Hellish Heat (Sam/Horror Squad)

The heat was downright murderous, today, in Abilene. Texas wasn't ever known for it's forgiving cool weather, but today it was sending out murderous intent. The Bible Belt Buckle City held itself proud and holy, however, it's people pushing through the heat and getting on with their lives in nice cool cars and nice cool buildings. With the holy trinity of religious colleges, it's hard to imagine such a sacramental, unholy day to be thrust upon them.

But if one were to see what was happening on the edges of the city, in the farmlands, they might just believe their faith was being tested. Undead, demons, and creepy rebellious teenagers-- any good Bible Belt citizen's worst nightmare. The current tomato farm harvesting these terrifying beings found itself being ransacked by the undead and the unsightly. One, in particular-- the demon, red scaled and horned, looks to it-- her?-- compatriots, with a mildly interested expression. "So-- do you think those pithy normies are going to come try to defend their 'holy food?'" As her expression turned into a wicked grin, it was cut short by a loud huff and groan from the other female of the group. "Oh my god-- please, never say the word 'normie' within earshot of me ever again, okay, Allocer? I'm actually going to fucking die, now. Holy shit." She sighs, from her crouched down position as she idly pokes at the tomato's she's taken for herself. "Like-- really, though? What are we going to do with fresh tomatoes. We don't have a kitchen." There's a bit of a pause with in the group, as one of the boys speaks up-- the unmasked, pale one.

"Well. I mean. Uh. Fair point. But also-- counter argument. What if we, like, uhm. Throw them at people? Like in cartoons. Like when someone does something stupid." He offers, before demonstrating with the one undead shambling about and ripping out the tomato plants. He aims, and throws-- his weak arm really only just letting the fruit hit his undead minion, who gives no recognition, still pulling entire tomato plants out from the secure ground. "Like that? Except, uhm. Since they're not undead-- they'd probably care more." With that mention, the tallest sentient member of this quartet idly taps the smaller boy, tapping the side of his own head and tilting it, as if asking a question.

"Oh-- oh uh, Pete should be busy for a while. He's got to pull out every tomato plant in this specific farm." The pale boy explains, which then gets a retort from Allocer. "Wait, Alex, what-- why'd you say pull out the plant? Just get the tomatoes, so that we don't gotta pull of the tomatoes themselves." Alex shakes his head. "Pete would probably end up accidentally crushing most of them. I don't wanna mess up his self confidence, y'know?" He scratches at his hoodie, still in the heat, as he looks up. "It's really hot. Are you gonna be fine, Sharon?" The blonde girl, Sharon, responds. "God, no. It's hot as all h-- I mean. Fuck, no. It's hot as shit. We could probably scare whoever lives there out of their home long enough until the police arrives to get some AC." There's a moment of shared pause, as they look inbetween eachother, until finally looking at the tallest, masked individual, who gives a gorey thumbs up. "Sweet, Laurence!" The demon hisses in excitement, dropping her tomatoes and making her way through the pastures and the fields. Soon enough, the rest of the group follows after their speedy counterpart, with Alex jogging and Laurence and Sharon walking. "I-- uh-- should I get Pete to follow?" Alex calls around, receiving an answer of 'it's probably fine,' from both Sharon and Allocer, in their own ways.

The group crouches quietly in the backyard, hidden by the handmade patio the home has. "Alright, so-- gameplan?" Alex asks, as his blonde compatriot begins to start. "I can come in as a distraction, like-- some door to door religious wack, yeah? Which should give time for Laurence and Allocer to get in and prepare to cause a ruckus. Alex, you're gonna have to help Laurence with finer things like locks and doors-- is Pete really distracted?" Alex pauses at the question Sharon proposes, seeming to think. "I mean, yeah-- it's an entire tomato farm. He can't get done with it before the people get out of here."

