You are (Not) the Heroes IC

Trapshot shrugs.

"Can't say I'm surprised. You're probably rememberin' me from when the Calamity Bandit got hauled off about a month back. He was that one no-gooder from back in the day that'd fall in and run with other villains, then shoot 'em in the back and make off with their ill-gotten goods. The fella that skipped town when his own ills caught up with him, bought a ranch to burn the money, and then raised a kid under an alias to take over as the next Bandit."

She points a booted hoof at her face.

"I've been told the resemblance is uncanny with the mask and hat on."

She puts her hoof back on the ground as Crimson starts making his desserts.

"Way I see it," she says to Crimson's comment, "some of us actually have day jobs, so we got ears into what ponies are talkin' about on the streets already. I know an old hideout on the outskirts of the industrial district that we could move into, maybe set up a command center for communicatin' and all the fun detective stuff we'd use it for."

As ferum begins to leave, Zellbriq decides it the right time to introduce himself to his new teammembers, also he finally finished that essay on Hydra regeneration that's due tomorrow. so he tries to turn into his timberwolf form as unnoticed as he can (stealth: 1d20+14 31) and actually does a decent job with it. He takes his sadlebags in his mouth and moves towards the fountain. As he arrives he says to all the Heros, still telepathic as his mouths full: Greetings, I am the Alpha of The Wolfpack, I hope we can work together to reclaim our right to hunt criminals.

Daff grins down at Pigin as the colt introduces himself. "I wish I could fly. Then Rousseau and I could soar through the clouds together! I think I'd need very big wings, though." He chuckles. "I like you. You have a big heart, even if you're tiny, just like Rousseau!

Daff turns his attention to Crimson, quickly adding up the cost of the ingredients, before curiously watching the pony work while he listens to the other introductions, carefully noting each with visible effort to memorize them.

"That must be where he remembers you from," he says to Trapshot with a nod. "He's very good with faces. Except with cats. He doesn't like cats. It's too bad you look so similar to a villain. Was Calamity Bandit part cat? That must get annoying getting confused for him!"

The pony looks rather enthused at the mention of a hideout, but whatever he's about to say about it is interrupted when he abruptly tilts his head to one side as a voice once again pushes its way into his head.

Sliverbrony wrote:Greetings, I am the Alpha of The Wolfpack, I hope we can work together to reclaim our right to hunt criminals.

"Rousseau says he is now in charge of a wolf pack. I don't know where he finds time to make so many friends, but I'm not surprised. He's very likable. That must be one of his new friends over there!"

Dove Colt raises an eyebrow at Daff's claims, and trots a little closer to the first wolf. Anyone paying attention would notice Dove Colt's wings - specifically the one oversized feather woven into his right wing - glows brightly for a moment, before he leans closer to the wolf and, in a startlingly realistic series of yips and growls, asks the wolf, "Just to make sure - Rousseau isn't your alpha, right?"

The dog turns towards the young colt and says in Animal speak(not sure if Timberwolf or dog):Deffenitly not, if he tried for that position he would be eaten by Zellbriq. shortly after that is said you hear the Timberwolf growl and, if you understand Animal, say to the dog: Inu what did I tell you about saying my name to others! To which the dog replies not to do it?, while looking quite placating towards the bigger wolf

"Mmm... this Calamity Bandit sounds like he was a great performer..." muses Madame Mask, "But I'm sure this ensemble can put on quite the show too, even with such... She silently glances at the colt talking to a dog and the overenthusiastic squirrel carer. "...fresh talent."

Dove Colt glances back at Daff (and Rousseau), then back at Inu and Zellbriq, and then he shrugs and bounces over to the Crimson Chef. "So... what'cha making?"

Paper Shadow wrote:"Mmm... this Calamity Bandit sounds like he was a great performer..." muses Madame Mask, "But I'm sure this ensemble can put on quite the show too, even with such... She silently glances at the colt talking to a dog and the overenthusiastic squirrel carer. "...fresh talent."

Trapshot responds with a shrug.

"Ain't ideal for my tastes," she says, "but for me, it's this or go redside, and bein' bad in this town ain't so hot an idea right this second."

She glances around, then up at the sky.

"Stickin' around here in our costumes ain't feelin' too smart, either, come to think of it."

Her horn flashes for a second. A soft chirp sounds from the watch on his left foreleg, and Trapshot disappears from view. (Stealth: 7+8=15)

Anyone that beats that roll on a Preception check will hear hoofsteps heading toward the treeline Trapshot had approached the fountain from, and then back to where she was originally standing moments later. The pony that appears in her place is an unmasked gray unicorn wearing a saddlebag and a rock-concert T-shirt, her brown mane let down from her now-hatless head. She speaks in a decidedly more urban manner, a slight accent being the only thing indicating this mare was ever Trapshot.

"The hideout's a thirty-minute walk from here." She turns and starts walking. "Anypony that doesn't want to be mistaken for a villain and ganked by Power Ponies is welcome to come with."

