Defenders of New York (Super Hero's)

[Ravenloft]

Our story opens as Elliot Richards opens the double doors to his old high school auditorium. When he was young, the school had been very well kept up, but through the grind of time and loss of funding over the years it had fallen to being just another inner city run down.

That is, until Elliot started to invest in the school, slowly but surely bringing it back to its former state of being. The auditorium was dressed up just like it had been all those years ago, for their graduation.

Elliot stood at the entrance, waiting to greet those fellow students who had decided to come back for the reunion.

 

[cats]

IC: I opened my mailbox. Today was a day off for me so I had slept in. My hair was still wet from my shower and I was dressed in a red shirt and blue jeans, neither one was attractive and both probably needed replacement. I sat at the table and sorted my mail while eating a carrot.

"Junk mail, bill, junk mail, wrong address, junk mail, chance to win 1 million dollars, letter from Elliot." Hmm I wonder why he is writing me. Maybe he is getting married Robert sent me a letter about his wedding, didn't invite me to the ceremony but wrote me. I wonder if he's engaged to some one I know.

I opened the letter and began to read.

To Alex, your presence is genuinely requested at Roderick Herroton High school. Where we hope to discuses... presented themselves... result of our class spirit... Go Herroton Hero's!

Hmm it's today. I wonder how long it was waylaid in the US postal service. Well I do have tonight off, and I haven't talked to any one from school in maybe a year, except for the Smith's. If they have awards I'm sure to get most changed since school. "I guess I'll go."

 

[Screech]

Robert relaxed on his favourite sofa. Not that he had more than one, but he had owned it since leaving high school and not bared to be parted with. It was on this sofa that he had first proposed to his wife, Elaine. Aah, Elaine. Truly the most beutiful woman he had ever known! Of course, he had a biasd opinion, but it still counted!

He looked again at the letter in his hand. It was from Elliot Richards. It had been a while since they last spoke. In fact, it was high school! Robert had almost forgotten about the sci-fi nerd who he used to sit near in lunch, and discuss the best alignment for dilithim crystals in a warp drive, and stuff like that. All totally out of the bounds of reality, but real enough at the time.

He'd been invited back to the old high school, Roderick Herroton High School for a reunion. 10AM. That's damn early. Was there really that much to catch up on? Either way, Robert mused, he's going to go. Elaine was away at her mother's, and not expected back until late this evening.

Getting up, Robert walked to the kitchen and scribbled a note down on a jotpad. "Dear Elaine. If you read this then I've gone to the ol' highschool reunion. I'll be back this evening. I've done all the shopping you asked and emptied the bin. Love you always, Bob".

Grabbing his leather jacket and keys, Robert walked out the front door of his house. It's only around 30 minutes to the old school, but best leave early. The excersise will do good. Silently he wandered who else would attend. Alexander maybe? Hadn't spoken properly with him in a while. Maybe that rich kid? What did they call her? Ike the dyke? Yeah, that was it. Another one who he had lost contact with. Maybe that guy who always called him "Bill"? Heh! Hope not! He was really annoying...

 

[Private_Label]

Ike

OOC: can I get a concensus on what time and day the reunion is supposed to start?

IC:
She was talking with the graveyard shift foreman about the maintenance schedule when the phone in her office rang.

"And one more thing, Jerry, go out and take a look at the pressure release valve over in number six cooler will you. Tom said it was looking like it was running a bit higher than normal, maybe the rust has clogged it again."

Jerry nodded and left the office. She picked up the phone, "Ike Poston."

"No, I can't Cheryl, I have something planned already. "

She laughs, "No nothing like that, one of my high school classmates wants to get a few of us together for a mini-class reunion thing."

"No, no, I'm driving out there today. I'll probably just hit a cheap motel to crash while I'm there."

Ike rolled her eyes, "Oh really. That'll be a first."

"Yeah, yeah. See you then."