Meanwhile, within the home, the Hardy Household is at peace. It's a nice day to sit in with the family and relax-- and, technically, a wonderful day to play outside, but their kids are down for a nap, currently. However, there's something off. The stench of-- something they've never really had to deal with in their holy city, but whatever it is, it naturally sends a repulsed shiver down their spine. Mr. Hardy offers to check it out first, asking his wife to stay with the kids.

"And, so-- is that our gameplan, let's do it then! Fuck em, y'know?" Allocer jumps up from her squat just as Mr. Hardy finds the scent it's most pungent at the patio, and he screams. The moment is then filled with chaos, phone calls, and improvisations.

A good thirty minutes later, the Hardy Household's car is well out of it's driveway, seen speeding out of the residence, but the lights are still on and sound even still comes from it...

Inside, lounges the four troublemakers, taking their time to enjoy the cool air for just a moment-- at least until it's taken from them. Currently, Laurence stands on guard, idly waiting at the front steps of the house-- after all, most weather changes aside from rain don't really bother him. And, he was sure the others would like to eat without him dragging in flies. Inward, the teens are making the most of the working fridge they currently have, as well as the showers the like. But, honestly-- they're mostly excited about the food.

Sam was not one for the heat. He was a local of the North, not the South. Needless to say...this heat was a literal heck for him. He wasn't dressed for it either. He didn't have much in terms of light clothing. He had gym shorts, but he had forgotten to pack them and he wasn't about to spend money that could be sent to his family on a pair of shorts. No...instead he wore his jeans and short-sleeved dark blue shirt. The darker colors weren't a good choice, but he didn't have much in terms of light colors. He just thought he looked better in darker stuff, but he was regretting that choice now...

He wasn't even sure why he was here. He had gotten a job to clear out a monster from some kid's attic, but the monster just turned out to be a mutant and that was sort of disappointing. Now he was stuck here for another few days until the plane would arrive. He wasn't used to planes, but it was the cheapest way down, and, well, back up again. He hadn't wanted to spend all that money, but this was a request from someone he couldn't really refuse, but he didn't want to linger much on that thought. As hard as it is to believe, there are some people even Sam dislikes, and the person he owed this favor to was one of them. He had worked to complete this job, as disappointing as it was, as quickly as he could so he could get out of here. But still...his flight was a few days away so he would have to find some way to pass the next three days.  Three days in this heat...he could've planned it out better.

Furthermore...he could've planned the entire day better. Early in the morning, Sam, for whatever reason, decided to go for a walk before it got too hot. Unfortunately, Sam was not too familiar with the area and, well, as Sam often did in places he didn't know, he got lost. Not just your normal, 'oh I made a left instead of a right' lost. This was around seven wrong turns, followed by a good few miles in the opposite direction, and continuing out of town kind of lost. What made it worse was that he had already downed the two bottles of water he had taken along with him and now was...an hour? Two hours? Without water in this blazing heat. He could feel himself melting, burning with each step he took. He was worried if he stopped moving that his shoes would stick to road. His jacket had long since come off and was draped over his head to give himself some shade. Of all the trials, monsters, beasts, creature, mutants, aliens, false gods, angels, and demons he had faced...the sun would be the one to kill him. He should've seen this one coming. It was going to be in the line of duty, it was going to be the freaking sun.

And then he saw it. A farm in the distance. It wasn't just any kind of farm, it was a busy one. He could see people out there in fields. At least he thought he could, it might've been the heat. But! What he could see was a farm house. And a house would have water. And water meant not dying. Sam liked the sound of that. He did see a car speeding away from the house, but he would explain his situation when they got back. They'd understand him taking a glass or two of water and some ice to cool himself down. He might even be able to get some directions too. He would work the remaining days he was here for them as well, at least to repay them for the water. Yeah. This would work. There could be nothing wrong with this situation. At least...that's what his sunburned brain thought. Though, as those gears in his head went turning another thought came to mind...that family was driving away...they probably locked the door. No matter, if they were anything like the average family, according to his fried brain, they'd keep the backdoor unlocked! Again! Foolproof. He think good today. Good brain...

