RocketLord

GHOST "Eh, not really? It just... kinda works? I ghost through people or things and I focus just the right way, then it hurts them. That's... pretty much it. And she had a monkey on her shoulder, chittering to her about homework or something like that. Of course she had a monkey. "... So... is that guy a code monkey?"

"Oh. Right. You used to be together with that guy... what was his name... something-star? He could do something like this, right?" Ghost noticed the strain, then quickly shut up. "Right. Sorry." He stretched his arms above his head, his back making an audible cracking sound. "Yeah, I guess I haven't been as active in the community as I could've been. Done a bit too much of the lone hero thing. Just sorta fell into it, I guess." He laughed at the bit about kids making movies or showing off illusion powers. "Or some kid in way over his head that get the idea that he'll be the world's next super villain. Those are interesting."

There was noise on the other end of the line, like winds blowing all around him. It was a bit difficult to make out what he was saying, especially with that accent. Fleur really hadn't been kidding about it. Don't ask him to say Moose and Squirrel. Don't ask him to say Moose and Squirrel... "Maybe they could put in some smoke cabins? Y'know, those glass boxes that doesn't let the smoke out? Would solve that problem, at least?" He was getting sidetracked. "Right, uh... I'm, kinda already running all over town all the time, and well, I've been at this for a while. Like, a long while, and I feel like... maybe I could do more? I mean, I've got experience, I've been doing this since 2003. I've dealt with a bunch of bad guys. Real bad ones, too, and, uh... Yeah. Maybe its time that I step up?"

GHOST Huh, neat trick. Boom presto, and the bruise was gone? Or maybe not? She seemed like a magic type with that whole witch getup, so really, who knew but her? Ghost grinned under his mask. "Ghosted 'em. Or ghost through them, for some of 'em." He took a step to the side, passing halfway into a parked car and made a ta-daaa motion with his hands. "Useful little trick, stops most people, but, y'know. I kinda felt like they weren't most people."

"Uh, I dunno. Might be fun, but people tend to get weirded out when I walk through things instead of around them, y'know." He chuckled a bit to himself, then shook his head. "Ah, my wife used to hate that... Didn't mind the flying, at least."

He actually picked up the phone! That was... yes. So far, so good. Then... now what? Casper probably should have tried to plan this far. "Um, hello, I'm, uh, Ghost. Y'know, the guy that flies around and goes through walls and stuff in Freedom?" Maybe he'd heard of him? Maybe not. Didn't sound like he had been expecting his call at least. "Fleur de Joie gave me this number, cus, uh, I... guess I wanted to try to join the Freedom League?"

GHOST Who I Am - The Score Ghost has been through a lot. Good, bad, triumphs, defeats, everything in between, but he has pretty much accepted his lot in life and who he is by this point. Aside from his daughter, others' opinion of him doens't matter all that much to him. He might doubt himself some time, he might be on the verge of giving up, but as a heroic career since 2003 shows, he doesn't break. Ordinary - Train Casper's love for his ex-wife Jessie and their daughter Carrie is an important part of his character. In an ideal world where he was just an ordinary person, everything might have worked out, but well, he's anything but ordinary, and can't leave his life as a hero behind. Superman Tonight - Bon Jovi Casper's romance with Jessie was long, and he thought it would last through everything. He still loves her deeply, and as she seems prone to ending up in super villain related trouble, whether she is with Casper or not, he will always be there to rescue her. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked - Cage The Elephant Casper is tired. He's been doing the hero thing since 2003, and despite short failed attempts at stopping, he just knows that he can't slow down or stop at all, no rest for him, no matter how much he might want to. He just have to keep on going, not stopping to slow down no matter what might come his way. It Won't Be Like This For Long - Darius Rucker Carrie matters more to Casper than he can put into words. Not living with her since the divorce has hurt him deeply, missing out on a lot in her life. He wants to be there for her, he wants to do all that he can for her, even if he is torn for doing the right thing as a hero and being there for his daughter. Un Frappe Sur la Téte - D.A.D. A song that's chaotic, random, snarky and kind of a mess? I imagine it fits a lot of Casper's every day life, going from one disaster to the next, some of his own creation, others not so much. Last Man Standing - Bon Jovi Ghost has been an active hero for a long time, longer than some of the newer heroes and students at Claremont have even been alive, even though he, of course, have plenty of senior heroes himself. Despite his insistence otherwise, he is a sight to behold and while usually refusing to do so, he ends up trying to take care of and teaching younger heroes. Everyday Combat - Lostprophets Going from fight to fight, Ghost stumbles in and out of trouble every day, fighting villains, robbers, purse snatchers, whoever puts other people in danger, self-preservation be damned. The quick and upbeat song could easily play over a montage of Ghost's life and his day to day heroics. Give Up The Ghost - Thousand Foot Krutch There's a lot of experiences mentioned in the song, which fits well with Ghost having gone through a lot so far. And then I couldn't resist finding at least one song with Ghost in the title and lyrics for this list. Juke Box Hero - Foreigner A motivational song that fits the planned arc of Ghost getting his shit together and finding balance in his life, becoming a hero that others might look up to for other reasons than how long he has been at it, and who might actually have a chance of rebuilding his family.

