The warehouse didn't look like much, but there were security cameras, and code-entry security doors, and Reynard had passed on the codes to everyone.

"Neat," Lovebird said as she set about exploring it.

Reynard was inside, stocking the fridge with some snacks and drinks.

"Hey," he said, waving.

"Hey, it looks pretty cool," Lovebird said.

"It's all right for now," said Reynard.

Arachne emerged from a back room.

"I'm still updating your security more, though," she said.  "...and the internet connection.  I need to be able to work, here."

"Anything I can do to help?" Lovebird asked.

"How are you with laying CAT-6 cables?" Arachne asked.

"I don't know what those are," Lovebird said.

"Where's the gym?" UD asked.

"Over there," said Reynard.  "Right now, it's some free weights and a heavy bag."

"How can I help with them?" Lovebird asked.

"The cables?" asked Arachne.  "Well, I can do it slowly-- I'm running these wires up through the ceiling and down wall interiors and conduits-- but it's a pain getting up there in the chair and doing it upside-down.  I wouldn't mind a hand with that."

"Sure, I'll help," Lovebird said.

Arachne climbed to the ceiling, trailing wires behind her, and showed Lovebird where to go, explaining what she needed.

"I could do everything wireless," she said, "but then people might be able to pick up the signal, and I couldn't hide that there is a signal here.  Wired is more secure."

Lovebird nodded. Making sure she did everything right.

Duckling returned, casually carrying a 50-pound weight in one hand. "It'll do," she said. "If we want to train or spar, we'll need to set up a ring."

Reynard nodded.

"We can work that out," he said.  "There's enough space at this point."

With Lovebird's help, the cable was soon put in position.

"I brought pizza!" Camille called as she flew in.

"Nice!" Lovebird said. "Laying cable is surprisingly hungry work."

"Thanks," Duckling said, grabbing a slice. "...Is there anything I should be doing?  I don't really have any money I can get at."

"Maybe we could pick up extra equipment if they need it," Lovebird said.

"Look the place over and tell me what you need," said Reynard.  "I will also shamelessly use your vast strength to help me move furniture."

"I'm not as strong, but I'll still do what I can to help!" Lovebird said.

"Sure," Duckling said. "How are the showers?"

"Go ahead if you want to try them out," said Reynard, gesturing towards a doorway.  "I haven't tested them yet."

"A shower does sound good," Lovebird said, heading in.

[cue porno music]


"After I've finished moving stuff," Duckling said.

"I probably will have to use my stuff at home," said Arachne.  "Specialized medical needs, y'know."

"Would it be hard to set it up here?" Lovebird asked.

Arachne considered this.

"...I probably could, at some point," she said.  "I need a damn big shower stall, though."

"I'm sure we can work something out," Lovebird said.

"Well, we'd need something big enough for group showers," said Arachne.  "...which might be interesting, of course."

"So will we all have our own space?" Duckling asked. "I should warn you, I get upset if anyone messes with my stuff."

"Why would someone mess with your stuff?" Lovebird asked.

"I'm sure we can all have our own space in here," said Reynard.  "There are things that I would like to keep private, as well.  There are lockers for that.  Or did you need anything more?"

"Don't eat anything that has my name on it in the fridge," Duckling said.

"Oh, um, me too," said Camille.  "I have a special diet.  You wouldn't like it."

"That seems easy enough," Lovebird said.

"...I'm not going to ask about that special diet," said Arachne.  "I do think that I'm very sure that I wouldn't like it, though."

"...yeah," said Camille, laughing awkwardly and meeting no one's eyes.

"So, um," Lovebird said, trying to defuse the awkwardness. "I'm really liking the base."

"Thank you," said Reynard.  "I have access to certain resources.  They come from a source I'm not very fond of, so using them for this place seems very... just to me."

"If it's not too rude: why did you join the team?" Lovebird asked.

"Blue Mask asked me," said Reynard, a chuckle in his voice.  "But if you mean, 'why am I, a young man of wealth who lacks superpowers, risking my life as a vigilante?' then the answer is different...

"...I owe it to society, because of where my wealth, my education, my contacts, all my resources come from.  I will not ever be who my father wants me to be; by fighting against him, I become my own man."

"I know the feeling," Duckling said, "apart from the man part.  Did your father give you fox DNA or something?"

"Fox... DNA?" said Reyard, confused.  "No, no-- this mask is just for style.  He gave me my family name, and that's enough...

"...but I'm guessing that you had DNA provided by your father in more than just the usual way?"

"Yeah," Duckling said, bitterly. "My brothers got hawk and owl DNA so they'd be fierce and stealthy, and I got swan DNA so I'd be pretty."

"Ah," said Reynard.  "I am... familiar with sentiments like that.  And the more fool your father, to not know that swans are the mightiest of the three."

"Yeah, joke's on him," Duckling said. "That's why I'm so territorial."

"Ah," said Reynard.  "Well, that's fair.  What, out of this warehouse, do you want to be your territory?"