Hermodike hung up the phone and took the letter out of her briefcase where it had sat for the last few days. Elliot had never struk her as the type to be a reunion organizer. She remembered him from some of her advanced science classes. There was something about him that just seemed to bring out the worst in some of the nastier bullies in school. She wondered briefly how many damaged books his parents had ended up paying for over the years.

"Well Mr. Richards let's see how well the bullies did when the best job they could hope for was flippin' burgers."

She flipped the letter back in her briefcase, snapped it shut and headed out the door.

 

[cats]

Alex Durran

IC: I arived at Herroton High, he probably decided to have this start during the day because he didn't want people to hang out here. I parked my car and shut off the engine. But I really don't want to go in just yet. Perhaps when I recanise some one I will go in. No thats not a wise idea, I'd have to turn the air back on and that'd waste gas and what if people saw me lurking here and didn't recanise me.

I sighed and open the door. I beter not be the first one here. He said it was in the old gym didn't he? I wondered in that direction. Well this school held up nice, or nicer then the rest of the area any how. And they say schools are sliding, they clearly don't know what they are talking about.

I found they gym and entered it's lightly decorated hallways. Great looks like the place is empty, I wonder if I got the right time. I sighed once more, this is nerve wraking.

 

[Private_Label]

She's got legs...

Ike pulled up in the parking lot of the High School.

'Hmmmm… not too many cars here,' she thought, 'Usually the parking lot would be full of cars of the teachers and students.'

She flipped down the visor to check on her hair one last time. As expected her curly, kinky copper locks had already started coming out of the bun at the nape of her neck. She dug through her purse for the bag of old fashioned hairpins. "One of these days I will buy the freakin' company, I have more metal on my head than a scrap yard." She never wore that much makeup, so that never needed much touch up.

Taking a deep breath, Ike opened the car door. Once out of the car she smoothed her dark green dress and hoped she looked presentable. Usually she wore jeans and T-shirts. Her shoes did not have much of a heel to them as she could never walk in anything higher than an inch.

"Once more into the breach, old friends."

She walked down the hallways toward the reunion, her heels clicking against the wood floors.

 

[Screech]

Bob walked up to the front gates of the old high school. It had been years since he last looked at the building, but looking at it now was almost as if it had come right out of his memories. It was exactly as he rememberd!

He casually pushed the gate open as he entered the school grounds. Evidently, everyone else had come by car. He chuckled to himself. Even the front gates were the same, riht down to the squeaky hinge

Pulling the invitation out of his jacket pocket, he scanned it's contents for where the meet would be. AH! The gym! Plenty of room in there. Does that mean that lots of people would be coming? Hope not, Rob thaught, because he couldn't remember most of their names.

Rob started off toward the gym and, just as he neared it, he caught sight of a woman walking in. Something seemed familiar about her, but then again, this was a school reunion. EVERYTHING was supposed to seem familiar!

Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves for the inevitable meet 'n greet, he walked into the gym

1 person. Great. Well, at least he wasn't last...

 

[Private_Label]

Ike couldn't help herself and stopped by the girls locker room. It smelled of fresh paint and tile grout.

Would the list still be there? Probably not after all these years. Still it wouldn't hurt to look.

She found her locker #166. The outside looked clean, and freshly painted. Expecting to see paint, or everything scrubbed clean, Ike opened the door and looked on the back.

It was scrubbed clean, but the faint handwriting was still visible in places...

George - ok
Tom - jock
Keith - brain
...

and so the list went. There were far more ok's and positive comments than negative ones.

Few people had ended up on her ultimate jerk-off list by graduation. She started to push the door closed but saw something in the back of the locker, covered by shadows. A small plastic package of something. Exposed to the light, she laughed at her surprise present.

A package of the old fashioned hairpins. Only one person would have remembered after all these years - Mr. Valedictorian himself.

She wondered if she would recognize Elliot after all these years. She hoped his acne had cleared up.

She headed to the Gym exit, and left the locker room.

