Life Support

[justmark]

Dr Sandhu doesn't seem to be here today, so Mark takes it upon himself to set up Life Support. He manages to find the sign and get everything up and ready to go.

LIFE SUPPORT

OPEN TO ALL

TONIGHT'S FREE FOOD:

Pizza
(meat, veggie, or vegan options available)

Feel free to come grab a slice and get some advice, or just a friendly chat.

[ooc: Mark-mun and Guppy-mun are both varying degrees of AFK lately, but someone will tag you!]

Comments

[justmark]

Mark is trying to decide which toppings he wants. It's a really hard choice when you haven't even had pizza in years.

[notapilot]

Oh, pizza! Someday, Sam notes, he'll have to bring the food.

Grabbing a slice of meat and veggie, he grabs a seat and digs in while waiting for anyone who might need him.

[run_barry]

The pizza catches Barry's attention, and when he spots Sam he heads on over; snagging a couple slices of the meat along the way.

"Hey man, what's up?" he asks, giving the man a nod.

[notapilot]

"Hey, running man!" Sam replies, catching an olive that falls from his slice. "Life treating you well?"

[run_barry]

Barry's smile rucks up into a smirk and then he gestures at an empty chair in asking before taking a seat.

"It's been... interesting lately." That's an understatement and being kind. "How've you been?"

[notapilot]

Sam nods at the chair gesture and pulls himself to sit a little straighter.

"Interesting is quite the word isn't it? Things have been challenging for me. Setting up with a new team. We're finding out pace, but I can't help feeling outclassed."

[run_barry]

"Yeah," he replies. Interesting is one of those words that says a lot and nothing, which makes it handy to use.

Taking a couple bites out of his pizza, Barry listens as Sam speaks.

His brows knit a little and Barry's a bit surprised.

"Outclassed?" Sam seems pretty capable to Barry, he certainly handled himself well during the whole Balrog thing.

[notapilot]

"I'm just a guy in a fancy flight suit. No powers and everyone else has them. Well, there's one other guy like me but he's basically wearing a flying tank."

Sam pauses to take a bite and see if Barry has any advice.

[run_barry]

"I actually think that makes you more capable than someone with powers," Barry admits. "Everything you do is all you, not some accident." Or mutation, or whatever.

"It's like, I've got this friend, and he's been doing the hero thing in his city for awhile now. He doesn't have any powers either, just a bow and arrow and a hood, basically." Oliver's suit certainly couldn't be classified as 'armor'.

"His city is way more dangerous than mine, and he's faced a lot more bad guys than I have, and he's definitely way better at this stuff than I am. Powers and all."

[notapilot]

Sam chews thoughtfully, giving Barry's words a good listen, before swallowing.

"I think I see what you mean. Powers are good but they aren't everything. Skill and experience mean a lot too, right?" Aside from Rhodey, Sam knows he's got the most experience of the group.

[run_barry]

"Exactly," he says.

It's something Barry's really coming to learn the hard way.

"When I met-- my friend, the uh, Arrow, he was taking on this guy with super-strength. Dude literally tore down a reinforced steel door with his bare hands, then walked off with a 600 pound generator on his shoulder."

The impossibility of the event is actually what brought Barry to Starling City.

"I don't know how, but the Arrow took the guy out. Now, I've got my own super-strong bad guy and all I've managed to do is break a bunch of bones and have my ass handed to me a couple times."

[notapilot]

"Hmmm. Do you think you could make it so he'd have nothing to push against? Being strong won't do much if he can't grab you or have anything to brace himself against."

[OOC: Heading offline. Might get some more tagging in tonight.]

[run_barry]

Barry's expression shifts into one that's both doubtful and apologetic for that doubt.

"I don't think so. It's not just the strength, his skin also turns into metal. He was definitely just standing there when I broke my hand on his face, and he knocked me into a humvee."

Sighing, Barry eyes his pizza crust before looking back up at Sam.

"My friends and I are working out a strategy to use against him. It's just frustrating running into a guy I can't beat. Especially since... we kind of know each other."


[ooc: no worries! I am leaving the office and will be around later. Taa!]

[notapilot]

Sam eyebrows raise.

"OK, that's something I haven't heard of before. Just make sure you have more than one strategy, in case something doesn't work out. Have you fought him before or was he a friend?"

[run_barry]

"Yeah, it's a new one for us, too." It isn't necessarily the strangest power they've encountered, but it's still a hassle.

As for his relationship with Tony, Barry shakes his head, heavy dislike in his voice and expression.

"Tony is the direct opposite of a friend. He's a jerk I used to know as a kid in school. His favorite pastime was making my life hell."

[notapilot]

"Oh no, your bully got super powers? That's just not right." Sam pauses in thought before continuing, "Does he still need to breath in the metal form? Maybe a gas to knock him out if what ever your guys are working on doesn't work?"

"Do you have anything on him from before? Messing with his head could help in a fight too."

[run_barry]

"Totally not right," Barry sighs and frowns.

