Gauss 3

15:18 <~Antioch> The sterile fluorescent light of the hospital, the smell of saline, the steady beep of the heart monitor -- it's a terribly familiar set of sounds and sensations.
15:18 <~Antioch> He's in the hospital. His hands were blown off, his project had a critical failure. He can't move his fingers. ||
15:18 Antioch → ~Antioch|GM
15:20 Teller → Teller|March
15:29 <tubes|Gauss> He'd fucked it all up, damn it, and wasted everyone's time, and gotten himself blown up, and, shit, he was awake again-
15:29 <tubes|Gauss> Gauss waits for the alarm to go off, for a nurse to come in, for someone to hit a button and for that sickening cool feeling to rush through his veins, just as his arms start to throb- ||
15:31 → Opt|GM joined (OptimusRhym@net-tjugev.res.rr.com)
15:36 <~Antioch|GM> His heart rate spikes, monitors beeping as it rises, and he feels something choking him smothering him stifling him ---
15:36 <~Antioch|GM> It's a mask.
15:36 <~Antioch|GM> Gauss. He remembers now. He's alive. He knows this for a fact, because every square inch of his body aches. ||
15:48 → Az|Asher joined (uid234015@charlton.irccloud.com)
15:51 <tubes|Gauss> Gauss breathes faster and faster, panicking - where was the nurse, jesus, his arms, and he grabs at his face, he couldn't breath-
15:51 <tubes|Gauss> Except his hands and arms work. Mostly. They don't even hurt that much. At least, not like they had -
15:51 <tubes|Gauss> He collapses back on the bed, breathing deeply, trying not to hyperventilate. Right. He'd gotten out. Then he'd gone and fought an Endbringer a scant few days later and got himself put back in.
15:51 <tubes|Gauss> Brandon was going to be /pissed/. Gauss tries to sit up, but is stopped by the sharp pain in his ribs.
15:51 <tubes|Gauss> Aghhhhh. Right. He'd broken something. Falling off a building. Aggressively falling off a building on purpose. Jesus, he was dumb. And he was sore all over, a bone-deep ache that made him just want to lie here for ever. Except not here. Definitely not here.
15:51 <tubes|Gauss> He fumbles the breathing mask off, and tries to reposition himself to get a look around, a position that doesn't jostle his bad side too much. And find a call button. ||
15:53 <~Antioch|GM> Not a breathing mask, as it happens. Just his own. How do they do anonymity for capes in the hospital, anyways? Is that part of HIPAA? Who knows.
15:53 <~Antioch|GM> He finds the nurse call button, neck twinging as he moves the arm that isn't in a sling. ||
15:57 <tubes|Gauss> Gauss fiddles with it for a few moments after realizing what it is, but ultimately decides to leave it on. He has some doubts about how long his secret identity would last if someone spent 15 minutes doing some internet research, but he might as well at least avoid blowing it himself. He hits the button. He needed to get out of here before he started crawling up the walls. ||
15:58 <~Antioch|GM> A soft tone chimes and a little light brightens up above the door. Presumably, this means that someone will be by shortly.
15:59 <~Antioch|GM> Next to the nurse call button, there are a few control buttons for the TV for his room.
16:00 <~Antioch|GM> His head swims for a moment, and he's struck by the need to yawn, whatever hell it may end up playing on his ribs.
16:01 <~Antioch|GM> There's no sense of time for how long he's been out, and the only thing he has to go off of is the fact that the sun is shining through his window.
16:01 <~Antioch|GM> Far too belatedly, the thought strikes him -- he set down his project and went to go fight Leviathan in the middle of pulling an all-nighter. ||
16:16 <tubes|Gauss> Gauss tries to fight it, but ends up yawning anyway, and then is forced into a hiss of pain halfway through as his ribs - and most of his body, for that matter - complains of the mildly strenuous action.
16:16 <tubes|Gauss> Ugh.
16:16 <tubes|Gauss> Sun's out, and it'd been pretty late when they'd gone to fight Leviathan, so it'd been most of a day, at least.
