16546/Shield Made-Ins

Shield Made-Ins
Date of Scene:	11 December 2023
Location:	Sublevel 2 -Training Facilities - The Roost
Synopsis:	Outsiders Training Room opportunity develops into maudlin frustrations at existence. Otherwise fairly normal.
Cast of Characters:	Phoebe Beacon, Conner Kent, Kiden Nixon, Cassandra Cain, Bart Allen

---

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    https://youtu.be/G21-YFF-iLQ?si=-fikxtAKN393fKVx

    There is a weird mix of tekkno and hard rock echoing out of the training area tonight as Phoebe Beacon, the Outsider known as Balm, is doing some working out. She has a staff in hand, holographic opponents moving around a circle. Her hair is pulled back and braided in on itself to keep it neat and in place. In lieu of her Wayne Enterprises gear, she's barefoot with the spilled-milk of paler skin on her feet showing, wearing a loose pair of work-out pants and a compression top as she moves around in the circle, striking the correct points for a program designed for their fearless leader, Red Robin.

    She's also not wearing a mask.

    She'd sent out a couple of invites to join her this evening in the Training Area -- she was especially keen on Conner's arrival.

    In the mean time?

    CHOO CHOO CHOO CHOO WE'RE RIDING ON THE TEKKNO TRAIN >.<

Conner Kent has posed:
What is this? Holograms? Tim installed a holo projector in the training room and didn't tell him! Conner sighs. There was a time when Red Robin (just Robin back then) would explain this kind of technological wonder in all the detail Conner never wanted to know.

Then again, Conner would do the same kind of thing back to him. So, fair is fair.

"Hey, Pheebs. Did you want to talk to me?" Where is the projector, aha... "Can we reprogram this thing? Looks better than the VR goggles."

Kiden Nixon has posed:
Kiden just sort of... appears.. in the training room, taking a stroll through No Time means she arrives much faster than normally possible (to everyone else, at least). Arrving in the middle of the training program, she maneuvers herself to appear just beyond the doorway and a litlle to the left. "OH hey! This music is *killer*! Electric Callboy, right? SO up my alley!"

She's in baggy sweats that have a thick band at waist and knee, keeping them shorter than normal, leaving her calves and feet bare. There's also a sports bra/tanktop to keep her 'decent'.

"Oh shit, holograms?! We have *holograms*?!"

Cassandra Cain has posed:
    The music does make it easy to enter silently, even without time travel. Not that Cass needs the assistance; she yawns as she looks in through the door (Using a doorway, how gauche!) and raises an eyebrow, rather high. Her eyes scan the room idly, not expecting an ambush here but you never know (always check!) and she reaches down to pull a water pack from her waist.

    Swallowing it, which cuts the chance of choking by 99% but costs a lot more, she gives her usual commentary (none) and lets Conner get folks' attention. She's wearing her black dance leotard, having assumed from the message that this was a different kind of practice.

    Well, there is music of sorts. Giving an upnod, she pauses and pulls a hair out of her mouth. Ew. Hate when that happens.

https://ghostpainters.tumblr.com/post/652188974480343040/cassandra-cain-ballerina-when-you-can-no-longer

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Hey Con!" Phoebe greets Conner, bringing her staff down with a sharp WHAP against the mats as she straightens up, and then she gives a slight jump at Kiden's voice. And realizes that she's not wearing a mask. She opens her mouth, closes her mouth, and then holding her staff in her elbow she jazz hands.

    "Kiden! What a surprise!" she calls out, clearly embarrassed. "Ah, I'm not sure about programming them? This was something that Tim set up. The staff has a chip in it and it registers when it hits certain marks, kinda like a dance game on the Switch?" she ventures, her nose wrinkling a moment. "I wouldn't even begin to know how to reprogram it." she replies, and gives a small smile over to Cassandra as she shows up. She flashes Cass a thumbs up.

    "And yeah -- I wanted to try and see if my shields could stand up to your punches, actually. You know. To stop someone from breaking my back by folding me in half the wrong way." she pauses, and then flatly she adds: "Again."

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner hmms, examining the devices, "sounds complicated," he admits. Then looks at Phoebe. "It is a magic shield," he huffs, "you want me to break my knuckles?" He shakes his head, "wait, maybe I can hit it with a staff or something."

