She nodded to the newcomers that were loosely grouped up on one end of the stage. Only the Misfit Toys seemed completely at ease with the attention of the crowd. She turned to address the people that were becoming a community.

"First, I want to thank all of you for the amazing work you've done. This is beyond incredible." She pointed to the bulwarks and saw the proud smiles as everyone looked them over. "I'm going to do some introductions for our guests, but before I do that…"

She turned to face the newcomers, dipping her head in a short nod. "I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. We have a good community here, people who have strong hearts and are willing to put in the work. With the seriousness of the upcoming challenge, though, we had to reflect honestly on our capabilities and limits. What we found is that all the heart in the world didn't hide the truth - we are weak."

She heard murmurs and saw expressions ranging from shame to anger in the crowd, but she pushed forward. This wasn't the time to protect fragile feelings. Looking at the crowd she continued. "It's true and you know it. We will be strong by the end of this, but right now we need help."

She turned back to face the visitors. "We needed help, and you responded. I know you have your own reasons and motivations, but all that matters to me is that you showed up. We are grateful to you and we will make sure that it is worth your time."

She looked around again and saw that the crowd was staring at the newcomers, not with hope and appreciation, but with resentment. I'm losing them and we haven't even started. How do I do this? Frustration welled up in her. They needed the truth, they needed to know the direness of the situation.

But then again, a cruel truth was sometimes more harmful than an encouraging comfort. Tess straightened up, her eyes scanning both the newcomers and the familiar faces in the crowd. She could feel the tension thickening, but she steeled herself.

"Look," she began, her voice steady but carrying a firm resolve, "I know the truth isn't always easy to hear. But if we're going to make it through what's coming, we need to be real with each other. Yes, we are weak. Yes, there are holes in our defenses, and there are things we don't know how to handle yet. But that's not where this ends."

She paused, letting the words settle before continuing. "Strength isn't something we're born with. It's something we forge, something we earn every day. And yes, we are going to have to earn it. Together."

Tess turned back to the newcomers, her voice shifting to a tone of appreciation but also quiet challenge. "I'm not here to promise you easy victories, or to act like we're already some unstoppable force. What I can promise is that we will stand shoulder to shoulder, each of us giving what we have and pulling our weight. And we will be stronger for it. We will grow from this. We will make each other better. Every one of you who's here today? You're part of this and you will see the impact you have on all of us."

She looked out over the crowd again, meeting the eyes of those who had been wary, unsure, maybe even angry. "You've already done so much. But don't mistake what we've done for the end. The challenge is coming, and it's coming fast. But I know this: every single one of you has something to offer. Whether it's the strength of your hands, the sharpness of your mind, or the courage in your heart, it matters. Every piece of you matters, and it will show. We're building something here, and it's not just about survival. It's about thriving, about finding our strength when it's tested."

Tess took another breath, feeling the weight of what needed to be said. "To our guests, our new teammates - thank you for being here. For stepping up when we needed help. You're not just a part of the fight - you're part of us now. And to everyone here - don't forget that. We are all in this together. Whatever happens, whatever comes, we move forward as a team. We'll grow stronger, we'll fight harder, and we'll succeed."

Her gaze softened, a spark of determination lighting in her eyes. "This isn't the end of our journey. It's just the beginning. Let's make it count."

She nodded once more, her shoulders square, her voice clear, and the crowd's murmurs now softened by a sense of shared purpose.

"Later we're going to meet and go over the details of our skills and power sets, but for now I want a quick introduction from everyone. Tell us who you are, your expected role here, and how you expect to help"

"I'm Tess Torres and this is my neighborhood. I don't run things here, but if a decision needs to be made or a problem comes up that you can't solve on your own, come to me. I expect everyone here to pull their weight and work as a team. There's no room for pride or jockeying for position, and I won't allow that." There were chuckles and snickers through the crowd as they remembered the Blankenships, the newcomers looking around in confusion. "I am both a ranged and melee fighter and will be the first on the line to take out anything too big or tough to deal with. You're here to help with the big monsters," she nodded to the newcomers, "but if it's something that is likely to kill you or us, get me."

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She saw Ash nodding enthusiastically, the twins giving her an appraising look, and the leader of the Toys… what was his name? Weeble. She saw Weeble crossing his arms over his chest in a motion that conveyed skepticism, despite her not being able to see his expression. She nodded to Ed.