 

[Angelus]

Greg paid the cab driver and got out of the back slowly then raised his head and looked up at the front of the high school. He took a deep breath and was shocked to see that the place had not changed one bit from the first time he had been here. At the sight of the place a flood of memories came back to him, how he had been bullied, classed as a nerd by everyone and how he was never seen by anyone except to be ridiculed. Those memories made him stop and shake his head, "What the hell am I doing here. I should never have opened that stupid damn letter."

He sighed and knew that he was being stupid because he was not that person anymore, he actually doubted if anyone would recogize him when he walked into the place. With that thought fresh in his mind Greg walked straight into the school, hoping that this night was going to go well and hoping that nobody was going to try and make a fool out of him.

 

[Private_Label]

Ike ... in the gym with shoes

Stepping out of the girl's locker room, Ike looked across the rows of chairs arranged accross the hardwood court.

Her heels clicked loudly, echoing in the empty quiet space. Without thinking she slipped out of her shoes and picked them up. Old habits die hard she thought and remembered the coaches yelling at students who wore "hard" shoes on the court.

She looked up to the speaker's dias and saw one man seated. In the Valedictoian's seat.

A lopsided grin spread across Ike's face...

 

[The GrandMage]

Ryan

The motorcycle rumbled as it approached the old school. Just like old times.

His car was at home, the motorcycle hadn't seen much use since he'd gotten out of college. It seemed fitting somehow. It was as if he hadn't changed. He wore clothes nearly identical to what he wore the day before graduation. When he'd shaved that morning, he'd been amazed how little had changed.

Oh, his glasses weren't as big, as his hair had an actual hairstyle to it now, but he was still the same person. He wondered if anyone would recognize him. Doubtful, since the invitation had been the first word he'd heard from anyone. It had been so unexpected he'd had to call in a day off and come by, just because someone had bothered to invite him. He pulled up into the parking lot, and stared at the old school.

Maybe if he'd known how things would turn out he'd have done things differently. Maybe this was a chance to,...to what? Deal with people who hadn't had the thought of contacting him. People who, when they answered the phone, asked "Who?" when they heard his name?

Well, maybe that was only the one time, but still, it was a valid point that he hadn't meant anything to anyone, why should he want to see them again?

He walked towards the gym, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "Because who else are you going to talk to? At least uncaring small talk is talk, right? You've been by yourself too long Ryan, I mean, you talk to yourself for Christ's sake!"

 

[Angelus]

As soon as Greg came to the doors of the gym he stopped and looked at them, wondering if he should go in or not. It was true that he wanted to see if anyone had changed just as he had but he did not want to go into the gym because he was afraid of the memories that would come flooding back to him and what if anything they would do to what had been happening to him lately. Everyone in the school thought that he was a weird person but if they found that he could suddenly disappear he would be a really great freak.

"Get it together Greg, nobody knows," he said before he shook his head and pushed the doors open then walked in, a slight smile on his face. The first thing that he noticed was the small number of people there.

 

[cats]

Alexis Durran

IC: One person was here when I arrived. That wasn't in my original plan. But the attention of those ariving wasn't as bad as I feared. I supose most didn't recanise me and that was fine.

"Okay so far 3 boys including Elliot and Rob; and two girls inculding myself." I said to myself more so than any one else. I looked over at the other woman, her copper hair was in a bun. Hmmm, so both women are red heads. Then again do I really count, my hair is dyed. But I supose some would say I don't count as a girl either, but there wrong. Had I known I was a girl back then my life might of been easier. A thought of the various bullies entered my mind; then again, maybe it would of just been that much harder.

Well enough sitting alone. I made my way over to Robert. I wonder why he didn't bring Elaine.

 

[Screech]

Robert saw the woman walking over to him. Something was familiar, but what... It wasn't until she was closer that it his him, and he stood up and smiled. "Alex? Alex Durran? My god you've changed!" He chuckled. "Well, that's to be expected, eh?" He gave her a quick friendly hug. "So, you decided to come too, huh? That's cool. I was toying with the idea myself and, well, since Elaine is at her mother's, I thaught: Why not! So, how've you been keeping?"

