Owner	Pose
Caleb Dykstra	At Happy Harbor High School's workshop, Caleb is in his own world of creativity, tinkering, and innovation. A while back, he promised Morrigan a prop of a big frickin' dragon made out of skulls - well, not real skulls - being summoned from the pits of some other hellish landscape. And, he's been delivering, working together with other students and teachers, all providing for the model according to his blueprints. Testing the LED system and seeing if it works right now, he's got it all plugged in and ready to roll. He flicks it, and an eerie green light shines, bathing the workshop in that glow... He smiles, "Well, we got the lights!"
Nick Drago	With release party festivities finished, less than a day ago, Mike is not here to help design a dragon. He never promised such a thing. Instead he did what most people do. He slept, went to church, came back, slept even more, and then groggily got dressed and came over to a school. Ok maybe most people don't do the last part on a Sunday but... close enough. Either way, he was here for different reasons. With envelope in hand, Mike HAD been on his way to go there, but the ecstatic comment filtering out from the open doorway to the workshop changed matters. Curious, the musician peeks around the door to see a Caleb. And the little model. "...Oh nice. You're following through." Mike comments. "How long have you been here?"
Caleb Dykstra	Caleb raises his head from the soddering station to look at Mike, and smiles. "Heya, Mike. How're the reviews coming along?" When confronted with the question, he thinks. "Hrm... Well, right after Sheila went to bed, I came here..." He shrugs, "And been here ever since." He gets up, "Speaking of that...", he heads for the pot he restored, contents fuming, and pours himself some. "Coffee?"
Nick Drago	Mike glances over to the pot and then takes note of the disposable cups nearby. The offer is noted and rewarded with a smile. "Don't mind if I do." He responds, walking over. "I think at this point I'm obligated to state for the record that sleep is a highly recommended thing. You never know when something's going to pop up and you'll need to be at your best to handle it." He looks to the coffee. "...Although I have pulled all-nighters before as well. With most of my gigs, daytime sleep tends to be my thing." Grabbing a cup, he waits for Caleb to pour some before Mike takes the pot to pour out some for himself. "Uh as for reviews, mostly favorable. Ariah really impressed."
Caleb Dykstra	Caleb nods, "Excellent." He pours Mike, and impishly smirks. "...And, did anyone say anything about a certain smuggler...?" He can't keep a straight face for long. "Nah, I kid! Given my previous line of work, that was right up my alley." He shrugs, "Unnoticed and unnoticeable unless the spotlight hits." And he pours another for himself, and just about gulps it in one go. "Yeah, well regarding all-nighters, I'm used to them. Again - previous line of work, master's degree in Gotham." He looks back to the lighting, "A lot of people pitched in with aluminum cans, and I'm still looking for more from junkyards." A long pause, and looks at some of the people who are about. "I got something to ask...", he narrows his voice to a near-whisper.
Nick Drago	Mike glances over to Caleb. "Reviewers know better than to give spoilers." He not answers, taking a moment to slowly sip his coffee. As Caleb's voice drifts a bit lower, the musician lowers his cup. Following Caleb's glance, pale eyes survey those gathered before he looks back to the student. "...Can it be asked here?"
Caleb Dykstra	"...Better not", the young tinkerer comments. "Gimme a sec." And loud whistle is made heard over the workshop! "I'm taking a break - sixty minutes! Carry on!" The rest of the team gives him a thumbs up, no arguments are made - after all, Caleb has just about finished the lighting all by himself. "Let's go outside, then", he directs Mike to the exit door that leads towards the open campus grounds.
Nick Drago	Mike gives a slow nod as Caleb confirms the general sense of apprehension he just got. Be it the inquiry or the situation that led up to it, it's COMPLICATED. And complicated stuff tends to become problematic when ignored. A hand goes up, covering the ear closest to Caleb as the student lets out his whistle. Once the break is called, Mike nods once more to the suggestion to take things outside. It is bright outside. With the sun shining down upon the walkway, some of the rays are reflected back up in a blinding manner for those who are not prepared. Mike, having experienced the outdoors just recently is prepared and squints before exiting. Shifting over to the side, Mike moves the destination of the conversation to under a shaded area. He politely waits as the student shuts the door and joins him before inquiring. "So. What is the question?"
