1313/Candygramm

Candygramm
Date of Scene:	23 April 2020
Location:	Lobby - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	Kate invites Gwen over to meet Vorapl, Donna, and Caitlin. Sam party crashes the tower. Tensions ensue. Kate has pizza. Vorpal is nuts.
Cast of Characters:	Kate Bishop, Caitlin Fairchild, Gwen Stacy, Donna Troy, Terry O'Neil, Samuel Morgan

---

Kate Bishop has posed:
Up in the Common Room.

"So yeah... Ghost Spider. Totally a spider person.. like spiderman but much cooler. Better fashion sense. Complications with not being from around here. I think she would make an awesome Titan so I asked her to stop by and talk to some of the rest of you and see what you all think." Kate explains as she glances at her phone and talks with Caitlin and Donna about her incomming guest.

Which is when the doorbell alarm goes off indicating someone is either delivering a pizza or wants something. Like being let in.

"Okay that is odd.. I told her to just call me when she got here so I could head down." which has Kate turn to look to the monitors for the lobby, which are all blacked out. "Okay. That is even odder. Uh... want to come down with me maybe?" to Donna and Caitlin. Because Kate isn't dumb and odd things around a hero base is a perfect reason to go with team mates and not alone into that sort of thing.

That said she is grabbing her bow and heading to the elevator already, holding the dooor for the others now.

As far as she knows Gwen should be here any minute.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Oh, /Ghost/ Spider?" Caitlin's not really dressed like a Titan. Then again, how does an off-duty hero dress? For Caitlin, it's a knee-length blue A-frame skirt, black slippers, and a close-fitting tee that proclaims 'PWNED' in blocky red font. "Wait, I think I know her. I mean, of her," she amends. "Nightwing was gonna introduce us, but--"

Her thought's cut off as the alarms go off, craning her neck to look around. "Is that the intruder alarm or the perimeter sensor?" she queries, already in motion. "We /really/ need to update the security protocols," she sighs, wearily, and bypasses the elevator for the access shaft normally used by the fliers. One hand wraps around a steel cable. "See you down there," Cait says, and disappears into the shaft with the cable slithering between her fingers as she nearly free-falls to the ground floor below.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"You're a super hero... you're a super hero..." Gwen says to herself, in full costume (JANET VAN FREAKIN' DYNE ORIGINAL), carrying a stack of pizzas in one upturned palm balanced precariously as she reaches out to tap the doorbell alarm... Or what she thinks is the doorbell alarm... If you think about it, that's all a Doorbell is really. An alarm to signal the arrival of guests.

"This'll be great... totally not awkward. Don't be awkward." Gwen glances down at herself and flicks a piece of fuzz from her stomach, then adjusts from one foot to the other. Hip out, hand on said hip. Sassy pose. "Hey.. I'm Ghost Spider.. sup..." Head jut. "Nah, that's lame.. you got this." Waiting for someonet o answer the door.

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Victor's working on it Cait," Donna says. "But it'll be a few days before he gets everything set up and calibrated." Unlike Caitlin, Donna looks every inch the Titan in her black-and-silver armor with sword sheathed and shield over back. And then there's that lasso, which is a new addition to the outfit.

    She watches Caitlin's ascent with amusement, then turns back to Kate with a nod. "So, like Spider-man, only a ghost. That sounds pretty cool. So, uh, out of the loop here. Who's Spider-man? Never mind. I'll find out. Well let's go meet this ghost of a spider then."

    Donna follows Caitlin's path to the open shaft, and drops down it to the lobby, muttering 'Spider-men, Harlequins, I was only gone three years."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpal (yes, he finally has a codename!) was in the kitchen just a few minutes ago, helping himself to some of the remaining mango juice. It was still strange, being in this body, and he thought that the best way to get over that was to simply get used to the darned thing. He already has had to learn not to sit on his tail, and to watch out for said tail swatting things off surfaces. It's a learning process... soon he might learn not to leave claw marks on his furniture at the apartment.

When the alarm goes off, a Rabbit Hole opens into the Lobby, as the Cheshire is eager to see who has come to visit. "Hey, guys," he says to his team-mates as they fly out of the open shaft, "We've got visitors. I hope it's girl scouts- I'm having a craving for cookies."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    In the lobby, with his back turned to the elevators, stands a teenager with his hands clasped behind his back. Shoulder length blonde hair, grey hoodie, grey urban combats and combat boots polished to a mirror shine... this should start setting off alarm bells for at least one Titan. Possibly two. There doesn't seem to be any hurry or duplicity to him, simply standing there, slowly looking around, his blue eyes constantly checking the reflection of what's going on behind him in the reflection of the brushed metal accents of the walls and furnishings.

    "Thirty-six seconds. Not a good start."

    He doesn't deign to turn around when the Titans start to arrive, although the more observant can see him smile through the self-same reflections he's using to keep track of what's behind him. "I see we meet again, Miss Hawkeye. And Doctor Fairchild, what an unexpected surprise." Slowly his head turns to look over his shoulder at the others. "The rest of you have me at a slight advantage." His eyebrow quirks up, and he smiles as he slowly turns. "In case you missed it, there's someone outside to deliver pizza. Go ahead, I won't disturb the delivery."

