Badass Normal: MT/IC/Always open

[Jormengand]

OOC THREAD

"Sergeant Calthar, the recruits are arriving."
"Thank you Captain. I shall deal with it at once."

Sarah Calthar was not the most patient woman in existence. She was glad that they were early rather than late, and anyway she had just finished reading their profiles.

John Whitewolf was one she thought might need a little work. He was apparently not particularly trusting - which she supposed didn't hurt in moderation, but to such levels, it could be dangerous. They were a team, after all.

Xi feng was going to be trouble. He was only any good at fighting when he was drunk. That probably wasn't a good thing. Sarah wondered whether or not there was another way to improve his skills without making him drunk. Maybe a placebo effect?

Ben Silva was good at shooting stuff and not being shot, both of which were essential, but he barely ever spoke. Maybe she would arrange some kind of social help for him and others who seemed socially awkward.

Earl Ellington had insisted that his clarinet, "Kevin," be signed up as well. He could play the clarinet well, and he actually talked to people, but he couldn't fight well. That was fine, she could use him as the talker.

Daniel Mercury was good at swordfighting, but that was perhaps irrelevent in the days of guns. At least he wasn't bad at anything particularly fatal, unless he was put behind the wheel of a car - and Sarah hoped that someone else would still be concious at such a time.

Steven Leicester was strong but untrained. He'd learn, though. Sarah wasn't sure how long it'd take, but he could end up being one of the best members of sector Sigma, given appropriate training and experience.

Yukamura Hong was a strange one. Violent but fairly weak, he was one to watch. If his violence could be directed at the enemy then he would be able to work. He was also very intelligent, that would help.

Rodney Ballard couldn't hit the broad side of a barn at 20 paces, but he could blow one up from that far. He also seemed to know something that Sarah didn't, and he was apparently very arrogant. She'd do something about that.

Mordecai Tal-Shachar was well-built, experienced and intelligent, but had a very long list of minor weaknesses. Sarah hoped that she could help him tackle them one by one, which would probably result in a very good and reliable team member.

Star Rose, quiet, agile and good at solving puzzles. She suffered from a problem which had originated in her childhood, which sometimes stopped her partway through a puzzle. Sarah could probably do something about that.

She looked at the girl's picture again, and smiled. There was just something about that girl, she wasn't quite sure what... Sarah shook her head vigourously, blinked twice and turned to the final page so far.

Ashleigh Dartmoor had basic martial arts training, and also had lots of people to get information from, which couldn't hurt. What could hurt was the fact that he was on the verge of chucking himself off a cliff.

The train with the new members arrived, and they were ushered off by the guards and driver. They made a vague line in front of her, and then she began speaking.

"Welcome, new recruits, to the vaguely comically named Operation Badass Normal. Someone obviously spent far too long on TV tropes, it wasn't my idea so don't blame me. My name is Sarah Calthar, and I am the leader of Sector Sigma, A.K.A. this one. My title is technically Sergeant Calthar, but I don't mind if you just call me Sarah.

I know quite a lot about you all, having read your files. I will know if you try to keep anything from me, so please don't. However, do not be afraid. I'm not going to go around stalking you, and most of you aren't even good looking.

I have information on you so that I know what you're good at, and what needs work. I will make sure that you are trained to do whatever you need to be able to, and that will begin tomorrow. Do we have any quetions before we move on?"

[Firstaria]

Daniel was starting to regret this a little. Closing his agency of paranormal to join a bigger one was probably a mistake, but that place was also his home, and his landowner was not kindly with people late with the payment. Stupid heroes, forcing him to go out of business: you can save the world from the giant meteor, but you can kindly left the werewolf on rampage alone? A silver bullet could stop him, and it would have payed nice...but no, they had to ko him with a single punch. Stupid superpowers...

[Stattr]

Star put her book down as the train slowed down and gathered her stuff up which consisted of just her book bag and her cloak she had taken off because of the heat on the train. The guard looked ather and motioned for her to get off. She just nodded and quickly walked out of the train and jumped from the train to the ground and shook herself slightly before walking with the rest of the group up to the lady waiting and she immediatly put her book away and pulled out a rubix cub and with taking one glance at it and not looking at it again she quickly solved it, the rubix cuve sliding easiuly with her hands, occasionaly it got caught she shifted it slightly and continued, when she looked atit again it was solved and she mixed it up again and kept doing that for a few minuets, while listening.

Star smiled just slightly when Sarah mentioned osme weren't good looking but kept the smile to herself and just kept listening. Star raised her hand slightly at the last part. "Uhm, where are we er...going to stay? I was just..curious..." She said and almost mumbled it but made herself talk slightly more louder and looked slightly at Sarah. Not sure what else to say and didn't say any more anyway.