Then he spots Cass, as usual too late to save his life if she was going to stab him or something. It is slightly worrisome. "Kiden," because he did notice Kiden, "this is, hmm, Cass. Orphan. She is..." a pause to consider. "Fun. And also quiet."

He scratches his head, grinning. "Cass, this is Kiden, she is new and also likes music and dancing."

Kiden Nixon has posed:
"Hi Phoebe!" Kiden offers a wave and glances around, "Hmmmmmmmmm, I may have the wrong training room.. I was sorta expecting an ambush from Laura, so I went to where the music was, but she probably wouldn't want to use dance music.."

THen Conner's introducing Cass and Kiden leans forward to look back through the doorway and offer a wave towards her, "Hello! Also yes. SO much yes. Music and dancing are amazing!" Straightening, she looks to Conner, "You didn't happen to see Laura on your way in, did you?"

Cassandra Cain has posed:
    Cass' eyes crinkle with a smile when Phoebe notices her. She has this honesty about her, when she's not, you know. In combat. Totally different then. She looks at Conner, gives a lesser but still welcoming grin, then looks at Kiden thoughtfully. Her opinion of the holograms is still uncertain.

    Not a word from her, she tilts her head toward Kiden then her eyes glance at the training area and her eyebrows raise questioningly. Simple, silent communication. What could it mean?

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Considering the amount of weird things we run into I'd be interested in seeing the reaction either way. You know." PHoebe grins. "For Science. Besides, it's not like I can spar against just anyone anymore." she sighs as if in frustration.

    "And the device probably isn't that complicated -- /if/ you're Red Robin, techno genius. And I haven't seen Laura, usually if we're in the same space we have a short sparring session." she grins, and then upnods to Cass. "But if you want a dance session, that's who you go to. Cass is an amazing dancer." she states, and then calls out "Computer, lower volume by fifty percent, and let's put on some phonk."

    https://youtu.be/_Gc1EIMfh2s?si=7IW0lsIWKaX2S2Z8

    Phoebe looks to Cass, and she tilts her head back a moment.

    "She doesn't have much in the way of martial arts training yet, Cass, but maybe a dance off?"

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner shakes his head at Kiden. "I have not seen Laura today," he closes his eyes and concentrates for a few seconds. "I can't hear her either anywhere in the Roost. I don't think she is around." But she can be quiet, too.

Conner wanders to the weapon racks and grabs a stick of reinforced wood, considering how hard he can hit with it. Probably not really, really hard. "Give me a sec," he flies out. Returning about ten seconds later with a hollow metal rod. Titanium tube, only Tim would know what is supposed to carry. "Alright, what do you want me to break?"

Kiden Nixon has posed:
Kiden purses up her lips, "Maybe I have the wrong day then.. I could have sworn we were supposed to train today." Shaking her head, her expression clears and she smiles, "Oh well! I'll text her in a bit and find out when the training session really is."

The change in music brings a sort of bliss over the young mutant, her eyes half-lidding even as she starts to move to the beat and tempo of the PHONK. There's no training involved at all, she just FEELS the music and moves as her body and instincts demand.

The motions from Cass have Kiden mulling over them for a few moments before her eyes light up and she gives a nod, "Hell yeah! Fair warning, I'm still super newb when it comes to the fighting part, but I'll learn anything you want to show me!"

Cassandra Cain has posed:
    Without warning, Cass walks up on Conner and kisses his cheek. She has this complete lack of ...well, anything, that gives her initiative so easily. It's like watching a butterfly just suddenly land, out of the sky itself. She winks to Phoebe, then leaves them to their game.

    Then she nods and smiles, waving Kiden toward a different area. Open, nothing to trip over. And she simply stands, holding up her right hand, palm facing herself. She nods encouragingly and beckons Kiden to join her, tapping the side of her upheld hand and indicating Kiden's own matching one.

    Come, it says. This.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... she took finding out I'm an Outsider really well." Phoebe remarks quietly, "Man I wish everyone took 'oh hey bee-tee-dubs, superpower' as easily." Phoebe murmurs quietly to Conner, and then as he returns, she looks him over, and she breathes out and shakes her hands.

