Seattle Summer Showoff

[basic_powers]

As they exist from the narrow door of the linen closet for his apartment, Dinah will see two doors down the hallway to her left. One has a biohazard sign hanging from it, and the other is part-way open, enough that one can see the window and bed inside. There's a couple of photos hanging from the wall, one of Beauford and a blonde young woman laughing with the lights of a carnival in the twilight background, and one with Beauford and a reddish-brown haired man in a repurposed tan flightsuit, grinning in front of a college graduation ceremony.

To her right, she'll see that Beauford was infact not exaggerating at all about the shoebox size of his apartment's kitchen, as there is only a tiny island seperating it from the small living room. There's a well-used black futon and coffee table with a little black laptop on top of magazines and comic books. Against the wall there's a shelf with a flatscreen tv, several videogame consoles and a dvd/bluray player. Light filters through the curtain outside and Dinah can likely see the door out of the apartment with three bicycles hanging from hooks beside it on the wall, and pannier bags for the bikes hung with coats and hats from the coat rack.

It doesn't take much guessing to figure out that the blue and gunmetal bike is Beauford's from the homemade welds and adjustments given to it.

"Welcome to my humble bachelor pad...I'd give you the tour but this is pretty much it."

Comments

[basic_powers]

"....having a monster sit on him, or getting smacked like a tennisball?" Beauford asks, wincing as Hat Trick gets picked up by Crusade again and carried around the tentacles.

"Okay, just tell me what you want me to do, 84." Hat Trick replies into her headset as Crusade flies her over. "You still want me to play rubber band on the tentacles?"

[fiss84]

"If you're still up for it," 84 manages through clenched teeth. "Keeping those things from any more property damage would be good. Or if you could make this lighter?"

"Sentinel, try and blast any that she misses or get free. Then maybe help with clean up, I'll be back for you. Alterity, Uplink, clear a path for me to the harbor. Warn Police and the Coast Guard. Also, Uplink try and get as good a picture of those controllers as you can. Some one is going to pay for this."

Carefully, the group begins the laborious flight to Elliot Bay and beyond to Puget Sound.

[raptorcanaria]

Hands in pockets, Dinah watches, letting the crowd following the team pass them and move on.

"Both," she says. "You want to follow and catch the aftermath?"

[basic_powers]

"I'll grab em, and then i'll see what else I got that could help." Hat Trick replies as Crusade swings her out....really out like a long line of silly putty to wrap around one claw and hold it shut, and then around to the other tentacles. Soon enough, Hat Trick has wrapped most of the tentacles...but sadly can't grab anymore, so it's the next best thing and chanting out a spell to make Godzilla Octolobster here weigh half as much as he did before.

"...I'd really like to but..." Beauford looks torn for a moment, as the group gains speed, passing out of sight behind a few buildings. "If we go after them, there's a greater chance of you being found out."

And without any sort of identification in this world beyond a few fake ids...which are great and might hold up to Uplink's scrutiny, but not her level of curiousity.

"...we'd better go. Unless you want to say hi to the group, and spend an hour answering questions."

[raptorcanaria]

"I don't mind answering questions," Dinah says, "but I don't want to get you into trouble."

Because let's face it, Dinah has nothing to hide from fellow heroes. In this world, the Bar is not her secret to keep.

[basic_powers]

"...let's stick to the story you thought up for if you'd meet Julie." He says after a moment of deliberation. "You're here visiting a friend of a family friend, who's showing you around Seattle while you....make up your mind if you want to start over with college here or not."

[raptorcanaria]

"And that little helping hand?" Dinah asks, then shrugs. "I'll anser that if they noticed."

No point making things more complicated. She jerks her head towards the sea. "Introduce me."

[basic_powers]

....Craaap, she's not going to let him hang back and hide out is she? Beauford looks...well anxious about the entire deal before nodding.

"...introduce you to the team?" He asks, innocently enough, looking at the buildings before taking a different route than the rest of the foot traffic. "Or to Puget Sound?"

[raptorcanaria]

"Whichever you prefer," Dinah says. "Really, we don't have to if it'll be awkward. But you obviously want to check on," her "them."

[basic_powers]

"And you obviously want to meet them and chat them up on technique." Beauford replies, surging down a narrow alleyway.

"Try to keep up!"

It's parkour time again, and the only way they'll get close enough to see how it ends for Octolobstrosity in time.

[raptorcanaria]

Try, huh?

Dinah rolls her eyes and runs after him, rapidly drawing close to his heels. She even overtakes him on the first vault, and for a few seconds she's running ahead of him.

[basic_powers]

And it's for those first few seconds that Beauford makes the most of technology and his cellphone to text someone a quick message.

84J: W/COUSIN AT SITE OF LOBSTER, CUZN WANT 2 MEET'N'GREET. WE R INCOMING. I WILL EXPLAIN L8R. XOXO -BFRD

Then he's making the big push past Dinah because WHO here is the native of Seattle, hunh? Don't outrun your tour guide, you might've missed that turn up ahead.

It's 15 minutes of hard parkour later that they arrive at a beach walk in time to see 84 finally out over open waters with the lobster.

