Final Five

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Asuras

When God pulls his gun out, he's not running out.
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  1. Primarily Prefer Female
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Fantasy, Sci-fi
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Location: The Den
Time: 11:00 AM
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Center headlines read, "The New Final Five?", and depicted a series of five unremarkable black silhouettes with question marks printed on their faces. The newspaper article detailed limited information on the revival of a recently-revealed superhuman organization in the city of Shanhu, though in reality the knowledge that they existed was uncovered a year prior; the city was simply still interested in their dealings long after the original disappeared.

"Should we call John, figure out who leaked this?" said an older man sitting comfortably in a large black leather chair. The butler, Mason Wick, flicked the newspaper skillfully to the next page as he spoke out to the room. He smiled as he continued reading.

The Den, as it was called, was the Final Five's home away from home. A penthouse at the top of an unassuming (compared to its nearby fellow skyscrapers), made up of a series of bedrooms, lounges, and other, much more secretive locale spread about the top-floor space. This particular lounge had a grandiose view of a wall of grey and glass, its height far too much to even look below and see any semblance of a street. There were a number of members who'd complained plenty about the lack of view and locale, but even they were ultimately aware that they simply couldn't choose a notable place to be stationed. Besides, Mason had already built up a rep with the building's maintenance workers and acquired a key to the service elevators, which the main five were required to use, so as to avoid congested public areas that could potentially lead civilians to their doorstep.

During this particular day, it seemed there was little in the way of urgency, lending to a lazy, dull atmosphere about the penthouse as members tried their best to stifle boredom. Though there were countless things to do elsewhere in the city, it was a Saturday, and that meant all hands on deck for anything that could prop up. As it turned out, the days in which John Cornell, Anfisa Yemelin, or Yigga were most prone to throwing important information in the Final Five's faces was Saturday. As the happenstance occurrences continued on, it moreso became custom for the supporters to do their best to find things for the faces to do on the particular day.

But, as was clear thus far, they hadn't come up with anything, though Mason did mention with little interest that an arcane fire was spreading through an apartment complex in the city, and had yet ti be put out. Nothing the Shanhu police couldn't solve eventually. Amoix Resieulle, the maid, came into the lounge with a whirring vacuum cleaner, pausing just behind Mason after turning the machine off.

"Perhaps we could spend the time clearing out Lee's room?" she suggested with a deadpan expression, "I wouldn't be surprised if that craphole spawned an eldricht abomination. I'd rather not deal with it on my own." She turned to any Final Five faces present in the room and rose her eyebrows. "A vacuum cleaner wouldn't do much against that kind of thing."
 
Mia's idle-minded fascination with the reflections on the neighboring building's windows was broken when Mason spoke. "With all the noise buzzing around, it'd probably just bring more attention if we interfered." She stepped away from the window and plopped unceremoniously onto a sofa. "I say let them play telephone."
• Icebreakers •
Not usually one to speak out of turn, her blurting was rather uncharacteristic. Her unkempt posture, however, was not so unusual. The boredom must truly have been palpable for her. "Whatever happened to the papers conveniently publishing articles about demonic milk jugs and stuff?" A look over at the others pleaded for a vote of confidence.
• are •
Then came Amoix, who'd always evoked a sense of motherliness in Mia. "Where has he gone, anyhow? I haven't seen him all week." Of course, she prefered to walk places, so perhaps that wasn't so unusual.
• fun. •
She rolled over in the couch to get a look at her personal device after some time. "What about some food? The diner? Caturday's going to be real lame if we don't do something."
 
Runa looked up from the homework she was struggling with, thankful for the distraction. "I don't think it's bad to have a little speculation, so why bother," she asked. "Covering it all up won't really do much." Maybe it would. But then it'd just be a continual game of squashing all the information. And they were superheroes, damn it. That meant being a shining example, not constantly hiding in the shadows, out of the public eye. Or so her comic books told her, and what else would be an authority on the subject.

She found the weekends boring, what with having to sit at home all the time. Weekends were supposed to be fun, going out and doing things with friends, not spent cooped up inside like the rest of the week. Weren't they? But there was something about being "on duty" in case things happened, whatever that meant. She looked over at Mia, and tilted her head to one side in confusion, her long ahoge curling around to look a bit more like a question mark than usual. "Demonic milk jugs? I don't remember ever hearing about anything like that. No fair." She pouted, puffing out her cheeks. It seemed like everyone got up to the interesting things when she wasn't around. Not that she had been upgraded from curious research sample to useful team member for very long.