    Next to this apparition, this strangely smiling young man with military bearing and utterly unmarked clothes, sits an utter juxtaposition... a young, very friendly looking German Shepherd, whose collar and neckerchief proclaim him to be 'Bear'. This canine could never be mistaken for a military animal, tongue lolling and ears perking up at meeting new humans, though sitting quite close next to his master.

Kate Bishop has posed:
Kate pauses and then walks to the open shaft pinching the bridge of her nose "Showoffs." she mutters to herself because she is going to be the last one down.

Story of Hawkingbird's life really.

God she needs to be bitten by a Radioactive Hawk or something.

Anyhow Kate swings a device off her belt, lashes it to the cable and descends really fast, controlled but quick so she doesn't have to listen to elevator music while everyone else is having fun down there with potential intruders.

Stepping out of the shaft she groans "Okay that isn't Ghost Spider that is Techno... I didn't invite him... and..." she squints. "Okay the pizza delivery girl is Ghost Spider." she just mutters to herself "Cute dog." she notes as she just strides across the lobby to get the front door and the pizza leaving her teammates to sort out Techno now. Lifting her hand to wave through the window to Gwen as she strides across holding her bow.

The door is pulled open with her free hand. "Hey Ghost, pizza, awesome, come in. We may have to beat someone up before pizza though, who knows... night is young."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Cait's not someone most people often describe as 'intimidating'. At least, not anyone who knows her socially. The redhead holds herself very carefully, carries herself with a deference for the space other people move in. She's the soul of social courtesy in that regard. After all, a misstep could result in someone's foot getting broken.

Then again, that's a courteous and careful young woman trying to be friendly in a world of regular folks. The redhead moving at an aggressive pace towards Sam is anything but 'meek'. The determined stride chews up the distance effortlessly and her momentum seems to show no sign of stopping.

Kate's words carry to Caitlin's ears and what looks like it might turn into a shoulder tackle slows, then stops-- albeit well inside the distance most people would consider 'comfortable'. Put bluntly, she looms like a henge over the 'intruder'.

"Mister Morgan," Caitlin says, taking an effort to keep her voice neutral. "You're trespassing," she says. There is little evidence of the bubbly academician or the engineer present in her voice; the look she gives Sam is flatly demanding.

It's very probable it's something she picked up from Diana, though Donna would be one of the few to accurately identify it.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Open door, Ghost Spider peeks her head in, "Also Arnold Palmers... Who wants an Arnie Palmy?" Wiggle wiggle.. because tensions appear pretty high just inside the foyer.. Sliding in, super effortlessly even with her bundle of Pizzas. She looks from Caitlin to hoodie ninja, to floaty sword lady, to... salmon colored cat person...

Nods a few times, definitely rubbing her lips together beneath her mask. Definitely trying to sort out what in the blazing fires of hell is going on in this Tower.. You're a super hero... you're a super hero...

"So..." Coughing into her balled left fist.

Big white eyes turning person to person to puppo. "Does he talk? Because I get the feeling there's a wierd-o-meter about this-" Waving her hands around in a circle, fingers splayed, hand down, "-joint and I need to know if the Dog does Rodney Dangerfield impersonations... I will /not/ be able to hold my shit together if he does... fair warning."

"Pizza?"

Donna Troy has posed:
    "He doesn't look much like a spider /or/ a ghost," Donna comments as she enters the lobby just behind Caitlin. Also, he has mislabeled his animal. Bears are considerably larger and less dog-shaped."

    If Donna and Caitlin are pulling good cop / bad cop on Samuel, they're doing it an unconvential way around, because while the red-head in the blue skirt, geek shirt and slippers is being Amazon-stern, the heavily armored Amazon crouches by Bear to offer him her hand to sniff. "Hello there," she says to Bear in a calm, pleasant voice. "Does your master have problems with zoology as well as manners?"

    Gwen gets a wave and a come on in gesture from Donna's spare hand. "If you have pizzas, you are welcome," she calls out.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpal looks about as laid back as could be about the situation, hanging back a bit to let things resolve themselves. He is curious about the trespassing youngg man and Cait's connection to him, as well as Hawkette's acquaintanceship. He will ask questions when it's appropriate. For now, though, there is someone with Pizzas, and you never let someone wait for Pizza- but he is paying attention to what is going on with the young man- cat ears are good for things, after all.

"Why that's positively delightful, my dear, let me help you with those pizzas and step right in," he holds his arms out for the bundle of pizzas. "As for Mister Arny, I'm afraid my tastes are a little more unconventional. Over in Wonderland we enjoy a drink called Benedict Arnold Palmer, for that refreshing taste of tea, lemonade and treason. But do come in."

Her comment makes him chuckle, and he finds himself thinking it would be pretty funny if the dog did indeed-

"I could tell that my parents hated me. My bath toys were a toaster and a radio."