"I'll pick a sleeping space," Duckling said, "and apart from that, just don't use something of mine without asking.  The gym stuff's community property, but don't use my shampoo, that sort of thing."

"Are you going to decorate your space?" asked Camille.  "You should!  That would make it easier to tell it's yours, too."

"That would probably help," Lovebird said.

"If I find anything to decorate with, sure," Duckling said. "Right now I've basically got the clothes on my back."

"What do you need?" Lovebird asked.

"...seriously?" said Reynard.  "Okay.  We're not leaving you like that.  I have money.  It needs to be put to a good use, and not just in keeping me in cool fox masks."

"Clothes, basic supplies, a real phone," Duckling said. "A better set of gloves,"

"Your wings make the clothes more challenging, but we can still do that," said Reynard.  "What do you consider 'basic supplies'?"

"Toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, tampons," Duckling said. "Brush and comb, nail clippers, razor, that sort of thing.  Might as well get more hair dye while I'm at it."

"Oh, I should just take you shopping, then!" said Camille.  "Problems solved!"

"Sure," Duckling said, "although I'm not very exciting to shop for clothes with."

"Why?" Camille asked.  "We could have lots of fun trying out new looks for you!"

"I'm sure we could find something really flattering," Lovebird said.

"Yeah!" said Camille.  "It'll be great!"

"I guess," Duckling said. "We can probably trade tips about finding clothes that work with wings."

"Yep!" said Camille.  "I've got some places that are really reliable for that."

"That's handy," Duckling said. "I mostly just look for tops I can step into, since my hips are narrower than my wings, even when they're folded up."

"Oh, there's lots of other options," said Camille.  "This shirt actually ties back behind my neck, for example!"

"I'm usually going for stuff I can move in," Duckling said.

"You should have fun clothes, too, though," said Camille.  "...do you have someone you want to notice you?"

"Not yet," Duckling said. "Swans mate for life, so I don't have much interest in casual dating."

"So what about you, Lovey?" Arachne asked.  "Any shopping?"

"Really?" said Camille.  "That sounds tricky... How do you know when it's the right one?"

"I don't think so, but looking certainly doesn't hurt," Lovebird said,

"I'll let you know when I find out," Duckling said dryly. "I do have, y'know, urges, just none that I've wanted to commit to."

"...Now, there's two different ways I could take that," said Arachne.  "There's lots to look at around here."

"Can't you date someone without, you know, um, mating?" she asked.  "Just to get to know someone?"

"Shopping wise," Lovebird said.

"That's more practical, I suppose," said Arachne.  "I don't need as much.  I have resources, after all... not as much as Reynard does, though.  Clearly."

In reply to Camille Nocturne (msg # 75):

"Maybe," Duckling said. "I haven't run across anyone I thought would go for that, though."

"Why not think about who you'd want to try it with?" asked Camille.  "Go from there.  Be positive!"

"I should probably get some essentials. Who knows what my parents will do when they find out about this," Lovebird said.

"I have some general ideas," Duckling said. "Bear in mind I've been in an underground fighting circuit for the past few months, so you don't meet a lot of people there who'd make great life partners."

"Do you still live with your folks?" Arachne asked.  "I've been staying with mom, but dad... not so much."

"Oh, sure," said Camille.  "That means that now is a great time to start thinking about it!"

"I do. They haven't found out I've been out heroing with the humans," Lovebird said.

"And they'd take it badly, I assume?" Arachne asked.  "I mean, I'm just making guesses about who they are, but..."

"They won't, no," Lovebird said.

"They probably will, sooner or later, though," said Arachne.  "The wings are a standout."

"Yeah, hence why I might need to stay here," Lovebird said.

"It is," said Duckling, who was uncertain if Camille was dropping hints or just being helpful. "I need clothes that I haven't been wearing for a week first, though."

"That's going to be two of you, then," said Camille.  "But that's fine!  It looks like there's plenty of room."

"Yes!" said Camille.  "So let's get something nice for you!"

"It hasn't happened yet, so knock on wood," Lovebird said,

"Well, worst comes to worst, I could probably scare you up a backup crash-space," said Arachne.  "I've got room in my lab."

"Thanks, it's good to know I have back up options," Lovebird said.

"Oh, sure," said Arachne.  "Can't leave a teammate out in the cold, right?"

"Thanks, it means a lot," Lovebird said.

"Sounds good," Duckling said. "Speaking of that, I should probably grab a shower now."

"Sure," said Camille.  "Take your time!"

"...if I'm following what you're saying about your family, I've got a lot of sympathy," said Arachne.

"They are aliens who have been trapped here, so I understand a bit, but they do go way too far," Lovebird said.

"Yeah, definitely sympathies," said Arachne.  "I know that kind of thing very well.  My dad, well... Issues.  All the issues."

"I feel that for sure," Lovebird said.

"Yeah, well, folks like us ought to stick together," said Arachne.  "...so what's up with the Blue Mask?  Has anyone seen him lately?"

"I haven't. Do you think he's in danger?" Lovebird asked.