While the discussion of Lee didn't get much from her, the comments on eldritch horrors did. "If there's some horrible monster running around in there, you can just leave it to me," Runa announced with a smile, hopping to her feet to strike a pose. "If there's one thing I'm confident in, it's my fighting skills." She's said that before about other things. Still, she was pretty useful when it came to needing sheer physicality. "...I really wish math was so easy," she eventually whined, sinking back down to the papers and books scattered on the coffee table in front of her.

Mia's mention of food perked her right back up, though. "I'm game," she replied. She was always willing to go get food. Or do anything that was fairly free of careful supervision outdoors. "I thought it was Saturday, though. Is today special?"
 
From around the lounge’s door black mist seeped in through every crevice and spread through the air without direction for a moment before the mass collapsed into a smaller, more defined shape. A cloud of mist swirled beneath and from it Ling rose as a vaguely humanoid shape, albeit without any defining facial features. Drifting forward while he rubbed his head tiredly, Ling asked, in his echoey and rumbling voice, “What day is it?” The sight outside indicated it was still daylight, so with Runa’s presence it was probably a weekend, but it never hurt to make sure.

It was good to see that he wasn’t off the mark when Mason replied, but a glance around the room revealed that there was apparently little on the schedule; something the butler confirmed once more when he asked about it. It was then that Mason asked him the question he had the others and Ling gave a dismissive shrug. It was practically inevitable that his presence would be leaked sooner rather than later, so there was only so much that could done; his shell was a levitating coffin that looked like some ancient cursed artifact. “No point in trying to hide me,” was about as much as he said on that topic before he sighed and rubbed his hands together idly, lighting up the shadowy mist that made them up with bright flashes of magic.

With the suggestion of food inapplicable to him, Ling drifted over towards one of the terminals present in the lounge and turned it on. Thankfully the equipment here had mostly graduated from physical interfaces and was operable to him even outside his physical shell. It wasn’t long until he’d opened up a few browsers and was busy wasting away the day with the wonders of the Internet until he got bored.
 
Heroism was a full-time job, and even though others would have some complaints about the 24/7 work schedule, Tian-Gui didn’t care the slightest. It was a bit questionable why that, in a world where flying vehicles and cellphones existed, that the Final Five weren’t allowed to simply go about town on their own business until an incident popped up, but…well, whatever. It was the supporters that made the rules in the end, and the Chinese youth didn’t care nearly enough to ask for changes to that rule. Reclining on a hoverseat made out of artificial wood, he lazily scrolled through the daily news on a tablet computer, scanning articles for anything that the police couldn’t handle.

But, of course, there was nothing of note, outside of a fire, a new buffet-style restaurant, and the pregnancy of another actor.

It was tempting really, to just go and help the police out with their fire problem. Probably just needed to laze about in the flames for an hour or so to drain it dry of its magical fuel. But no, the Final Five could only mobilize during exceptional incidents, and, for better or worse, Tian-Gui was one of the more easily recognizable members of the heroic organization. Chances are, he wouldn’t even be able to slip into the burning building without half the block noticing him come from a mile away.

“It’s lunch, Mia,” he corrected, hopping off the levitating seat. “And how about…we work up an appetite by battling whatever mutated beasts have spawned in Lee’s room, before heading out for some AYCE?”

“I mean, really, if something pop’s up, it’s going to be via cellphone anyways. Not like we can’t just bring it with us.”

He wasn’t exactly the rule-breaking type, but then again, the lazy weekends were pure suffering for someone like Tian-Gui. And his exercise routine could only burn so much time in a day.


It would be best though, if Ling simply learned a mass teleportation spell.
 
"Limov? I'd presume he's just out and about," Mason responded to Mia, eyes pointed upwards in thought.