He stops dead in his tracks for a second. That was a perfect Rodney Dangerfield voice. And, as far as he is concerned... it came from the dog.

"Is there catnip in this pizza? I think I'm getting a contact high."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    There is no threat registering in Sam's expression when he is being strode upon. Not a flinch, nor a twitch of muscle when Caitlin comes over to loom. He has either been loomed at by more dangerous people, or he's confident that he's in no danger. And what most people consider to be their 'personal space', Sam identifies as the reactionary gap. "Doctor Fairchild, please, decorum. I'm here by invitation." His smiling face is turned towards Kate. "Not your invitation, perhaps, but invited nonetheless. Unless you run this team now?"

    Gwen gets an equally magnanimous smile, even as the teenager turns with complete disregard that this leaves Caitlin in his side, although it does place him between her and Bear. "Pizza sounds delightful, thank you. And Bear doesn't speak..." a slight pause "... at least, he's never spoken to me, but I won't say he can't. But considering the amount of feeling in the room, if people want to absolutely persist in this very hostile reaction, would you all at least give me the courtesy of telling Bear to go sit in the far corner where he's not likely to be injured? I will have to warn you that I'm less inclined to be charitable and friendly if anyone harms my furry friend."

    A look around the assembled Titans, hands firmly clasped behind his back, leaves Sam smiling again. "Shall we start over? I'm Sam Morgan... as someone was uncivil enough to blurt out my real name before I had a chance to introduce myself... and I'm here by invitation of one Colette O'Connail. The next move is yours, I'm almost certainly unarmed."

    Bear is smart, even for his breed, and seems to understand most of what is being said. Luckily he gets a chance to do something about it, when Donna comes to introduce herself. 'Whurf!' The hand is sniffed and licked, then bumped with his nose... bumped /away/, but gently, before the Shepherd stands and inserts himself firmly between Sam and Caitlin, looking up at her 'Whurf! Whurf!' and bonking his head gently against her legs. Please human, back away, you are too close.

    From one of the capacious pockets in Sam's camo combats dangles a hi-vi strip of fabric, entirely at odds with his otherwise grey and unremarkable outfit, looking remarkably like the strap of a support dog's vest.

Kate Bishop has posed:
Kate looks outside to make sure there isn't a line of teen superheros she knows through one way or another out there in the parking lot. I mean it would be her luck this evening right.

She shuts the door and turns around. "That was more me stating very publicly that I didn't invite you here to cause an alarm or anything Techno." a shrug. "Who did invite you?" puzzled.

A moment later she is about to ask something else or perhaps move to help Gwen with the drinks with a chuckle. Then the dog went and talked. She is staring at the dog who both did a spot on Rodney Dangerfield then also whurf'd happily. "Okay. Who ... did the dog do that or did one of you do that." yeah it is enough to make her totally miss a beat. She blinks a couple of times. "Oh. Colette is the culprit... her superhero name is Enabler..."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
The dog doing a Rodney Dangerfield impression does sort of stop everyone for a second, and momentarily defuse the tension as it speaks. The redhead rocks back on her heels slightly. Even Caitlin's not immune to doggo noses, and reflexively scritches the canine's ears when it bumps at her. She looks over at Gwen, and forces a polite nod; Ghost Spider, at least, seems welcome. The bribe of pizzas doesn't hurt one whit in her favor, either.

But one would need a bulldozer to make Caitlin shift if she's not inclined to, and she focuses back on Sam.

One hand lifts and rises at Kate, acknowledging the woman's comment about Colette. "-Miss- McConnail is not a resident of this house or a member of this team," Caitlin says, forcing her voice to stay even. "So you weren't 'invited' here; you just felt like letting yourself in. You're a sixteen-year old delinquent who broke into our home. You don't get to play the 'Miss Manners' card at me."

She takes a slow, steadying breath. The intrusion into the Tower clearly has hit a deep nerve with the normally polite woman. "Maybe you thought this was a public space, but it's very much not. So let's try this again?" she offers, forcing her voice into more pleasant tones. "Is there something we can help you with, Mister Morgan, or is this just a social call?"

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Not cool." Gwen interjects when Rodney Dangerfield routines issue from the canine, or what she has to assume is the canine because how couldn't it be right? Nailed it. Spider Senses, DARPA Chief died of a heart attack, metal gear, whatever. Big bug eyes stare down at the dog, passing off tall stack of pizzas to Vorpal, she distractedly adds.. "They're from Angelos... while I didn't see Cat nip on the menu, I didn't see imitation beef and crab meat, either.. but that's definitely what he's serving."

She's still staring at the dog. "I don't know what's weirder, this... or the Girl Scouts I saw engaged in an early eighties knife fight over in the Bronx.. I'm like thirty percent sure they were dancing too, but I was disinclined to get in th emiddle of that..." Hands up, defensive. "One does not simply walk into an altercation between teenage girls. Lose a hand... lose dignity when they smear your ass on social media."

