maskormenace | video.

[ when the feed clicks on, it's easy to tell that nick's in the kitchen, probably one that's similar to most in the issued residencies. his tone's a far cry from casual, but the fact that he's apparently wasting time at home at least offers some semblance of nonchalance. ]

My name is Nick Burkhardt. I'm with the Portland— previously of the PPB, currently with the... [ a pause, and extremely reluctantly: ] Heropa PD.

[ that's the formal introduction out of the way. which is the easy part; identify yourself, follow routine. going out of his way to make friends isn't something nick's done in a long time, which is probably going to be obvious in roughly ten seconds. his effort to drop the professional approach ends up sounding more neutral than genuinely amicable, but at least it keeps this from sounding like a full-on interrogation. ]

I wasn't planning on getting a tattoo, but given the choice I'd have gone for something a little less on the nose. And while I'm sure cops everywhere would appreciate the vote of confidence, something tells me this place is working with a flexible definition of the word hero.

[ definitely a judgement on what he's seen on the network rather than any kind of careful introspection. no offense. ]

Everyone's talking about whether or not we should register. I'm wondering what gives us the right to in the first place. [ a slight pause, and then he has the decency to sound a bit wry at his own expense. ] So on a scale of recycling to wearing spandex, how heroic do you think you rate?

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Seems like they're expecting something similar here. I can't imagine they plan on policing us themselves, unless they have a few tricks up their sleeves.

[ which he's assuming they do, actually. unless they're serious about not controlling the arrival of the imports, it'd be insane to just shove powers at people without some means of controlling them. ]

That's an optimistic outlook on matters considering you have a tattoo on your arm that tracks your movement. [She doubts that there's going to be a lot of self-policing going on. She actually thinks it'll prove impossible, because it'll be declaring authority over one another, and Kate's certain that's not going to work. Not with some of the players on the board.]

[ there's a slight smile, and it's a mix of self-deprecating and amused as he cedes her point. ] Fair enough. But there's still a limit to what tracking can accomplish, given what some of us might be capable of. These things don't have a nuclear option, do they?

[ tattoos with an off button, why not. they're already glowing. ]

According to what information I scrounged up about them, there isn't anything. But tracking seems to accomplish enough if you have enough people willing to help you out if something goes topside.

[It's a paranoid statement, but she's seen what the government can do just by keeping an eye on people.]

[ the paranoia doesn't go unnoticed, but he doesn't pry. yet. ] I can't exactly argue with that, either. I guess it just comes down to how many of us are willing to help them enforce their rules.

Sorry, it's Kate, right? [ reading the names on the network is easy, but it still feels a bit awkward without a formal introduction. ]

Yeah, you got it. You know, I almost wish they let you pick a username. [There's a pause.] Though I'd go with Kate Bishop anyway.