rabbit she'd seen out her bedroom window a week ago. The one that had been staring at her. Maybe.

DING went the elevator's chime, and she stepped out and made her way to the room. As she poked her head in, she noticed the rather eclectic group, the munchies, and then the mess. "Say, did you guys notice the doors are knocked down? Are we doing a hero drill thingy, or does one of you have door-powers? And are there any cashews to eat?"

Edited by Booky on Oct 23rd 2023 at 5:45:41 AM

Tae-hyun

"Fruit and...alcohol?" Tae-hyun blinked owlishly at Giph's words. "Punch has alcohol in it?" Learn something new every day?

And then he yelped and had to duck under the flying door, barely dodging before it smacked into his face and gave him a concussion. "U-uh—hi!" He awkwardly waved at Jay, smiling politely, if a bit awkwardly. "So many superheroes," he mused to himself, before letting out a giddy laugh and spinning around, clasping his hands together. "This is amazing! It's like every dream I've had is coming true, only my glasses aren't made of chocolate!" (He wasn't wearing glasses right now, but that was what he said.) "Aaaaaaah soexcited!"

Tae-hyun jumped in unbridled glee at that point, and did not come down. He hovered, floating a few feet off the ground and happily doing aerial backflips in excitement, giggling like a hyena the whole way. Which, incidentally, let him catch sight of Kozakura in the corner, and he floated over. "Hi! I'm Windwing! Wanna talk with us?"

Edited by LilyTheLitten on Oct 7th 2023 at 5:06:05 AM

Seymour Greene

Seymour was happy to see that he wasn't entirely out of place. He helped himself to a rather generous helping of the punch, as confirmed by Giph to not be poisonous (not that he was worrying about that).

"So, we introducin' ourselves? Name's Seymour. Glad to see I'm not the only one excited to join the war against evil and injustice."

Seymour grinned towards Tae-hyun and took a big swig of punch.

Shao Fei

The room had filled up quickly. Fei was a little surprised, as she'd been expecting a slower trickle of people, but she was at least glad that she'd made it in early. Flicking her eyes up from her phone to keep track of them all, her golden gaze flicked between each of them, peering into them and giving them a rough idea of who they were. Which was good, because she hadn't really been listening too closely on account of the headphones. She pulled them out, stopping the music on her phone and instead pillowed her hands behind her head. She debated taking her feet off the table, but decided to test her luck by not bothering to.

"Hey, everyone..." she nodded once she'd found a brief gap in the conversation, her tone light and relaxed. "Name's Shao Fei. Call me Fei. I'm... well, I'll save that for later. Nice to meet you guys. Don't mind me, just relaxing over here. These are surprisingly comfy chairs."

She wriggled in her seat a little to emphasise her point, before grinning with sharp teeth and looking up towards the ceiling. She felt... okay, so long as she kept her cool and didn't let the stimulation overwhelm her. There was gonna be a lot more people in here, she surmised, and she was mentally preparing herself to shut off unless directly addressed. She decided it'd be best to let that be known too, so there wouldn't be any bad first impressions.

"If anyone wants to talk with me, come right up, but I probably won't be chatting otherwise! Can't keep track of you all. Nothing personal, I just can't handle it," she said aloud, lightly swinging in her seat at this point. Was it a swivel chair or not? Well, it was now. "Thanks in advance. Glad to be here."

Tasha

Have you not had your magic very long? She intended to ask the bouncing boy. From the sound of it he'd only recently begun to practice it. Not very reassuring in a future comrade.

However, she was interrupted by the door flying off its hinges. Instinctively, Tasha drew one axe, cocking her arm back for a throw that could split a man in half- only for the intruder to reveal they were, in fact, a hero. Scowling at the needless damage and drama, she holstered her axe once more, turning towards the muscular man.

"I too am grandchild of a hero. The first Avalanche, my grandmother Tasha, from whom I took both of her names." She eyed Ryan up and down, rumbling with approval. "May we both surpass our elders. Shouldn't be hard for you, if you truly possess the power of a nuclear bomb."

As an aside, she glanced over at Fei, offering a nod to her fellow beastwoman. Tasha could always admire one who felt no need for ostentatious costume.

Gilgamesh

"Calm yourself, friend Atomix. There is no shame in feeling overwhelmed. It may be difficult to believe, but I too have felt overwhelmed on occasion. I have found the best way to steady yourself is to focus on what you are already familiar with. Once you have cast your anchor, the rest becomes easier to comprehend."

They marvelled at the strange new visitors before them. Mere words did not do them justice. There were creatures made of mud, visitors from other worlds, even those rooted in the past! In that respect, they could relate. She couldn't fault their enthusiasm, a little music never failed to boost their spirits. Had she come to this place a few years earlier, she'd be as lost as Ryan was, but she found herself enraptured.