Ghost's Apartment in the Fens A few days after he met Fleur de Joie Casper was pacing around in the apartment, looking at his phone. He had been thinking about this for a while now. Should he use Comrade Frost's number? It was a leap to make, skipping all those steps and asking about getting into the Freedom League, and he still wasn't sure if he even wanted to join, but Carrie would think it'd be cool if he was a member of the Freedom League, right? At least once she finds out about him being Ghost. Could be nice to have some support network, too. Did the Freedom League offer a stipend or payment or anything like that? Casper looked around his tiny apartment. That... well, it wasn't the important thing, but it wouldn't be bad, right? Probably not what he should lead with. Breathing out heavily, he sat down on his and looked at the phone. Alright, alright. Fleur had given him this number, he should use it. Worst that could happen was a no, right? It would probably be a no, but he had to try, at least. Punching in the number, he waited for Comrade Frost to answer...

Archer II Connor followed. Cops were probably on the way. A STAR squad too, maybe. The gunfire was sure to have drawn attention, and he didn't want to stick around if he could help it, but he followed anyway. For now, at least. And Shooting Star put her hands over the rapidly shrinking boy's ears and... just started talking. And talking. And talking. Great. When she finally stopped, Archer had crossed his arms and just waited. "Warehouse is the first place to look, even if its empty by now." She had all kinds of ideas, alright. "Not the first time I've dealt with Amazo, but if that guy's hopped up on it, then its gotten better." He frowned and shook his head. "You can fly. How fast can you get us to Southside? I know someone that might be able to help out."

GM Ryu was clearly shocked, taking a step back and uttering a curse in Japanese, with the Takazumi-gumi quickly moving up in between Ryu, the woman and the demon. A few of them drew weapons, handguns of various sizes, while others pulled the sleeves of their right arms back, revealing impressive tattoos of bright red demons on their arms, oni of some kind. Ryu was barking orders in Japanese by now, people starting to scatter away from the Carnifex, the Takazumi-gumi and, well, everything that was going on. And then the woman placed a hand on Ryu's shoulder and spoke softly to the Dreamer. "I am sorry. My brother meant no harm, but we are in a hurry, and his temper might have flared." She moved forward, the Takazumi-gumi only moving away with some resistance, before she bowed deeply before the Dreamer and the Carnifex. "I apologize. Please, let us pass." Her voice was soft, yet dignified. There was a hint of a deep sadness at the core of it.

"Yeah. With heat lamps everywhere, just in case the cuffs fail." Ghost paused. No, creepy was probably not quite strong enough to describe Freezeburn. Horrible would probably be better. "I've been allowed into Blackstone a few times to make sure he's still there. Been a while, but, y'know... better safe than sorry, right?" He shuddered. Last time he stopped Freezeburn had been bad. He really didn't need a repeat of that. Ever. "Herr comrade sounds downright cuddly compared to Freezeburn, to be honest." He let out a short laugh. Oh yes, that was what he needed after thinking of Freezeburn. "Now I can't get the image of Frost in flower print shorts hanging out in the sun by a beach out of my head."

GHOST "Maybe. Didn't seem like the brightest of the bunch, at least." Casper groaned as he saw the man that stepped out of the first STAR squad vehicle... O'Brian. Of course it had to be O'Brian. That guy did not like Casper's work, at all. Not that Casper really blamed him, it couldn't be fun getting stuck trying to get people out of walls or the ground all the time. People were still keeping some distance around them, so there was that, at least. Once he had helped and the cars were moving, he turned back to the with with the domino mask... and. Wait. How old was she? Older than when he started but... christ, she couldn't have been more than a couple of years when he first started out. "You alright? That bruise looks kinda nasty."

GM By the time the STAR squad arrived, Raina and Merlin was finished taking their pictures. With a few gruff greetings to Ghost and Sparkler, they began hauling first the four enhanced bikers and later everyone that Ghost had managed to catch with his first trick, with him having to go around and help getting them loose one by one. The STAR squad left as abruptly as they had arrived, sparing little time for chatting with the heroes or asking, well, anything about what the bikers could do, but at least they hauled them in separate vehicles instead of all in the same one.

Justice Alright, two guys still standing, and Ultra Girl was in bad shape. Robin would have to move fast here, take them down quick before they managed to severely hurt her and... Huh. She relaxed her stance, looking after their Ultios as they started to leave. "Gotta admit, I didn't see that coming," she finally commented, just staring after them. Breathing out heavily, Robin placed a hand on her belt buckle and pressed a button. With a *zhooun* sound, her armor powered down and disassembled, bits and pieces flying off into rainbow portals all around her, until she was left in the red undersuit and domino mask. "Are you alright? You took a couple of hits there. I got a safe place you can rest if you need to?" Robin paused and slapped her forehead. "Sorry, I completely forgot. I'm Justice. You're Ultra Girl, right? I've been looking for you."