16:16 <tubes|Gauss> Hopefully just most of a day, at least. He hadn't /really/ set down his project. It was all the same project, really. Cleaning up the streets, fighting Endbringers. Same diff. He was really tired though. And really sore. Hopefully he wouldn't catch any flak for bitching out on the all-nighter and passing out. He'd like to just say here and not move, except that would entail staying in
16:16 <tubes|Gauss> a hospital for longer than he absolutely had to.
16:16 <tubes|Gauss> Thinking about that brings back bad memories, so Gauss elects to flip on the TV. He wonders if there was any footage of the Leviathan fight. And if a video of him getting punted hundreds of yards made for good marketing. He can't really believe that he'd survived that hit, but well, here he was. And if he was dead, he wanted to speak with the manager of the afterlife, because this
16:16 <tubes|Gauss> pretty lame. ||
16:19 <~Antioch|GM> It takes a few clicks to flip to a news station. They're running a segment on Leviathan, which is to be expected, but the headline on the channel isn't.
16:19 <~Antioch|GM> "Leviathan strikes Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, Perth in rapid succession." ||
16:22 <tubes|Gauss> What.
16:22 <tubes|Gauss> Gauss watches for a few moments, dumbfounded. ||
16:28 <~Antioch|GM> The newscasters give a breakdown of the situation after a commercial break he barely parses, recapping the events of the previous night. A faked retreat from Rio de Janeiro, then hitting two other major cities in rapid succession, with only a handful of cape capable of following along or responding in either scenario. ||
16:38 <tubes|Gauss> 'Faked retreat'.
16:38 <tubes|Gauss> He briefly remembers the words of the evac flier. 'It's a much needed victory'. Except they hadn't won shit. He's too worn out to even be upset. Gauss just collapses back on the bed and looks up at the ceiling. Where was the damn nurse? He needed to get out of here. It was all enough to make him want to just quit everything and go flip burgers or something. ||
16:43 <~Antioch|GM> The door swings open, nurse and doctor stepping in.
16:43 <~Antioch|GM> "Gauss II," the doctor says, extending a handshake. "Thank you for everything you've done." ||
16:56 soulpelt|Chyrs → soulpelt|nap, Opt|GM → OptimusRhyme
17:05 <tubes|Gauss> Oh, now they show up. Gauss immediately wants to point at the TV and say 'Oh yeah?'. But he doesn't. He gives the guy a shitty handshake with his non-sling hand, since that's all he can do with his gimp hands, as Brandon put it.
17:05 <tubes|Gauss> "No Doctor, thank you. You've got the harder job, I'm sure of it, haha."
17:05 <tubes|Gauss> Gauss tries to muster up some of his usual affable demanor, but it's hard with the TV going on in the background, reminding him of just how much he'd failed. Again. Still, not like he could go back to Brandon and say he was quitting after the stunt he'd pulled out. He'd muster through, probably. It was just hard right now. ||
17:11 <~Antioch|GM> "Given a choice between Leviathan and med school," the doctor replies, "I'd wager most would prefer the latter."
17:11 <~Antioch|GM> "I'll get down to it -- your left elbow is dislocated, your left sixth and seventh ribs are broken, and there's a hairline fracture on your left clavicle near the shoulder. You'll need to keep that arm in a sling for a week at least, assuming you heal normally." ||
17:28 → Nonagon joined  ⇐ Nonagon|PC quit  •  Az|Asher → Azrael0037
17:36 <tubes|Gauss> Out for a week at least? Damn it. Well, James gets what he deserves for blowing himself up and falling off a building for what was apparently fucking nothing. Gauss doesn't say that either, though.
17:36 <tubes|Gauss> "Pretty sure I do, at least. Haven't been at this cape stuff too long, hahahaha." Ow. Laughing hurt. He tries not to let it show. ||
17:37 <~Antioch|GM> "Not too bad, in the grand scheme of things."
17:37 <~Antioch|GM> A lot better than dying, the doctor doesn't say. ||
17:39 <tubes|Gauss> "Has, uh, anyone been in to see me?" Brandon had looked like he was about to puke when James got on the transport. Hopefully they'd called him or something. ||
17:42 <~Antioch|GM> "Two. We needed you up to give the all-clear before they could. Brandon Austin, who says he's a friend of yours, and Annelise Campbell, a liaison from the PRT." ||
17:46 <tubes|Gauss> Shit, well at least he knew he'd made it out. Hopefully he didn't freak out too bad.