It was still a good few miles off and moving around to the back end would take some time...unless...he didn't have a whole lot of energy left, but it would be enough to get there and cool off. The water and just cooling down would help wake himself up too. It would give him energy to go for the rest of the day! Probably (though actually probably not). If he was lucky they'd have coffee and he could make himself iced coffee. This was the plan! He knew what he would do! Using his portals, a good dozen of them, he circled around towards the back end of the house, but was still a good few miles off. Continuing forward he portaled his way all the way to the back door of the house. He wasn't inside yet, but he could already feel a burden lift from his shoulders. He was nearly home free. All he had to do was get inside, oh...but he was already feeling faint. He could feel himself sway back and forth. He looked and felt like a zombie. Someone may have been talking to him, but he didn't hear if they were. He couldn't even tell if there were people around him or not...all he knew was that he needed to get inside.

Finally...he could stand in the shade any longer. He needed to get into the house. Opening one last gate in front of him, the connecting point to right inside behind that back door, he let himself fall forward into the portal and into the house. He hit the wood floor with a loud thud, leaving his gateway open. He panted heavily, relieved that the cold air was going. He wasn't passed out yet, but he was surely unaware of everything around him. He didn't even care that his gateway was still open and functioning. It would drain his energy a bit, but the cold air just felt so nice he didn't care about that or anything. He just needed to relax for a moment, then he'd shut it and get some water. He let out one big sigh and quietly said to himself, "...you suck, Mister Sun..."

In the living room, was Allocer and Alex, the fair complexioned teen shifting through family albums. His expression is warm, perhaps a tad bittersweet as well. Having a nice family must be nice. It's probably only if you're meant to be a good person that you get one of those, though. Allocer, meanwhile, is stretched out on the couch, having taken the mothers laptop and is scrolling through news. 'Crazed Woman Leaves Fort Drum in Ruins,' and 'Britain's All-Star Killed by Pumpkin Head Villain.' Allocer whistles idly, commenting to the perusing teen "Hey, Alex-- look, look-- Mr. Nightmare did something again!" She practically gushes, causing the more lackadaisical teen to cease looking through the other families photo album. "Oh? That's the one you like the aesthetic of, yea?" He comments, moving over to share the couch space with her. "Yeah-- like-- it's a really good gimmick and he's got powers that remind me of Sharon-- or-- Sharon reminds me of him but he's a lot less serious than Sharon." She rambles, before they both hear a thud from behind the couch. Allocer, with quicker reactions, turns around first, at the ready.

"Oh, they sent a sneaky one after us, huh--" Allocer starts on one of her rants, fumbling to put a foot on the couches back as she stands up, Alex awkwardly making way and trying to spot her in the meantime. However, as the 'intruder' falls flat and just kind of looks super sad. "Awh-- are you-- A--Necrosyce, look at this! Do they think we're some sort of joke? Sending in someone who looks like sick and dying? Do they think I'm some sort of mockery?" She huffs, teleporting in a cloud of smog that leaves Alex coughing, to come right next to Sam. "Well, I mean. I don't know if I'd believe people if they said a demon and a dead guy plus two pale kids took over my home." Alex comments idly. "We should have pretended the house was ours, oops." Alex murmurs, peeping over the couch before looking to the upstairs. "Sharon! Laurence!" He calls out, as Allocer gets to investigating and intimidating the newcomer.

She squats, looking down on the adult menacingly with a clawed hand against her own chin in a pose of superiority. "Now, hm... Pitiful mortal, who might--" Mr. Sun? Her face visibly scrunches up. "I-- no-- I am not Mr. Sun-- I--" she flusters, before standing up and giving a dramatic flair. "I- pitiful mortal-- am Allocer, daughter of Beezlebub, Satan himself! Future ruler of hell and earth! I've come to claim all your pithy souls as mine-- the depths of hell aren't enough for my grandeur, I am the harbinger of end times! Quake! Beg, and you just might be saved! And-- I am NOT Mr. Sun!" She stamps her foot huffily. As she does so, two more people come out of the woodworks-- one, a teenage girl from upstairs, her hair tied up with a towel, and a walking cadaver through the front door.