"Doubtlessly spending his money with reckless abandon," Amoix added in as she turned the vacuum back in and continued on with her work. "Or perhaps you could simply talk them down?" She said with a laugh after Runa offered help. For several more minutes the lounge was left as uneventful as the countless prior minutes they had before. Even Mason, one who was often expected to remain within the walls of the Den, eventually suggested they all take up Tian Gui's offer and go out somewhere for a bite after tackling Limov's room.

Tian Gui's speculations, however, were shattered with a literal slam of the lounge's doorway. Striding in from the hallway outside, the white-coated Soviet scientist, Anfisa, lightened up the mood of those present with what appeared to be an obvious sign of important things to come. The papers in her hand, the quick, long steps she took, and the stern look on her face indicated as much. Flicking the stack quickly in her grip as if to draw attention to it, she spoke out to the group,

"I promised myself I wouldn't leave you all bored a second week in a row, so here's something," she said, placing the stack on a glass table in front of the seating arrangement Mason found himself in. "Looks like we've got... where's the new guy?" she interrupted herself, looking about the room.

"Crowe?" Mason questioned, folding his newspaper as he looked up to Anfisa, "I got a call from him earlier. We should expect him later. Something about having no clue how to use the Shanhu transit system? I can't blame him," he shrugged. Anfisa pulled one side of her lips aside in suppressed disappointment.

"Anyways..." she continued on, "I've gotten reports of a sub-Shanhu lab loaned out to white coats that's apparently managed to make a harness of some sort on a minor Abyssal they caught. Of course, or should I say, as expected, it got loose regardless of their attempts and has been sighted in pipeworks at the lower levels. As with any minor Abyssal, things are pretty simple, but it requires actual work. None of you are so bored that you're too tired to deal with it, right?"Anfisa said, eyeing each member present.

"Good. Call Limov, get him to bring you to the last seen location of the Abyssal," she said turning away. "Ah, but I should mention. In dealing with the Abyssal, it'd probably be best if you killed it without damaging the harness it still has on it. If it stays on, you'll have a better time getting rid of the Abyssal." As she left, Mason raised his brows and seemed to mumble something to himself unheard.

Amoix pressed her hands on her hips, "I suppose I'll deal with Limov's room on my own then," she joked, "It's nearly lunch you guys, so don't you dare go out for that thing without eating something first! I'll go see if I can retrieve Limov," Amoix said, exiting the room.

"A warm up for a hopefully more vibrant coming week, no?" Mason said.
 
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A light tap paused the video he was in the middle of when the lounge’s door was slammed open, no doubt to gather the attention of those within. It was nice not having to move to turn his attention, the sensation was more akin to rotating one’s eyes 180°. Anyways, Anfisa’s presence along with demeanor meant that the day was about to get its jump start. Question of the missing member aside, their liaise to the scientific side of Shanhu got to the details rather quickly and Ling resisted the urge to sigh. Really… though he couldn’t complain about experiments on the unknown without being a hypocrite given his current state of existence.

“Really now…” The low mutterings were barely audible, but quite palpable as vibrations raced outwards from his form. His magic seemed ill suited for the task ahead then; generally anything on or near his targets didn’t survive intact or undamaged. Without any description of said harness, Ling could only envision a vague appearance and given the size of the lesser Abyssals, even his most precise magic would probably obliterate some of it. Well it could all be figured out after he’d actually gotten a look at the creature and the situation.

“Please no,” he replied to Mason even as he drifted towards the lounge’s exit to return to the Coffin within his own room. While boring, it was better that there was nothing for the Final Five to attend to. He’d never wish for there to be trouble simply to break a monotonous routine; days that passed by without incident were good ones. Whatever reply, if there even was any, was missed as Ling seeped through the cracks around the lounge’s door and into the hallway past it.
 
Runa jumped slightly at Anfisa's violent entrance. Her ahoge swung around to point right at the door, and she otherwise seemed to respond just a bit like a startled animal, before she realized who and what had caused the noise, she quickly relaxed. "Is it time for more tests already," she whined, before catching what the scientist had to say. "So, there's some kind of crisis for us to solve? And we get to eat first? Awesome! That's way better than fighting monsters in somebody's laundry or something."