17:46 <tubes|Gauss> "Yeah, Brandon's my, uh, manager. Hope you didn't scare him too bad. Did the PRT person mentioned what they wanted?" Hopefully it wasn't a recruitment speech, because he was going to say no. Being polite never cost anyone anything, though. ||
17:47 <~Antioch|GM> "I don't think so, no," the nurse says, shaking her head. ||
17:55 <tubes|Gauss> Well, he could call them. More importantly, he needed to call Brandon. "Any chance I could get out today? I'd like to give Brandon a call, at the very least." He tries to not sound too eager to get out of the hospital.
17:55 <tubes|Gauss> He was really, really eager. ||
17:57 OptimusRhyme → Op|Chiaroscuro, Lysa → Lysa|GM
17:58 <~Antioch|GM> "There's nothing bad enough that we have to keep you in for it," the doctor says. "I'll prescribe you some painkillers from the hospital pharmacy to take home, give you the usual spiel on not exacerbating your injuries, but that's more or less it." ||
18:07 <tubes|Gauss> "Sounds good to me." Gauss says. He remembers to turn off the damned TV. They didn't even have a clip of him getting thrown at Leviathan. What a waste. ||
18:11 <~Antioch|GM> "You want me to let your friend in?" the nurse asks. ||
18:15 <tubes|Gauss> Wait, he was still here?
18:15 <tubes|Gauss> "Uh, yes, yes please," Gauss says. He's a little nervous. He'd pulled more than just a bit of a stunt this time. ||
18:19 <~Antioch|GM> "I'll let him know you're up," she says, heading out of the room. The doctor steps out too, presumably to fill his prescription, leaving Gauss by himself for a while. ||
18:32 <tubes|Gauss> Gauss leans back into the hospital bed and tries to let the ache seep out of his bones, but it doesn't seem to want to go anywhere. Trying to decide what he'd say. It's only kind of hitting him now, that he totally could have bit it out there. Hadn't even crossed his mind going out there. And he'd gotten smacked down by Leviathan twice, and walked it off. Fuck, his power had hurt him
18:32 <tubes|Gauss> more than the Endbringer. The idea doesn't seem any more real than the wavy months he'd spent under heavy aesthesia, as the doctors tried to figure out how to avoid amputating his arms. Not that he'd been told about that bit until weeks...months? later, when they'd been able to risk bringing him out of it. He barely even remembered the explodey-bit.
18:32 <tubes|Gauss> He mulls this over while he waits for Brandon, but the thought doesn't really bring him anywhere useful, so he settles on just apologizing.  ||
18:35 <~Antioch|GM> Brandon steps in.
18:35 <~Antioch|GM> "I'm going to need a rain check on that steak you owe me," he says. "The hospital food is hot garbage." ||
18:41 <tubes|Gauss> Gauss breaks out into a grin. "Hey man, you get used to- No, sorry, I can't do it with a straight face. It doesn't get any better no matter how long you eat it." James briefly remembers the smell of burning flesh, and - Nope, nope, not thinking of that.
18:41 <tubes|Gauss> "Sorry I passed out during our all-nighter, man. Quick break from work, and next thing you know, I'm out like a light. Just getting old, you know?" ||
18:44 Azrael0037 → Az|Mobile
18:45 <~Antioch|GM> "Hey, man," he says, sticking out his arm to clap him gently on the shoulder. "You made it back. That's all I asked." ||
18:47 <tubes|Gauss> Gauss frowns, for once. "No, no man. You asked me not to go to at all. I'm sorry. That was shitty of me." He sighs. "And it all turned out to be for nothing anyway." ||
18:50 <~Antioch|GM> "You helped people, right? You stood up and said 'fuck you, I'm going to save some people', and you did, did you not?" ||
18:57 <tubes|Gauss> Gauss frowns some more. Well, he'd rescued those couple of capes, right? Even if he hadn't managed to exactly go toe to toe with the 'lizard' himself.
18:57 <tubes|Gauss> He laughs a bit, and then smiles.