The remaining three of the quartet surround the adult, idly watching. "So-- copper." Allocer hisses, her unnatural eyes gleaming. "Got a name? We'll give you to ten to go back to the station with your life." She boasts, as Sharon idly looks around, whispering something about orange juice to Alex, who shrugs and points towards the kitchen.

Sam was very exhausted to say the least. The use of his portals, being dehydrated, and just the dang heat of the day took it out of him. So! When a strange demon teen stood over him and started to boast about herself and command that he should beg for his life, Sam was...well, there seemed to be a good chance he was hallucinating, or he was dead, or...maybe a dream? No, it was probably his first guess. Slowly he sat up with a yawn, rubbing his eyes, trying to wake himself up. His sight blurred for a moment, then it came back to him. He could see the scene laid out before him. His head still hurt, he was still tired, but-no, this was real. This wasn't a dream or hallucinations, and he wasn't dead. That was all probably a good thing...but now he had this situation at hand and this...

This was freaking awesome. His eyes widened, not with fear, but with amazement. He ran a hand through his hair, looking at each of them, a smile coming to his face, ignoring the pain and exhaustion. "Holy cow!" He exclaimed. He wanted to jump to his feet, but he knew they were probably tense and, well, he didn't want to startle them or give them a reason to attack him. He didn't want to fight them, they were all so cool looking. He looked back to the demon who threatened him and continued to smile brightly at her.

"Well hey there!" He said happily. "The name is Samuel Grayson, sorry for barging in, but I just really needed some water. Not sure if you noticed, but the sun is killer today." He chuckled slightly, continuing to not fully grasp the situation he was in. "You look amazing! Like how-I don't even know how to say it! Like...you're super cool! Are you an ability user or something?" He looked to the others, his smile continuing on, just so happy to have found the coolest house in the area, and not just because of the air conditioning. "You guys are awesome too! Who are you guys? Man, I got lucky choosing this house. Do you all have abilities too?" He chuckled again. The entire time he spook he sounded super genuine, like he really meant it. Which...well, he did.  

He then blinked and looked towards his portal. "Oh! Oops! Sorry, I'm letting all the cold air out." Without making any real form of movement, he closed to gate. "That was my bad, I was just so out of from the heat and everything. I'm guessing you guys are local and know all about that." He looked back to the demon who seemed to be the one asking the questions for now. "Sorry again for breaking in like that. I just really needed to get out of the heat. Say, could I trouble ya for some water? I'm guessing you guys own the place, I could do some work around the house to repay ya if you want." He looked back to others, then back to the demon. "Do you guys have names? Also! What's your guy's stories? Just a bunch of incredible people living together? I can do stuff too! Though, I'm guessing ya saw that with that big ol'portal I left open."

He thought for a few moments. He could show off his sword, but...that would leave him drained for awhile...speaking of which, he totally forgot he could've used that to get out of the heat. He had to remember he could use that damn thing if he wanted. To be honest though...it still freaked him out. Unlike...the actual monster looking people in front of him. Nah, these were cool guys! More than anything, Sam wanted to befriend them already.

Allocer's subtle sheen and excitement seemed to die as Sam reacted, well-- in a less than dramatic way. Her face scrunches in reply, a mix of annoyance and disappointment lingering as he chatters on so friendly-like. What is this? Blasphemy, that's what. People are supposed to be disgusted. Scared. And here's this dummy. Does he even know what's going on, here? He should know very well that a group of shitty teens probably has no right being here. And, yet, here he is, assuming she has any right to be here.