[Jormengand]

Sarah's face softened a little for the frightened girl. "You'll stay inside the compound. There are three rooms which take three people each, and one of you will have to stay in my room. In fact, you would probably be best, if that's all right?"

[Firstaria]

" Wait " Daniel said " Passing the working together, but I like to live and sleep alone. You mean the people who organized this had the time to read the TV Trope page and trolling all of us, but not to prepare a room for everyone of us? "

He kinda knew he was not gonna get a single room, but he really hoped it would not find himself with two wacko who probably joined this just to show off and believe themselves cool. He had a paycheck to gain, and he wanted it to be the less painful possible.

[Jormengand]

"Mr Mercury, If you want to take this up with higher command you may do so, but we do happen to have space for an internet router but not for three times as many rooms. I am supposed to assign you rooms, but I will allow you to choose your roommates. I suggest that you choose the most tolerable." Sarah did not like this man's tone. She'd be careful.

[Sentinel XV]

Mid-morning, halfway through his second bottle of sake, a slight buzz in his head and the smell of strong Chinese liquor on his clothing. Hair slightly disheveled, as always. Clothes a bit dirty and torn, as normal. Bloodshot eyes rimmed with red, heavy breaths masking calm demeanor. Even though he was only a little drunk -- it takes a lot for him to get drunk, these days -- Xi Feng's perfect solace was never shattered. That is, unless you picked a fight with him. Then tempers flare and things get nasty. And when Xi Feng is drunk, you had best hope to not get on his bad side.

Swaying slightly as he threw up a smart salute to Sarah, he nodded.

"Aye," he said with a subtle slur, "where can I find more sake?"

[Jormengand]

"We do have a bar and canteen which serve a variety of foods and drink from various cultures. You will be shown to it later."

[Escalan Corps-Star Island]

"Others can drink, an' I'll play. Thassa way we do it." Giving a smoky laugh, Earl stood up from his chair and walked over to Sarah. "Earl Ellington, Miss Calthar," he said, extending his hand

[Firstaria]

Daniel snorted, clearly not pleased that he would have to divide the camera. He hoped it would be like high school, with the epic messing up they did at least.

" Fine. " and then he added " and coffee, Neapolitan coffee. Otherwise, that bar has no reason to exist in this world. "

[Jormengand]

Sarah did not take Earl's hand. "If you want to, then I'm fine with that. Just please don't expect anything to come of it. In any case, I know your name, in case you weren't listening to what I actually said."

She turned to Daniel. "It does indeed serve Neapolitan coffee, along with a few others that you might like. In any case, do we have any more relevant matters to ask about?"

[Escalan Corps-Star Island]

Earl felt slightly irritated, as he was simply making an attempt to be polite. "Very well then. So, what will we be doin' this afternoon?"

[Jormengand]

"This afternoon you will be shown around the various facilities, including those for training, for entertainment, and also the canteen and bar which some of you seem so enraptured with. This evening will be yours to utilise and familiarise yourself with them. The next few days will be spent on training until we get assigned a mission."

[Videssos]

Mordecai showed a faint, grim smile as he heard that the other members of the group would have to share rooms. He was hardly unused to such things, as it was a common situation you found yourself in, when in the IDF. He didn't have any questions as it was, and he felt that most of the other "recruits", would be as irritating and clumsy as one might expect for say; westerners who'd decided to spontaneously learn Krav Maga, from the top experts of that calibre in the Israeli Defence Forces.

It would seem a number of them had only just arrived, and already they were asking after their favourite vices. Fortunately, he maintained his outward appearance as if his face was naught but a cold, emotionless mask. Occasionally, something flickered in his eyes, but as soon as someone noticed it, it was gone. Mordecai would have personally preferred it if the tedious training was over and done with, and he could get to the missions, but alas, over his time in the IDF, he had developed a certain tolerance, and he knew that patience was sometimes necessary.

[Ceannairceach]

Ashleigh Dartmoor was a man of few complaints in life. And he was a man, despite what some might think of his name. He had narrowed his list down to some few items long ago. His first was no longer being able to return to Saudi Arabia, perhaps among his favorite countries in the world, save for its rulers and laws. Otherwise it would be quite beautiful to visit. Second was his addiction to the most vile of drinks, something he knew he possessed all to well. When he heard that he'd be on a team with the so-called "Drunken Master", the man silently prayed they would have very little to do with one another, lest the man tempt him further down the road of drunken revelry.

Third, he regretted that he was a worthless human being worth not even the blades of grass he crushed beneath his feet. But he only regretted that when he had a hangover, or when he considered his complaints about his life.