    "Okay. Titanium shaft? Is that a *ten* foot pole, Con?" Phoebe asks with amusement as she takes a couple steps back.


    She braces her feet on the mat, and she undoes her wrist wraps, showing that the encircling tattoo on her left wrist is glowing dully.

    "All right. Let's set this up." she grins, and she brings her left hand up, a rose-gold shield forming in front of her with a lazily spinning eight-pointed star.

    "Give it a hit!"

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner gets a goofy smile when Cass sneak-kisses him. "Okay, she is adorable again," he notes. Er... Phoebe was saying? "Sadly, only about four feet, I couldn't find the correct length this time. If I get turned into a newt that is totally your fault."

Kiden and Cass are going to dance fight? He doesn't want to miss it. But... "alright, let see how hard that thing is." He pulls back the rod and hits the shield with about ten tons of force, enough to punch through an inche of stone.

Kiden Nixon has posed:
Kiden grins towards Conner when he gets cheek-kissed, glancing between him and Phoebe, noting the glowy tattoo, "Ooooooo.. this should be interesting." Especially when Conner flies off and returns with a titanium pole to try out against Phoebe's pretty shield.

Focus!

Shaking her head, Kiden offers a sheepish grin to Cass and trots over to join her, facing her and looking the young woman over so she can better mimic the proper stance and hold. Bringing her hand up as Cass' is, eyes flickering back and forth as she makes sure she's doing it right. "Like this?"

There are almost assuredly flaws in her stance, she's quite new, but Kiden is eager to learn! Sure, she has to learn everything the 'long way', but for her, that can mean minutes over days. Hours over weeks. Days over months. She just has to learn what to DO first.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
    Cass turns her head away from point of impact, to protect her hearing. Just in case; your hearing is important! She smiles, looking at what Phoebe and Conner are doing, but then shifting her attention to her student.

    She rolls her eyes, just the tiniest bit, then makes a show of visibly relaxing. She lowers her hand, shaking out her arms, then raises it up again. The message clear: calm down, girl!

    She touches, wrist to wrist when Kiden is ready, and then lays her hand gently, so very gently, atop Kiden's own forearm. She grasps it, then nods to Kiden to do the same. Grab me. She even reaches out with her other hand and lays it atop Kiden's other shoulder. Two points of contact!

Then she steps to one side, just moving. She guides Kiden with her eyes. Come with me, she nods. For all this it could very well be a dance, though their feet might get tangled if they're not careful.

    One thing not visible though is something instantly obvious to Kiden. She can feel through the arm, little tugs. Go here, move now. This way. Guiding without words, instead through what she can feel in her bones.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "If you get turned into a newt I should be able to cancel it out. I mean at this point not much use in hiding what I *can* do from Kiden is there?" Phoebe questions with a wry grin, "Now stop looking at the girls and hit me!" she barks as Conner gets a good hold on the rod, and she braces herself harder.

    The shield holds.

    Phoebe doesn't. She goes sailing back because she just got hit with ten tons of force.

    There's a heavy WHACK as she hits the wall behind her, a strangled 'guuuuuh' sound, and then she comes back down to a three point landing, and she brings up her shield.

    "/Again/!" she barks out breathlessly to Conner!

    She knows Cass's teaching techniques aren't always... standard. But at least it's not a stealth lesson in the middle of a gang fight.

    This time."

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner tilts his head, giving Phoebe a worried look. "Some of the force got past the shield... no, it got transmitted to you? You need to make it... I don't know. More deflective, not just hard. Send the impact somewhere else that is not yourself."

He taps the shield with the rod. "I am holding back, a full force hit would have been about eight times harder. On the plus side, I am not a newt."

And since she asked, he hits the shield again, a little harder this time.

But don't ask him not to watch Kiden and Cass 'dance'. Of course he is going to watch.

Kiden Nixon has posed:
Kiden chuckles at Cass' pantomime and gives a nod, "Alright, alright, you got me. I'm trying to pay really close attention so I can go through the moves by myself later. It's a thing. But I'll shut off the brain and let the instinct lead the way." She visibly relaxes after a moment, letting out a whoosh of breath.

Still watching, but with much less intensity, following Cass' motions and replicating them herself. Holding Cass' forearm lightly with the upraised hand, reaching out the other hand to lay on Cass' shoulder.

