Forum Thread

Some very dangerous villains have banded together to form "The Union" and are plotting something behind closed doors. No one knows what they are planning and currently, no one is aware of it happening except a select few. Whether the heroes will be able to stop the villains only time will tell.

The Sign Ups

At this very moment, The Hero Society has called a group of heroes in to form a new team. Not that there are many of those. Most heroes work in twos or solo. However, for the suspicions of certain activity, they decided to make a special group of heroes who were previously working solo. It might be a disaster or it might not. (Let's be realistic here, it's gonna blow up lmao) The Hero Society doesn't particularly care what opinions the heroes called have as long as they do what they're told and do their jobs. Now you've come into The Hero Society building to be matched with people you've likely only heard about before. An assistant patiently waits for the heroes to gather to tell them what will be happening.

Meanwhile, Axel has gathered the people they still vaguely trusted to show their hand. (aka tell them about the goal and what they will be doing to reach it) They already have some plans that they wish to discuss and send the members out on. They themselves will occasionally come with them but more often than not they will instead handle the more legal side of attaining what they need. Axel patiently waits as the other villains gather in their newly modified headquarters.

List:

---

Neo was one of the first people to arrive at The Hero Society. He tried to ask the assistant what was going on but she curtly refused to tell him anything until 'all of her charges are here'. So Neo decided to wait patiently, for once, and fidget with a Rubix cube on a random seat. Things seemed exciting and he could barely contain his bubbly form, occasionally releasing wisps of smoke from his form that swiftly faded away.

~

Upon getting the invitation from Axel and cautiously arriving at the designated place with the invitation still with him, Jack didn't really know what to expect. He wasn't the first person to arrive at the headquarters but he also wasn't the last. After observing his immediate surroundings he decided to take a seat on one of the many comfortable seats that Axel seemed to lazily gaze at. It would be best to not disturb the leader, he mused and decided to wait and maybe strike a conversation with a different villain or two until everyone got here.

---

[Stephanie Corona]

Stephanie stood atop a balcony, fingering the faint hem of her bright sun-gold dress. Her blonde hair was up in an elegant coiffure, with two braids running along the side of her head. A mixture of beauty and power; despite her overall modest nature. Only out of the corner of her periphery, she looked at the assistant curtly directing each new hero to sit down. The outside lights of the sun bathed the headquarters in a ethereal golden glow, and even despite her affluence with the light, the blonde hero couldn't resist squinting just a bit, her lashes lowering ever so slightly over her jade-green eyes.

Few things had changed for her and the heroes since their previous altercation with the Villains. Almost everybody had a life to get back to, and few polite words were exchanged before they simply,....split up. It was like an egg fractured down the middle by a careless hand, its insides left to carelessly spill across the porcelain floor, pot, whatever. This wasn't to say that the heroes ubiquitous presence had diminished completely; they were still there to lend assistance if needed. But the camaraderie bond had been rendered null and void. They didn't work as a collected front anymore - more like separate branches of a single front. Like a Hydra.

Stephanie's keen hearing easily picked up on the faintest of sounds; the sounds of outside traffic, the wind, and even footsteps in the outside hallway. She turned her head, coyly, to see the first arrivals. She didn't make any movement or even an indication that she was seeing them, instead she just chose to watch. They were but faint dots by how high up she was.

Perhaps this was a mistake? Simply calling the heroes back when she knew that they'd just split apart again like glass under a hammer. An empire shattered was not an empire that could be easily united. The blonde fae watched her chosen assistant carefully and patiently guide everyone to the sitting room. Always so meticulous, Stephanie mused quietly to herself. Maybe that was what made them so useful in the first place.



[Lunara Maleficent]

It was a good thing that patience was a strong suit of the fae, or she might have irritably snapped to her lover that this was taking far too long. Trust alone was a tricky job, and now to gather people that he vaguely trusted for such an intricate job? Unheard of.