GM The last two Ultios looked between each other, then to Ultra Girl, back to Justice, and, finally, back to each other. "Alright, I'm out," the first said, throwing up his arms and backing away. "Yeah, same. I didn't even wanna do this in the first place!" He turned away, arms in the air. "Sorry, Jessie kinda made us do this, and really, nobody says no to Jessie for long! You should really do something about that, or she'll just keep coming!" Helping a few of the other Ultios, but not the one in red that they had identified as Jessie, the Ultios began to make their way away.

Nevermore II "Man, you wish the Raven was here," Charlie added, pointing with his thumb towards Luke. "See, me? I'm not like him. I'm good at making friends. And guess what? I'm friends with a dragon." He wasn't lying, not really. "We'll get you outta here, sure, nobody gets killed while we're here, but you gotta tell us something first: You called your friends, and they're on the way. How long until they're here? How many are coming? Both people and demons, or just one or the other?" Charlie was talking fast now, counting out on his fingers as he asked each question.

GM The first little pig shook its head. It made a sound that sounded like an oink, as it treated to make the world stop spinning. The second little pig stayed close to Zhenschina-voin, caring little for the wolf's huffing and puffing. It tried to headbutt the Russian born amazon, but was a bit too late, instead stumbling a few steps forward. The third little pig counted his toes. Or at least, it appeared that he did so. His head held low, he finally stood, stepping back and forth, once more ready for the fight.

First and third little pigs clear their daze. The second little pig continues to attack Zhenschina-voin: 19, that's a miss! @Kaede Kimura is up! 24 - Little Mermaid II - 5HP - Unharmed 20 - Zhenschina-voin - 2HP - Bruise (x1) 20 - Big Bad Wolf - Unharmed 17 - Synapse - 3HP - Bruise (x2) 12 - Three Little Pigs -- First Little Pig - Bruise (x1) -- Second Little Pig - Unharmed -- Third Little Pig - Bruise (x2) 9 - Shadowborne - 3HP - Unharmed

Nevermore II Huh. Charlie had not expected that. Golden armor and... El was already attacking Dr. Midas, with a chair. Alright, he couldn't expect her to lug her hammer around aaaand... yeah. He was probably gonna get in trouble for this. Right, so. He needed to change. No chance to tell El what he was about to do, so she could hopefully keep Midas busy for a moment while Charlie made himself scarce, disappearing into the crowds and off to a spot where he wouldn't be spotted.

GM The chair was swung and... with a loud *clang* it didn't really do a whole lot against Dr. Midas' golden armor. He paused for a brief moment and looked at Outrider. "Turd? You call me a turd!? Haven't you heard of me? Haven't you heard the screams, you lummox!? I am Dr. Midas! And I will not be stopped by a chair!" He raised a gauntlet towards Outrider and fired another golden blast that... instead destroyed part of a wall. "I meant to do that!"

Unfortunately, he still passes the TOU save! Dr. Midas blasts at El: 11, miss! Charlie ducks into hiding to change and will be out for a few rounds. @Lone_Star, you're up! Also, have a Hero Point for not having access to your hammer. 15 - Outrider - 4HP - Unharmed 15 - Dr. Midas - Unharmed 10 - Nevermore II - 3HP - Unharmed

Forever Boy Pan frowned as he saw the burning tree. "The Dreamwoods, the source of the Pixie Dust!" The voice was not fear, but it was as close as Micah had heard from Pan. He bit his lips, then smiled. "Oh, no, there is a fire. Whatever will we do to stop such a thing?" He grinned at Micah, made a gesture with an open hand towards the tree, then dove towards the forest below.

GM As the young men approached from the sky, the source of the smoke soon became clear: A massive tree in the middle of a grove, one that towered above the rest. It was burning, set ablaze, with Sky-Pirates briefly becoming visible as they moved between the trees below, flashes of fire and smoke from their torches broken by quick glimpses of gold among them. The tree was mighty, and yet, given time, it would be nothing but cinders.

GM With cleanup completed, it was time to leave. They could hear the sirens in the distance as the Unkindness raced through the night. Later, Bowman would be able to relay that had he been attacked by multiple assailants, all dressed in Victorian clothing, much like the Ushers that had attacked Raven, Nevermore and Arrow inside the building. A woman and two men, they had overwhelmed him. Much like the man inside the building, they all seemed to posses powers of some kind. The House of Usher had returned, now possessing powers. So far, that was all they knew. What had changed? Why were they back? And, perhaps most important, what were their plans?

Nevermore II "Alright, alright, let's get it done." Harsh, but, alright, Charlie couldn't really blame her. He wasn't sure how he would have reacted if it was Alek on the stretcher. The moment Alek spoke, Charlie froze completely, just for a second. He made a motion to Arrow, a thumb drawn over his throat with an apologetic smile, then quickly got back to work. He knew that tone. Not the time to test Alek's patience. This was bad.