18:57 <tubes|Gauss> "Yeah, yeah I guess I did." At least he hopes so. Not like he'd gotten back a doctors report on those people. Still, wasn't that the point? Do the best he can do? James would like to think he'd done that much, at least.
18:57 <tubes|Gauss> Gauss holds out his good(ish) hand. "Help me out of this bed. If I gotta sit here for one more second I'm gonna scream. " ||
19:03 <~Antioch|GM> Brandon hoists him up out of bed.
19:03 <~Antioch|GM> "So, how bad you hurt?"
19:03 <~Antioch|GM> Very, it seems as he stands upright. ||
19:10 <tubes|Gauss> Gauss wobbles, and almost falls back into the bed, but manages to get enough blood to his head just in time. He has to take a bit of a wide stance to stay steady, and lean on Brandon.
19:10 <tubes|Gauss> "Oof. Just a flesh wound. Nah, Doctor said a week, at least. Hurt my elbow, some ribs." He doesn't mention the general ache - which wasn't getting any better standing up. That would just make Brandon worry, and, being caused by his own power, he doubted there was going to be much of a medical fix for it. ||
19:25 <~Antioch|GM> "So, where to after this?" Brandon asks. "I've been working while you were gone, scraping the net for footage and trimming the clips where you're visible. Got a site lined up, but I haven't contacted any of the prospectives -- figure I'd leave that to you." ||
19:29 <tubes|Gauss> "Well, first I'm gonna take a hot shower, and then..." Gauss has to take a moment to orient. "Uh, how long has been since you dropped me off?" ||
19:37 Lysa|GM → Lysa
19:46 <~Antioch|GM> "Bout... fourteen, fifteen hours? It's almost five in the afternoon. Good time to grab dinner," he adds. "Your treat." ||
20:08 <tubes|Gauss> Gauss is suddenly aware of how hungry he is. Especially considering his last meal had mostly consisted of coffee.
20:08 <tubes|Gauss> "Sounds like a plan to me." As long as he didn't have to listen to the steaks cooking, he'd be alright. Probably. "As far as recruitment goes..." Gauss tries his best not to old-man-walk to get his costume off the door, "We'll have to see if anyone changes their tune after this, I guess. I doin't want to be one of those guys who toots my own horn, but if it can get us some recruits..."
20:08 <tubes|Gauss> Gauss fumbles with the plastic wrap. It was harder to get off with one hand than it looked.  ||
20:08 <tubes|Gauss> --||
20:09 <tubes|Gauss> While Gauss pretends he has it under control there -
20:10 <tubes|Gauss> "Oh yeah...any of the clips any good?" He's just a little curious. Okay, a lot curious. But wouldn't anyone be? Totally not narccisitic. Justified narcissism. ||
20:11 → CaptNameless joined  ⇐ Op|Chiaroscuro quit
20:21 <~Antioch|GM> He manages to unwrap the dry cleaning bag for his costume one-handedly after a moment's fumbling, revealing his costume. It's battered and beaten, with some tears and stretching in some spots, but considering the beating it took, that's a feat in and of itself.
20:21 <~Antioch|GM> "A couple good ones, yeah. The rain makes the quality kind of crap, especially the ones focused on the fights, but there are some where you're getting people out of rubble that are pretty solid." ||
20:37 <tubes|Gauss> He was kinda hoping for a shot of the flying uppercut...but, well, helping people was what he was there for, anyway. Dramatic fights would probably attract the wrong kind of person...Even if it looked really cool. Or so he imagined. He'd gotten punted moments later so it probably didn't look /that/ impressive.
20:37 <tubes|Gauss> "Probably gonna need to send this one in for a patch job." He glances down at the hospital gown. At least they'd left him his underwear. "You, uh, got a change of clothes?" ||
20:38 <~Antioch|GM> "I got some in the trunk of my car. I can swing down and grab them, won't be long." ||
20:43 <tubes|Gauss> "Please." He lays the costume down on the bed and just tries to walk around a bit, see if it helps the kinks. ||
20:55 <~Antioch|GM> After Brandon steps out, the nurse knocks on the door. "Are you available to see Ms. Campbell?" she asks. ||
21:01 <tubes|Gauss> Oof. It doesn't. But laying back down would take more work than just standing, so he leans back against the bed - wait, she was still here too? Hmmm...