Caleb Dykstra	Caleb steps out, finishing his coffee on the way. As he reaches the courtyard, it's like his personality has gone from the light-hearted to the serious mood. "Bear with me for a second. The school, so I heard the other day, was attacked by ninjas in the past. Do you know anything about the Clan and why?"
Nick Drago	As Caleb turns serious, Mike's expression stills for a moment. Was there some mob concern that popped up again? Is he about to ask him to move a body? WHY is that even a potential question? Once the question is asked, Mike looks to Caleb for awhile. And then his posture relaxes, "Oh yeah, that." He nods back to the workshop they had just left. There's a good chance that a few of them were in attendance that time. They were after a specific student. One which I will note, they were unsuccessful getting to while they were attending the school." He takes a moment to sip his coffee. One could accuse him of going for dramatic tension but it could very well be that he just likes coffee. Either way there is a pause before he offers more information. "...It wasn't until he was taken out of the school that the ninjas got him. But we got him back." He glances to the cup, "I know the why, but the important part is that cult is not a problem anymore."
Caleb Dykstra	"Well, lemme tell you the why I ask", Caleb explains, "You've been away for a while, and when we caught up it was really here in the halls of academia with people going about, so no update on the development." He gets to it, looking over the courtyard, "Fact is, the day me and the family were celebrating the new place all finished up, I've had ninjas show up at my doorstep. They didn't knock, and thank god I remembered to 'Home Alone' the place as a precaution." Before Mike can say anything, he replies, "Don't worry, Phoebe got that settled." He points out, "But, a helping hand - I guess you could call that a 'ronin' - got me a warning that the place had been targeted by a Clan known as the Hand to extend their illicit activities to Happy Harbor."
Nick Drago	Mike frowns to the explanation. In particular the part about the school being targeted again. He groans slightly. "Second verse, same as the first..." He shakes his head, "Different group though. Now, two things. One, is the source credible? And two, have you informed Mo- Dr. Morrigan of the threat to her school? This is not something you keep to yourself."
Caleb Dykstra	"This was not at the school", Caleb corrects, "It was at the place we were renovating for residence - mainly my father's -, garage, and workshop." He points in the direction, "It's like, a few blocks from here." He shakes his head. "If it wasn't on school grounds, should she know?" "In any case, there's more", he says. "The other day, I got a call about aluminum cans - I put a word out - and I got an address to a scrapyard. I went to that address, and... Nothing, no scrapyard." He pauses, "When I'm headed back, I'm confronted with this guy who stepped out of the shadows, had a metal helmet, metal pauldrons, metal armbands, gauntlets. And - get this - all of those things had sharp blades on them." He pulls out a piece of paper with a rough sketch for the pieces. "Know anything about this design?"
Nick Drago	Mike tilts his head to look to the paper, studying the image for a few moments. "...I don't. But I can tell you the group you're talking about is not related to the ones that attacked the school." He takes a moment considering the information. "...Oh! So the building you moved into was what they wanted. And you were talking about the town as a whole and not the school specifically for their extension." The perils of naming a school after the town when talking about school attacks. "-So did the guy who confronted you want to talk to you about the building you acquired or something else?"
Caleb Dykstra	"Hey, for a moment I thought it was 'boss fight', given how the guy was dressed", he says. "Seriously, that guy was like, a walking can opener, man." "But luckily it didn't come to a fight. He presented himself as the leader of the Foot Clan, and wanted to know how I had managed to dispose of a Hand's squad of assassins." Eyes glance about the courtyard, "I told him the truth - trapped the whole house." He sighs, "And then, get this: he offers me a position in his Clan", he continues, "which I promptly declined." Looking at Mike, now, "Mike, for a moment, I..." He hesitates, a hint of fear in his eyes, now, "I could've sworn he considered killing me. And I wouldn't have made it." He blinks several times to shake that fear off. "Luckily, this was in the evening, and Sheila wasn't with me."