Lunara reclined in a indolent yet alert posture on a crimson armchair, letting the plushness of it ease her already aching body. She had been waiting for hours, making stoic and clipped conversation with her leader. Other than that, a rather uncomfortable silence had spread between the two. Nobody decided to comment on the rather close proximity between the pair. This time, it wasn't because Lunara hardly talked to anyone in particular. The list was tucked up somewhere in the leader's file cabinet.

Some of the people she'd known but even then, relationships were all but severed. It was hard to consider Lunara a friend, what with the intimidating darkfire that she could summon to burn someone to the ground within a fraction of a second. Even though they were on her side... she always managed to pick up on the slightest of emotions. And it was no surprise that she often saw fear. Fear of her twisted magic, fear of her status. Ironically, it wasn't fear of her specifically. But when Lunara looked at Axella, she didn't see the same fear. Which was why she'd been so close to him from the start.

At last, Lunara sat up to a formally upright posture, her ebony gown whispering along the floor like sinister secrets in ones ear, when at last she heard footsteps. A shadow curled along her ear, hissing its report in her ear. She gave a minutely small flick of her finger and it disappeared

---

Walking into the hero office with a yawn, Shion sleepily stumbled through the motions of signing in and wandering over to where the meeting was taking place. They had been kept up late with an unexpected request from their day job that had no right being as complicated as it was. Heroism couldn't pay all the bills anyways, so Shion didn't mind the extra work on their plate.

Sitting down heavily on the floor, Shion covered yet another yawn and waved to the other two people in the room. The woman standing off to the side was quite elegant and refined, holding an air of power that distinguished her as the person who had called them here. The faint smell of smoke caught their attention though as they cautiously looked around. It could quite possibly be coming from them, as they had been working at the forge for a while, but a small wisp of black emitting from the mysterious white haired male seemed to be the cause. Shion didn't mind. As long as it didn't become a fire hazard, of course.

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

Kardia was is a good mood. How could she not, when a new shipment of poisons came in? She was eager to test them out yesterday, bit no villainous acts caught her eye so she would have to try it today. Or after the boring ass meeting she was called in for. In her defense, it wasn't her fault that people didn't know how to get out of the way fast enough. It was their fault for being slow, not hers for being 'negligent of public safety' or something like that. Huffing, Kardia stepped into the meeting room only to almost kick someone in the stomach. Okay, who thought it would be fun to sit their ass on the ground and block the way? Glaring at the inconsiderate hero and only receiving an apathetic apology in return, Kardia moved to stand by the furthest wall she could. Wasn't she supposed to be called in to have yet another talk about her reckless actions? Why were there other people here too?

Someone obviously didn't read the summons properly.

---

Akicho

Akicho slowly walked into the new villain headquarters, his eyes quickly scanning the area. Rather than sitting down, he leaned against the wall. He pulled out a small vial with an orange liquid inside, he gave it a small flick and watched as it swirled around.


Esther

Esther walked into the Hero Society building, and sat down, looking around to see who was there. As she waited, she took would take temporary control of the various insects around and watched as they crawled up her arm. A small smile worked it's way onto her face.


Dallas

Dallas ran into the Heroes Society building, bouncing around energetically. He ran up to Shion, a big grin on his face. "Hey, are you a hero too? You must be, I mean, why else would you be here! What can you do!" He chattered excitedly, his eyes shining in wonder.

---

"No, I'm a villain. Duh. Why else would I be here?"" Shion blankly stared at one of the newcomers. He seemed green and quite excitable always a breath of fresh air compared to the more cynical veterans out there. Breaking out into a boyish grin after a few beats of silence, Shion chuckled and got to their feet. "Just kidding. I'm a hero." Sticking their hand out, Shion offered Dallas a warm smile. "Light Manipulation. I suppose we're going to be working together in whatever mess this is, so let's get along."

---

"Am I laaaaate?!" Kino barged in the Villain Headquarters, a stolen bread from the convenience store in hand. His legs were sore from running and he wanted to get this over with, whatever it was. Setting up his posture straight, the brunette looked around the room and noticed a man with a vial. "Are those drugs?" The young adult asked, approaching the man.

---

Dallas

Dallas laughed at Shion's joke. He extended out his own hand and accepted the handshake. "Yeah, I guess we are."