 

[Private_Label]

Ike

Ike realized she had her shoes in her hands and laughed softly. She sat down to put her shoes back on when Ryan walked through the doors.

She blushed slightly. She had really liked the two books he had published. She wondered again if she had missed some signal that would have told her he was interested in her during High School. She took a deep breath and walked over to him.

"Ryan? It's nice to see you again." She held out her hand.

 

[The GrandMage]

Ryan

Ryan blinked. Dear gods, people actually remembered him! Maybe this was worth it after all. His face broke out in a smile. He took her hand in his, squeezing softly as he shook it. "Is it? And here I was worried no one would remember me at all. After all, I recieved the lest votes for 'Least Likely to Remember' because everyone forgot what my name was."

He laughed at his own joke. It was rather lame, but at least it explained how he felt in a lighthearted way. As someone who had done a lot of studying in the field of literature, he knew that how something was said often carried more information than what was said. And he wanted things to get off to a good start.

"So, Lady Ike, how hast the world outside school treated ye?"

 

[Private_Label]

Ike's reply

Ryan asked, "So, Lady Ike, how hast the world outside school treated ye?"

"Not too shabbily. I work out at Nine Mile Point. I see you finally found someone willing to publish your... what was it you called it all the time... ah, your "drivel" I think was the word you used to use? I was pleasantly surprised when I saw your first book in the store."

 

[Angelus]

Greg looked at everyone who was standing around and wondered if he should introduce himself. He wanted to do just that but yet something was holding him back, telling him that he was nuts for even thinking something like that. He walked slowly over to one of the tables and noticed how many were set out, wondering just how many people were going to show up and if there were going to be lots then he was going swallowed up by the crowd which was going to make his life a little better.

Without a second thought he sat down at one of the tables and watched everyone, wondering what they were thinking. He knew that it was stupid and paranoid to believe that they were thinking about him but they were the people that he had come to high school with and he wished that he could change their attitudes about him but he knew that was harder than he thought it would be.

 

[IDreamofBunnies]

Roni pulled into the school's parking lot in her Jeep, a car she truly loathed but one of the few that she could comfortably fit in and drive without help. She hadn't planned on ever coming to any kind of reunion, looking the way she did, but the letter she got was from Elliot, not the school. The letter was fairly innocuous, but she was sure he had sent it as some kind of veiled promise that he was able to reverse the effects of whatever it was he had done to her.

She was dressed very casually, jeans and a t-shirt. Back when she had first changed, there weren't any normal clothes she could wear. She had to endure weeks of mumus and long dresses before normal clothes were again made available to her. She did her best to ignore everyone, to hide her anxiety. Looking straight ahead, over everyone, she hoped that Elliot would come to her or that she would find him, before it became necessary to talk to anyone.

 

[Ravenloft]

Robert was the first to enter the Gym as Elliot circled about, stiring the punch bowl. Looking up, he smiled and waved to him. "Hello... Elliot looked down at the clip board in his hand with a list of all the people he had invited, little photo prints of each of them from senior year, so he could identify them with ease. "Robert, how have you been?"

"Feel free to get yourself some punch, there the buffet table over to the left as well, if you're hungry." Elliot pointed the table out as he craned his head, seeming a bit giddy over the fact that someone had finally arived. "Excuse me just one moment, I have to plug the stereo system in." And with that, Elliot rushed over to the stage area. He plugged everything in but as he stood up to come back to Robert he tripped over the power cord, thumping down, thankfully, into the valedictorians seat. Not wanting to look like a total cluts, he sat for a moment, like a cat washing its paw casually after having just ran into a glass door.

That was when ike walked in, shoes in her hands, lop-sided grin on her lips. Glancing down at the clip board, he stood up. "Her..." Elliot caught himself, remembering that she always did prefer Ike. "Ike! You look stunning." Elliot called out as he stepped off the stage to greet her.