Case in point. Caitlin looks like she's about to whip out a knife and get McGillyCutty on Sam. Sloooooow lean towards Sam, which really isn't even that close, we're talking almost ten feet away at least, "Don't make eye contact, it suggests an attempt to establish dominance." Double thumbs up as she leans back away. "Bumblebee Tuna."

There's like nine popculture references from way before she was born in this.

Donna Troy has posed:
    "The dog talked," Donna reports to the rest of the group, just in case anyone didn't notice. "He has a talking dog. You have a talking dog, Sam Morgan. That's very impressive. The last time I saw a talking dog, it was a disguised minor daimon. It tried to talk its way out of Tartarus. "

    This too is a pop culture reference, but only Themyscirans would get it.

    Donna decides to leave Sam to the mercies of Kate and Cait, who both seem to know who he is, and walks over to greet Gwen instead, possibly because she has pizzas. She offers Gwen her hand. "Ghost Spider, and pizza delivery person, is that correct?" She asks. "I'm Troia. Hawkeye says nice things about you. Welcome to Titans Tower. "

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Never," Vorpal starts admonishing Gwen, "Ever get in the middle of a dance fighting incident without first doing the proper warmups. Trust me, there is nothing more embarrassing than pulling a groin muscle while attempting to disarm a ne'er-do'well. When the video hits social media, you might as well just look for a change of costume, codename, and sometimes even nationality."

The Cheshire cat then smiles as he sets the pizzas down on one of the coffee tables in the lobby, "Troia is nice, I leave you in her very capable hands while I go get dishes for these pizzas."

He steps through a Rabbit hole and into the kitchen, in order to fetch the aforementioned plates. He is fine with eating pizza without a dish, but he gets the impression that Cyborg might make good on his threat of maniacal roombas if they so much as drop a pepperoni slice on the floor.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Slooowly, Sam leans in towards Gwen in response, nodding, and adding in a sotto voce that nevertheless carries through the entire lobby. "I'll keep that in mind. Hopefully it's not mating season." And leans slooooowly back until he's right where he started, as if no interaction has taken place. Bear continues to attempt to push Caitlin away, getting a bit more insistent now. There's no more talking, and Sam is looking at him a bit suspiciously. Could he always talk but just wait until the most comically appropriate moment to do so? That would be /typical/ Bear.

    "And I know that this isn't a public space, in fact I know that this entire island is mostly private property. But I let myself in. Perhaps you should focus more on the fact that I was capable of that, and then possibly consider why it was that nobody noticed until I was obliging enough to ring the doorbell for you. After which it still took more than half a minute to get here."

    Turning, Sam walks /away/ from Caitlin unless she physically stops him, and heads towards the bar where he's fairly certain the pizzas are going to end up. "As for ... Miss... O'Connail, she made an attempt at blackmailing me, and in the process left me in a very awkward position. More than likely she's blown my cover, and while I'm not too worried about my life being yet again in danger from an international terrorist organisation with nearly unlimited resources and one major axe to grind with me, it does mean I might bring danger to people who can't defend themselves. So if you're wondering why all my work has been sent in electronically as of late, Doctor Fairchild, that's why. Or perhaps you didn't care, it's all the same to me."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin looks to Kate, then Donna, then shakes her head. "I'm going to go find the short in the security, and I'm going to fix it," she announces, and turns to walk away.

Kate Bishop has posed:
Kate narrows her eyes looking after Caitlin and then over to Sam. "Techno.. or Mr. Morgan or whatever. Please don't antagonize my teammates." she just sighs. "Also the whole.. messing with people's security thing is liable to either freak people out like it did me.. or piss them off like Ms. Fairchild. There is no winning with that." she frowns.

"I am sorry if Colette fucked up your life though, she is not a team member right now and is more the Meddler. Honestly that may be her supervillain name vs. the whole Enabler thing."

She pauses dramatically then notes "The Meddler has struck again." then nods. "Yeah about right."

She turns at this point to Gwen and nods. "I am glad you are here, thanks for bringing Pizza. Catdude is probably fetching plates... I only can hope from the kitchen and not swiping them from a tea party somewhere." she grins. "Find the place okay, it can be hard to find." she notes, about the giant T-Shaped building.

So much sass.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Troia.. is that Greek?" Taking the offered, "I'm Ghost Spider. Which is a mouthful in a conversational greeting situation, so Ghost, Spider, Ghostie.. Gee Ess.. Do you, shorten or combine as you need, I'll ... answer..." Eyes trailing after Caitlin, glancing to Donna.. To Kate... Pointing after her, "She not a big fan of talking dogs either? I totally get that..."

Fidget.

Gwen adjusts her stance and looks around the foyer, "Lovely place you've got here, totally." Said to Kate with an obvious grin behind her mask. The way it pulls back across her face when her cheeks rise into the expression, she likewise nods with Hawkeye... scratching at her neck with one curling finger.