She was certainly ready to go, though whether to fight abyssals or eat, one couldn't tell. As usual for the weekend, the young woman was dressed in a white sundress. She tended to favor minimal, light clothes when she wasn't wearing a school uniform or otherwise constrained in her choices, and it had taken some effort on the part of Mason, among others, to convince her that underwear, hospital gowns, and similar things were not appropriate, even at home. She's adjusted pretty well to things ,but it's still clear her early upbringing left her a little too used to certain things most wouldn't consider normal.

It was a bit of a relief when Yang left for the moment. She was convinced the black humanoid miasma was some sort of ghost or evil spirit, and while she didn't jump and hide at his every appearance, something about him still set her on edge. Part of it was probably that he was a presence without a presence, in some ways; no scent, not much of anything, but clearly there. Also, someone popping up through a wall was just spooky.

"I'm totally fine with getting lunch first, but is this really the sort of thing that can wait?"
 
Before the Final Five (really just four until their new member arrives) could start their operations, however, Anfisa, one of their mission providers, burst into the room, dropping a bomb that shattered all illusion of a relatively peaceful Saturday. Which was good for Tian-Gui, really, because the Chinese superhero, despite wishing for world peace, still wanted to be able to protect that world peace as well. After all, stagnancy was just as dangerous as turmoil. Listening intently to the White Coat’s reports, he scratched his chin as he stood up, running over the details in his head and committing it to memory. A minor Abyssal was still an Abyssal, and he really had to wonder why scientist would think that they’d be able to restrain such an otherworldly being…but then again, a dash of insanity was what drove most world-changing figures anyways.

“Amoix,” he said, flicking through his smartphone and tapping away at it, “I’ll send you the address to the restaurant then. Just get Limov to pick us up there, yeah? And the MS-400 Metal Eater should be in the third storage room to the right, in case you need it.”

With that, the young man pressed send, hopped off his floating chair, and slapped Runa heartily on the back. “We’ll be fine as long as we eat fast and get there fast, Runa. With Limov as the driver, half of that’s already done!”
 
Runa laughed as Tian-Gui slapped her on the back. "We've got the eating fast covered just fine!" She'd gone for food with him oftne enough to know they could both pack it away in a hurry if they really needed to. "What're we hanging around here for?" She was all too quick to abandon her homework, and skip along to the door, grabbing Tian-Gui's hand and dragging him along if he'll let her. "I guess if we're in a hurry, I can't get as much as usual, and we'd better go somewhere fast, too. No time to sit down and really enjoy a meal, right?"

She was in such a hurry, she almost forgot her shoes. She was also nervous. This would be her first real sortie, and she didn't know what to expect. I really hope i don't screw this up, she thought.
 
Eventually procuring another driver in the form of Mason, the three members of the Final Five had begun their drive to the restaurant in question. Midway through, however, a call from Anfisa shook up the standard practice of Abyssal-hunting. Picking up the built-in car phone, Mason responded to Anfisa with a few mhm's and yes's before hanging up and turning to the three in the car.

"Seems we've got two new recruits who're looking to have their mettle tested," he said, "They'll be at the diner waiting for you. Seems Anfisa wants you three to bring them up to speed and haul them along with you when you go to face the Abyssal. Rest assured, Anfisa says they're good enough to hold their own so long as things don't go wrong on your end." He continued driving for a moment before recalling something.

"Ah! And also, you guys have fifteen minutes to eat before Limov gets there. Better order faster and eat faster!" Mason pulled the silvery, sleek vehicle into a curve in the stratified road. Outside laid a sidewalk bordered by several establishments, their target of course being the inconspicuous diner, "Fire Ring Grill". It was a busy place, due in no small part to its cheap food and impossibly crowded location. Mason hopped out of the driver's seat before opening the doors of the back seats as he went around.

"Good luck to you all, and try to keep the newcomers safe and welcome. We can use all the help we can get," he said with a bow. Inside, Iphigenia and Kyouko had already found themselves a seat and been served by the counter-order service.
 
It was about noon when Iphigenia arrived at the designated diner, the Fire Ring Grill. She was early; being a veteran of a certain metropolitan ‘rapid’ transit system, the unnecessarily complicated routes did not faze her outside of an intense scrutiny of a transit map, and she had planned ahead for any unexpected delays. Thankfully, Shanhu seemed to be quite like Japan in regards to the timeliness of trains, and she was not stuck in the tube because of some retarded maintenance issue that could be expected in other places.