Ashleigh stood somewhat awkwardly in the group of recruits, smiling genuinely but fidgeting, unsure of how his posture should be. He hadn't known what to wear or what to bring, and as such kept it simple; A black cotton longcoat, with silver buttons and a satin finish, the collar popped up. some might even call it a badass longcoat, if they felt particularly childish. Under this he wore a black turtleneck, and on his lower half black formal jeans and leather boots.

With him he carried his combat umbrella; whacks with the power of its steel arms, acts as a functioning walking stick and protects one from even the worst of rain storms. Perhaps best of all, very few expected a fucking umbrella to be a functioning weapon of both attack and defense. It was all powerful, indeed.

Ashleigh said a short prayer under his breath, half-raised his right hand, and spoke aloud, half to Sarah and half to no one in particular, "Ah, Miss Sarah," his accent was a funny mix between American and Arab, and despite his fluency since his youth, English being his native tongue, it still sounded like it was his second language, "Might I ask what sort of missions we can expect to go on from the start? Not to insult any of those gathered here, but I doubt all to many of us are especially trained to deal with the average supervillain."

[Stattr]

Sarah's face softened a little for the frightened girl. "You'll stay inside the compound. There are three rooms which take three people each, and one of you will have to stay in my room. In fact, you would probably be best, if that's all right?"

"Ohh...okay. That's fine. I don't have a ...erm..problem with that." She said the same volume and her hands started to shake slightly and she closed her eyes and focused and they stopped. She put her rubix cube away and her legs that had been shaking slightly stopped and she pulled out a book and knelt down below the group and just read more to ease her nerves. Playing with the rubix cube had brung up the memory and she could just barely contain it. I honestly don't know why I play with the Rubix cube when I know it beings that memory up. Glad I am a reader as well.... She shifted slightly at the though and ended up sitting crosslegged on the ground, reading and listening to Sarah and the others, she smelled alchohal and immediatly got up and mvoed farther away from the group. She sat back down and read. She did this unknowlingy out of habit and didn't relize she was farther awya from the group.

[Jormengand]

"You are correct, Mr Dartmoor," intoned Sarah while watching Star open a book and begin to read. "At the moment, we will only be targetting low-level supers at most. You may be assigned higher-level targets later, with the help of other sectors. Now, if you do not have any other questions, shall we get a move on? I believe that I am not the only member of this group who is bored by this Q and A session."

[Ceannairceach]

"Ah, that's pleasant, then." Dartmoor let out a quick breath, as if he had been holding it since he asked his question. Not attacking the middle or upper classes of superhumans would give him time to get ready for that moment. Ashleigh wanted to help, he really did, but he didn't quite see the advantage in rushing into the fray, and would value the days of preparation and readying that he would be allotted.

"Yes, this question session seems to have run its course," Ashleigh stated when he noticed that no one was raising their hands. "But as a final comment, it might be preferable, at least to myself, for the rooms to be assigned. It is no help to find friends and create factions within the team, I would think, ma'am. Quite disadvantageous."

Ashleigh wanted to be friends, or at least amiable, with everyone on the team, even the Drunken Master, who he attended on generally avoiding during his time here. He didn't want to run the chance of feuding or of having to leave one of them behind because they were a threat to his life should they live. He wouldn't abandon a teammate normally, not in a lifetime, but the strains of heroism and of alcohol might push him toward that final act of evil, and he'd rather have good relationships with them all, or most of them, to marginalize that possibility.

[The Blazing Aura]

"She's in charge ergo she probably knows what's better" John spoke up countering Ashleigh, "The ancients always looked up to their superiors with respect, we probably should too. It's what gave them their place in history. Although I do have one question" John stopped, turning to Sarah "Sergeant" he said formally "If you've read my file you know what lies in my past, will I get a chance to avenge them?" He kept it cryptic enough so that the others probably wouldn't catch on or understand what he was truly saying, but it was open enough to someone like Sarah who would know what he was talking about. And, he hoped that she would answer in an equally cryptic manner.

[Stattr]

"You are correct, Mr Dartmoor," intoned Sarah while watching Star open a book and begin to read. "At the moment, we will only be targetting low-level supers at most. You may be assigned higher-level targets later, with the help of other sectors. Now, if you do not have any other questions, shall we get a move on? I believe that I am not the only member of this group who is bored by this Q and A session."

Star looked up at Sarah as she mentioned the last part and nodded, listening to Ashleigh and responding to him. "You are right Ashleigh, but under the circumstances, I don't know you and i don't know anyone here. So having the rooms be assigned would basically be asking for trouble because what if three people meet each other and all three end up hating each other or two being friends and gossiping about the other and pushing him or her around? Then Sarah would have to deal with complains and everything. So chosing would be wise... just.. uhm.. saying...sorry." She whispered the last word silently to herself and stood up slowly and came back to teh group.