"In /general/ when greeting new people it's always best to.. ring the doorbell... or call ahead, anyways... before bebopping inside. Which, do you, who am I to judge a guy who has a talking Canis lupus familiaris..." Finger wiggling at the shephard. "Adorable."

Donna Troy has posed:
    "It'll be from a tea party," Donna says fatalistically. "I hope nobody likes tea with their pizza, because there is sure to be a mouse in the teapot. " She makes her way behind the bar and opens the fridge. "Sodas? Water? What do you guys want?" she asks as she pulls out a bottle of Mexican Coca Cola for herself. Diana intruduced Donna to the stuff recently, and she's addicted.

    "Ghostie, that's nice," Donna chats happily. "Yes, Troia's a Greek name. Well originally Luwian, but it sounds better in Greek. Who'd want to be called Truwisa? Really. So you do the superhero thing?"

    She leans her elbows on the bar. "Oh. Techno, or Sam Morgan, or however you please to be called? I suggest you take Hawkeye's words to heart. She's a smart lady. Apparently Caitlin finds you boorish. Perhaps you should focus on the fact that annoying her is unwise. Now, she asked you a question, and you have not answered. Was there something we can help you with?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpal, fortunately, has fetched the regular plates. This becomes evident when he emerges from the Rabbit Hole. "I thought you knew better than that, Troia. It wouldn't do to borrow the Hatter's china, because he will only part with them when teatime is over and... well, it it's complicated. Who is antagonizing Cait now?" he deposits the plates next to the pizza boxes and notices that Cait is conspicuous by her absence. Well, she is usually conspicuous by her presence, too, what with the fact that she could probably tackle a locomotive without breaking a nail. Contextually, he puts some pieces together and looks towards the blue-eyed, blond teenager after Donna speaks.

"I am reminded of some other blonde who had made a habit of snibberling* into places she shouldn't be in. Herewith and therewith, henceforth and thereafter I shall refer to this one as Boy-Alice. I suggest not feeding him anything, as Alices have a tendency to experience destructive, violent and improbable growth spurts when in contact with food, and are best nourished by satisfying some idle whim of theirs that they mey have their cake, and eat it too. Failing that, they can always be sent to spend some time with the March Hare, who is always out to lunch."

He walks over to the bar. "I can mix drinks, if you'd like. I have recently come up with a new drink called Doctor Light. It is equal parts Coca-Cola, Fanta and Tabasco and, like its namesake, is simply awful."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Fucked up is a bit of understatement. I'm at the moment being actively hunted by one of the most powerful and relentless groups of pure evil on the face of the planet. So much for my hopes of graduating MIT, I'll have to start all over again if I have to change identities. Again."

    There's no venom in the statement, and Sam closes his eyes, breathing deeply when Caitlin leaves. The very moment the threat had stepped away from his personal space, he seemed to relax... no, not relax. Deflate. Bear turns around in an instant and leans into Sam's legs, rubbing his face against his master's legs and trying to lick at the nearest hand. Obligingly, the teenager kneels down and hugs the Shepherd around the neck, eyes still closed. "'s okay boy. 's okay... it's just a blip, it's just the adrenaline crashing." Anyone who can read body language can tell that it's not.

    "For what it's worth, I'm sorry for just barging in, but what was I supposed to do? Stand outside and be a target? Besides, you're a superhero team. I can't just meet you without at least some theatrics, that's not my style." This is /not/ the slightly spooky and completely self composed teenager that Kate met in the park a few weeks ago. This Sam seems altogether more... human.

    "Bear isn't my familiar. Or maybe he is, depends on how you look at it. He's... he's my assistance dog."

    With some effort, the young man seems to pull himself together and stands again, giving Bear one last affectionate squeeze. The shepherd seems to be glued to his side now, metaphorically speaking. "Yes, there is something you can help me with." Now his eyes fall on Donna, looking every bit as intense as they did a few moments ago. "I'm here to offer my skills. I've tried other ways of doing some good in this world, but every time I do someone gets stuck on the fact that I'm sixteen. Your group doesn't have that same problem, I believe."

Kate Bishop has posed:
Kate returns Gwen's smile, just no mask to make interpreting it more difficult. "I'll show you around after we eat pizza and my teammates prove they are strange and you prove you are full of sass or strangeness." she hand waves.

"Impressions get made. Talking later happens. You know. Team dynamics or something."

She heads to the plates that Vorpal brings and starts to look through the pizza boxes. "Man it is good I work out a lot the way people eat around here. A Lot." she plates up a couple slices and then goes for one of the drinks that Gwen also brought, unless that was a joke, if so she will pivot to getting a coke.

"Techno ... or whatever. Okay no one is going to punch you in the face right away or anything. So who exactly is the most dangerous evil groups on the whole planet?" she misses the opportunity to guess and introduce Snark. Honestly that is being left to Vorpal and Gwen. "Also as a sixteen year old archer.... I won't throw rocks at that glass house or tower."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"uhhhh...." Gwen blinks, eyes of her mask shrinking a little, but never quite closing, "I stood outside and rang the doorbell with pizzas?" Raising her hand, trying to draw Sam's attention. "Not to put to fine a point on it or anything, I'm just saying knock before you enter the toilet or you get to smell what the Rock is cooking, you feel me?" Did you just do a ... I'm a super hero... I'm a super hero.