21:01 <tubes|Gauss> "Yeah, sure, if she's willing to wait a few minutes for me to get some pants." And for Brandon to come back. He knew they'd have to deal with the PRT eventually, but fresh out of the hospital (again) wouldn't have been his pick for a first encounter. And while he was nominally a fellow hero, he's not sure they have the same opinion. He did, well, kinda decide that they sucked, when he
21:01 <tubes|Gauss> decided to set up on his own. ||
21:05 <~Antioch|GM> "Just let me know when you're ready," the nurse replies.
21:05 <~Antioch|GM> James realizes that putting clothes on while he's this sore is going to be a wild ride, shortly before Brandon returns with -- thank god -- a baggy T-shirt and a pair of drawstring gym shorts. Good for his aching limbs, not so good for first impressions.
21:05 <~Antioch|GM> "Sorry if they're kind of dank," he says, handing them over, "they've been in the trunk for a while." ||
21:13 ⇐ ThalAI quit  •  Teller|March → Teller
21:34 <tubes|Gauss> Well, not like he had any better options, between hospital gown, and his also slightly dank costume. He takes the clothes and slowly starts trying to work his way into them. He only groans a little bit. And by a little, he meant a lot, most of it through clenched teeth. It was like he'd worked out until he'd collapsed and then been beaten with a sack of potatoes. For several days. He
21:34 <tubes|Gauss> has a to rest after getting the pants on. Bending over was not fun. The shirt went on a little easier, and he opted to just leave the arm he had in the sling underneath it.
21:34 <tubes|Gauss> While he's slowly getting dressed, he clues Brandon in.
21:34 <tubes|Gauss> "There's some lady from the PRT outside who wants to talk, apparently. Mind riding shotgun?" It was probably just a recruitment speech, or whatever their equivalent of 'honorary member of the Justice League' was, but backup was always nice. Especially since this was much more Brandon's forte. ||
21:43 <~Antioch|GM> "You could always tell her to swing by our office later. When you're actually in costume or whatever. Unless this is just the whole "hey we've never seen you before, also thanks for risking your life sorta thing."
21:46 <tubes|Gauss> ((||?))
21:46 ⇐ Druza quit (uid209687@charlton.irccloud.com) Quit: Connection closed for inactivity
21:46 <~Antioch|GM> * "You could always tell her to swing by our office later. When you're actually in costume or whatever. Unless this is just the whole 'hey we've never seen you before, also thanks for risking your life' sorta thing." ||
21:51 <tubes|Gauss> "I figure it's something like that. Might as well she what she has to say, and if it somehow turns out to be serious we can always do that." He tries his best at walking to the door, makes sure his mask is still in place, and opens it. ||

[2017-09-12 18:21:18] <Antioch|GM> He steps out into the hallway, and for a moment, it only half-feels like he's in a hospital. It's a lot slicker than the one he was in, the hallways are wide, the light is warm, there are round chairs and corner lobbies.
[2017-09-12 18:21:18] <Antioch|GM> He hasn't had any hospital food here yet -- it strikes him, given his surroundings, that it might even be /good/.
[2017-09-12 18:21:18] <Antioch|GM> One of the people in the nearest corner lobby is sitting in front of a television screen, reporters broadcasting plans for a memorial service for the Indianapolis capes who lost their lives defending Rio de Janiero from Leviathan.
[2017-09-12 18:21:18] <Antioch|GM> She stands up as Gauss exits his room, waving a free hand. ||
[2017-09-12 18:30:09] ⇐ Druza quit (uid209687@charlton.irccloud.com): Quit: Connection closed for inactivity
[2017-09-12 18:31:37] <tubes|Gauss> He sure hopes someone else is footing the bill for this extra slick-hospital. He's pretty sure the last insurance dropped them after the whole 'got blown up thing', and even if they hadn't, he's also pretty sure their coverage didn't include 'beat up by endbringer'.