Akicho

Akicho turned to look at Kino, carefully putting away the vial. "No. It is not drugs." Was all he said, rather not wanting to go into the details. He found no point in telling other what his creations did, seeing as they didn't usually understand the full potential of its destruction.

---

The handshake was firm, something Shion could appreciate. "Mind if I get your power as well? Not all information comes free of charge, after all." Their easy smile his something darker behind it, but it soon passed leaving anyone who noticed to wonder if that was real or not.

---

The assistant observed all of her charges carefully. Examining how they acted and how they presented themselves. She adjusted her glasses carefully, feeling her professional calm washing over her. Without hesitation, the assistant cleared her throat to gain the attention of the heroes in the room. Her manicured fingers lightly held the specialised tablet to her chest, she didn't bother looking at the information on it.

The assistant's professional gaze mercilessly pierced through every hero as her firm voice broke the mostly silent room. "Thank you all for gathering on such short notice. I'm sure you're all wondering why you are here." She briefly paused as her eyes flickered from hero to hero. "Predictably, there is a new threat rearing its head and so it was decided that a new team would be made to combat it. You are that team. We expect great things from you. And I expect you all to behave or I might just come for you." She chuckles humorlessly, the threat in her words is no joke. "You'll be lead by Stephanie Corona, don't argue this decision it is out of your hands at this point." She states and finally checks her tablet. "If you have any questions that don't have stupidly obvious answers then you may come to me while I am still here." She finishes and takes a seat to continue her work on her tablet.

~

Neo felt more than a little stunned by the woman's piercing gaze and could barely resist shrinking away. It felt like a blast to the past, the days of his family surrounding him. Like when he got scolded by his mother for not being careful enough when playing outside. He blinked and shook the hazy memory away, it wasn't the time for that. He listened to the assistant carefully and felt surprised that The Hero Society decided it was a good idea to make another hero team. After how the last one went? He wasn't sure of the Society's good sanity anymore. It felt like asking for trouble, but if the world needed them then there wasn't much choice but to accept. Not that it seemed like there was a choice. The assistant certainly didn't make it seem like there was and he certainly wasn't going to start second-guessing her.

~

Once everyone was assembled, Axel took a deep breath as if they were coming up for air from within a hazy sea. Without moving a muscle, within a moment they had a teapot levitating above a cup filling it with tea. The cup ended up in their hands not even moments later. "Nice to see you all again." their tone held no warmth, just indifference. That would all depend on them now, wouldn't it? Axel couldn't help but muse to themselves.

"I'm sure you're all aware of why I've called you here. There isn't much to say about that." They hold the teacup with one hand while leaning their chin on the palm of the other. "If you are willing to follow my lead you may stay here, if not then leave. I shall see The Hero Society and all of its heroes burn before I take my last breath, with or without you." They tipped the cup so that the tea was spilling out onto the floor, simply watching it make a mess. "Now tell me, are you in?" Their soft-grip released the cup from its prison, not bothering to acknowledge it even as it shattered into a mess of shards on the floor. Their eyes bore into the rest of the villains while a ghost of a smile graced their pale lips.

---

Gasping silently, Kardia snapped out of her shock and marched up to the assistant. Slamming her hands before the assistant to catch her attention, Kardia sent her a glare. "I want out." She hissed, long nails digging into the desk. "I didn't come here for this kind of bs. You expect me to work with others?! Have you seen my track record?! Asking me to work with these incompetent teenagers running around under the label of hero is like asking oil to mix with water." Kardia was fuming with barely controlled rage. She hated working with others. It made no sense to buddy up with lesser people to achieve something she alone could do. The organization would have to be blind, deaf, and brain dead to lump her into this rag tag group.

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

Shion rolled their eyes and folded their hands into their wide sleeves. It certainly was absurd that the Hero Organization wished to form yet another team, ballsy even given the previous team they had attempted to put together. Sure, Shion was used to working with others, given that he worked to supply other heroes with the correct equipment as a side job, but physically doing heroics side by side with others seemed ludicrous. For one, their powers could clash horribly with one another. The male who had arrived before they did seemed to have more dark and shadow based powers, a hard counter to Shion's own light manipulation. It was also hard to incorporate bug control, which the silent girl who walked in with the greenhorn seemed to have. The blue haired woman who was currently confronting the assistant seemed opposed to even work together. This was already shaping up to be a disaster before they've even been given their first objective.