Smiling at Cass, she gives a small nod, then.. the dance begins! And this is something Kiden knows well. Moving with Cass, letting those little micromotions guide her in where and how to move.

Her footwork isn't bad at all, she's pretty light on her feet and agile from all the dancing, so she manages to keep up with Cass' slow pace without tangling them together.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen comes walking into the room. He has his costume on but mask down. He is carrying a bag from big belly burger, and is munching a cheese burger as he steps into the room looking about seeing whats going on.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
    Cassandra now knows how long Kiden's step is, where he balance runs, and how she reacts to movements. All this from touching her hand, stepping with her. She tries not to wince as Phoebe gets knocked down, but fails miserably looking over with concern. That moment, Kiden might notice, is ...visible? Through the hands, when she turns her head to look, Kiden can feel it in a tug.

    Then she turns back, Phoebe not hurt after all, and focuses on Kiden.

    Bart's arrival will have to wait a moment, as Cass lets Kiden feel something else. This is all inside, but she leads Kiden to the left. Just a little too fast, she pulls her hands, leaving Kiden off-balance on purpose. It was all something Kiden could have stopped if she chose to do so, simply by resisting.

    She isn't taking Kiden to the ground, she's simply taking her off balance. If Kiden looks, she sees Cass closing her eyes at that point. This is done...blind? Well, it is all internal after all.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Oh, Phoebe was absolutely hurt. But she was at least healing herself. There's not as much space between her and the receiving wall this time, and she breathes out, shifting her stance as she leans more into the balls of her feet.

    "This is exactly what I needed, Conner. You have no idea. I haven't been able to get someone to hit hard enough to rattle my ribs in a fight for a while." she gives a toothy grin, and as the second blow hits, the shield flickers a moment, and she slides back, her heel touching the wall behind her before she surges forward again, this time going in and using her shield, condensing it from its larger form to a more compact form to try and smack Conner back with it!

    Seems like there is a whole lot of training going on in the trianing room. Tim would be so proud.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner arches an eyebrow at Phoebe's words. "This is probably not the best idea. I thought you were testing how much you can block or something, not..." And then the shield attacks him. Conner blinks surprised, and then blocks the magical construct with the titanium rod. Barely.

"Okay, time out. What are we doing here?" Asks Conner. "And don't say 'training'. You can't spar with me, out powersets are too different and I am kind of allergic to magic."

Kiden Nixon has posed:
Moving with Cass, Kiden manages to take half a second to glance up and over, offering a smile towards Bart, "Hey Bart!" Then she's focusing back in on the 'dance' with Cass. Moving where Cass leads, keeping her footing with small shifts and movements, her center of balance remaining in her core.

When it gets interesting is when Cass pulls her off-balance.

She doesn't resist the pull, generally more of a go-with-the-flow kind of girl. But after that first step, for Cass, it's almost as if Kiden... isn't there.. anymore. Just briefly, for an instant. But when she 'returns', Kiden is completely balanced and in that initial stance.

Bart, of course, gets to see that weird heat wavey version of Kiden stutter-stepping, righting herself, then reclaiming her balance and position before rejoining the normal time stream. Sometimes it's fun to see things in superspeed!

She also glances over towards Conner and Phoebe, curious.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen is munching a long. Fries from the bag into mouth. He chews and once he swallows, he calls out "Hey guys, what are you up to?" He looks from one group to the other.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
    Cass turns her head and grins at Bart, mid-motion. She's got her eyes closed, but it should surprise no-one that she knew that he was there anyway. He's eating and the scent has filled the room, after all. Doesn't take a detective...

    She isn't sure what exactly Conner and Phoebe are up to, but she's got something going on herself. Then her partner shifts out of her hands. She...well, her eyebrows raise, and she nods, eyes opening. She looks at Kiden thoughtfully.

    Then she reaches up, places her hand back in place, and does...nothing. Apparently this is when you lead, Kiden.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "The shield is *barely* magic. I mean it's magic but it's not like, lobbing a fireball or calling down lightning or even trying to hit you with my magic staff." Phoebe points out -- but she doesn't press the attack.