[2017-09-12 18:31:37] <tubes|Gauss> He walks - more like hobbles, but he was pretending he was walking - and tries to give off an air of confidence. Which was hard to do wearing a baggy band t-shirt (did Brandon really still listen to these guys?) and sweatpants with half the elastic run out of them, but James has always been a big fan of compensating with extra enthusiasm.
[2017-09-12 18:31:37] <tubes|Gauss> "Ms. Campbell?" He tries. "Gauss." He holds out his un-slinged hand for a handshake.
[2017-09-12 18:31:37] <tubes|Gauss> Oh wait, did he have to include the 'II' when talking to the PRT? Hopefully they're not gonna like, give him a ticket or something for that. Too late now! ||
[2017-09-12 18:35:42] <Antioch|GM> "You sure know how to pick your fights, huh?" she says, matching his enthusiasm and returning it twofold. She's wearing a baseball cap with the PRT logo on it, black plastic thick-rimmed glasses, and a grin that threatens to overtake the lower half of her face.
[2017-09-12 18:35:42] <Antioch|GM> Bad news for his arm as it receives a handshake with firmness roughly on par with "bring my daughter home after prom before curfew and we'll have no trouble".
[2017-09-12 18:35:42] <Antioch|GM> "Please, call me Annelise. I'm sure you've got a lot of questions." ||
[2017-09-12 18:44:20] ⇐ Sidezero quit (uid245947@charlton.irccloud.com): Quit: Connection closed for inactivity
[2017-09-12 18:52:53] <tubes|Gauss> ...
[2017-09-12 19:10:42] <tubes|Gauss> Aghhhhh-
[2017-09-12 19:10:42] <tubes|Gauss> Gauss returns a similar grin, because otherwise he was going to wince. His grip strength wasn't much these days, but he tries to return the unnecessairly vigorous handshake, if only in attempt relieve some of the pressure.
[2017-09-12 19:10:42] <tubes|Gauss> Still, good to see someone could keep a smile. Really, you know, you gotta take things seriously, but if you were just gonna mope all the time, why even bother be a superhero? You could go be like, an accountant, or something, and be in way better company. He's a little pissed at himself for getting so mad at the television report. Good thing Brandon was there to set him straight.
[2017-09-12 19:10:42] <tubes|Gauss> "Would you believe me if I said I did most of this to myself? Hahahahaha" James laughs. It was pretty stupid, really.
[2017-09-12 19:10:43] <tubes|Gauss> He's not really sure what kind of questions to ask, though he feels like he should ask /something/ , so they don't think he's an idiot. I mean, it seemed pretty straightforward to him. He signed up to go fight Leviathan, and that's what he did.
[2017-09-12 19:10:44] <tubes|Gauss> "I guess the only real question I've got is, what next? You need me to fill out some kind of incident report or something? I've gotta warn you, my handwriting is real crap, hahahaha." ||
[2017-09-12 19:14:51] <Antioch|GM> She shakes her head. "No paperwork unless you want it -- seems like a bad time to push the matter, huh? As far as I know, the sensory equipment in the armbands does the bulk of the reporting."
[2017-09-12 19:14:51] <Antioch|GM> "I got a question for you, though, same one. What's next?"
[2017-09-12 19:14:51] <Antioch|GM> "And I mean that in the 'okay, your first public action as a cape was to fight Leviathan, what's your second'?" ||
[2017-09-12 19:27:37] <tubes|Gauss> James uses his free hand to scratch under the headband of his mask. Damn, this thing was starting to itch. It was proabably too much to hope that a nurse had washed it or something. Also to buy some time, because he'd been briefly disarmed by her matching demeanor. Right, he was talking to the PRT. Even if she was nice, she'd be reporting in to someone. Well, the whole point of his
[2017-09-12 19:27:37] <tubes|Gauss> operation had been to wear his heart on his sleeve, right? No games, no scare tactics. He decides to just be honest.