Nick Drago	Mike frowns, "Hand... and Foot?" He repeats. Where the hell do groups like this get these names? But there's not much time to consider that as Caleb gives a bit more detail about what was talked about. It appears that fighting off ninjas drew the attention of other ninjas. What. Are. The. Odds? "Okay, so recruitment speech is not an ideal situation. But, being that you are still here, it's likely you made a good call turning him down. Do you think you'll have more problems at that building you're renovating?"
Caleb Dykstra	"Yeah, I know... You noticed a trend?", Caleb says. "I can't even begin to guess what other body parts other ninja Clans be named after." "Yeah, I don't think I want to spend the rest of my days holding a sword and live or dying by it. And returning to a life of organized crime, no less." He explains, "But, in the end, he said that 'one who is compelled to engage is one who cannot be relied on', and that as long as I didn't interfere with the Foot, I wouldn't be harmed." Long pause. "Be honest. If the leader of a ninja clan comes in person, dressed for slashing and thrashing, demands information from you and then tells you to stay away from them, do you feel any safer after said leader leaves?"
Nick Drago	"I wonder if they ever get into conflicts with the Knees and Toes clans. Or are they Head and Shoulders above the rest?" A large grin forms upon his face as he looks over to Caleb. ... The smile fades. Well, so much for humor. "Well, it sounds like you turning him down was the right play and he doesn't believe forcing you to work for him would work for him. So yes. Keep a wide berth. Don't go seeking him out. Annnd-" He pauses, "It probably wouldn't make me feel better, no." He finishes up the rest of his coffee before lowering the cup, "Well, you still have the dorms...Is your family staying with that building or looking into a new spot? I'm not sure holding on to highly contested property is going to help with your laying low."
Caleb Dykstra	There's no humor in Caleb's face - at all. "I don't feel safer, for multiple reasons", Caleb says, analytic side of him at work. "I was warned to steer clear from them, the same formality is not extended to me for certain; the leader can decide to act against me if he so chooses, and will if he sees something to gain from it. And he has potential leverage." "Moreover", he takes a deep breath, "if they stumble upon me by pure chance, they may strike, knowing that I may be able to overcome several of their number without even getting to me. This will mean heavier numbers, or again, him." He adds, "And, there's the question of me putting the word out for aluminum, which was how he got to me: here, I put the word out that I needed the cans for the dragon prop's frame - out there, I put the word out /under a fake name/." Long pause. "What does that tell you?"
Nick Drago	"That you have this knack for giving important information at the end of a conversation instead of upfront." Mike replies, frowning, "Don't you think you should have led with that? And once again I'm going to ask. Did you, tell Dr. Morrigan about this? She'd probably want to know about this."
Caleb Dykstra	"Not yet, no", Caleb explains. "I mean, this happened some two days ago, and it's the weekend." He adds, "Plus, I haven't told anyone except Sheila... And now, you." He shakes his head, "I'm not having anything other than a conversation in person with Dr. MacIntyre. E-mails can be hacked, and rumors can spark paranoia and dire consequences."
Nick Drago	Mike nods. "Ok. So long as you're planning to tell her. Also, Mr. Stadler would be a good one to tell as well. He's very interested in the safety of the students as well." He taps his finger along the cup, "Do you need an alternative place to stay for a bit?"
Caleb Dykstra	Caleb shakes his head, "No, I don't think so. If I'm under watch, it would raise suspitions. And speaking of alternate places...", he points back to where the warehouse is, "I got a refund, courtesy of Wayne Enterprises, and my dad's all the way in New York. Phoebe had a hand in it." He points inside. "Material I have is all in there." He nods at the mention of Richard, "So, he's trustworthy... Okay, I'll talk to him. Thanks."
Nick Drago	"And he's also closer to you when you're at the school." Mike adds in. He pauses, "...Dr. Morrigan, Richard Stadler, Phoebe, and Crush. Those are the first ones I think of that are still at the school. And, if he does return... Hank Pym has been a lifesaver multiple times. He was involved with settling the last Ninja problem." Mike looks to the door being indicated. "If you need help from me. You know most of the places that I frequent. Also you know that the retreat has a shuttle that goes straight to the downtown one."
Caleb Dykstra	"Okay, thanks Mike." He straightens up, "I better get back inside. Still got a lot of work ahead, and time is of the essence..."