"And I've got /brand recognition/... Sort of... I .. listen there's a very small demographic that is really into me okay?" Defensive before anyone has given her a reason to be. "It's a niche market.. and there's like six hundred thousands of millions of super heroes running aro- my point is just knock first.. I'm new too and super socially awkward and I totally get that."

To Kate's question about the most dangerous evil group on the whole planet, "PETA. Those guys are serious business." .... "PETA... is a PITA.. Especially for animal themed super heroes. You wouldn't believe how many large buckets of spider web they've tried to dump on my head over the years."

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna snap-points at Gwen. "She stood outside and rang the doorbell with pizzas," Donna repeats for Sam's benefit. "This is an excellent way to make a first impression." She's exploring pizza boxes to find out what toppings have been delivered as she speaks.

    "Alternatively you could ring ahead if you were worried about being left waiting outdoors. Breaking in is almost universally considered the wrong way to make a good first impression." Donna gives Sam a smile and offers him a bottle of cola. "Here, take this before Vorpal gives you a Doctor Light to drink. Because he will. I have only known him a few days, but I am already assured that he means it. "

    "No, we won't get stuck on the fact that you're sixteen. When I was sixteen I travelled half way around the world to join a group of other sixteen-year-olds and become the Titans, after all. However we are a team, not a group. There is an important distinction, and I'm sorry to say that upsetting the two people who already know you within a minute of arriving isn't persuasive that you understand how important that is to who we are. "

    "So, boy-Alice, assuming Ghostie is wrong and you weren't referring to PETA, who's after you?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"This is how one knows the quality of one's friends, Troia of Themyscira- by the way they can so quickly come to know you." Vorpal pours himself a drink. It's a Rum and Coca Cola, minus the Rum- it's advanced mixology. "Although I must say that if you are sixteen, you are not working hard enough. Why, back when I was sixteen, I was already twenty-two."

The Cheshire cat pulls a seat over and plops himself down (after carefully making sure he's not about to squish his tail again) and crosses his legs, Rumless Rum And Coke passing from one hand to the other, "I just so happen to know that Bjorn Again is currently touring on the other side of the globe, so we can discard them being after Boy-Alice... though, Ghostie, you should be thankful it is only webs they are throwing and not spiders... no offense, but while Spider-/man*/ may cut a handsome figure, actual spiders only cut the line to the next world the moment one is spotted and I have a trusty newspaper at hand." So perhaps all of those Garfield comic strips** have /some/ fact behind the fiction after all.



* Footnote: Note the attention to hyphenation.
** Footnote: By this he means the strips featuring the orange fact cat, not the comics that Gar scribbles from time to time and leaves in random places around the tower, many of which involve Raven eating someone's soul.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "HYDRA." Sam drops that little bomb without flinching, installing himself at the bar and pulling a plate with some slices of pizza towards himself. The drink is accepted without comment, although he does reflexively check the ring around the cap to make sure it's still sealed. That alone might be a giveaway to his level of paranoia. "And if you've never heard of them, count yourself lucky. They're the people Captain America fought during the war. They're still around, just a lot better at not being noticed. They've got a list of people they absolutely want to kill. I'm near the top of that list."

    He looks around, just to check if anyone has any reaction to that revelation, and then continues on in a completely different tone of voice, one that's less stilted and more fluid, like he's no longer parsing his speech through a thesaurus. "Don't suppose there's a bowl behind the bar for Bear? Perfectly fine if it's not alliterative." Okay, so maybe some thesaurus left.

    And finally, he looks over to Vorpal, blinking twice. "No offense dude, but sometimes my medication causes me to hallucinate, so are you actually here, or did I happen to get a bad batch of Xanax? And spiders are cool, leave them alone. Invite a spider into your home, and you'll never have to worry about mosquitoes again."

Kate Bishop has posed:
"I think the more time you spend like this Vorpal the more it seems to be getting to you." she sips her coke and then takes a bite of a slice of pizza before saluting Gwen with it. "Good job." she notes with very grave seriousness.

To Donna she notes "I'm not upset directly.. I'm worried Caitlin is upset but well." she just sighs a bit and shrugs. "I.. have no idea who that is. It sounds like a Donna or a Wonder Woman problem though... the whole many headed dragon thing right?" yeah she is familiar with Greek mythology and all of course. "I am sure Vorpal can get Bear some water without spiking the drink."

"Oh. Not the mythic creature... not sure why they want to kill you but that sucks... also yes Vorpal is real, he is the Cheshire Cat's illegimate son or something." okay that is a little jab at Terry but she can't help herself.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"You made that up." Gwen says to Sam, joining everyone at the bar where she can slide up on a stool. There's no intent to lift her mask just yet, so there'll be at least a dozen slices left for everyone else... she has a high metabolism okay? "I'm kidding. I'm pretty sure the guys who were chasing us through the Australian outback wore patches with multi-headed creatures on it... probably eight, maybe? I don't know, they were shooting at me and I didn't want to stop to check their accessories, but I distinctly remember Zee saying something about Hydra... or Hydrants.. or being thirsty."