---

The childish brunette shot up his arm. "Question!" Kino yelled out, staring into the leader's eyes. "What's the motive? I mean, yes, I do have some unnatural abilities if I say so myself, but, other than that, I'm just a petty thief? A villain sounds too grand but I wouldn't mind being called as so..." The bespectacled male trailed off, scratching his cheek in nervousness. These were all big people and he was just a small fry compared to the rest of the villains there.

---

The assistant looks up at Kardia, an eyebrow raised at the childish display. Feeling completely unimpressed and even less intimidated than before she speaks sharply. "Yes, I have seen your track record. In fact," she suddenly snaps, memories of all the nights she'd slave away at Kardia's cases, fire burning behind her eyes. "I'm in charge of making sure you don't get thrown into jail with your powers nullified. Or you being in dept by a couple of million. By all means, walk away from this and have all of your charges pressed on to you." Her glare burned colder than the pits of hell themselves when she finished, daring Kardia to challenge her. "This is your chance to prove that you shouldn't be someone to dispose of. Be grateful that there were more votes in favour of trying to help you than to dispose of you."

The assistant huffed and began to address the rest of the room once more. "If the very first team of heroes could do it so can you. They were the least compatible team to ever exist but they persevered and prevailed. If you cannot even do that much you don't deserve to be in this line of work." She stood up and turned away a bitter look on her face. "Everything is weighing on your success or failure. Although I don't think it matters which will triumph anymore. The chain of command is crumbling and eventually, everything will return to ruin." She spoke evenly and began to leave. The sound of her heels clicking against the tiles was deafening in the silence until that too faded out of earshot.

~

Neo took a small breath, "Well that was something..." he let the words out like a gush of air out of his lungs. His eyes were wide with shock, replaying the words the assistant had said and still trying to piece them together in a way that made sense. He'd always seen the world as something that was constantly cracking, breaking, crumbling. Never thought the day would come where the supposedly untouchable Hero Society would follow the same path as the rest of the world and begin crumbling before his very eyes.

No, that was a lie. This was a long time coming, most either simply ignored it or were too naive to see it clearly. It felt like a last-ditch effort to build something out of incompatible parts. Even with heroes around this world was far from fair, far from being good or anything close. But that didn't mean he was just going to give in, this might be the moment when people need them most. The start is the first hurdle and definitely not the last. He just hoped that they would all be able to come through together.

~

Axel contemplated Kino for a moment before they spoke. "You're all here for a reason. I believe you all would be valuable assets in achieving a goal that we might share in common." They tilt their head to the side as they scrutinize Kino. "You too are here for a reason, Kino. I wouldn't invite just anyone here without doing some research, although there wasn't much to find about some of you." Their lips quirked up in a ghost of an amused smile.

"The Hero Society's founders and leaders are at each others throats already." They hold their hand out in front of themselves as their gaze cascades towards their nicely manicured hand as they speak, examining the nail work. "It's as unstable as it could ever be with most people being quite cautious around heroes these days. If now isn't the time to fully tear that empire down I don't know when will be." Their eyes flickered back to the people they chose to surround themselves with. "Would you like to destroy The Hero Society's personal power plant? I've been eyeing it for a while now." Their grin is cold, methodical. Not meaning the gesture at all. They will set their plan into motion, with or without anyone elses help.

~

Jack grins as he listens to Axel's familiar way of speaking at times. He wonders if they remembered his pattern for simple answers. He reaches for a smooth surface that can easily carry sound, in this case, a wooden table and raps his knuckles on it three times. As he does so he focuses the rest of his attention on Axel whose eyes briefly flash in recognition.

