While the merry bells keep ringing, may your every wish come true...

[sand_hawkins]

When the idea came up for a couple's night out, Sand knew exactly where to take them, especially when Tara said she's ready to eat at "any old diner".

Jerry Lee's, the place in Metropolis that Sand and Corrine discovered, sounded absolutely perfect.

It was as Sand remembered it - only far more festive.  It's Christmastime, you know.

The restaurant

Comments

[sand_hawkins]

"Tara, back him up. He's radioactive and super strong, so do ranged shots. Merlynne, you're with me on Glowworm over there."

He then turns to the waitress. "We'll be right back. You have my credit card, please charge extra for holding the table for us."

She nods, somewhat stunned by everything. The four heroes then headed out into the cold.

[green_shield]

"Yes, sir boss." So out of the diner and into the frigid air, quiver out, blackout bombs at the ready, and headed for the A&P.

[jla_villains]

"A DOPE EXCHANGE!" How this guy is getting this from a clerk and a guy buying cold medicine at the pharmacy counter isn't exactly clear. "Put your illicit money down, lawbreaker!"

He fires a purple blast at the hapless pair.

[blind_will]

Travis is on the move towards the scene. When he detects the radiation blast, he's reacting instantly. Having the ring do the calculations, he creates a shield between the blast and the couple while drawing off the radiation so he can channel it out of the area safely.

He's starting to really hate these radioactive villains.

[jla_villains]

The Skull whips around. He sees the green energy, and he also sees someone else with a bow and arrows. "Oh my heavens, it's the illicit fiend Green Arrow. Only with TITTIES!"

He arcs a full-on radiation blast directly at her, then follows up with several others in a strafing attack.

[blind_will]

This is part of why Travis almost never uses visual effects. In the case of the shield, it wasn't an option not to and still protect the store and people. Now, however, he has a moment to assess and do this his way.

He starts absorbing radiation from the atmosphere, warping it elsewhere. There's no green energy, save a slightly increased glowing from his ring - and at first, it won't do much. Just prevent people from getting rad poisoning from being in the area, and make the blasts a little less potent. He's hoping anyway, that in a prolonged fight with a kryptonian caliber villain, it will eventually sap the villain's strength and energy enough to give them an edge. Typical Travis, right now, it shouldn't even be noticible.

[green_shield]

She trusts Travis to have her back on this.

"How observant, Hiroshima Breath!"

No, not her normal dialog choice.

Shield has an idea forming in the back of her mind. See, she's seen the serials for The Atomic Skull and has a photographic memory. If this guy replies with "Better that, then a villain!" then he's not only nuts, but he's following the script for Return of the Atomic Skull, to the letter. In which case, she can talk him out of this fight - she thinks.

[jla_villains]

"Better that, then a villain!" he responds - with dead perfect inflection, mind you.

[green_shield]

Travis, keep blocking shots and whatever else you're doing. I need him to follow my lead. Any surprises and he'll go 'off script.'

She strikes a patently ridiculous pose that Trevor or Caleb would die laughing if they saw and starts doing her best Julie Newmar impression.

"Oh, but Skull..." she replies with a purr and whipping out her long hair from the ponytail she uses in uniform. "What's the harm, baby?" She says, shaking her assets and not doing nearly as good of job as Wong Foo's greatest fan. "It's just a little relaxant. Don't be a wet rag square, Daddy-o."

[jla_villains]

And true to the story, Skull looks to her, confused and clearly turned on.

"But," he says as she sashays up to him. "It's against the law and Kenny -"

[green_shield]

Mia would be laughing her ass off or critiquing my streetwalk right about now. Hey, it's hard to do the vamp thing in Converse high tops.

Outwardly, the overly serious med student, wraps her arms around the Skull, hoping Travis is shielding her - a lot - and places a seductive finger over what would be this guy's lips if it were a costume.

"Are you writing a book? Quit being a cube, Skull and hang with a hep chick."

This is the part in the movie where they make out even though it's very scientifically impossible. If Travis would like to take a pass on this happening, he has a window of distraction.

[blind_will]

Travis scans over her surface thoughts, and plays along, per her instructions. All the while, he keeps tapping off the radiation, drawing it off bit by bit.

At her cue, he shields her with everything he has, and turns the slow siphon he's been working while she bought him time into a waterfall, channelling every bit of radiation he can out of the skull and sending it directly sunward, now that he's had uninterrupted time to focus and get the Skull's signature down.

He just hopes its enough to drain him dry of everything short of basic life support radiation.

[jla_villains]

It the movie, Skull kisses the evil Amazonia, leader of the Amazon Biker Gang. She's both poisonous to and irresistible to men - including our hero. So, as if on queue, after liplocking with our heroine, he collapses into a heap as Travis simulates the "feminine wiles," powers well enough.

[blind_will]

Travis confines him in a green bubble that will keep the radiation filtered off but monitor the Skull's life signs, as Travis lands.

"So, what point in there does the heroine make out with the villain?" he asks with a grin.
"As for Chemo... I can't 'see' him, how are the others doing?"

[green_shield]

"Uck! There are not enough breath mints in the world to cover that!" she grips. Then she turns to her boyfriend - her way cool superhero boyfriend who just saved her butt.

"Travis, honey," she says with a flirty little grin. "You have won a first class ticket on United Air this evening, provided this guy is rounded up, Chemo hasn't torched the place, and I can find about 10,000 Altoids."

Time to get to the others though...