Mutants & Masterminds: Heroes United - [Fic] Unladies Night

[Slither]

The flight over was both amazing and terrifying, in about equal measure; Slither was seriously rattled by the time they finally landed. Once back on the ground, she felt much more comfortable. After Ren's wonderful negotiation with the bouncer, she followed along behind, giving the big man a cheerful grin and a cheeky "Thanks, luv!" as she passed him. Once inside, the Brit was somewhat taken aback by the sheer lurid spectacle of the club, but not enough to regret coming along; it had just been a while since she'd been in a 'flesh pit' like this.

,,

"Hmmm." MO frowned, looking around for a few moments, then made a decision. "Fulcrum, Jael, Slither, Doctor - I'll be back in a few. Have fun!"

,,

"Ooh, we lost Mags for some reason." In a weird way, her training in shadowing people in crowds helped her keep track of Ren as the TK threaded her way through the sea of light and bodies. Slither gave a quick glance over Jael's way. "How are you fairing, wolf girl? Quite a lot of sensory input, I'd wager."

[Doctor Northlight]

Doc shook her head. "Fulcrum... you done goofed, kid."

,,

She stood there in thought, considering her options.

,,

If I walked out now, this would cause some team-dynamic issues, and if I stayed I would show myself complicit in Fulcrum's behavior. That and what if there are paparazzi here? That would start being huge news that there's cracks in the world's first super team.

,,

"I really had thought she had called ahead instead she barged into here like she had some sort of damned authority. That's not how we do things."

,,

She was glaring. "I really thought better of her until now. Now I'm just... disappointed."

,,

"I'm not really in the mood now, MO. Fulcrum just buzz-killed it. Just call me when everyone's done here and I'll grab whoever needs grabbing with Gatekeeper's help. I'm not having any part of this."

,,

She shook her head stepping into the street then flying off.

,,

OOC

Complications. This is taking advantage of being a hero and it runs counter to her philosophy. Looks like I'm out of the thread.

[z-Jael]

Jael blinked as two of their companions left. One went outside to leave after talking about Fulcrum messing up somehow, while the other was… going to the end of the line?

,,

She thought about feigning understanding but finally she just looked at Fulcrum. “Did MO just elect to not accept her due as a defender and warrior of the city? Was the Light of the North somehow offended that we had done such things? We risked our bodies for the people of the city. You two even risked your lives. This is no small thing. How can this be offensive to anyone?”

[SalmonMax]

Fulcrum shrugged and pulled a chair out for Jael.

,,

"No idea. She must keep that suit rolled up in her ass when she's not wearing it." The pause after she said that reminded Fulcrum to add, "That's a figure of speech. It means she's stuck up. And...you know what, lets drop that. Northlight wants out, that's fine. At least she's not here to try to bring the rest of us down."

,,

She glanced over at the door and shook her head.

,,

"As for MO...she'll come around. They just don't get how nightclubs work you know? They think it's about fairness. Reality is most of those people probably won't be getting in regardless of how long they wait. And they know it even. It's all up to whether or not they can impress the guy at the door, which we did. So...drinks are on me. Who wants what?"

[Slither]

Slither snagged a chair with one leg and took a seat in one fluid motion. "I'll have a pint...of Guinness, if they have it on tap. Otherwise a Mannhattan, since we're here."

,,

She looked off in the general direction of thier two departed teammates and sighed. "Mags is a straight arrow; you see that a lot with Yanks, especially in the military. Scout would probably have done the same thing, if he was here." She shrugged. "She'll relax and have a good time, once she's done what she feels is fair." The Brit looked back towards the door with some concern. "Assuming they let her back in..."

,,

The former spy stretched and leaned back a bit, casting an eye over the many beautiful people all around them, and then shifting her focus back to the two women at her table; she looked thoughtful for a moment, as if she wasn't sure how to procede. "Fulcrum, can I ask you a question?" She leaned forward a bit closer, so she didn't have to raise her voice much over the music. "Who d'you fancy, then?" Slither cocked her head towards the many dancers on the floor. "As in, your preference?"