"What-- I-- I am not some-- some pitiful mortal!" She hisses, her voice going up an octave as she stamps her foot on the ground. "I am a demon! From hell! I'm Satan's daughter!" She insists once more, her tail swishing aggravatedly as she fights for this fact. "You should be terrified, right now! I--We're-- going to kill you! You should be shaking in your metaphorical boots, mort--" Allocer is promptly shushed by a hand to her mouth by the female with normal skin and hair, who smiles.

"Yeah, sorry. Our parents are out, they left me in charge. This is my little sister, uh... Allie. She's stupid. Ignore her." Sharon smiles, the expression sort of uneasy in of itself. "This is, uhm-- Neil." She tilts her head towards the hooded boy, who seems confused. "I mean, it's--" Just as soon as he speaks up, the blonde girl cuts him off, nodding to the boy in the mask. "And this is-- Laurence." Sharon's face seems to scrunch up as she says that, before offering a subtle shrug. To that, the hooded boy gives a frown. "Hey, why does Laurence get to keep his real name?" He pouts, before realizing-- yes, he did say that out loud.

"Uh. What. What I mean is that, uh. I go by, uhm. My middle name. Not, my first name. Because. Neil is super my first name. Yep. Yes. That's what's happening here. Not-- we aren't lying." Alex stammers, rubbing his hands anxiously. Finally, the devil-esque teen seems to have enough of being held against her will, teleporting and poofing once again somewhere else, the smog and smoke making Sharon cough. "Hey!! No! Don't lie to him! We're bad guys!" She almost whines, as Alex winces and Sharon offers a wide smile, oozing with annoyance.

"She's got awful self image. Therapy isn't doing all we'd hoped for her, Mom was talking about switching her therapist." Allocer seems to huff, her eyes narrowing as she sneers at the blonde teen, before sulking off to the kitchen as Sharon continues to take the lead. "Our parents are very generous. They adopted us, so I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you were here for a bit. Alex, can you get him a glass of water?" Alex blinks for a moment, his brows creasing with worry. "Uh. Yeah, of course." Alex then, makes his own way into the kitchen.

Laurence, meanwhile, throughout this, had been trying to figure out the others power. Sam could probably feel the cold, undead gaze on him, as Sharon continues on with her silver tongue. Then, a snack cake flies from the kitchen, landing directly on the side of Sharons head.

"Viva la revolution!" Allocer screeches, standing on the counter, as Alex watches with a sort of paranoid helplessness.

Sam blinked at Allocer. She seemed really upset! Was it something he said? Did he say something offensive or something? He though back to what he said that could've been offensive, but for the most part he had figured he was courteous and kind, but he would just have to try and make it up to her. He gave her a small wave. "Hey, sorr-" But he was cut off by one of the other teens in the room, this one was Sharon.

He looked at Sharon, blinking. He smiled back at her, but something about her statement seemed off. It was missing something, but Sam couldn't put his finger on it just yet. Then it hit him, the real name comment. Was this a con? Maybe? For his time spent in the carnival, Sam had a pretty good ear for catching cons and the like. He had been a part of a few himself, but he wasn't too sure yet. He had to keep playing it by ear. She looked between each of them as they ranted, going on and on. It brought a smile to his face. It was like watching the Three Stooges, but with an extra Stooge.

When the snackcake went flying and bounced off Sharon's head, Sam couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. Opening a second portal under where the cake landed and onto his lap. He grabbed it and held it up. "So who wanted this?" He asked with a smile, looking around at the group. During his look around he tried to get a good read on them, trying to get a feel for them. Outside of the demon girl and the Laurence...they didn't seem to have any bad intentions for him. At least for now. So...he could either play along with the con and see where it goes or...he could call them out. Both were tempting choices. These guys were young and young people always had crazy new ideas of how to con people, but...if he called them out he could find out more about them, see who they were, and have some fun at them, but that could also put him in danger. On the other hand, these were kids...perhaps he could try another method. It'd be tricky, but...if it paid off then, well, he could befriend these amazing teens. He wanted that more than anything.