Pulling out an unworn wristwatch from the side pocket of her dark blazer, she absentmindedly checked the time before flagging down a barista over the counter for a glass of iced Hong Kong style milk tea. She just had a bubble green tea at a little tea shop in the nearby station, but more tea never hurt anybody. Iphie wouldn’t be so rude as to order food before anybody else would arrive. Although, having had a cursory knowledge of the existing members and having met one or two of the supporting members once, she guessed that the other members of the Final Five probably would not give two shits about her dining etiquette.

In that regard, Iphigenia was surprised, despite her conceitedness, that she’d been offered to join the Final Five. Even for her, a person who provided ancillary support to the organization and was exceptionally gifted in digging up information, had a difficult time forming even a light dossier on the other four core members. In contrast, she was a little less obscure. While she wasn’t exactly a public figure known by the common Joe off the street by any means, by virtue of her family and management of a certain business, her name was not unknown to the far reaching tendrils of the internet. Iphie was positive that this might cause problems with the hush-hush nature of the group, as it wasn’t exactly a problem that one could throw money at to make disappear. Maybe they wanted to go public? Egads, she hoped not.

The arrival of her sugary tea drink washed her away from this bitter and distasteful thought. Taking a sip of the sweetened black tea and condensed milk mixture with a straw, Iphie tracked the stream of guests arriving at the reasonably trafficked diner, looking for any distinguishable faces in the sea of customers.
 
It was finally happening! Kyouko was about to jump from being a rich nothing to be a someone, all she had to do was wait at this place called the Fire Ring Grill! Maybe some douche was just pulling a big prank on her after she became a bit more famous thanks to being responsible for the death of Doom Miku. But even if so, it was a chance she would take, and pray that Kyouko would forgive the person who would pull such a prank on her. Nonetheless, here she was, sitting in a chair and waiting for.

Kyouko's curiosity was nearly killing her, not knowing who the other four were allowed the girls imagination to go wild. After all, they were supposed to be super awesome people and all! At the same time however it made the girl also doubt her own abilities, she was, after all, just a mundane human without any outstanding abilities. Sure, to the world she was also one of those super mighty beast slayers and all, and that lie ultimately allowed Kyouko to get her where she was today. A lie build on her friends death...was it really worth it though? Wasn't she disgracing Miku with this course of actions? Or maybe her best friend would have told her this is exactly what she wanted? As she increasingly doubted herself the girl mentally said 'fuck it' for now and instead ordered everything tasty sounding on the menu! Which was nearly the entire thing.

Having gone through the trouble of paying in advance instead of after, Kyouko had a rather big table with all kind of junk food placed before her. "Oh gosh this all looks soooo goood I don't even know where to start?!" And with that, Kyouko's sub-adventure into to conquer this diner began.
 
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It didn’t take particularly long for Ling to return to the lounge and this time the door actually hissed open to announce his arrival. A bag covered the coffin, but that didn’t seem to cause any trouble as it nonetheless drifted over towards Tian unerringly. “I’ll leave it to you once more,” he muttered to the other member as usual, the material doing little to muffle his voice. As black mist seeped through the material, pieces of the coffin fell lifeless and the bag pressed them closer as it shrunk. In the end the bag was only a fraction his shell’s original size even if the pieces within were a jumbled mess; they sorted themselves out easily enough once he took up residence.

With that done the mist coalesced into a denser humanoid form next to the bag. A nod towards Tian then he followed after Mason, though he took his own path throughout the building quickly enough. Given the size of the team’s hardiest member and his naturally indistinct form, Ling slipped into the car’s backseat before Mason even arrived at the garage. Oh sure Runa probably wouldn’t appreciate it, but as long as he didn’t purposely try to freak her out nothing should happen… Most likely. To that end Ling turned a portion of his attention inward and drew in the mist that composed his body. It took a bit of effort to maintain the human-sized shape, but it was negligible if the ride wasn’t too long.
 
She had to sit next to the ghost guy. Runa was a little taken aback at that, although she eventually got into the seat next to Ling and proceeded to sit nervously as if she was also trying to make herself as small as possible. Something about him just made her uncomfortable, so she was careful to give him his space. At least the ride over to the diner was, for the most part, uneventful.

