Re: League of Extraordinary Applicants

by **Pinnacle** March 15th 2018, 1:59 pm

Israel chuckled a bit at the jokes, but waited until most people seemed fine with the proclamations to do so, in order to avoid adding to the potential insult.

Eventually, everyone filed into the I.S.O. facility, the doors at least seemingly opening automatically for them as they approached.

"Welcome to the New York International Supers Organization training and evaluation facility." Israel said, as the facility's lights turned on, illuminating what appeared to be a quite large empty auditorium or gymnasium style white room.

He continued: "Here we should be able to evaluate your strength, speed, agility, endurance, and overall combat capabilities. We can do so through utilizing the training facility more directly..." He said, as multiple mechanical punching-bag-like objects rose from the floor. "Or we can skip the basics and go right to sparring. In my experience, many potential agents prefer the sparring option, but that is up to you. If sparring is indeed selected, I would suggest pairing Titan with Mythos, Platani with Medicine Woman, and Dark Star with Arcana. That said, pairings are ultimately up to you to agree upon."

Israel stood for a moment to create a more natural pause between his words. "So, which option or options would suit each of you?" He asked, glancing around the room.

by **beepsa** March 16th 2018, 10:39 pm

Uhm-- what. She blinks, dumbstruck at the-- compliment? Flirt? Thrown at her face. In this proffessional setting. Though, to be fair, it doesn't seem like this gentleman has once ever cared, honestly, about maintaining a working headspace. Hypothetically, if they were all to have office desks, his would be the one that looks like a bombs dropped on it. She feels her head move back just the slightest as she takes a moment to process everything. "... Uhm? Thank you? I-I'm fine, though." She tries to sound decisive at the end, furrowing her brows just slightly. Really, all she manages is a kind of embarrassed concern. She just needs to get past this, and get onto working. She's got the art of deflection down to a T-- polite disinterest. She wrings her hands a bit, nervously watching onward as the conversation continues.

Well-- hm. That's also interesting to note about the agent. She's, besides being really young, she's got a bit of a temper? These people are all really open with expressing themselves-- confidence, maybe? She keeps a watch on everyone with interested eyes. Maybe she's a bit worried to see how this test will go, but she'll at least get the satisfaction of seeing what everyone else's deal is. Which, is very exciting for her.

She watched Cadmus, her brows furrowing in a more genuine manner. He's too nice. That other big guy's going to tease him, and he's not even going to recognize what's up-- she's not sure she can let him be teased like that without a clue. "I've worked with Cadmus before. He's a very careful individual when it comes to the work we do." The response isn't biting, but it's definitely testing the waters a bit with the larger man-- it's the most she has said that has any real ground to it, rather than being jumpy and airy.

She blinks, however, as the girl around her age speaks up, so calmly. Jesus. She's so much cooler than her? Nicole watches her in amazement. She looks about, like junior year of college aged-- if she had that sort of self confidence her sophomore year? She wishes she did. She probably would have gotten a lot more done-- which, given Nicole's academic accolades, says a lot. She did have to wonder, however-- perhaps her powers have something in common with her heritage? Given the quick defense to it, she either happens to be a staunch advocate just because, or it happens to be connected to her abilities. She makes a quiet mental note of that.

Nicole listens to the other man's quick reply, pursing her lips. Mmm. Okay. So, anyways.... She lets those two have their little shoot back, her eyes watching the ISO intimately. She always loved places like this,, the calibration techniques were always really interesting for her, and if this weren't such an occasion she'd probably ask all about how the place is reading scores that can apply on both a normal human aptitude and then the superhuman equivalent, that can end up being about 100 times stronger than the average person. It can read it both, which is beyond impressive, and never fails to light her eyes up as she reflects upon it. "Well, actually, question-- if we do the base evaluation with, ahm, I'll call it the 'control,' we still are requested to, ahm-- participate in the sparring yes? If so, aren't we just going to end up doing both, anyways?" She lets herself follow that train of thought for a while, before blinking. "But, uhm. I don't mind doing the sparring first, if that's the case. I-it seems more time effective." Besides, her powers on their own aren't that interesting. "And-- if-- we have technology designed to help improve our abilities, are those allowed in the spar or?" She's got about a thousand questions on anything if you let her think long enough. "Oh- oh! And, uhm. Do, are we allowed to, ahm, watch the other participants spar? Or is there a sanctity to the space that must be preserved so that the sparring partners don't think too much on, like, ahm-- stage fright, if you will?" She honestly seems a lot more interested just asking questions than when she was offering idle comments here and there.