Unable to keep from joking.

"Are you even a super hero if someone isn't trying to kill you, though? Seriously.. think about it.. it's basically our job to break up the ner-do-well get togethers of super powered villains, most of whom are /at the very least/ marginally borderline personality heavily slanted towards homicidal... I know for a fact that at least /three/, possible as many as six, villains want me dead... and two of them have middle management money enough to keep finding thugs to throw at me."

Hands up, slapping them down on her folded forearms. "If we're going to compare who wants us dead stories... which I don't see the point in a room full of heroes... the jist being, someone wanting you dead isn't a reason not to ring the doorbell. It's rude. And while not explicitly a reason to want someone dead, could be the bad ice breaker that leads to some sore feelings. This one time I was breaking up a chop shop and I busted in through the sky light and they were all real cross about me not knocking.. you see how this goes."

Donna Troy has posed:
    There is in fact a bowl behind the bar. A bright green doggy bown with the name 'Garfield' written on it, which someone at some point thought was a funny joke. Donna locates it with a smirk of amusement, fills it with water and brings it to Bear.

    "He's completely real," she assures Sam. "We're not yet sure if he's normally like this or if it's because he met Raven."

    Kate is surprisingly close to the truth. It's a little-known fact that Wonder Woman had been around in the World of Men for many years before her public debut during Doomsday. It's a less well known fact that she once fought Hydra alongside Captain America during World War 2. It's an even less well-known fact that Troia and Diana are not just similarly Greek myth-themed heroes but in fact sisters, and Troia had heard of HYDRA before she even came to America.

    "Hydra isn't a problem we can solve overnight, boy-Alice," Donna tells Sam. "Nor for that matter is Bjorn Again. But if you have any information about them to give us, we could certainly start solving it. Hydra, not Bjorn Again. However if you really are high on their kill list, you probably require a safehouse more than a team. SHIELD would probably be best to handle that. If you'd like I can contact them and escort you safely to... wherever."

    Donna takes a swig from her coke bottle, the shakes her head and gestures with it towards Gwen. "Funny. I've had the exact opposite. I knock on the door, people complain. 'You broke my door!' they say."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"You both have made the mistake of amateurs, you see," the Cheshire cat smirks, "I bring my own door wherever I go, and hence nobody can ever accuse me of not going properly through it." He takes a sip of his drink and looks at Kate. "I will have you known that I am legitimately the son of the Cheshire cat, it just so happens that my parents never got around to marrying because they were busy doing other things. Obviously. But I will have you know that even though I am the son of the Cheshire cat, I also /am/ in all metaphysical senses /the/ Cheshire cat. I would explain how all of that works out, except nobody has come up with a four-dimensional notepad quite yet."

"HYDRA? Dear heavens, what lack of imagination these terrorists must have to pick such an /obvious/ name. Oh, yes, behold, we are many and in many places- I bet they say- and if you chop us off, another one will soon take its place! See? HYDRA! We are so clever!" he rolls his eyes.

"How twelfth century. How predictable. I am surprised that there aren't, in fact, fifty-four different terrorist organizations all calling themselves HYDRA and, in fact, what we consider this very old terrorist organization is nothing more than a succession of incredibly unoriginal terrorist groups throughout the decades." He gestures dramatically with his drink. "Where is the inventiveness? Where is the element of surprise? Do you know, for example, that the sexual organs of the sea cucumber fall off after sex, and then grow back? Name your terrorist organization after /that/ and not only will nobody forget you, but they will aso /wish/ they could forget you, and thus you have already conquered half of the equation of a terrorist group, which is to perpetually strike fear in the heart of your enemy."

He frowns at Kate, and says "What do you mean, affecting me? I am perfectly fine."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Vorpal?" There's a sudden smile, and Sam cants his head towards the Cheshire Cat. "Do you decapitate on a natural twenty? No, no, don't answer that." There appears to be a gamer in the house.

    As for HYDRA... He gets a bit more serious again, although his further explanation doesn't come until he's had a few bites of pizza. "They're the kind of group that goes after Avengers. The people who can fight Captain America to a standstill, terrorists that have infiltrated practically all the armed forces in the world. You survive them by staying a step ahead."

    Having said that, Sam holds up a hand. "Fair. I could have just rang the doorbell. And, y'know, in my defense, I did... just let myself in first. What's the point in super heroing if you don't get to show off, right?"

    Then he stops for a moment to listen to the chop shop story, nodding. "Yeah, I see how it goes. But I've got a bad habit of not using the front door unless I have to, I'm wondering if maybe it's a compulsion. Honestly, I'd have gone in through a window, but the closest one I could find that opens was like sixty feet up and I wasn't going to climb that far. Not with Bear, he'd get tired halfway up."