    "I need to be prepared. Those guys out there that were working with Saif have magic weapons that negate my healing power - active and passive. Batman even came up with nothing when he lent me an ear. I just don't want..." Phoebe trails off, and she takes a deep breath and brings a hand up to her forehead.

    "I wasn't going to let it progress past that. I know I could really hurt you with magic, Con. That wasn't my intent." she states, and suddenly sounds rather unsure of herself.

    "Maybe I should have called up someone else. Maybe this one's too big for Outsiders."

Conner Kent has posed:
"Maybe you need to develop a few new tricks," retorts Conner. Then he thumbs back at Cass. "She is good at figuring out things, y'know? About fighting, even better than Robin."

Then he pokes at the shield with the 4' long pole. "I don't like the shield passes part of the kinetic energy to you. I have seen other magic types have shields that just stand it, or sometimes shatter, but still protect them fully. Have you checked this out with Zatanna or someone else with more experience?"

Kiden Nixon has posed:
Kiden offers a faint smile towards Cass and offers, "So, uh.. I'm a mutant. I have.. weird wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey powers." Still, she retakes Cass' forearm and shoulder, lightly, gently.

Starting to lead Cass as she was lead, moving to the beat of the music, letting it guide her steps. Leading her in a dance around part of the training room.

She glances towards Conner and Phoebe again, brows furrowing, then looks back to Cass, "Hey.. you want to check on Phoebe? I have all the time." Literally. All the time.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen looks over and says "Hope everyone is doing ok." He does seem concerned about both Phoebe and Conner.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cass shifts when she's led. It's something that is...weird, because when she moves? There's nothing there. She is following without resistance, yes, but this is something else. She doesn't pull. It's like...

"Butterfly," she whispers, looking at Kiden. There's a butterfly between their wrists. Don't kill it. THAT gentle requires attention, and reading the feelings that are being received.

But she nods, then releases and steps to Phoebe and Conner. She waves to Bart as well. Come over here.

Looking Phoebe over real quick, she also checks on her health FIRST. But then, she raises an eyebrow questioningly.

Apparently the comment about powers wasn't a surprise. Well, to be fair, she did just see it happen. So, yeah.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Everyone who has more experience with this magic than I do is dead." Phoebe replies tersely to Conner's back as he makes an exit, and she feels her shoulders tensing, her hands curling before she is forced to take a deep breath, and let it go.

    "... it's OK." she states, and then looks pointedly to Cass. "/I'm/ okay. I misjudged something is all." she replies. "How's it going with you Bart?"

Kiden Nixon has posed:
Glancing to where they're joined, she notices the 'butterfly' that Cass mentioned, looking bakc up with a faint smile and a nod, "I think I understand. We'll have to do this again soon.. I like this style of training."

Then they're parting and she turns to join the others, offering a smile towards Phoebe, "So.. I know I'm the new kid on the block... but.. are they negating your magic from the source or is it more like.. like.. a counterspell?" She's completely unfamiliar with the magic world, drawing on D&D to help fill in terms she otherwise doesn't know. "Because if it's the latter, we can try an ambush.. get your magic off before they have a chance to counter it?"

She gives Bart a bit of a shoulder nudge, "Can I steal a fry? I've been doing good all week, but that smells amazing."

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cass doesn't push. She just hunches down in front of Phoebe, letting her decide how much to share. She's seen a bit so far, and clearly is interested. But she's also Phoebe's friend first and her trainer second. Which is probably not the right decision given that this might save Phoebe's life...

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods and holds the bag out so anyone who wants some can have some. There are a few burgers and a couple things of fries in it "Going pretty good, met someone Rook saved the other day, who I think has a bit of a crush on him."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    ". . . someone has a crush on Rook?" Phoebe asks in distraction, and then she sighs, and plops down. She pokes at her feet a little, some of her toes have turned white now, and it does look like someone spilled milk on her darker skin.

    "I don't know yet. It's weapon based, sword, knives. If I hadn't the martial arts training that I do now, they might have done more than leave a scar or two." Phoebe explains. "But once the weapon's used and dropped -- it ashes away. I can't even get a sample to analyze what reagents were used in its construction." Phoebe adds on, and she purses her lips.

    "We also got confirmation that Saif Hassan does work for Phillip Cupp. And I don't want to throw out a red herring, but that could be Very Bad."