As she passes the cart, she levitates a spoon and one of the desserts Crimson had already finished toward her without breaking stride.

Daff looks, impressed, towards Dove Colt who is growling and barking at the dog and timberwolf. Crimson is continuing a rather skillful display of somehow turning vendor cart ice cream into a work of art that makes Daff drool. And he doesn't even know what the others can do yet. He has a good feeling about this. With all these ponies working together, a mysterious benefactor, and with Rousseau as their mastermind, they're sure to be unbeatable!

When he turns back, Trapshot has completed her switching act. He looks the mare over in surprise. "That's some trick!" he says, clopping his forehooves against the ground a couple of times in applause. He then follows suit, changing out of his own costume. This consists of removing his Squirrels hoofball hat.

He takes a moment to check the sun.

"My shift's about over. I'd really like to see this hideout. Just give me a second to pack up," he says, trotting over to the cart and making sure Crimson doesn't need anything further from it before flipping the chalk board around so it says "CLOS D." What used to be the E has a smudge of chalk that looks suspiciously like a squirrel paw print. He bites a handle on one side of the cart, extending it, then proceeds to hitch himself to it.

"The rest of you are coming too, right?" he asks hopefully, already beginning to enjoy the new company.

Zellbriq takes a look around to make sure that noone except his new compatriots are watching before turning back into a zebra with a wooden wolfskull as a Glyphmark and walks over to the Chef and asks: could I have one without Chocolate please? after he recieved some icecream he turns to trapshot and says: Well then lead the way to this hideout of yours, while eating his dessert.

"Oh!" Dove Colt gasps when Trapshot does her trick. "That's some good thinking - lemme just..."

"ALAKAZAM!" In a poof of smoke, a rush of feathers and a sudden storm of flying pigeons that appear from nothing and disappear into thin air, in front of the group stands a little bluish grey pegasus colt with a messily cut raven-black mane and sporting a white hoodie. "Tada!"

He looks enviously at the dessert, but doesn't ask for any, instead brushing off a few feathers from his back and reporting, "I'm ready!"

(Used Signature Spectacle and Audiomancy)

Crimson was sure that he had been forced to make decent meals out of worse supplies then those provided by some random ice cream vendor's cart, through he couldn't recall exactly what those were at the moment; One did not go to a street take out vendor with the expectation of a high class meal after all... or food that was strictly prepared to health and safety standards either. Still, he was rather proud of the five ice cream based dishes that he managed to whip up alongside the various optional extras in order to give them that little extra flavor while making sure at least one of them was chocolate free; If someone didn't want chocolate, he was going to respect their wishes.

In fact, he looked at the zebra in question for a moment before asking "Would your companion care for some rabbit meat? It wouldn't be difficult for me to get."

As ponies started to remove their uniforms in order to allow them to travel on hoof to check out their new headquarters, Crimson sighed a little as he rolled his shoulders and started to walk over to the nearby plant-life that was big and dense enough for him to hide behind so that he could get changed. It didn't take all that long to change out of his outfit and thus Flaming Cuisine walked back to the fountain to join his new peers, feeling kind of naked without the outfit to cover up his identity. He didn't exactly look like a superhero after all... superheros tended not to be as chunky as he was and he knew it...

"So, shall we get going?"

Dice Rolls:

Senshuken wrote:

In fact, he looked at the zebra in question for a moment before asking "Would your companion care for some rabbit meat? It wouldn't be difficult for me to get."

Inu's ears perk up at the mention of meat, what you probably didn't expect was for zellbriq to show a nearly identical reaction before he answers:that would be great, but could you get some for me two? after a short moment the zebra speaks up again, trying to justify himself:What? you try being spiritualy bound to a Timberwolf and not develop a taste for meat.

(Perception: 20+13=33)

Robyn Blind had never stopped walking away from the fountain, but had no trouble hearing her comrades addressing her across the distance she'd already covered.

"I'm already going."

As she continues walking, she obliges herself with a few mental kicks for bringing a bonafide shotgun to a public park in broad daylight. At least she packed it in her saddlebag well enough that it wasn't obvious she still had it. (Stealth: 20+8=28)

The sooner she can get it put away, the better.

Madame Mask signals that she's not interested in dessert, and she does not partake in the costume removing, but she does follow Trapshot out of the park. It'll be good to know where the backstage will be."

Another clop of applause, but with even more volume, this time directed at Dove Colt. "That was AWESOME! I like your style, tiny pony! Rousseau, we need a dramatic costume change, too! How about using a phone box?... No, you're right, those are made of glass. That'd be silly. What's that? A police box? No, it would be too small on the inside."

Daff's tangent is thankfully interrupted at the offered dessert. He accepts it, eagerly. He first offers it to Rousseau (who takes the cherry), then attacks the treat with gusto. Two messy seconds later, all that's left of it is the left over ice cream around his mouth.