"New guys!?" Runa exclaimed in surprise. "Well, I'll do my best to keep them both safe." She confidently puffed out her chest, doing her best to seem responsible. "You can rely on me." Not that she would likely be keeping them safe herself, when she could be fighting out in front. Though that would mean the attention from the monsters stays on her. She was far, far less thrilled that they wouldn't have much time to eat.

"Can we even do much of anything with only fifteen minutes? Jeez, I guess we can manage it that quickly." She could, if the food got there fast enough. "How are we going to recognize these new faces, anyway?" She pondered how they'd even find their contacts for a while. The Fire Ring Grill was a busy place at the best of times, so it would be crowded. Not exactly the sort of location one wants for a clandestine meeting. Once the car arrived, she launched herself out of the door like a rocket, heading right for the restaurant's main entrance. It was probably just because she was in a real hurry to eat, and not because she wanted to get away from Ling that badly.

She practically hit the doors hard enough to slam them loudly open, and rushed right up to the bar, colliding with the counter with a bit of a thump. "Hey...I'm in a hurry," she managed, between catching her breath from the sort sprint. At least the whole stunt meant she had the attention of some of the staff, in addition to probably quite a few of the patrons. Girl knew how to turn heads when she made an entrance. "I need a cheeseburger or something really fast, only got like 10 minutes or something for lunch today."
 
Giving a thumbs up to Ling, Tian-Gui easily hoisted up the bits of armor that acted as a seal or whatever for the ghost-like entity, before heading out after the two of them. He took the front seat to allow for some extra room to hold onto the destruction mage’s body, before strapping himself in and enjoying the short ride. While the young man would have switched seats with Runa if she had asked, it was better for the monster girl to get used to Ling while she could. After all, if there was no trust between teammates, there wasn’t going to be any glorious friendship power to see them through tough enemies, right?

By the end of the drive, though, Tian Gui was seriously considering telling some corny jokes to make Runa laugh, because she was getting so nervous that even he was getting nervous. Relieved to finally be out of the increasingly stuffy car, the raven-haired hero stepped out the silver car and back to the Fire Ring Grill. It had the gimmick of using high quality, natural ingredients to expertly prepare American junk food, and…well, the news site that Tian-Gui frequented gave it 4 out of 5 stars, so it was probably decent.

Chuckling lightly at Runa’s rush, Tian-Gui asked, “So, Mason, what do the newbies look like anyways? It’d be pretty awkward if we picked up the wrong kids and all.”

Hopefully, Runa was going to order something for him as well, but if that wasn’t the case…well, he could just go to the Fire Ring Grill for dinner, and have some actual fast food.
 
"P-perhaps you could eat your food on the go? This is a fast food place, after all," said the cashier, startled by Runa's upfront and loud behavior. With a slow rise, he pointed up to the menu hanging above Runa's head and recounted what he knew to be the more quickly prepared meals available. "Our food doesn't take too long to put together, especially if you order something like a burger. J-just let me know what you want."

Outside, Mason leaned over the middle of the car, looking up to Tian through a rolled-down window after he exited. "Two young girls, one of them you might recognize from the news. That one that killed her monstrous friend or something. Not sure. Iphigenia and Kyouko are their names. Hopefully they've followed instructions and sat together already," Mason explained, "I didn't get any pictures or anything, unfortunately. He grinned. "Just do your best~!" With that, he rolled up the window and began to drive away from the curb.

Tian Gui's ears perked outside the grill, listening in on the natural ruckus of an immense metropolis. In the distance, he could hear the inevitable screeching of cars as poor drivers made mistakes, and the common yells of immeasurable crowds. However, some of it seemed less natural, though he could barely make out the sounds. As far as he was concerned, all was well. In her own booth, Iphigenia too, briefly caught wind of a distant sound unlike the normal screeching and howling of freeway cars, though the faintness of it only drew her attention for a moment.
 
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Despite having been contented with her sweetened drink, Iphigenia found herself growing impatient as the minutes ticked on. It did not help that in the booth over, a young girl, probably school-aged, had just ordered nearly everything off the menu, gaining the silent ire of the black suited girl. There was a special place in hell for people that ordered food for large groups at a fast food place without calling ahead. For this girl to do the same thing, but to serve herself, was incredibly presumptuous and a social offense of the highest caliber. Of course, Iphie was not the only one that perceived this; the staff of the restaurant would know all too well that the girl’s order would back up the already strained kitchen.