by **Kubi Tsuru** March 19th 2018, 6:59 am

Well, they all reacted brilliantly, and in doing so revealed a key part of their personality. He had met Lunetta before and little miss Loli was just as much of a spitfire now as she was then, reacting instantaneously and violently. She had self-esteen issues with her height, as Kubi predicted, and the constant grin on his face got slightly more sarcastic. She, obviously, wasn’t too great under pressure if her insults were any indication. But he could see the sinuous grace and power in her movements. He’d have to be careful around her; if she was half as smart as she was stealthy, she could prove to be quite the challenge.

And speaking of intelligence, Nicole was something else, wasn’t she? Beautiful, obviously, and polite if her stammered words of thanks were typical of her; but she was also quite intelligent. Oh, she possessed some level of super strength and speed; not much though, if he was reading her right. Her eyes, though; other than being the most beautiful shade of green he’s ever seen, they shone with intelligence and watched the other candidates with the same level of analysis and caution as his own did. Now that was the most interesting thing he’d seen so far. Sure, fall miles from the sky and land unharmed? Half the hero’s in the world can do that. But to be able to read people and deduce what they can do? Now that’s a truly rare power.

And even rarer than that was genuine honesty, but it seemed like today was a treasure trove of rarities, because he found that in the boy named Cadmus - or Mythos, whichever. His decidedly naive response to his cajole was hilarious, of course, but more importantly it established him as a good-natured, honest person. Kubi felt a little bad for the poor kid; this world was only going to rip him to shreds. But hey, let the kid enjoy his innocence while he lasted … though if he really was the Son of Zeus like he hinted at, this world might have a bit of a bite. He knew his Greek mythology of course - it wasn’t by mistake his codename was Titan - and if he was really a myth made real, perhaps his innocence will last long enough.

Medicine Woman, however, was an entirely different story. Her barbed comments, implying he had both a lack of intelligence and a lack of knowledge, were exactly what he was looking for; she seemed awfully proud of her culture. Of course Kubi wasn’t serious, of course; the Native American people were a proud, ancient, and powerful race and Kubi wasn’t inclined to be racist. He was, however, inclined to use disparaging remarks to irritate people and to find out potential weaknesses and powers. No superphysical abilities from Medicine Woman; she was either mystical or had some other powers he wasn’t aware of. Not yet, anyway. He was really looking forward to seeing her use them, however.

And then there was Gaston. Sweet, sexy, hilarious Gaston. Kubi laughed out loud at his retort. Oh, he was definitely smart, but that wasn’t his power; he held an almost ethereal air, a sort of mystical aura that defied explanation ... or at least, defied an earthly one. Kubi could think of five different abilities he could have. He was honestly tempted to pop into his Arcane Armor real quick just to check to make sure! But nah, that would be spoiling the surprise! And he loved surprising people. He settled instead for a wink and a laugh directed at Arcana. It was gonna be fun to work with them.

Mr. Disney certainly had a penchant for the dramatic, the high-tech punching bags dropping from the ceiling in what could only be described as perfect timing. It kinda ruined the effect when you thought about the effort it must have taken to either practice that using mechanical effects or use abilities to make it happen. Either way, it was a lot of work for such a small effect. Nicole seemed similarly unaffected, and his admiration for her soared. The questions she poised were good ones, and Kubi couldn’t help but smirk at the thought that if Pinnacle hadn’t had such a flare for aesthetic, these questions could have been answered. Hell, they *should* have been answered if Mr. Disney was doing his job correctly.