"Hi," Ed waved. He laughed as a bunch of people in the crowd said 'Hi!' back. His friendly, joking, light-hearted attitude and willingness to be among the people every day had made him a favorite. "I'm Ed and I'm an illusion specialist with a little bit of Blood Wizard mixed in. Mostly my role will be to confuse, misdirect, and blind enemies, but I've also rigged up some pretty nasty blood magic out there." He stepped back and Tess nodded to Madison.

The girl stepped forward with her standard no-nonsense attitude. "I'm Madison Bouchard and this is my brother, Jason. I am a level 15 Arcane Engineer and my brother is a level 16 Bastion Architect. My mother is a level 18 Chemical Synthesist and my father is… well, I don't know what his class or level is. My primary role is creating gadgets for whatever we need, but I've also been the primary strategist. If you have any questions or needs for armaments, defenses, or anything similar you come to me. In the absence of Tess I am the ranking person and will direct you. My brother's primary goal is architectural defenses. If he asks for help in constructing, repairing, or moving anything please follow his requests without argument." She nodded and stepped back.

Leon stepped forward, a massive hammer resting across his shoulder. Tess could have sworn he'd put on 50 pounds of muscle since she'd seen him last, especially considering how he moved the hammer without effort. The handle of the hammer was at least four feet long and the head was a double sided steampunk contraption that was at least two feet across and a foot thick. One side was spiked and the other had dull knobs sticking out. Tess knew that each side telescoped out with a blast of steam, adding additional power to his already prodigious powerful strikes. "I am Leon and you can basically consider me the union leader here." He smiled as the crowd laughed. "For real, though, I'm just some sucker who somehow ended up speaking for these assholes," he waved his hammer at the crowd and they laughed. "I'll be on the walls helping anyone who needs it, but can be used for some of the bigger baddies we'll face. Mainly my job is keeping everyone safe, working, and happy."

Tess smiled at the man who had become a symbol of strength, power, and growth for everyone here. More than anyone, he was the inspiration for the crowd. As much as she didn't like it, she knew it was necessary that her, her family, and the Bouchards were at a distance from everyone else. They needed to see them as the leaders, and leaders had to have a little bit of distance if they were going to be followed and inspire hope. Leon, on the other hand, was one of them - and they never forgot it. He was the best of them all and Tess was glad he was there.

She turned and nodded to Luna, the girl blushing red as she stepped forward. "Uh, I'm Luna Torres… I'm, uh… well, it's weird. I'm lucky and can do some things, but they're hard to explain. I'm learning to do more things too. Oh! I'm level 16 now and can become the Crimson Scythe, although I guess you don't know what that is. Oh well, you'll see! Hopefully. Anyway, I want to help however I can but it's hard to say how that'll be. I guess if you need anything let me know." She 'eeped' as Madison reached forward and took her hand, pulling her back.

Tess smiled, her heart filled with love at how Luna had kept her sweetness, even after everything. She looked around again and shook her head. "My son isn't here, for some damned reason, but he's Cass Torres and he's a speedster. His class is something to do with shields but his primary goal will be a general melee fighter and protecting groups that need it. He can also do rescue ops."

Tess turned to face the visitors now, nodding to Ash. The young man looked shy at first, but straightened with false bravado as he stepped out. "My name is Masaru Saito, but you can call me 'Ash.' I'm a soul domain specialist, which I guess we'll talk about later, but basically I have two power sets right now. I am a close-combat swordfighter and an ice mage."

The crowd murmured at his explanation. How did one person have two different power sets? And what was a soul domain specialist? Ash was silent on the topic as he stepped back.

Tess looked at the two remaining teams, expectantly. After a pause one of the Indian twins sighed. "Okay, I guess it is our turn then."

"Oh my," Luna murmured breathlessly, paying attention to them for the first time.

Madison looked up at her but the girl had eyes only for the twins. She looked around and saw that the rest of the crowd did too. She squeezed Luna's hand. "Do I need to be worried?"

Luna was confused for a moment, then tore her eyes away from the women. "Wh… what? What did you say?"

"Do I need to be worried?" Madison nodded towards the twins.

Luna blushed. "Oh! Oh, no, you don't have to be worried. It's just that they…"

Madison sighed and nodded. "They're beautiful. Incredibly so."

"They look like Amazons - but like the Wonder Woman kind."

"Yes, they have very nice packages."

The joke registered and Luna laughed quietly. "They do, that's true. But I care more about what's inside the package." She leaned down and kissed Madison.

The kiss ended and they turned back to the women. "Still, though, they're very nice to look at," Madison said.

"Yeeaaahhh…"

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