[Tlaceceyaya]

When Rodney got off the train, he was somewhat disappointed by the people he would be working with. None of them really stood out, except for the drunkard, but that was not in a good way.
When Sarah said that she would know if they kept anything from her, Rodney could not help but smile. She had absolutely no idea of how many secrets he had.
Several people asked her questions, and when she mentioned that there would be three people to a room, Rodney cursed under his breath. He had been hoping that they would be one to a room. He could make it work, though.
Sarah said that they would move on if nobody had any more questions, so Rodney picked up his bag - containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, pyjamas, a comb, soap, shampoo, a swiss army knife, c4, several grenades and even a small grenade launcher which somehow got past all conceivable forms of security on the way there - and waited for the group to leave.

[Len Hyet]

Silva came late to the party, aviator sun glasses shielding his eyes. Lying in the black duffel bag slung over his shoulder was a change of civvies, a set of urban fatigues, a pair of desert fatigues, and his dress blues, along with a Ka-BAR knife, and an M110 Sniper Rifle. On him now was a set of Marine Greens, with his Grim Reaper holding a sniper rifle Scout/Sniper patch sewn onto his shoulder, along with the bars of a Staff Sergeant. He dropped his bag and casually sat in a seat at the back, an M9A1 holstered at his side comfortably.

Supremely confident in his ability, Silva bordered on arrogant. Still, hardly a novel concept for a Marine Corps Scout/Sniper. They went through the toughest, most difficult Sniper School in the World. The US Navy SEAL Sniper Teams trained at the USMC Scout/Sniper School. Silva was utterly confident that if it came down to it, not only could he outshoot every single person in this room, he could outfight all but perhaps a Martial Arts master in hand to hand, and gut anyone else with a knife.

So, he sat there, listening.

[Ilvania]

Carlisle stared at the people around him. Soldiers, detectives, musicians, it was what might quite possibly have been the most rag-tag, mix-and-match group he had ever laid eyes upon. But they all had one thing in common; every one of them was stark raving mad. They were all lunatics, he could see it their eyes, their smiles, their 'auras'. It seemed as if there wasn't single sane person in the room. When you're constantly working at a close proximity to madness, one develops what might be called an 'insanity radar'. A feeling of unease around those who were 'unwell in the mind'. Carlisle, being the psychologist he was, had an extremely well developed 'insanity radar'. And boy was it going off.

He unconsciously gripped his sword tighter, his manicured hands clenching onto the shiny lacquer sheath. A priceless family heirloom, the mere presence of the blade made him feel safer. It reminded him of his childhood, afternoons spent his the backyard, training under the merciless tutelage of his mother; an accomplished koryu master. 'A wondrous prodigy' she had called him, the spark of pride apparent in her eyes.
He missed his mother.

As the awkwardness of the situation began to set in, Carlisle settled into the rather comfortable chair, closed his weary eyes, and allowed his mind to wander...

[Jormengand]

Sarah shook her head. "Ugh, are you all that bored. And yes, John, yes you will." I hope.

The rest of the day was mainly spent showing the new recruits around, including one who'd come late, and had had to go on the sector Pi train. She showed them the training facilities, their rooms, a few more interesting places, and finally the fabled bar. "Well, you have until 10:30 to do pretty much whatever you want, and then you need to go to bed. We start at 7:15 tomorrow."

She left the bar before the ravening hordes descended upon it. She was going to go to the library which would, she hoped, be more peaceful.

[Len Hyet]

Silva cocked an eyebrow. "Ma'am, oh seven hundred wakeup? You'll spoil us. Twenty two thirty bed time? I feel like I'm in high school." With more than a few feelings of disgust, Silva quickly bought a pair of beers and popped them into his bag, then turned and walked out of the bar. He called over his shoulder.

"I'm going to shoot. Anyone wants to come they're more than welcome, might even get a competition going." With that, Silva walked out of the bar and made a bee line for the Firing Range. Irked by the lack of a Sniping Range, Silva instead used his M9A1 to do some damage. Coldly sighting down range, he fired rapidly, emptying his clip in a matter of seconds.

The Former Marine paused, and slapped a button on the stand. The target jerked, then came towards him. He made a quick examination of the holes. Five to the head, four to the chest. Right where he had aimed them. Not bad. He pressed the button again, sending it back, changing magazines as he did so. Then, he quickly checked the empty range, before slamming on the button once more. This time however, he fired his nine rounds as the target came towards him, adjusting his aim slightly after every shot. Five to the head, four to the throat. Again, right where he had aimed them.