Kiden Nixon has posed:
Fishing a couple fries from the bag, she smiles at Bart in thanks and noms on them happily. She'll happily plop herself down near Cass and Phoebe, watching her boss carefully.

"Okay, so.. the weapons themselves are countering your magic? Which suggests the weapons are less.. steely and more.. constructs, maybe? But using a magical energy that's like.. a polar opposite of yours?" Because magic works like magnets, right?

"Well, it might not be something that was built, so much as willed into existence. In which case there wouldn't be any reagents, and whatever it was made to look like, it just.. breaks down and fades away after a certain amount of time from it leaving it's creator's influence?" Kiden can't speak to magic, but man, the number of mutant powers that do something similar!

"Sooooooo, maybe we focus on taking down Phillip Cupp, and then the rest of Team Bad Guy splinters? You know.. cut the head off the snake and all?" Kiden offers a quick smile, trying for reassuring.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
    Well. I mean, that's all well and good, but that's not what ...

    Cass frowns, not tracking everything being said. This is names, and words and food that she won't eat. Her eyes look back to where Conner just left, then back to Phoebe. She says so much without opening her mouth, she really really does.

    She looks worried. It's something that she does.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen looks over and says "Ok, so next time we encounter one of them, I should grab one before they use it, see if we can check it out that way." He offers, and nods "He saved an actress last week, and I ended up running into her at Empire Dinner and it sorta came out. I was wearing my Red Arrow shirt."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Unless it's a hydra. In which case two heads will grow back." Phoebe points out, and she eyeballs Kiden.

    "It's possible to negate magics with different energies, different magics, or even a strong enough technology. Magic isn't the be-all-end-all that it's cracked up to be, and it inevitably has a price. The price for mine was my bio-mom's death." Phoebe states plainly, "Even some mutant powers are stronger than magic. I just cheat because of aforementioned price, prepaid." she states a sshe leans back. And she looks at Bart.

    "... I can't judge at all. I've totally worn Batman, Scarlet Spider and--" she pauses, and she tilts her head, holding a finger up.

    "Does it count if an Avenger puts their jacket on you?" she asks, trying to add levity to the conversation.

    She does look over to Cass, her shoulders drawing back a little.

    "I know you wanna help me. Let's set something up? I'll bring peapods from my winter garden."

Kiden Nixon has posed:
Kiden shrugs and offers a grin, "That's when we bust out the fire and burn it to ash. Hydras are only a problem if you *keep* trying to cut off heads. Learn from the mistake the first time and they're no worse than any other baddie."

"Not saying it's an end-all be-all.. but if the issue is that his magic is countering yours, we need to know if it's at a fundamental level, or if it's just timing. Each time we've come across that guy we've kinda just.. stumbled over him, while he's had time to prepare. What if we can negate that advantage?" Kiden offers a smile and lifts a shrug, "If we can figure out the how, then we can figure out the solution. We need to know what kind of magic he's using, it's source, and how it's applied."

She glances up at Bart, then back to Phoebe, and finally over to Cass, "You only eat organic?"

Cassandra Cain has posed:
    Cass stands up and hugs Phoebe then. She doesn't draw it out, but she does give that moment of personal contact that Phoebe so obviously needs. She has seen it, many times tonight. In a move of the shoulders, a shift of the eyes. More and more.

    She lets go, then steps back. Nodding to Kiden, she turns to Bart. And reaches into his bag.

    She withdraws a french fry, then puts it into her mouth. Which is when her face screws up, into a definite 'bleah' moment. Bleah, bleah bleah. Ooh, someone does not like french fries. XD

    So that'd be a yes, Kiden. XD

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen offers the bag for Kiden or Phoebe to hold for a moment, and is off, and back in a moment, he has a tray of veggies, and some of the snacks Emiko likes, figuring maybe it is ex assassin food, or more likely she eats more proper health food, so Cass, and Phoebe both may prefer it.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Cass doesn't do processed foods, I'm a vegetarian, Bart will eat everything and anything you put in front of him because speedsters have a ridiculous metabolism. I have a heightened metabolism." Phoebe states, and she hops up from her seat on the mat, and offers others her hands to get up.

    "Red Robin's also vegetarian."