    Bear starts to wag his tail when the bowl arrives, although he does pause to read the name on the side. That's not his name! So he has to sniff the bowl first, as if to lock in the scent of the actual owner, so he can properly apologise later. Sam watches him drink, with a fond smile on his face, even as he responds to Donna.

    "I live in a SHIELD safehouse at the moment. They don't know I'm here, and for now I'd like to keep it that way. I've already told them what I know, what they do with it is up to them. But if you want the info... I'm more than willing to share."

Kate Bishop has posed:
"Well it is pretty good showing off I will grudgingly admit Techno. Probably less appreciated than when you remote hacked my phone to warn me I was being dumb at the same time someone else did the exact same thing. I swear." she shakes her head. "That was a learning day but still... I doubt you meant any harm about it. I was considering making you my black widow on my young avengers thing.... before this whole thing happened" she gestures at the lobby.

"I'm sure SHIELD loves that.. or would love that if they knew about it." she looks to Donna and shrugs. "I don't know how this works.. I mean do we have an application process. Try outs. I mean.... it is valid since I want Ghost Spider on the time to ask these things but I hadn't gotten this far yet." yeah well Kate isn't the leader of the team with the OG Titans still kicking around and her still having High School during the week days. "Troia.. any advice or direction.. you're the original still in the plastic seal and all Titan?"

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"if my vote counts for /anything/, I say applicants must have a dance off." Gwen interjects, raising her hand just in case her voice wasn't a big enough give away that the suggestion came from her. "Maybe karaoke too."

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Vorpal, your concept is unclear. Do you propose a terrorist organization be called 'Sea Cucumber Without Genitalia' or 'Sea Cucumber's Regenerating Genitalia'? Or 'Regenitalia', perhaps?" Apparently Donna isn't unwilling to join in the nonsense. "I am unconvinced either would strike terror."

    "Boy-Alice," no, she's not letting that one go either, "Showing off can be fun, but it can also get you or your team-mates killed. What you did was unwise, and you owe Caitlin an apology for it. However we will respect your wish not to inform SHIELD that you came here. If you require an escort back to your safehouse, we can give you that without anyone knowing it has happened. And any information you can give us on Hydra... well, I fought a real hydra once and its head did not grow back. I'm willing to try that with your HYDRA too."

    Donna swigs down the rest of her cola and puts the bottle in the recycling bin. "Honestly, Hawkeye, I have no idea. You guys were in the right place at the right time to impress us, and that makes a world of difference. I suppose Raven is leading us now, so it will be up to her. For what it's worth, I like this Ghosty though. And support her notion of dance-offs. She must challenge Beast Boy and Cyborg."

    "Not until I have seen boy-Alice to his safe house though, I'm not missing that."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "One day I'll tell you how I did it, but let's be clear about something... I didn't hack the tower's security, and I never hacked your phone. Don't need to." Very clear, Sam, very clear.

    But then there's a grin on his face. "A dance off? Count me in. Ballroom? Modern? Tap? Square? Line? Freestyle? You call it."

    Then it's back to being serious. "I tried cutting off the head, it didn't work. Just made them angrier." He stands and gives a complicated whistle, which gets Bear's attention, and the shepherd starts to follow immediately as Sam heads for the door. "You've got my number, HawkTwo, don't be a stranger. Give Doctor Fairchild my apologies and tell her that she can stop looking for a glitch, because there isn't one. Just me."

    And on his way out, he turns one last time to Gwen. "Dance off, don't forget!"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Troia, this is clearly because you have not made the acquaintance of an overly-eager sea cucumber, they just fall to pieces. To understand the proper frame of appropriate terror, I suggest you get your sister to ask Aquaman, I can guarantee you that he must have have stories." Vorpal swishes his drink in his glass.

Once the proper atmosphere of terror has been cultivated, he adds once Boy-Alice heads out, "Please do not let him do a dance off, that boy looks like one of the Von Trapp children and the only way he's going to be able to pull off a win is if he learns to twirl in a dirndl and then Raven would kill us all."

The Cheshire cat then stands up, "I'm going to see if Cait is okay. And there's someone I need to text. But Ghostie has my vote. As long as she keeps bringing the pizza." Speaking of which, he takes a slice and then heads towards the elevator, on the quest for Caitlin.

Later, he will go get his phone and send a text to Meddler/Enabler that is the long form equivalent of "WTFBBQ?"

Kate Bishop has posed:
Kate turns her attention to Ghost Spider. "Welcome to the experience that is Titan's tower..." she finishes off her second slice of the pizza. "If you want to help me carry this upstairs I can show you around a little bit." she pauses "I mean yes we should definitely have a dance off... also yes you definitely got a taste of the experience."

Kate sighs "But if you want I can play tour guide and all an ... before something else odd happens in the lobby at least." this has very much not gone to the plan Kate had in her head for inviting Ghost Spider over to meet people. Though at least she made a good impression on Caitlin, Donna, and Vorpal.

Counts for something right.