[Magnum Opus]

"Lady, you can't talk to Magnum Opus like that - "

,,

" - saved half the city during Sandy, those lava things the other month - "

,,

"Everyone, it's okay." Magnum Opus help up her hand, smiling slightly. "We know each other. Well, sorta."

,,

"I used to think I knew her, anyway." Jasmine looked MO up and down. "Nice. Skin tight body suit. Probably has crossover marketing appeal with white guys age 18-35. They make you wear that or did you do this to yourself?"

,,

"It's my own personal ectoplasmic psycho-reactive suit and I'll make it look how I want to look. Before you tell me how anti-feminist it is, ask yourself how pro-feminist it is telling a woman what she can't wear."

,,

"And a cape?"

,,

"Capes are awesome."

,,

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes. "Your old outfit was better. You were better, back at Zucotti Park."

,,

Here we go. "So that's what this is about."

,,

"Mags - tell me why the hell the 1% is still up in their penthouses and not scared that you're going to toss them out a window. Tell me that. You could have solved it all in a day. You didn't. You blinked. You sold us out."

,,

Magnum Opus spoke carefully, as if wary of placing a word wrong. "Justine... that is the name you want me to use, right?"

,,

"Yeah."

,,

"Okay. Justine, let's say that I tossed every stockbroker out a window. How's that just not another form of fascism? Rule by the strong. Conquest by the powerful. Putting someone's neck under your boot just because you've had one on yours for so long. What it was all about was finding a better way to live than necks under boots. That's what it was to me. That might not be how you want me to fight this battle, but it's how I want to fight it and really: I have the deciding vote as to how to live my life, last I checked."

,,

"That's how they get you! They convince you to fight things their way. Once you do that you've already lost! No, I want the old Magnum Opus back. I want the one who gathered up all those McDonald's applications they threw down on us from their penthouses, ran up the side of the building, and made that asshole fill out his own paperwork for a job working the fry bin. What have you done that's like that lately?"

,,

Four months ago I nearly got killed by that same guy, Justine, is what Magnum Opus didn't say. What she said instead was "I've been to protests. I've made it clear that when I'm around no one's going to get hurt."

,,

Justine sniffed, derisively. "Don't you think it's a little coincidental that suddenly you have a lot more threats that are you-sized to deal with now? Not too many protests lately, huh?"

,,

"Not as many as I'd like, no."

,,

"So I guess that answers that."

,,

"It's not all I do. But what else I do is kept personal."

,,

"Sure, yeah. Personal. You just slave away for us little people all day every day. That's why you're here."

,,

"You're here too, aren't you?"

,,

"What I do is - ha. Nice. You have all the answers, don't you?"

,,

"Nah." At that, Magnum Opus smiled. "I'm just looking for them."

,,

Justine shook her head. "Typical. You know what, suddenly I don't think I want to be here. Some of the clientele, you know?" She waved at Magnum Opus, dismissively, then fished around in her purse. "Already lost my place in line anyways. Whatever. Let me know when you want to go back to doing some actual good, okay Mags? You call me up." Justine flicked a business card at Magnum Opus' face - or tried to, as the superhero intercepted it midflight between thumb and forefinger.

,,

There were gasps and murmurs, as Justine walked off. Magnum Opus turned the card over in her fingers. Justine worked at Google now. She had a very nice business card.

,,

Magnum Opus sighed, tucking it away in her belt compartment, and went back to waiting in line.

[SalmonMax]

Fulcrum followed Slither's gaze to the dance floor to look over the eye candy. Or that's what it looked like. Really she was just buying time. She'd told Scout, but that was because she trusted him to keep his mouth shut and because...well, it was need to know info, and he really needed to know. The circumstances of what he was doing for her pretty much required it.

,,

She didn't want to tell Slither. Something like that could poison what was supposed to be an easygoing night out with friends.

,,

So she grinned and said, "There's plenty for everyone out there. No need to start staking claims. Me, I'm planning on just heading out there, doing my thing...and whoever catches my eye gets the first dance. No preconceptions. Why? You see someone out there you like?"

[Slither]

So she grinned and said, "There's plenty for everyone out there. No need to start staking claims. Me, I'm planning on just heading out there, doing my thing...and whoever catches my eye gets the first dance. No preconceptions. Why? You see someone out there you like?"