Satisfied that Axel understood his answer, he proceeds to change his sitting position into a comfortable cross-legged one with his hands holding most of his weight behind him. The air around him feels frosty because of the strong positive emotions running through him. He feels vibrant despite this and lets himself relax. He decides to observe them smaller intricacies of the dimly lit room, the colour scheme that was easy on the eyes, the accessories that complimented it. He felt safe and content despite the fact that it could change with a flip of a switch.

---

[Stephanie Corona]

What a pity Stephanie mused to herself as she watched the assistant deal with the large group of heroes she had agglomerated. While she had expected a bit of discord and arguing, she had not anticipated something of this scale. 

Touché, indeed. 

Normally, the Hero Leader or any leader for that matter, would have broken up the fight by now. But the blonde fae didn't follow that mold; she found it much more entertaining and useful to see how they interacted with authority... but most of all, how they interacted with each other. It couldn't be called cruel of her, but the faintest ghost of an amused smile graced her lips as she watched the assistant deal with the heroes. Always quick to anger, even when she was talking with the blonde faerie who had hired her. It was often forgotten who had nominated Stephanie. The higher ups enjoyed playing games that kept them in the dark, especially Lukas Anthurium. 

It wasn't until one of the heroes outright try to attack the sharp-tongued acolyte did Stephanie actually realize how quiet the room had gotten. The tension was so thick one could cut it with a knife ; Stephanie nearly choked on it herself, the white feathers on her sun-blessed wings ruffling silently.

Lukas had warned her that this mission would not be an easy one due to the high tensions, and for the first time in a while, worry made the hairs on her neck and arms prickle rather uncomfortably, yet her facial features did not stray from their usual lethal calm. It was hard to rile her; many had tried much to the blonde fae's great amusement. Needless to say, whatever amusement she had been feeling was crushed like prey under a huntresses' blade.

Stephanie initially had decided to greet the heroes themselves, but after the other fae had the daring audacity to try to lecture the other hero (who strangely enough was selected to lead the group anyway) she had decided to remove off the greeting entirely off her agenda. Which was why dear Katherine Tholms was doing it instead. Karma bites everyone at some point, and Stephanie hoped that this wasn’t going to be the reason for her.

One of the other heroes, a charming male with a glittering evening-blue cloak, outright flinched and Stephanie couldn’t blame him. Even though the leader knew that the assistant was trying her best to remain calm after the spitfire of a hero, Kardia Pantazis, had stormed up to her, Yes, I have seen your track record. In fact. I'm in charge of making sure you don't get thrown into jail with your powers nullified. Or you being in debt by a couple of million. By all means, walk away from this and have all of your charges pressed on to you. This is your chance to prove that you shouldn't be someone to dispose of. Be grateful that there were more votes in favour of trying to help you than to dispose of you. Stephanie couldn’t help wincing slightly at the blade-sharp riposte the assistant sent right back without a moments hesitation. Even if Kardia had indeed stepped out of line in her fierce upfront lunge to the table, the way the assistant handled the situation was incendiary to say the least. Adding oil and coal to an already blazing inferno—taunting it til all that was left was a charred wasteland. Stephanie had been there before, and she did not want for the past to repeat again.

The tension, unfortunately was not instantly dispelled when the assistant left. It hung over the group like a storm cloud, threatening to crackle with malicious lightning at any moment. What hopes Stephanie had for a peaceful and harmonious relationship was instantly shattered. Shattered like the world smashing on the lowest point, anarchy and suffering written in the pitiless cracks. But maybe one couldn’t have everything that they wanted.

Stephanie was significantly disgruntled like the others when she swooped to meet Katherine before she could retreat to her office. Or to her quarters, judging by how tired the other hero looked. Before the other fae could say anything she pinned the assistant with a calm but fierce glare, “That was one greeting you gave there.”

She could see the internal conflict being waged behind those too-clever eyes and Stephanie continued before her train of thought was disturbed. It was easy to tell by the blonde fae's hawk-like gaze that she, not in the least bit, meant that in a good way, "I thought you knew better than to threaten her, or anyone, Katherine. Yes, you do seem to be the one dealing with the paperwork, but I hardly see that as an explanation for a threat."