”All good questions, Cinderella.” He paused just long enough to pat her on the back before continuing. ”I got a coupla of my own. How durable is this building? Can we fight multiple people? Seriously, what’s with the suit?” He gestured again at the suit. ”A good fashion sense is one thing, but can you stand in the shadows a bit? It’s hurting my eyes.” He smirked his smirk, the kind of look seemingly specially designed to infuriate everyone it’s aimed at. ”Oh, and, Cinderella, you single?”

by **Row** March 19th 2018, 9:53 am

Cira or Dark Star, her new code name, flinched as the lights came on. Open combat, especially in the light, was never her forte. Given the environment, she doubted Pinnacle would use her in such a test. He probably wanted her opinion for the more covert skill set, not that anyone here had them. They were not trained as such, not like her family. Even she was nothing compared to her siblings. So she and her parasol moved to a wall near the entrance and sat down, minimizing her exposure to the light.

To her surprise, which she should have been use to, Pinnacle signed her up to spar. She lowered her head, not wanting to deal with new people. What if they were stronger than her? What if she went overboard? Her style was not something you could practice on those you considered allies. Still, she sad nothing. Right now she was an Agent of Eclipse and she needed them. So what ever the higher ups want, she would give... for now.

As she dreaded in her head the man poor usage of his people, Nicole asked some very interesting questions. She was sharp which was a minority in the group. It probably was a good thing Cira and Nicole were not matched up else Nicole would abused the weakness lo stupido Kubi revealed and right on cue, the brute was spouting his mouth again. Abet, one of them was a good question but the other ones were just more cries for attention.

Cira walked into the middle of the group so everyone could see her, given all the giants in the room. She cleared her throat as a meager attempt to gain everyone's attention.

"I do not like repeating myself..." She said in a soft voice loud enough for just the group to hear, "Your observations are accurate, our goals are to evaluate your combative abilities and potential. Sparring, at the moment, is the most effective way to truly capture your abilities. That is not to say there won't be exceptions though. As with your technology. Use whatever you feel will make you show out the most. However, please keep your lethal tactics to a minimal."

Cira took a deep breath to push away her nervousness.

"If you finish your test early, feel free to observe the others. All fights will be recorded if you wish to view them later. In the field, you are expected to preform audience or no audience. I'm sure you understand, yes?"

Then she turned to biggest giant. "The room is design for meta's to go all out... however, I am sure you will find a way to mess it up Kubi. So I recommend, only using what is necessary. Unless that is too difficult of a challenge for you," She closed her eyes trying not to view his reaction, "To answer your other questions, no. Not important. Get over it. And..."

Lunetta opened her eyes. A black step ladder formed in front of her under the shadow of the parasol. She walked up it till she was eye level with Kubi.

"This is not a dating show, frog. Your princess is not here. So," Suddenly sweat started rolling down her face.
Her voice wavered as her nervousness took over. Even at this height he was huge. He could probably hold her in one hand. His eyes showed no sign of fear. She felt like an ant. A tiny force facing a storm. She was out of her league and he knew it. It was a blessing she did not have to face him. Her eyes darted away trying to pull her head with them.
"J-j-j-just... Ke..."

She sighed and jumped down, letting the light eat her dark construct, "Keep it professional..."

With nothing else to say, she squeezed through the cracks in the group so she could stand behind them. She was done with all the attention. It was a distraction for the fortitude she needed to spar with the recruit. If only Gia was here...

by **Zonkes** April 3rd 2018, 5:06 pm

Cadmus had started realizing just what the big man had been doing this whole time. Cadmus didn't like bullies, and there was one thing this Kubi fellow had been doing the entire time; it was bullying these people. Cadmus had to catch his breath when Kubi called the Nicole Cinderella. Cadmus wasn't exactly caught up on pop culture, but considering the way that Kubi had used the word; it sounded like an insult.

