PALLADIUM STUDIOS(MnM 3e): THE PALADINS(SESSION THREE:SUFFER NOT OTHERS...)

[Tony Jones]

Upon Briar's return home one day not long after the Event, Salem asked them whether they could hand round invites for the Significant Others of the rest of the group who were affected by the Event. Salem thinks that what happened there is probably affecting them - and Salem themselves! - nearly as much as it affecting the people who actually gained powers from it. So getting together to support each other and provide help should it be needed is a good idea!

Salem has printed out some invitations for Briar to distribute. They don't say anything that would reveal that there are supers involved, but does invite the recipient to a lunchtime Meet and Greet at the 'Spring 4-ward' restaurant. For discussion and mutual support, with more details when everyone is face to face. The invite suggests they all wear the red and green striped ribbon that was pinned to the invites, so they can all tell who is who.

The restaurant itself is a mid-range Korean place, not a dive but not the poshest either. Salem has booked a relatively private booth in a corner, away from the door, and sits at the table, facing the door, with the red and green striped ribbon pinned prominently on the lapel of their jacket.

[Neo-Paladin]

Miles Chance

Reflexively, Miles smoothed his hair and adjusted the small pin on the lapel of his jacket before he went in. The invitation had been somewhat blunt and direct while being devoid of further info. But, according to Linda, the guy(?) who had given him the invitation was on the level. Besides, he was not on duty today, so he might as well check it out.
Plus, Korean food. At the very least he'd get something tasty out of it.
Stepping inside, he looked around until he saw the person with the same ribbon and approached.
" Hi. I'm Miles", he says, holding out his hand.

[Doctor Malsyn]

Mariette Kingly

The woman sighed as she flipped off the car's engine, flicking through the folder she'd taken with her when she left work. Just her luck that this meeting was happening right when she meant to be grading that evening. Maybe she'd have time to work on it inside...? No, no, better to leave it all for later.

Gathering up instead her keys and cute handbag emblazed with cartoon cat-like creatures, the young woman finally got out of the car and made her way in. There towards the back she saw who looked to be two Men, and adjusted the pin on her collar as she approached.

"Hello. Not late, am I?" She spoke, glancing between them.

[Neo-Paladin]

Miles Chance

" Not at all. I just got here, too. I'm Miles", Miles introduced himself to the newcomer, smiling warmly.

[Flynnarrel]

Margo Foxten

"... and until we have serious offers we can't commit to staying domestic. Of course we'd *like* to support the US auto industry but that takes a show of investment on both sides, Mr. Farley." she says watching a woman enter the restaurant through her visor mirror in the pretense of checking her teeth and mentally grouping her with the cop that entered earlier. Even in plain clothes there was no mistaking law enforcement.

"Uh-huh. Have your people work on that revised proposal and email it to me when convenient but please, don't take too long - my client isn't one to stay idle as you'd imagine." She hung up with the CEO and took another breath opening the invitation and skimming it again. '...discussion and mutual support...' was vague enough that it could mean anything but it evoked imaginings of a twelve-step program to quit smoking or a hokey self-help group. Still, Margo had vague hopes that others of the 'Elite' (a terrible name, by the by) might want public representation and image consultation and that was worth coming to this thing.

She gathered her purse - a sturdy, functional thing, put on sunglasses of the same practicality, and carried the invitation with its distinctive pin before getting out of her car and heading into the restaurant. She got her bearings for a moment before orienting on the growing group and going over.

"Margo, Margo Foxten. Associated with a certain purple blurry guy." She offers around her business cards by way of introduction.

[Doctor Malsyn]

Mariette Kingly

She glanced to the side, noting the much older woman fast approaching. "Let's save introductions for when we're all in attendance."

[Tony Jones]

Salem Remington

Salem stands and shakes Miles' offered hand with a smile. "Hi!"

"Yes," nods Salem in response to Mariette's words, offering their hand to the two female arrivals. "Keep the repetition to a minimum! Just waiting on one more person now..."