He looked over to the girl who had been running the con, Sharon, and smiled kindly at her. "Ya know! You're really quick-witted. You really know your way around words and good at getting them organized." He snickered a bit, then turned towards Laurence. "And you, buddy! You haven't taken your eyes off me. Got that undying gaze. It's really impressive. You really want these guys safe, don't ya." Sam held up his hands, leaving himself in a more defenseless state. "I got a sword on my side, if you'd feel better with me without it, I can throw it off, or ya can take it off yourself. Either or." He nodded at him, smiling genuinely. He really did admire Laurence, he seemed to be the protector, the defensive one. He then turned his attention towards Alex, who was still in the kitchen probably. "And you! You're clever, you get the plan quickly and know when something is going on. Very perspective. Ya get the whole picture. That's hard to come by, I have a hard time doing that. To be honest, I'm actually pretty dumb. My boss always told me I was as about as bright as burnt out light-bulb." Finally, he turned his attention to Allocer, or tried to...with her porting around he wasn't sure where he ended up. "And you, daughter of Satan! You really speak your mind, I admire that! I wish I could do that more! You must be really brave!" He nodded. Then looked around at each of them. "You guys really do make an amazing team." His smile remained on his face, but it seemed to grow...almost sadder? "I really wish I had friends like ya when I was your age. Hell, I wish I had friends like you now."

He slowly, very slowly, rose to his feat, trying his best not to seem threatening. Despite the slow rise his vision still blurred, the heat still having its toll on Sam. He wavered a bit, but managed to steady himself. He held out the snack cake again. "So! Who wanted this?" He smiled around kindly at them. "Don't worry! I ain't gonna rat on you lot...you lot are..." He wavered again. "You guys..." He tried to balance himself, but couldn't quite catch himself. He fell down to his ass and grabbed at his forehead. The whole room was spinning. He gulped once, trying to hold on. "C-could...could I get that wat...water now?" He could see black splots now. His vision was fading. He had blacked out a few times while working at the carnival, long days in the hot summer sun. He knew what this was, but he'd be able to hold on for a few moments. Hopefully...hopefully they wouldn't attack him. He was completely defenseless now.

Sadly, Allocer's pouty face at her failed attempt to start a food fight revolution is most likely missed by Sam, but definitely picked up by Sharon judging by the smug, shit eating grin on her face tinged with a bit of anger. The sparks of competition were definitely there, and about to throw Sam under the bus. Obviously, the priority at any given moment is to have dumb friend competitions when you should be on the alert for the police.

Laurence, meanwhile, shows no particular reaction to this observation of himself, except for making a step to take the sword from Sam, idly pushing Sharon back just a bit, as he moves to take the sword, his gaze still aggressively stuck on the other, until the swords firm enough in his grasp that he can take it away, and is rather examining that, only occasionally flickering up to check out what Sam does. After all, those portals could be pretty deadly. He just needs to find what indicates a use of portals on the man, and he'll be a lot calmer. Having the sword helps.

Alex blinks, the water in hand as he awkwardly shakes his head. "Uh, well, actually-- both of the, uhm, girls, are a lot smarter than me, uhm." He responds awkwardly, fidgeting just a bit, his uncomfortable comment cutting the tense air just a bit as Allocer snickers, shaking her head, and hitting the boy against the back of his head. As Sam moves to Allocer, now, her expression changes from one of teasing endearment to full out bombastic pride. "Tch. It's not bravery if it's indesputable that I'M the most powerful in the room!" Her reply is quick and sharp, slamming her hands down on the counter for emphasis.

The weird atmosphere drops a few degrees whenever Sam started to teeter and drop. He-- really didn't take the heat well, did he? The kids blinked, looking inbetween eachother. First to move was Laurence, picking up Sam with ease (after he set the knife on a cabinet nearby) and moving to place him on a couch, setting some throw pillows under his head as he passed by Alex, who reacted next with the glass in hand. "I, uh, I don't need to like? Pour it in his mouth, yeah?" Alex blinks widely at Sharon, who shakes her head. "No, Alex, just-- Laurence, you set him too low." There's a deep grumble from the kitchen as Sharon fusses around Sam to make this position 'right.' "Now, you give him the glass of water." She sighs, rolling her eyes as if this was obviously the most common knowledge there could be. "Uh, yeah, okay, yes, that, that makes sense." Alex murmurs, holding out the glass. "I didn't put ice, because, uhm. I feel like it's kind of rude to use whoever's ice machine this is without asking."