[2017-09-12 19:27:37] <tubes|Gauss> "Well, I told my manager I owed him a steak dinner, so that's probably next, hahahaha" he chuckles. "After that...whatever seems like the right thing to do." He ends with a shrug. He decides that sounds a little vague in a sketchy sort of way he didn't intend, and decides to add: "I'm in this to help people, you know?" ||
[2017-09-12 19:31:04] * Thaliaway → Thalia
[2017-09-12 19:31:40] * vanderhuge → vanderhuge|GM
[2017-09-12 19:31:42] * Thalia → Thalia|Rundi
[2017-09-12 19:32:51] * Camtist → Camtist|Gore
[2017-09-12 19:33:22] <Antioch|GM> ((Social, please. Scrutiny or Empathy applies.))
[2017-09-12 19:34:43] <tubes|Gauss> $roll 1d6 soc
[2017-09-12 19:34:43] <[ATM]> tubes|Gauss "soc" [5]  = 5
[2017-09-12 19:42:52] <Antioch|GM> "Steak sounds like a good start," she replies, still smiling. "Don't let me keep you, but come by the headquarters sometime, alright? We can get you in touch with people who can help you help people."
[2017-09-12 19:42:52] <Antioch|GM> Brandon matches him with a look that seems to say "do you want to let her know about Daybreak or not? The sooner we get the ball rolling, the better." ||
[2017-09-12 19:50:26] ⇐ Wellwick quit (uid211357@hathersage.irccloud.com): Quit: Connection closed for inactivity
[2017-09-12 19:53:04] <tubes|Gauss> James catches Brandon's look. It feels like kind of a d-bag move to just hit her with it, but, well, it wasn't like he was going to suddenly change his mind and join up. Might as well tell them, so he doesn't start getting pamphlets in the mail or whatever.
[2017-09-12 19:53:04] <tubes|Gauss> "Ah, yeah, about that...," He starts awkwardly. Bad news really wasn't his strong suit. Gauss manages to avoid scratching at the headband some more through a supreme effort of will.
[2017-09-12 19:53:04] <tubes|Gauss> "I've kinda, uh, got my own thing? I'm not sure where all in the process the paperwork's at," He glances briefly at Brandon, "But we're calling ourselves Daybreak."
[2017-09-12 19:53:04] <tubes|Gauss> He should probably make some kind of peace offering here? He's not really sure what to say, though. Definitely should have let Brandon handle this thing. Crap.
[2017-09-12 19:53:04] <tubes|Gauss> "If you guys need help with anything, though, feel free to give us a call?" He sounds less sure on that than he wants to. Patrolling for criminals was one thing, but he wasn't going to start kicking in doors on behalf of the PRT, even if that Director March guy called him up personally. ||
[2017-09-12 19:57:59] <Antioch|GM> "Not a problem," she says, smile undiminished. "Do you have contact information we can get in touch with you with? There are some forms that need to be filled--"
[2017-09-12 19:57:59] <Antioch|GM> "Actually," Brandon says, "I don't mind if we get a head start on that now. I have the registration forms and corresponding paperwork for independent hero and nonprofit heroic parahuman team right here, and the sooner the PRT can pass along information about things happening nearby that we at Daybreak can take care of, the better. Just need your signature here, Gauss -- though it's more of a formality, since it's a cape name
[2017-09-12 19:57:59] <Antioch|GM> signature. The laws around this sort of thing are friggin' weird."
[2017-09-12 19:57:59] <Antioch|GM> He unlatches his portfolio and digs out a clipboard with a hefty number of sheets already clipped onto it, pen slotted above the papers. ||
[2017-09-12 20:00:33] → CaptNameless joined (uid208854@ealing.irccloud.com)
[2017-09-12 20:04:24] <tubes|Gauss> Oh thank Jesus. He knew Brandon wouldn't leave him to drown in this crap. Grinning at him, Gauss takes the pen scrawls his handle down as best he can (i.e. completely illegibly). ||
[2017-09-12 20:06:25] * soulpelt|nap → soulpelt|
[2017-09-12 20:06:53] <Antioch|GM> "Oh, whoa," she says, visibly and audibly surprised as she accept the clipboard. "Awesome, yeah, we'll be in touch."
[2017-09-12 20:06:53] <Antioch|GM> "And on the flip side, if you want to get in touch with us, here's my card." She fishes out an embossed business card with the PRT logo and her name on it, as well as a phone number and email address, handing it to Brandon.