[Flynnarrel]

Margo had to wonder how the others knew the guest list for this event more intimately than she did. The invites didn't contain an RSVP so how could they know for certain who was showing up? Heck, *she* wasn't 100% certain she'd come to this thing. Was it a breakdown in her own information sources? Were the pins GPS tracked? She decided not to make waves at this first exchange. "It's alright," she says in a gravelly alto, "I don't mind repeating myself, it's a short name. And, honestly, I'm not getting any younger. I could forget my name at any moment so best I get it out there." she jokes.
She proffers a card to the long-haired person she hadn't seen coming in. "Margo." she introduces. "I take it you're responsible." she says shaking the invitation. Since she hadn't seen them enter it was a safe deduction.

[mrdent12]

Katie Smith

It had been a busy day for Katie and she was a little more tired than usual. It had taken some coaxing, but she managed to get that she had gotten an invite for some meeting. Andy had done his push back, trying to remain below the radar, but she had worn him down enough to pass the invite along. Eventually she get him to go public. Small victories.

Earlier in the day, she had been buried in some government paper work to gain reimbursements for the treatment for some of the unfortunates in L.A. The other sisters tried to help, but the church had paid for her degree for a reason. It was her job to sort it all out. After the paperwork, she had made some rounds dropping food off at some people on skid row who couldn't move around so easily. Snuck into it was Andy's number if they needed help. He knew she did it. Katie was a lot of things, but a liar when it came to helping the less fortunate wasn't one of them.

By the time she arrived, she was wearing her habit still with the ribbon as mentioned in the invite. Ordinarily, she'd change before these sorts of things, but there wasn't time. "Sorry I'm late. Mrs. Murray was having a particularly hard day today getting motivation to start moving around. Bless her soul, she lost her husband and two kids not two years ago and needs some motivation.", begins Katie catching herself. "My name is Katie. I wasn't given any of your names. It was hard enough getting the invite.", she finishes looking at those assembled.

[Flynnarrel]

"No one's gotten anyone's names to my knowledge." Margo says brightly. "I'm Margo." the old woman says offering a business card. "Pleasure to meet you, Katie."

"I'm sorry about Mrs. Murray. Um... should we... know who Mrs. Murray is?"

[mrdent12]

Katie Smith

"I'm sorry about Mrs. Murray. Um... should we... know who Mrs. Murray is?"

"I don't expect you would unless you were in Ireland with her or frequented the bars near the long beach docks where she used to work as a waitress.", replies Katie simply. "The invitation said something about a discussion and mutual support about something?", inquires Katie.

[MacynSnow]

SUPPORT GROUP(SPRING 4-WARD RESTAURANT):
Not long after Katie show's up(less than 10 minutes), a limousine will pull up to the Restaurant and from the back step's out an Older Korean man dressed for work wearing the Red & Green ribbon on his lapel. Walking through the doors as the limo leaves, he'll head directly for the table. Margo, catching sight of them as she talk's to Katie, instantly recognizes Sung-Ho Chao (aka:"The Hollywood Tiger"), one of the Board Executives for Palladium Studios and Chelsea's Dad. Once he get's to the group, he'll hold up the invite(almost like you would a Wallet badge, Miles would note idily) and state
"What's all this foolishness about? My daughter has better thing's to do with her time than 'Hang around'...."

(Warner-Brothers.com)

OOC:Margo & Salem would know some casual info about "Tiger" Chao, if you wanna roll for it, i'll give ya more--He uses "questionably legal" Business practices to get various IP's for the Studio--he's an OCD jerk if you work under him, demanding near perfection from everybody(especially his daughter)--He married slightly later in life than normal.

[Doctor Malsyn]

Mariette Kingly

Marry would eventually come around and introduce more formally as well, though with some slight instance on the shorthand of Marry. It seemed things were a little slow to kick off, but she was more then capable of helping to fill up that gap with some small talk. She was rather intrigued by the nun's presence, being catholic herself. It'd be one of her primary goals in trying to befriend the woman, if nothing else then she was rather lack for company when it came to other woman her own general age group. Her fellow staff were all very pleasant, but the youngest amongst them was in their forties.