Thinking about the breathing thing, Barry shrugs a little. "I... don't know, actually. He can speak, and phonation requires air pressure and movement so... maybe."

A beat, and then Barry's expression turns uncertain.

"Although... I do know of a guy who doesn't even have the capacity to breath and he can speak. He's a uh-- plant."

Still, it's an idea to consider, at least.

"I doubt there's much I could say that would get to him in any way other than just pissing him the hell off." Which doesn't seem like an ideal approach to take.

[notapilot]

"Getting your opponent to lose their temper can be an advantage, gets them to make mistakes," Sam says with a hint of doubt. "Given what you said about your previous encounters though, I don't think I'd advise it."

"I hope your science guys can figure something out though."

[golden_lyre]

Oh, hey! Someone he hasn't seen in a...really long while, actually.

After he's gotten himself some pizza, Orpheus spots Sam and does a brief doubletake, like he hadn't expected to see Sam in Milliways but then realizes that, of course, Sam would be here.

"Mind if I join you?" he says, relatively uncertain of his welcome.

[notapilot]

"Harpo!" Sam greets with a grin. A funny nickname and who knows if it's one Sam's used for Orpheus before. "Not at all. You hungry?"

[OOC: Sorry for the wait. i was afk and also wanted to check with Steve-mun for how much Steve would've told Sam. We're good to go now.]

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus lifts his plate of pizza in greeting. "I'm set on food, I think."

He leans his guitar against one of the chairs and then drops into it. "How've you been?" He looks like he's been better himself. His hair is getting to be too long, and he's let his beard grow out. Mostly he just looks tired.


[ooc: No worries! :)]

[notapilot]

[OOC: Sorry for the long wait.]

"I've been okay. Lots of training with the new team," Sam ventures cautiously. "Figuring ourselves out and all. Kind of feeling like I'm outclassed but doing my part."

"You doing okay?" Echoes of other questions follow the inquiry but Sam keeps them to himself for now. He knows something is up with Steve and Orpheus, and he knows what that something looks like, but Sam just hasn't gotten a chance to get Steve to talk much about it.

[golden_lyre]

[ooc: ♥ ]

He gives a dry laugh. That's almost exactly the answer Steve gave him. Except the part about being outclassed.

"I'm...not really okay, no," he says, because he just doesn't have it in him to lie, and he can't immediately think of a creative way to put it that Sam wouldn't see through.

[guppy_sandhu]

Guppy does eventually manage to catch up with the group and is around at the end if anyone needs him.

[ooc: Tags will be slow, apologies in advance]

[runningred]

Jay is late to the party but he sets up a bunch of tall glasses and a bucket of ice-cream. Anyone want a soda float to go with their pizza?

[notapilot]

"Jay, I was hoping to see you. You doing alright?" Sam takes a seat having moved from his own to grab more pizza.

[runningred]

"Hey man." Jay offers Sam a warm smile. "Rootbeer float?"

He pours himself one. "I'm good, mate. Keeping busy. How about yourself?"

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus has seen the Life Support sign out before, many times, but he's never actually stopped by to see what it was.

And his life could use some support, he thinks. So he'll be checking out the free pizza.

[justmark]

Mark's taken one of each, and piled them all on his plate.

"We pretty much got everything. One of these is that weird gluten-free stuff, somewhere."

He's grubby, and looks exactly like he's been sleeping rough for the last... long while.

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus has at least bathed since he was sleeping rough a few nights ago but he looks a little worse for wear himself. He hasn't had a haircut in a couple years now, and his beard is getting to be out of control.

He's looked worse, though. "I am a big fan of gluten myself," he says, taking a slice of pepperoni.

[justmark]

"Otherwise, what's the point, right?" Mark asks.

It turns out eating pizza is a bit like riding a bike. Even if it's been a couple of years, you still remember how to keep the toppings from all falling off, even if you're a bit clumsy with it.

"You been to this thing before, or just passing through for the free food?"

There's no judgement here. Mark was totally just here for the free food until he got recruited.

[golden_lyre]

"I've seen the sign many times," Orpheus says. "Thought I'd check it out."

And he's recently realized that friends are in short supply in his life. Time to mingle.

"I'm Orpheus," he says, doing a little shuffle between his plate of pizza and the guitar on his back in order to free a hand to offer.

[justmark]

Mark has do to a similar shuffle with his plate of pizza, and the pizza he's holding.

"Mark," he says, shaking the man's hand. "We're here to help. Talk about things, friendly bantz, feed the homeless. That sort of thing."

[golden_lyre]

"A noble endeavor," he says with a nod. "I certainly appreciate it," he adds, lifting his pizza in illustrate why.

He can afford his own pizza, but he's spent enough of his life poor to appreciate free food when it's offered. (And to offer it when it's needed.)

[justmark]

"Beats seagull any day," Mark says with a weird shrug.

Was that weird? That was probably weird.

[golden_lyre]

"It does indeed," Orpheus says with a faint smile.

He's been there too. Though he can usually charm a fish into his boat.