[2017-09-12 20:06:53] <Antioch|GM> "You got it," he replies. ||
[2017-09-12 20:10:52] <tubes|Gauss> James resists the urge to let out a sigh of relief.
[2017-09-12 20:10:52] <tubes|Gauss> "Thanks for everything, Annalise, haha. Anything else you need?" ||
[2017-09-12 20:18:07] <Antioch|GM> She shakes her head, looking impressed as she flips through the stack of papers. "Surprisingly, no. Your manager is thorough. Anything /you/ need?" ||
[2017-09-12 20:24:41] → iridium248 joined (iridium248@net-9a3.fbn.156.175.IP)
[2017-09-12 20:27:17] <tubes|Gauss> Whiskey, probably. Although if he was being really honest, he didn't really like whiskey all that much. And he was still a bit iffy on the steak. Ugh. Not thinking about that. Still, anything was better than staying in this hospital one more second than he had to.
[2017-09-12 20:27:17] <tubes|Gauss> "Not unless you've got that steak dinner waiting outside, hahahaha." ||
[2017-09-12 20:34:53] <Antioch|GM> "Sorry," she says, shaking her head and looking sheepish. "Another time, maybe?" ||
[2017-09-12 20:43:18] <tubes|Gauss> "Pf." James snorts, unable to help himself. He bets more people would sign up for Endbringer fights if it came with a steak dinner in bed courtesty of the PRT.
[2017-09-12 20:43:18] <tubes|Gauss> Well, probably not. Definitely not. But it was still pretty funny. He holds his hand out for another handshake. He likes Annelise.
[2017-09-12 20:43:18] <tubes|Gauss> "It was nice to meet you Anneliese. Feel free to come by and check things out once we've got it all up and running." Hopefully Brandon didn't have some kind of trade secret they needed to hide. Or at least one that wouldn't fit in a closet somewhere. ||
[2017-09-12 20:48:35] <Antioch|GM> "Just let me know when you do! See you then?" She takes his hand and gives it another firm shake, albeit not as devastating as the last. ||
[2017-09-12 20:54:51] <tubes|Gauss> James returns the handshake with gusto. He slumps a bit once she leaves, though he keeps his ever present grin, feeling better than he had when he woke up. Still damn tired though. He didn't think the ache had gotten any worse, but stretching out sure wasn't helping him. He wants to collapse into one of those chairs, but he's pretty sure it'll hurt more than it'll help, given his ribs.
[2017-09-12 20:54:51] <tubes|Gauss> "Whew." He turns to Brandon. "That went pretty well, I think? Did I blow it? They didn't give me a justice league communicator, though, hahahaha." ||
[2017-09-12 20:58:37] <Antioch|GM> "They should, once the paperwork goes through," Brandon replies. "More or less. C'mon, let's go grab you some meds and some dinner." ||
[2017-09-12 20:58:50] <Antioch|GM> ((A closing post and pause for now, then we timeskip a day or two.))
[2017-09-12 21:06:41] <tubes|Gauss> He didn't really /want/ the meds, but, well better safe than sorry. Also, James just realized he's starving. Coffee was not good pre-workout, when the workout was fighting Leviathan. It was probably never good pre-workout, actually. What did they put in that stuff, anyway? Not that he really went to the gym, but every gym rat he'd ever known-
[2017-09-12 21:06:41] <tubes|Gauss> His stomach growls. Right, food. James can feel his reluctance to smell cooked meat being slowly overcome. Thinking about his reluctance makes it worse again, though, and-
[2017-09-12 21:06:41] <tubes|Gauss> You know what, he could think about all that once he got the hell out of this hospital. He hobbles after Brandon.
[2017-09-12 21:06:41] <tubes|Gauss> "Alright, but for real, if we're gonna hit up the steakhouse, We're gonna have to find a collared shirt somewhere. /Or/ we could just revist undergrad and buy a pound of Jack in the Box tacos. We can even write it off as a business expense this time, hahahaha." ||
[2017-09-12 21:12:14] <Antioch|GM> "Fuck that noise," Brandon says. "You're getting a fuckin' hero dinner and I'm gonna leech off your success. Let's go get you fucking changed. Maybe get you some Vicks VapoRub or some shit." ||||