"My own ancestry is... complicated. My parents of birth were most admirable, but their feats were comparatively modest. I possess another pair of parents still. They were not heroes, but their accomplishments were no less legendary."

They nodded towards the monkey. They appreciated their energy or lack thereof but hadn't lost their interest. She'd have to stop over when she had the chance.

"But on the matter of my heroic lineage, I am not sure whether I am the successor or progenitor. Perhaps I am both. With each passing year, it becomes more difficult to make such a distinction."

Edited by kkhohoho on Oct 7th 2023 at 7:26:28 AM

Alleggerito Capena - A Meeting Of Peers

At first, Alleggerito Capena assumed that this meeting room had no doors as he approached the entryway. But then he got closer, spotted the broken hinges and realized someone had in fact broken the doors during their entry. While slightly concerning, this was not really much of a matter as he drew his hood in close and strode into the room silently.

"Greetings, heroes. I am the Avatrix of Magic, like my mother before me. I am sure you are familiar..."

He stands there, actually kind of hoping anyone was actually familiar with the hero he claimed ancestry from.

"Regardless, it appears I will be working with you all for our shared time in this slumbering seaside ssssss-... Settlement? Regardless, regardless."

Abigail-A Huddle of Heroes?

Still taking in the group from the doorway, she nodded to the person in the robe. "I would also have accepted hamlet, townlet, burg, or metropolis. Points for alliteration, though." She ambled further into the room, weaving in and out between the gathered people? beings? folk? and nodding to each. Finally she arrived at the food table. "So, does anyone have any idea what comes next? And say, Avatrix? Isn't that a female version of a word? I suppose "Aviator of Magic" doesn't make sense. Cool robe, though." She eyed the monkey-person and bear-person with a twinge of concern before turning to the clay? mud? girl? "So what's your deal, Carol?" Her voice was slightly muffled through a handful of cashews.

Edited by Booky on Oct 7th 2023 at 6:37:23 AM

Anna Gaines

Stepping out of the elevator just after Abigail, Anna Gaines was wearing most of her superhero outfit, including the protective armor. The only thing missing was her goggles, and on her face was a simple pair of glasses, due to it being the middle of the day and her not being on duty, though the goggles were tucked away in a pocket just in case she needed to be ready for action.

Anna was excited. This was it. She'd finally made it into the Saint Foundation, and was about to start making her legacy. But there was a small part of her that was a little nervous. After all, while most of the people here had great, heroic legacies to live up to, Anna's... was one she would rather improve. She'd come to terms with it during her time at Saint Academy, but taking the steps to change the public impression of the name Overtaker would still be a challenge.

Looking around, Anna saw that someone had broken down the doors. Evidentially, she had made the right call in testing if the walls could take the force of her powers getting up the stairs faster. She then noticed the group that was beginning to form up and introduce themselves, and next to them...

"Ooh, punch!" Anna exclaimed as she quickly walked over to the bowl and poured herself a cup, then went to find an open seat with the others.

Achilles Apóneró, All He Needed Now Was a Piece of Toast

"Aw shit, I'm late!" he griped as he tapped his feet impatiently on the elevator floor, looking at his watch.

"Looks like your chance at a good impression is long gone, Achi." Ifaista's amused voice crackles over the comms on his watch. He takes the earpiece that ejected itself from it and put it on his hear, hissing, "Hey! I'm kinda new to the superhero stuff!"

"Oh no. What if there're tests?!" he yelps. Ifaista chuckles and replies, "Oh don't stress so much. You'll be fine. Besides, I can give you directions on written tests, and you have your suit at all times." she shrugs on the other end. Achilles fiddles with his watch, on the series of latches that would activate his suit.

He flinches when the doors ding, and puts on a smile for whatever people he'll meet on the other side. "Good luck, Achilles." she whispers.

On the other side of the elevator doors, Achilles could hear the music coming from beyond and as he walked, he noticed the broken doors. Stepping through them, he could see superheroes of every size and shape mingling, and he nearly lost it. Not from fear, but he was extremely excited. This is it. His true start as a hero. "Dude, chill! Your heart rate is through the roof!" Ifaista laughs. Achilles blinks and grins. He flicks two fingers from his head in an informal salute. He walks up to the nearest person, whoever they may be, and offers his hand. "Sup! I'm Myrmidon! Wait, should we give out our real names?" he backpedals a bit, but shrugs, going through with the greeting.

Edited by Jules-Firenze on Oct 7th 2023 at 9:44:43 PM