Kiden Nixon has posed:
Kiden grins at Cass and gives a nod as the woman heads out. Turning back to Phoebe, she'll take the hand offered and be back on her feet. "Hey, I get it. I ate literal garbage food for five years, anything to survive. Now that I have *choices*? There's nothing so good to me as fresh vegetables, fresh fruits. Things that I didn't get to have and took for granted when I had them. I eat a *lot* of salad these days. My go-to snacks right now are cherry tomatoes and carrot sticks." She grins, "But I also enjoy having fresh proteins, and even processed foods. It's all just.. none of it is rotten. Or expired. Or, you know, not fit for human consumption. So all food is amazing at this point."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen sets the food on the table for everyone and says "Well if there is anything you need or want food wise let me know, I keep Phoebe in some of the odder more rare spices and such for her cookies."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Yeah. I wasn't lying when I said I was homeless. But luckily, the couches I surfed were here. And yeah, Bart once bolted to Egypt with a shopping list I wrote and within ten minutes was back. He is an amazing friend, and you'll never find anyone whose heart is more in the work than our Bart." she gives a bright grin. "Also he knows where to track down the *good* strawberry sodas."

Kiden Nixon has posed:
"I'm still just getting into the whole 'fresh food' thing. I haven't even really started into cooking or baking yet. But I will absolutely let you know when I do!" Kiden flashes a grin at Bart. She nods to Phoebe and rubs at the back of her neck, "Yeah.. I wasn't the 'couch surfing' kinda homeless. I was the 'on the streets, stuffing newspaper into my shoes to keep from losing toes over winter' kinda homeless. I mean, I learned a lot about how to survive, about the city, about scrounging, even some light thievery... but it was definitely not something I'm looking to repeat."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen says, "I have been lucky, I never had that, the worse, I ever got was someone pawning me off on another family member, but to be honest looking back they were doing what was best for me.""

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I know. You told me. I used to go into the camps when I was younger to help. NOw I just dump tons of money and hire as many people I can off the streets and into housing... while trying to keep their dignity intact." Phoebe gives a wry grin, adn then an upnod.

    "So, you took it real good that your out-of-uniform boss is also the de-facto medical person for a bunch of superheroes. How's that working out for you?" she questions, and she looks over to Bart with a small grin.

    "You're related to like, eighty-five percent of the people with superspeed, my friend. You've got a big family."

Kiden Nixon has posed:
Kiden smiles at Bart, "Not always easy to see at the time, though. According to one of my brothers, my mom recently remarried and things are looking good for them. None of the boys have manifested mutant powers, so they get to live a nice, normal life. I'm glad they got there."

Nodding to Phoebe, she smiles, "And I'll always be grateful for the help. It's already made a HUGE difference. I'm getting my high school diploma soon, and then I can look at college courses. And in the meantime, I can still afford to live. What you do is *massive*." As to the question of the secret super powers, she just grins and shrugs, "Mutant. Hiding secret super powers isn't exactly new to me. You have your reasons for keeping your lives separate, not my place to pry." Letting out a breath, she glances over at the food spread, "I'm just happy to have friends again. Friends that won't potentially shriek and demonize me for a genetic difference that I can't help."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I deal with literal Demons, I pretty much lost the right to demonize people." Phoebe replies breezily with a smile, and she kicks up the staff she was working with, giving it a twirl.

    "It's easy to compartmentalize. You'll find I'm a very different person beneath the mask than I am without it. And Phoebe Wayne is as much as mask as Balm is. Not everyone gets to see all sides of me... and that's all right." she gives a smile.

    "But I'm proud of you, and I'm happy to have given you that hand up when you needed it. All I can ask is that some day you do the same for someone. World needs a good deal more kindness in it."

Kiden Nixon has posed:
"Now that sounds like something I'd like to avoid. Literal demons. People are bad enough," Kiden shakes her head and smiles towards Phoebe, "But you get what I mean. Not everyone is super okay with mutants. Even people that accept space aliens and superheroes.. they'll still look at us like we're not really even human. Prejudice is weird. And God help you when you stumble across someone that hates anything that isn't strictly 100 percent human."