He looks over to Madame Mask. "This is great! If you don't want it, can I have yourrrr....s?"

The sentence drifts off in the breeze. He turns, slowly, to stare at Zellbriq, mouth slightly agape.

"Ponies should not eat cute, thinking critters! Or even sadly not so attractive, thinking critters!" he declares, scowling. "Unless... zebras always eat cute and not so attractive, thinking critters. I don't want to be culturally insensitive."

The stallion looks momentarily baffled by his own thought process, then stomps his hoof down. "But even if they do, you will stay away from Rousseau! Look how disturbed you've made him!"

Rousseau perches on Daff's head, cheerfully nibbling on the cherry.

"I dunno," Pidgin hums as he follows along the path, a short distance away from Trapshot. "Rabbits seem kinda dumb when I try to hang out with them."

In what had to be the first time ever, Zellbriq would find a pony didn't seem phased in the slightest by his guilty pleasure for meat; Flaming simply nodded his head in understanding as he said "You don't have to justify yourself to me, you wouldn't be the first pony I've encountered that has a taste for something with a bit more iron to it. How about I cook you something up when we get to our new place? Rabbit takes a bit more then your standard ice vendor stand to properly cook and prepare... unless you like it raw, but even then I would still recommend you wait until we're out of the public eye before eating."

Following along after Trapshot, Flaming felt for a moment that he might need to explain himself a little due to what he had just said; The majority of ponies were vegetarians from cradle to grave after all. It would revel a bit more about himself then he would like, but he was already out of his costume so it wouldn't be hard for someone on the team to track him down while he was working. "I'm one of the few professional pony chefs in this city that knows how to prepare and cook meat. It's rare to come across a pony that is bold enough to order meat, but you do come across them every now and then. It's normally griffions, dragons or diamond dogs that request such meals, but they have just as much right to eat a meal suited to their tastes as anyone does."

"Anyway, I talked to an owl, once." Pidgin pipes up, looking at Daff, "She said squirrels are too bony."

The cart squeak squeak squeaks as Daff pulls it along after Robyn. The large stallion looks a little ill as Crimson talks.

He gives a huff, turning to look pointedly at Pigin. "Rousseau is not bony! He's is healthy and strong and keeps a strict regime of diet and exercise! Look at those little muscles!"

It takes another second before the actual meaning of Pigin's words click. Daff stops walking to reach up and let Rousseau hop onto his hoof. He pets the squirrel protectively.

"The world is a scary place for a creature so tiny," he says mournfully. "It's a good thing Rousseau still has a heart big enough to fight both evil and things that want to eat him."

As Daffs seems to be very concerned for Rosseau, Zellbriq turns to the small animal and asks it: are you realy that scared of me and Inu eating other Animals? you do realize that a small cute squirel like you wouldn't be worth the effort as it's maybe a snack at most, but still faster then many larger animals.

When Flaming tells them that he is a professional chef, Zellbriq answers telepathicly The restaurant you work at, how far from the Maretropolis University is it. If it's close enough, I may become a repeat customer.

Robyn rolls her eyes at the conversation going on behind her.

"Nopony's going to eat the rodent," she calls back. "And I don't think we'll have to worry about having weird tastes, neither, between having a cook onboard and whatever backing that Ferrum guy promised us. This conversation's getting weird. Let's talk books. Louis L'Amaire fan, right here. What about all you?"

Rousseau scampers up Daff's face and sits on top of the pony's head. He takes the final large bite out of the cherry, then looks at the zebra as he's spoken to. The squirrel chitters something unintelligible with his mouth is still full and his cheeks puffed out, gives an unconcerned shrug, and then tosses the cherry stem off to one side before curling up in Daff's mane and going to sleep.

"Oh, books! Horseshoe is my favorite letter!" Daff declares happily. There's a few beats before he clarifies, "That was a joke. I do like the funny pages, though. Rousseau reads a lot, too, but I don't really understand his books."

Not wnating to intrude on the poor critter any further, Zellbriq joins the talk about books: I quite enjoyed the Dark Unicorn Trillogy but I can't recal the authors name, his face then scrunges up as if trying to remember the author I know she wrote another trioligy about some priestess of five gods or something

Time passes quickly as the group’s conversation drifts off to more casual topics, and the group quickly makes their way to the outskirts of the industrial district. Trapshot eventually locates where the hideout should be - a fairly unassuming warehouse tucked away in a street corner, with rusted doors and walls with peeling paint. A flimsy set of chains bind the doors shut, and above that, stenciled in with bold red paint, ‘CONDEMNED’, and a smaller set of text reading ‘Demolition delayed indefinitely’.

The chains snap off easily enough, and when the doors are opened, the group is met with a waft of dusty warehouse air as it is exposed to the outside world for the first time in months. Directly past the door is a moderately sized storage space with crates and barrels stacked up randomly, with a dinky looking chair leaning against a wall.