Duckling emerged from the shower. "I need to get the right shampoo ASAP," she said. "Keeping the right level of oil in my feathers is hell otherwise."

"No idea," said Arachne.



"I hear that not using shampoo is better for the oil levels in your hair," said Arachne.  "Do you need shampoo for your feathers?"

"I'll go look for him," Lovebird said.

Blue Mask didn't appear to be anywhere in the base, but perhaps that was to be expected?  She did have a way to call him, though.

Lovebird called him on her cell phone.

"Yes?" said a harried voice.

"Just seeing where you are? Is everything okay?" Lovebird asked.

"The trick is finding a way to reduce the oil level enough to get the dirt out without getting them waterlogged," Duckling said. "Real water birds can reapply oil from a gland in their butts, but I just have to let it build up naturally.  There's like two brands that have exactly what I need, and one of them is German, so you can't get it in a drugstore."

"I'm on the way," he said.  "Things got weird as a... side-effect of that fight you got into."

"So what's the other one?" Camille asked.

"What do you mean?" Lovebird asked.

"Let's just say that the nature of those artifacts wasn't exactly what anyone was ready for," he said.  "There were implications, and other problems.  I'm dealing with it."

"Do you need help?" Lovebird asked.

In reply to Camille Nocturne (msg # 114):

"Dove Nutritive Solutions," Duckling said. "The irony isn't lost on me."

"So we'll pick some up!" said Camille.  "No problem!"

"It's also something that we can order, if you want to keep a lot of it on hand," Reynard added.

"...yeah, actually<" said Blue Mask.  "Someone strong and flying would be very useful sometime in here."

"I'll get Duck and come. Where should we meet you?" Lovebird asked.

In reply to Camille Nocturne (msg # 119):

"Thanks," Duckling said. "I just hate not being able to clean my feathers properly; I feel like I should be preening them, and my neck's too short for that."

"I'm holed up on the top of a building on 17th and Alder," said Blue Mask.  A bad part of town.  "Don't come in through the ground.  It would be awkward."

"Right, we'll be there," Lovebird said before running back in, calling out to Duck.

"What is it?" Duckling called back.

"The blue mask guy needs our help," Lovebird said. "He needs flyers so, we'd have to carry the nots."

"Gotcha," Duckling said, adding "Hey, guys, we're needed!" as a shout to the rest of the HQ.

The team assembled!

"Got a battle plan?" Reynard asked.

"Blue Mask said he's on top of a building on 17th and Amber. He needs us to go in from above to help," Lovebird said.

"What opposition is there?" Reynard asked.  "That might be a mission for just the fliers."

"Not sure. It has something to do with the giants we fought," Lovebird said.

"We can always drop you off somewhere if he doesn't need you," Duckling said.

"All right, you might need my help with something," said Arachne.  "Let's go."

[ooc: Who's taking who?]

(OOC: I'll take the lighter people, I'm strong but not that strong.)

[OOC: I'll take Arachne, since I assume her gear is heavier than Reynard.]

The group re-assembled.

"...It was dangerous, talking to the police like that," said the Blue Mask.

"Why?" Lovebird asked.

"They aren't all trustworthy," he answered.  "And many are, honestly, violent thugs hiding behind a badge."

"True, but we don't have much choice," Lovebird said.

"And if we can reduce the trouble we get from the police, that frees us up to worry about other things," said Reynard.  "And that's good."

"It is," Lovebird said.

"So, are we just going to be called out when there's trouble, or do we have to go on patrol or something?" Duckling asked.

"There are some things I'd like us to consider being a little more... proactive about," said Reynard.  "There are some very bad people out there..."

"Proactive how?" Lovebird asked.

"Certain criminal organizations, for example," said Reynard.  "I'd like us to think about acting directly against some of their activities."

"How exactly? By hassling drug dealers?" Lovebird asked.

"Not really," said Reynard.  "The dealers and users aren't that important.  I'm talking about the big stuff.  The people running stuff into the city.  The procurers.  The higher-ups.  The ones who make things worse around here..."

"Sure, but I'm kind of blanking on how to do that," Lovebird said.

"I'm in favor of punching people that need punching, but I want to make sure they're the right people," Duckling said. "It's like you said about the police; we can't use what side of the law they're on as the only guide."

"...I know all about how the Matarella family is organized," said Reynard.  "That sounds like a good starting point to me."

"I suppose so," Lovebird said.

"Works for me," Duckling said.

"Is that really a good plan, though?" said Blue Mask.

"It's not a plan, yet," sighed Arachne.  "It's a goal.  Worthwhile?  Probably.  But we need to actually make a plan before it can be good or bad."

"...well, true," Reynard admitted.

"How should we go about it?" Lovebird asked.

"Work our way up from the bottom, or cut through the crap and go straight to the top?" Duckling said.

"Cutting the head off would be tempting," said Reynard, "but I'm not a good judge.  It... well, it's personal for me.  Anger gets in the way."

"I mean, taking down organized crime is always good," Lovebird said.

"If we all do it together, it could be really fun, too!" said Camille.