Welcome to town!

[Bjorn]

"Oh," says the Gargoyle.  There isn't much to say to that, as he's relatively confident it's against superhero etiquette to ask, "So, what, you've got no powers?"

[Edward]

"I shovel well.  I shovel very well."

[Brian]

Further conversation is momentarily interrupted by the arrival of the ferry.  The craft is decently sized, and would probably fit twenty people comfortably.  Or six to seven Balrog and Gargoyle-sized people.

It appears to be automated (the thing looks empty) and it emits a chime as it bumps against the tires attached to the side of the quay.  At the same time, a metal hook descends and latches from the foreship to a loop on one of the pylons; another from the rear.  After the hooks attach, the boat winches them in until the side is flush with the quay, and then the chime sounds again.

Then a prerecorded voice says, "Thank you for applying to join the City's defense!  This automated craft will depart in:  Five minutes.  Please keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times."  A moment later, a somewhat different voice says, "Gracias por aplicarse para ensamblar la defensa de la City! Este arte automatizado saldrá en: Cinco minutos. Guarde por favor sus manos y brazos dentro del vehículo siempre."

'Action Kid', "Ooooh,"s softly and says, "Caramba!"

[Halbarad]

"They get THAT many applicants?" Balrog says, his mouth hanging open. "I never realized heroes were so COMMON..."

[Edward]

"Or they're ready for applicants that are larger than..." the Shoveller looks at Balrog and Gargoyle. "...average.  Besides, I exoect the boat is used for other things."

"I suppose we should be going." He boards the boat.

[Bjorn]

"Good plan," the Gargoyle concurs, making his way aboard the ferry.

[Halbarad]

"Umm.... I hope this thing is more solid than it looks," Balrog says after a few moments before hestitantly hopping off the dock and into the boat - sadly, the feet he has are not exactly ideal for navigating steps and stairs.

[Brian]

After Balrog, the Action Kid happily leaps onto the vessel -- almost.  He spends a comical instant clinging to the railing before he manages to hoist himself up and scramble over.  "Too much gear," he says, abashedly.

The boat's hidden speakers emit a chime, and the prerecorded voice says, "This vehicle will depart in: two minutes," followed by the second voice's, "Este vehículo saldrá en: dos minutos."

"They can't really expect a hero who doesn't know English, can they?" Action Kid asks the Shoveler, sidling up to the most human of the applicants on the boat.

[Ragnar]

Seemingly at the last minute, a semi-tall, slightly balding man wearing sunglasses and a trench coat hurries towards the pier, with a cry of "Wait!" His reluctance to be too conspicuous becomes clear as he climbs in the boat; dead ringers for deceased ex-presidents tend to be a little unnerving.

To the people he encountered in daily life near his small apartment in New York, he has always been a "nephew" of the 34th president. The truth behind his rebirth at the hands of those wacky fellows at the CIA was lost years ago in paper files somewhere at the bottom of a crate. The tongue-in-cheek yet endearing nickname of "Eisenpower" is all he cares to retain from that era of his life.

Now, however, he has gotten wind of the city's offer, and decided to do something other than read Zane Grey novels and play Golf. He has newly arrived to town, but has spent a decent amount of time looking at maps and attempting to familiarize himself with the area.

He looks at his companions for a minute. The large beast-like man strikes him as a bit peculiar, but is eclipsed in bizarreness by what seems to be a giant, animated toaster. After a brief pause, he offers his hand and a broad smile.

"Hi, I'm Dwight."

[Bjorn]

The Gargoyle puts forward a massive bony mass of talons, smoking slightly in the chill air.  "Please to meet you," he grates politely, "I'm the Gargyole."

[Halbarad]

Balrog waves a stubby flap at the newcomer. "I'm Balrog, pleased to meetcha! I'd offer to shake, but... yeah. Arms. Kinda need those."

[Brian]

Action Kid furrows his brow as the boat's recording announces, "The vehicle is now departing.  Thank you for applying for City defense!" followed by the requisite, "El vehículo ahora está saliendo. ¡Gracias por solicitar defensa de la ciudad!"  The vessel accelerates slowly until it reaches the immense speed it crossed the bay with -- though the movement is gradual enough that no one is knocked over.

"What a sweet ride," he comments, before adding to Dwight, "I'm Action Kid, a sidekick looking for a hero.  You know ... you look kind of familiar, like I should know you from somewhere."

[Ragnar]

Dwight shakes with Gargoyle, noting a very warm sensation as he does so. Dwight, having resigned himself to the inevitability of revealing his identity to the public that goes with being a distinctive super-hero, is still a bit wary.

"Yeah, kid," he says. "That's possible."

[Edward]

"Por que?  Es posible," The Shoveller answers Action Kid's question about langauges.

After the others have introduced themselves, he then addresses the newcomer.  "I suspect you get rather tired of people commenting on the similarity."  He smiles and offers his hand.  "I'm the Shoveller, pleased to meet you.  What should we call you?"

[Ragnar]

Dwight looks at the Shoveler. "Either Dwight or Ike is fine," he says.