"That's cool. Like I said, you've got your reasons. I choose to be out in the open.. I had to hide for a long time, afraid of what would happen if people knew I was a mutant. Now? My family is safe, I've cut ties with them, and for long enough they aren't associated with me. And I'm with people that can take care of themselves.. and that I can help protect. I'm.. kinda over the hiding thing." She reaches out to snag a few carrot sticks off the tray, crunching into one with a happy expression. "That's the great thing.. you can share as much or as little of yourself as you want.. and people will either accept that and be happy to know you.. or they can fuck off and not matter anymore."

Kiden grins broadly, "Oh you can bet I'll be paying it forward. Every day in as many ways as I can."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe gives a bit of a snort.

    "Yeah, I'm going to have to have you come to some of the gala appearances so you can keep count of how many people hand me their empty glasses. It's kinda satisfying when they realize who I am." Phoebe cracks a small grin, and she gives a shrug. "You get to wear a fancy dress, fancy shoes, eat fancy food, occasionally stilletto someone in the foot or cover for an extraction. Laura's had to extract me once. That was an INTERESTING ride in a possibly stolen Lambo." Phoebe recollects and gives a wry smile.

    "I kinda did the same thing with my adopted mom. I check in on her from time to time, but we don't talk. I don't get in contact. Kinda... sucks the most around the holidays."

Kiden Nixon has posed:
Kiden laughs softly and gives a nod, "Be glad to. I have no problem making sure anyone knows what sort of social faux pas they've made. I have a whole slew of one-liners to 'accidentally' let loose in a voice just loud enough for people to overhear." She returns the grin, "Well, if you need extraction next time, just let me know. We can literally just disappear. Leave them looking high and low and we'll just walk to where we can flag a cab or call a car."

Nodding, she smiles faintly, "I have three brothers ranging from 13 to 17. I miss them dearly, but they're much better off with mom and their step-dad. Best to let them live their best lives. But.. I do miss them. Sometimes I just sort of.. sneak over in No Time just to look at them for a few minutes. Just to see them, even if they don't know I'm there."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe gives a small smile, and her hands wring a moment.

    "I've had so many families, including a little sister, and I've never been certain that there was love there. I'm jealous, a little, of people who have that." she replies, "if I could stop time and make sure she was all right, I would do so. The closest I ever came was accidentally subtracting ten years off everyone's age for about six hours. We went to a trampoline park. Huge amount of fun." Phoebe replies, and she gives a small, sad smile, and her left hand touches lightly against her chest, as if something was aching.

    "I'm glad you have the opportunity to check on your family."

Kiden Nixon has posed:
"I hear you. Admittedly, part of why I cut ties with them is.. they don't know I'm a mutant. And I can't bear to see how they would react if they did. I'm not sure I could handle seeing hate in their eyes. So.. part of it is selflessness, wanting them to be safe, happy. Part of it is selfishness.. wanting to only remember them as people that love me." Kiden offers a faint smile and a small shrug, glancing down, then back to Phoebe. "And if you ever do want to look in on your sister, just let me know. We can find her. I'll take you into No Time. You can make sure she's okay."

Letting out a breath, Kiden chuckles softly, "Yeah, it's nice to be able to see them. Even if they're frozen in time.. I can see them."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I know how that is. My adopted mother couldn't handle me having magic powers. She tried to call an exorcist." Phoebe comments quietly, and she's quiet for a moment, contemplating the veggie platter that Bart's brought down, and she gives a shake of her head, and a thick swallow.

    "No. I don't think that'd be a good idea, Kiden." she admits quietly."

    "Well. This has certainly turned super maudlin."

Kiden Nixon has posed:
"Ugh. See? People just suck. Conner wanted me to reconnect with my family, to you know, start over with them. I can't. Partly because I won't endanger them. Mostly because I just... don't want to take the chance." Kiden shakes her head and frowns faintly, then shakes her head.

"Alright. Well then. Next time it rains, call me up. We'll just.. go dancing between the raindrops." She offers a brief smile. Then chuckles and shakes her head, "Nope, none of that now. C'mon, lets go get a milkshake and load up on ALL the toppings."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Ah, I can't. I have a date with a patrol route and you know what they say -- time and crime wait for no man." Phoebe gives a sheepish sort of smile as she rubs the back of her head. "Which means I oughta head up and change into my nightwork clothes. Raincheck on that milkshake?"