Iphigenia didn’t intend to order food before other arrived, but in light of this new development, she knew it was necessary if she wanted to get anything besides unlimited breadsticks before she had to leave. Catching the eye of her waitress, she ordered simple and fast, choosing a chicken melt with a side of coleslaw and pepper fries. She loved food, but wasn’t a picky eater at all, so something quick to prepare would be the more expedient choice. When her sandwich arrived before the brown-haired girl’s banquet, Iphie had to struggle to wipe the smug smile off her face as she celebrated her petty victory. Taking a deep sip of her tea to return her face to its ordinary state, she turned her attention to her melt with a knife and fork. There was no need to senselessly risk her sleeves by eating with her hands, after all.

Loud city sounds were a normal thing for the London-born girl, so the sounds of cars and yelling were barely significant enough to interrupt her meal. Even when the specific pattern of the noises left their normal parameters, Iphie only idly glanced out the window, where nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Still, the scenery of the place was interesting enough for her to look out it as she continued to eat, and short while later a silver colored vehicle pulled up to the diner, letting out two people, and… a thing. The man and the girl that made their way towards the restaurant seemed normal enough, but the figure that followed them appeared almost ethereal. She didn’t have CIA-level intelligence to go on, but the general features of the two and the qualities of the human-shaped being were enough for her to be confident that these three were the other members of the Final Five.

Raising her hand, she tried to flag them down. If she was wrong, not much of a problem. If she was right, she hoped that they didn’t want to eat quickly.
 
Runa was briefly taken aback, at least long enough to slow her down. "Like I said, a cheeseburger and fries will be fine." She glanced over her shoulder toward Tian Gui still outside. "Ah, double that, actually." The least she can do is ensure the rest of the team didn't need to also place an order. She didn't think Ling needed to eat, whatever he was. At least she'd placed her order now, possibly oblivious to any complications due to someone else previously ordering the entire menu. Her order placed, she began to glance around the room, and noticed someone waving at her.

She didn't recognize the other woman, but if she was waving her down, she'd go and investigate. It beat sitting at the bar and kicking her feet until her food arrived. "Heya, stranger," she cheerfully greeted Iphigenia. If this was a misunderstanding on her part, it wouldn't hurt, anyway. "Are you one of the people we're supposed to meet here," she asked, blunt and to the point right away.

She joined in waving Tian-Gui over, either to further any misunderstanding into a scene, or to just make sure he got to meet this person too, and confirm or deny that she's one of the ones they were looking for. And to let him know she'd ordered lunch for the both of them. Hopefully he didn't mind a burger and fries.
 
Maybe it wasn’t such a good thing, but Ling wasn’t all too bothered by the tense atmosphere that plagued the car ride’s beginning. The prospect of new teammates seemed to help with the atmosphere and he turned his attention to the passing scenery while the other two questioned Mason. As expected the trip didn’t take long, but still long enough for Runa to almost rip the door off to vacate the vehicle and, at least partially to his understanding, his presence. He watched as the restaurant’s doors were similarly almost blown off before he paid attention to Mason’s answer. “Iphigenia…” The name was familiar but it took him a few moments, long enough for Tian to walk away, for him to recall the individual.

Not that it was too useful he considered as he seeped through the numerous cracks in the vehicle and pooled beneath it. From what he could recall, the girl had never dealt with the Five or any of their supporters in person. Forced to disperse even further in order to seep into the ground as Mason pulled away, Ling put his thoughts aside as he flowed through the parking lot towards the building. To spread himself so thin was still an odd sensation he’d yet to get used to and he was glad to reach the restaurant. Ventilation systems, the building’s foundation, amongst many other areas were much more comfortable for him to disappear in.

Given the nature of the building, the ventilation system proved to be widespread throughout the interior and thus his first choice. He drifted through the metal ducts without issue and paused only for the occasional glance through the grills that revealed the floor below. It appeared that someone had attracted Runa’s attention which was good considering they didn’t have much time to spend here in the first place. For the moment he simply circulated with the air and looked for anything that caught his attention.
 
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