"Alex-- we're squatting in their house until they can actually convince the police to investigate. Use whatever you want, dumbass. It's not like we won't be in less trouble if we specifically avoid using their ice machine." Allocer calls, sitting on the counter as Laurence gets cold water on a rag for Sam's forhead.

"... Oh. Yeah. Huh." Alex remarks dumbly. "I mean. I dunno if you'll wanna eat the cake anymore because it was in Sharon's hair and like, it's not actually our food so you'd technically be also, like, uh, stealing their stuff, but, uhm. You could probably just say the demon girl made you eat it if your also hungry. The police believe just about, like, uh, anything people say we do, at this point, mostly because, we're like. Uh. Not very good people, I guess."

The rag did wonders for Sam, he could feel the heat leave him. He still felt dizzy though, dehydrated. Of all the foes he had gone against, the sun was definitively one of the worst he had encountered. He had dealt with hot summers before, but being from the North, it wasn't nearly as hot as this was. Even the places the carnival traveled to weren't as hot as it was here. This was a whole new element for Sam, and it wasn't one he had fully adapted to yet. At least the kids were being merciful. For now.

He opened his eyes slightly to see a glass of water being held out to him and slowly reached for it. The slowness came from a mix of just plain exhaustion and caution. He still didn't want to seem threatening to these kids. They were just a bunch of punks who probably needed some help or a friend or something. He wanted to be that something that could get them through whatever this was. For that to happen, he needed them to trust him. He had to be careful about how he would befriend them. For now, he just gulped down the water and let out a heavy breath.

Smiling he slowly looked around at them all. "Thanks for that. And thanks for not drawing on my face. I half expected to come out of this with some permanent marker tattoos. " He chuckled very lightly, still a bit exhausted from the heat and passing out. He rubbed his head, trying to get the last of the black spots to fade, but couldn't quite get there. "So..." He started, still rubbing his head and leaning back into the couch. "What were your names again? I know ya told me, but I can't quite remember them." His smile turned a bit sheepish, he had honestly forgotten. It had been a long two minutes since they first told him. "You guys can call me Sam, I'm a hero who was doing work for a...person, back in the town. I wanted to kill some time by going for a walk, but I underestimated the heat." He tried to lean forward, but fell back, still physically weak from the heat. Instead, he rose his hand and raised a finger. At the top of his finger he opened a very small, hand sized portal, the connecting point to the middle of the room. "I can make portals. Very useful for...well, traveling short distances." He pulled his hand back through and sighed again. He was still weak and that had taken a lot from him.

With a heavy grunt he attempted to sit forward again, this time succeeding, though he did do it slowly, still trying not to seem threatening. "That's my whole deal. I also got that sword and I also have a staff I use." He though for a moment. "I also worked at a carnival, came from a poor family and I know how to cook. I think that's all the important info...Oh! I also live in a dumpster cause I am still poor despite the career change." He thought again for a moment, but this time just shrugged and smiled. "Can you guys tell me a bit about yourselves. Doesn't need to be anything personal or about your abilities. Just anything!" He leaned back again, this time with a bit more life. He was starting to recover, the coolness of the rag and room helping a lot. The water was what really did it though. "If you guys don't want to, no worries. If you prefer, I can just tell you whatever you want to know about me! No pressure either way, I'm fine with anything." He looked across the room and pointed. "Oh! I looks like they have a game of Cards Against Humanity (I don't own this or have any rights to it). We could always just play a game of that." He chuckled a bit. "Though, I was never really good at it."