Greg came in next as he walked over to Ike. Again, Elliot glanced at the clip board, and like a missile being diverted from its original destination, went over to greg, not realizing the slight he had just played upon Ike. "Greg, welcome, welcome, there's punch over there, and the buffet table to its left. Just let me turn the stereo on and we can have some music going too." Elliot rushed over to the stereo system, a huge beast of a thing, that from the looks of it, even on its lowest volume would rumble your stomach. He pushed the power button, and it came to life, light works pulsing and swirling overhead and all around the gym in time to the music.

A second woman walked in, with too-red hair to be natural, and Elliot looked the whole list over this time, this one would be tricky. His brow tightened as he continued to look up and down the list, the only one this girl could possibly be, Elliot thought, was Catrina, but he never remembered her being quite so tall.

The next guest to enter was Ryan, breaking the spell of concentration Elliot was in. He didn't dare go over to the girl and greet her with the impropper name. Elliot came over to him with a smile. "Hello Ryan, if you care for food or drink, we have a punch table and a buffet table, please, treat yourself." Elliot said as he shook hands.

That was the moment Roni entered. Elliot looked over Ryan's shoulder, his face going a little slack with surprise. He had hoped she would come, but feared she wouldn't. *She's such a goddess* He thought, then: *Damn, I hope she doesn't still hate me for ruining her last few years of high school.* He walked over to her, stiltedly, shy as a school boy. "R-roni, how have you been? Y-you look p-pretty." Elliot wanted to kick himself, he hadn't stuttered since, well since the last time he saw Roni. He felt heat in his cheeks and knew he was turning red. He tried to hide it by looking down at his feet. "I've missed you." He said bare above a whisper.

 

[IDreamofBunnies]

Roni looked down at him a little fearfully but tried to offer the barest smile, "I'm...okay, Elliot. Just a little excited to get this all over with."

She narrowed her eyes for a moment, practically boring a hole in his head with the daggers she was staring. *He can't even look me in the eyes, is that a guilty conscience or is he trying not to stare?*

"Let me know when you're ready," she said before walking past him.

 

[Angelus]

Greg watched as Elliot walked away from him and knew that is what he would expect from this night. He knew that he should go and talk to the others but something in him told him that he should stay by himself for the moment, just to see how things were going to go.

He moved slowly over to the buffet table and grabbed a plate then a couple of bits of food then some of the punch before he moved to a table and sat down. He hoped that this night was going to be interesting.

 

[The GrandMage]

Ryan

Ryan smiled, and pushed his glasses back up his nose as he heard Elliot. People really did remember him. Perhaps he'd just been too busy with his work, he supposed. He smiled at Ike. "Yes, drivel. But, it seems, drivel that attracts the right people. Actually sold quite well, you know. Publisher actually offered me a book deal."

He shook his head. "I could never start a novel that had an ending though. Short stories are fine, but it's not what I wanted to do. But, people can't choose their talents, can they? I work at the library in the city. It's a nice enough place. Still shocks the hell out of me when I see people checking out my books though."

He chuckled, and looked over at the buffet, and then around at everyone else, including the woman who had just walked in. He looked back at Ike. "Nine Mile Point, huh? Sounds nice. So, what's happened to you since school? Just work?"

 

[Private_Label]

Ryan chuckled, and looked over at the buffet, and then around at everyone else, including the woman who had just walked in. He looked back at Ike. "Nine Mile Point, huh? Sounds nice. So, what's happened to you since school? Just work?"

"Yeah, the usual. College, Grad School, working for the power company on big ass damned reactors." Ike's stomach growled, "Say, I just drove in here from the other side of the state, would you mind if we took the conversation over to the Buffet? If I don't eat my blood sugar is going to tank."

 

[The GrandMage]

Ryan nodded, and started walking over towards the buffet. "I guess I'm kind of lucky, then. Don't have to drive that far. Morning commute's kind of a pain, though. But I wanted a place to live where I could actually afford luxuries like food on my paycheck."

He chuckled, and looked over what was laid out for the buffet. He made a face. Typical fare. He got a plate, and took a lot of the few things available he'd actually eat. "Why do all of these functions have the same food? Three edible dishes, and the rest crap. Is it to reward the few of us who get here early?"