It wasn't until he had gotten past these thoughts that he realized that the short woman had started speaking and had missed the opening bits of her speech. Though she had mentioned sparring. Alright. Cadmus could do that. He would take on this Kubi fellow and teach them why you shouldn't act like an ass in a room full of prospective heroes.

After some more explanation from the short woman Cadmus went forward slamming his spear on the ground and allowing electricity to crackle through it. "Alright, Kubi. I've about had it with your attitude. Let's go. One on one." Cadmus jumped into the ring. "There's no reason to hold back, Kubi. Trust me. I can take it, and give it back."

by **Pinnacle** April 4th 2018, 8:41 pm

[I'll be splitting this thread into sub-threads for the sparring. Medicine Woman and Arcana, you can post here IC what your characters decide regarding the sparring, and I'll split the threads accordingly. So far, Kubi and Cadmus have been decided for one of the threads. Row? Feel free to do the same in regards to choosing a sparring partner or simply observing one of the spars.]

by **Ultragal** April 5th 2018, 2:42 am

"Mr. Pinnacle, with all due respect, if you have an aquarium and a terrarium, I'd like to request showing the young lad (Arcana) why we're fighting evil. I feel if I show him the sea and its denizens plus the land's creatures, he might understand what we're trying to save.

It's more than people. It's nature, too. Nature is beautiful. Evil hates beauty. Its followers want to try and utterly destroy both natural and human beauty. Humans are very important and most have inner beauty that we should try to preserve as well. With your permission, may I at least try to show Mr. Arcana what is worth attempting to save instead of sparring with him?"

Medicine Woman paused a moment and looked at Arcana: "Would that be acceptable to you, sir?"

by **Arcana** April 5th 2018, 3:21 am

Sean listened to what was said with a silent interest, sparring being the apparent course of action and one that Pinnacle had chosen for them. The one called Dark Star spoke up, explaining things more than the important looking one could and he let his eyes focus on her. Measuring her and how she presented herself with each motion. He heard someone else talking, mentioning something about teaching him the wonders of nature or whatever. Sean found himself smirking, as if the statement amused him. ”I’ll pass mam. I’ve seen the world, grotesque and beautiful. I already know what i’m trying to save, and truth be told I don’t expect you to comprehend what I do.” His tone was oddly calm, without a hint of derision or anything of the sort.

Giving no more attention to her, he approached Dark Star with a considerate nod of the head. ”You’re the person i’ll be sparring with right? Not that i’m picking a fight or anything. Just seems like you’re one of the only people here that might be able to keep up with me that hasn’t already picked someone. Mind leading the way to a room to spar or whatever?”

by **Pinnacle** April 5th 2018, 1:56 pm

Israel noted each of their suggestions as he glanced about the massive room.

"The room itself will accomodate your sparring needs. Just specify the kind of arena that you desire and it can be fabricated. As for your questions, Ms. Avifana, they should have been answered in your COE letter. Yes, tech is permitted, yes, watching others spar is also permitted, if it remains possible due to arena changes."

by **beepsa** April 14th 2018, 3:03 pm

Oof. She idly wrings her hands, watching everything unfold. Decisions are always bad-- especially when people go off the rails of what was offered as the 'best solution,' it makes her feel claustrophobic in it's own way. She doesn't want to intrude on what people want, of course-- and it seems like the idea Pinnacle gave out would not be preferred for some, so she doesn't want to insist on that, but, uh... She bites her lip, looking just about every which way. "Uh-- well-- I suppose--" oh god, can she even do this? Fuck. Her jaw clenches as she watches everyone decide what they want to do rather smoothly. "Well, would, uhm-- would it be too much trouble, if, ah-- if I just did the, uhm, basics, first?" She decides, finally, her eyes wide and unsure. This is a non-optimal situation for her. Decisions, outside of the mask? Oof, good luck. She supposes, then, it would also be much easier for them to really watch and evaluate the other sparring matches, to really see what's going on there.

"Unless-- ah-- I'd be better suited somewhere else?"

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