She saw the flinch almost before she saw the hurt reach those crystal-blue eyes. Stephanie's expression softened, but her words did not, "You may want to walk away now, but just let me remind you who is dealing with the aftermath of your harsh words. The risk that these people are not going to work together has just been elevated to a one-thousand, thanks to you." She sighed heavily, massaging the bridge of her nose, "Anyway, dismissed. I'll go greet them now; better late than never." Turning on her heel, Stephanie left the indignant assistant to collect her dignity, and trying to get her now turmoiled emotions in check, the blonde fae went to rejoin her colleagues at last.

---

Gasping at the assistant's back, Kardia felt her self control break and crack under the implications. She knew of the massive debt she'd amassed, having received numerous letters regarding them, but she had never paid any mind to it. Having assumed that the Hero Organization would sooner or later get tired of her antics and throw her into some kind of detention center, she was ironically flabbergasted to know that some people still wanted to stand up for her. But while others might have mellowed out with this realization, Kardia only got angrier. Why the hell did someone think that giving her 'one last chance' to change her would work?! Digging her nails into her palm to avoid setting fire to something, Kardia absentmindedly wondered if she had just administered her own poison to herself. Well that was another way to add a brick to the tower of things that made today awful.

Grinding her teeth, Kardia spun on her heel and stormed out of the room. Flying down the hall in a blind fury, Kardia took some turns and ended up in a deserted corridor. Taking a cursory glance to insure that there really was no one in sight, Kardia grit her teeth and hit the wall as hard as she could. Holding back a scream out outrage and with her chest heaving for air, Kardia slammed her first against the wall again. Tears of frustration pricked at her eyes. Damn humanity and their goody two shoes mentality.

After a suitable amount of time had passed, and her rage had subsided to a simmering boil, Kardia inspected her bleeding palms and shrugged them off. The poison she had chosen was a slow acting one so she had time to get home and dig around for the antidote. Now with her two major problems out of the way, Kardia ambled back to where she assumed the meeting was being held. Having walked through the Hero Association multiple times, Kardia was familiar with the layout so she simply let her feet guide her while she mulled over the situation at hand.

Of course she could simply join in with little fuss and it would be a happy outcome for all parties involved. However, that didn't meditate the fact that Kardia never worked well with others. Her bullheaded nature and stubborn sense of Justice always got in the way of any real teamwork, so she was most likely going to be the one that tore the team apart. And as much as she hated the hero organization, she did care about the city itself. She didn't want to be the cause of it's destruction, rising evil or not. But then again, if she didn't join then who knows what could happen to the team. Groaning at the amount of thinking she was doing, Kardia stopped to shake her head. This was absurd. She should just up and leave already. She knew where the exit was anyways, so she could simply walk out and slowly pay off the millions in debt she was in. But a small part of her begged her to reconsider, just as she was turning around to do so. There were newbies in that group that probably wouldn't survive against the terrors out there, and whatever the organization was planning to throw at them. Her face twisted into a grimace as she turned around again and marched as fast as she could back to the meeting room. If anything, she'd join to protect those new kids. It would be senseless to leave the future to scum like her.

---

Akicho

Akicho sighed and looked at Axel, "If your not concerned by the hero's organization, why are we gathered here. Could you not just take them out on your own?" He was no longer looking quite as relaxed as before, leaning foward. "I mean, it's nice to know that I'm considered a 'valuable asset's, but I simply can't help but question your true motives."


Dallas

Dallas watched awkwardly as Kardia stormed out of the room, before quickly turning his gaze to his feet. While he was new to the whole 'hero's thing, he never really thought heroes could get that mad at eachother. He continued sitting by himself, watching the others gathered in the room, but quickly turned his gaze to Kardia as she reentered the room. He quickly jumped to his feet and walked over to her, "Hey, are you okay? You just kinda... ran off. Uhm... my names Ataria, er... well, not that my alias. Um, sorry, still a little confused about this hero stuff..." He gave a small awkward laugh, scratching the back of his head.

Esther

Esther had stopped paying attention when she realised the meeting was over, instead choosing to stay seated and stare at her hands.

---