Mr. Shao's sudden appearance lent her to frown, she could see that stiff air from a mile away. Her preconceived notions were only verified once he started going on, reminding her of some of the more 'strong willed' parents at the PTA meeting last month. Like when it came to them though, it'd be reckless to be overtly confrontational. So she hid her displeasure as best she could with a soft smile, and stood up to greet the man directly. "Hello, I'm Mrs. Kingsly." These professional types tended to appreciate a more formal approach. "I believe that's why we were all invited here in the first place, to discuss this recent... Well, 'oddness', and try to figure how to best approach it from the sidelines, as it were."

[Flynnarrel]

Margo's eyes rose at the sight of their latest arrival. Mr. Chao likely didn't need her representation, and while he likely wouldn't spend his ire on the nun she didn't want to be the first recipient of it. When the smartly dressed woman, the wife of the charcoal man by the name of her, introduced herself, Margo was curious how that would play out.

well informed: 1D20+9 = [12]+9 = 21

She tried to recall what she could of Mr. Chao, but now that she had a name, of Mrs. Kingsley as well.

well informed: 1D20+9 = [2]+9 = 11
but likely didn't get anything on Mrs. Kingsley.

[Tony Jones]

Salem Remington

"Thank you," says Salem politely, taking the card offered by Margo. They raise an eyebrow when a nun joins them, but do not otherwise comment.

Knowing things about "Tiger" Chao: 1D20 + 4 = [5]+4 = 9

"Greetings everyone!" Salem says, standing up now that everyone is here. "I'm Salem Remington, the person who invited you all here. I'm the roommate of the person you might know as 'Jellicle'."

"I believe what I have to say here - and why I have asked you all here - is neither foolishness or time wasting," they continue, looking Mr Chao directly in the eye as they say so. As a part-Korean person with similarly pushy parents, Salem is clearly not pandering to his ... demanding ... ways.

"I'm not a psychologist or a therapist, but my parents were," they continue, looking round at everyone. "And I couldn't help but pick up a bit of it from them. And that's why I invited you all here. I'm worried. We all know people who were caught in the ... Event ... the other day. And if the people you know are anything the one I know they have come out of it ... changed. Given power. Powers, even. And that is inevitably going to affect them."

"Maybe for the better! I certainly hope so, darn it!" As they speak their voice, initially a bit hesitant, becomes more confident, more passionate. They clearly believe deeply in what they are saying and are trying to get that across to everyone else around the table.

"But maybe not as well. And I am worried that without some way to keep them grounded, link them to, well, not the real world, their powers are real now too, the normal world maybe, they could start thinking they are above us, maybe above the law or the government. Even think they can be their own judge, jury and executioner. And that would be bad. For them. For us. Maybe for the country or even the world!"

"I know that comes across as a bit melodramatic, but if they all have super-powers like in the movies and the comics, then how could they be stopped if they really put their minds to it? Or contained even if they were imprisoned? Not that I want them to be, or think they will need to be. But what if?"

"And I think that puts all of us, as those closest to them, in a position where we can offer to be their ... anchor ... I guess. Something to keep their feet on the ground, stop them going off the rails, and probably lots of other cliched phrases. Which is potentially a darned big responsibility!"

"But likely to have a much better outcome than treating them like freaks - as some people would I am sure. Or," they continue, deliberately not looking at Mr Chao as they do so. "Treating them like a resource to be controlled and exploited rather than as a person."

"I know it's not something I asked for, and I'm guessing it's not something any of you guys asked for either. But it's here now. And we have to decide what we can do to help the situation..."

"And if we do, as maybe the only people in the world in this situation, it will maybe help all of us to have the support of the rest of us. Because this might be difficult. I don't know. I hope it's not! But I would rather start to do something now, before things fall apart, than wait until the last moment to do something. Let things fester."

"So that's it. I've said my piece. What do you reckon?"