[fiss84]

"Tell the Aquarium they'll have to rely on camera footage and anything you want to share with them Uplink. There is no way I'm keeping this thing here long enough for them to get here. Did you place the tracker on it? Okay then, back up everyone," 84 is saying out loud and once the team gets clear she'll spin in an arc (like any good discus thrower) and throw the creature out to sea.

[basic_powers]

"Sure thing, they can go throw screaming hissy fits all they want, I don't blame you for holding onto that thing..." Uplink replies, "Oh...and I'm forwarding something that just came in on that encrypted number you think I don't know about."

Hat Trick, now clinging onto Crusade's back as he sweeps over back towards the shore, speaks tiredly. "...our adoring public awaits."

"It'll only last a few minutes." He tries to assure her. "And then straight back to home for both of us."

"Mhmm...my sweet comfort eagle."

"...and the award for schmoopiest conversation over the open comm lines goes to..."

"Uplink, I know where you sleep, and I keep a bowl of cold butterscotch pudding just for you." Hat Trick warns softly, though with a small smile.

"Comment withdrawn, Steel Sentinel and Alterity are already there waiting for us."

[fiss84]

"Rrrghg," 84 says as she throws the creature as far as she can into the
ocean (careful to avoid any shipping lanes).

"I saw it Uplink thanks," she says with a wry grin once she catches her
breath and turns to fly back to the wharf. "And keeping the fans happy is
what keeps us in business guys. Hat Trick, thank you for your help. Are you
going to be okay?"

[basic_powers]

"...I've been worse than this, some food, an herbal soak in the enchanted bathtub, and some sleep and I won't even remember if I got hurt today." Hat Trick replied. "Don't worry about me, I took worse hits during my solo act in Ohio. I can stand up, smile and make nice for a half hour, I'll be fine."

She pointedly ignored the snort that came from Crusade at that last comment, and leaned with him as he banked to land at the end of the wharf for the gathering crowd.

[raptorcanaria]

Dinah slowed and stopped as they got to the wharf, hanging back as she waits for Beauford to take the lead.

And waits.

And finally elbows him in the arm. Go.

[basic_powers]

!!!

...For a moment Beauford just stares at Dinah in shock, like he can't believe she's suggesting he...approach...the team through the crowd.

Then it's swallowing a mouthful of nerves before carefully making his way through the crowd towards Crusade and Hat Trick, who are now exchanging a few quick words with Alterity and Steel Sentinel.

"Hey, guys?" Uplink calls into the comm lines. "You tube's still barfing out videos like it's ipecac dare night, but I've got a description and one slightly blurry photo of our mystery meta."

"Uh.....excuse me..." Beauford's trying to make it through the crowd for at least one autograph....not that someone couldn't GET him one but...

The things he does for coverstories.

[fiss84]

"I know how stupid this question is, but do they look like a new villain?" 84 asks Uplink as Sentential and Alterity wave to the crowd and pick up a phone number or two.

When Beauford pushes through 84 turns to his question and gives a friendly smile (totally just for the adoring fan and nothing else...really). Despite the sore shoulders from carrying Lobsterzilla and the likely bruised ribs from being sat on, she's feeling pretty good with how things turned out.

"Yes?" she says when she realizes she might have been quiet a little too long.

[basic_powers]

"Nope, doesn't look like supervillian, more like superpower who got caught on vacation. Female, black or dark hair, caucasian, athletic build, casual clothes." Uplink answers promptly. "Probably forgot to pack their outfit under their clothing. You want me to check the databases for her?"

Beauford's already blushing, and half stammering...and his ear tips have begun turning a familiar shade of pink as he asks. "C-could I have..your autograph...please?"

Dinah probably can't hear that part...unless she decided to follow him into the crowd.

[raptorcanaria]

She followed him a little way, then got caught in the crowd and decided she didn't want to meet them that badly - what's she going to do? Offer them a Leaguer's critique?

So she lets the crowd swallow her up, her hood part way up while her hand shades her eyes against the low sun.

[fiss84]

"Oh course," she replies amused by his nervousness. "Do you have a pen and paper? I'm afraid I don't carry any."

[basic_powers]

"Yes, erm..." He's digging around into his pockets a bit before pulling out the pen...and a wrinkled looking receipt from the aquarium giftshop. "...sorry about the paper."

"Well now......looks like our mystery metawoman is watching in the crowd." Uplink's amusement if palpalble over the comm frequency. "Someone want to give her a thank you?"

[fiss84]

"I'm on it," Alterity murmurs and, pulling out one of their business cards, sets to writing a quick note.

"Whom shall I make it out to?" 84 says with a hint of teasing in her voice.

Alterity is a brief blur around the cute brunette, who coincidentally had been following Beauford, before he reappears next to Sentinal. Dinah likely felt something slipped into her back pocket and when she looks it's a business card which has an 888 number printed on one side and a brief, hand written note on the other which reads:

"Thanks for you help with big and ugly. If you even need help or are interested in joining a team, give us a call. ~A"

[raptorcanaria]

"Barry?"

Dinah says, as soon as the familiar slipstream of a speedster brushes by. When she realises what happened and pulls out the card, she laughs out loud to herself and tucks it into a more secure pocket.

She's already got a team, thanks.