,,

Slither held the telekinetic's gaze for a few moments; Fulcrum was one of the most guarded people she'd ever met, and considering her line of work, that was really saying something.

,,

She's do well in intelligence; wonder where she learned her version of tradecraft?

,,

If the girl had something she wanted to share, she either would or would not in her own time, and no amount of prodding was going to change that; best to let it go and bury her natural curiosity deep down. So instead, the Brit's reply was equally casual as she wrinkled her nose.

,,

"Nah, I'm still off the market for a bit; thought I could offer my services as wingman if there was anyone who'd caught your eye. Well, wing-lass, I suppose." Slither then turned her attention to the blonde wolf girl. "What about you, then, Jael? What will you be drinking tonight?"

[Magnum Opus]

"Hey, uh... Magnum Opus?"

,,

She looked to the bouncer, eyebrow cocked. "Yes?"

,,

"I called management. They'll let you in."

,,

"Really?" She waved towards everyone else. "But all of them are still in - "

,,

"They figure if you stay out here much longer, people will forget about the club and want to talk to you instead. So you can go in. They asked that you please go in, actually."

,,

"Hmm. Okay. Thanks." She waved to the rest of the line. "I'll see you inside!"

,,

She walked through the doors, the white in her costume glowing slightly. She scanned the crowd for her friends, still unable to get Justine out of her mind, and looking somewhat fretful as a result.

[SalmonMax]

"Wing lass? All right, that's cool. So here, lets work out hand signs. One will mean, 'hey, come over I need a wing-lass,' and the other will be something like, 'help me get rid of this creep.' You can be my club-buddy. Everyone gets a club-buddy, oh hey, there's MO."

,,

She stood up and waved. Shouting was irrelevant in the music.

,,

Once Magnum Opus saw her and was heading over, Fulcrum sat down and said to Jael, "Don't worry about the specifics. Just tell me if you like your booze hard or soft. Leave the rest to me."

[Magnum Opus]

She walked up to the two of them, stopping to say hello to everyone who wanted to say hello along the way - so it took several minutes for her to make her way. To Magnum Opus' credit, she seemed just as pleased to see the fortieth as she did to see the first.

,,

She finally approached the others, sitting down and tucking a business card into her belt compartment. "Hey, ladies. Sorry about that, I didn't mean to make you look bad. Just something I felt I had to do."

[Slither]

"Hey, ladies. Sorry about that, I didn't mean to make you look bad. Just something I felt I had to do."

,,

Slither shook her head and waved a hand dismissively. "And Doc N did what she felt she had to do; it's all fine. So, what are you drinking?" Then she craned her neck slightly to peer at MO's belt compartment, and cocked an eyebrow mischeviously. "And how many phone numbers did you get?"

[Magnum Opus]

"Let's see what they got here..." Magnum Opus scrolled through the touchscreen menu embedded in the table. "Oh, a Pink Melon Rainbow Starburst." She showed the others a drink that came in a very large glass, with fruit and straws and umbrellas sticking out of it. "I've never had a Pink Melon Rainbow Starburst, actually. I always wanted to, deep down. I'll take one of those, if you all want to share."

,,

She sat back, tapping her fingers. "No numbers. Well, one number, but... well, I doubt she'll want to see hide nor hair of me, and to be honest, the feeling's a little mutual..."

,,

She frowned. "Slither, Jo, Fulcrum: do you ever wonder, as you get older, that you're changing - and not necessarily for the better?"

[SalmonMax]

"Nope," Fulcrum said, shaking her head. "We are not drunk enough to be going there yet. This is fun night, not mope-night. We'll save the ice cream and rom-coms for some other time. So...pink melon thingy. Jael, I'll just get you something good off the tap for now. Slither, I'm having a Sex and Violence. If you don't know what you want you can try Mo's and mine, cuz half a glass of S&V will put me on my ass if I drink it all at once."

[Magnum Opus]

"Hmm." Magnum Opus nodded. "All right."

,,

I suppose I'll have to discuss it with Carol or Conrad instead.

[Slither]

Slither considered MO, a wistful smile on her face as rested her hand in her chin. "Oh, I know I'm a worse person than I used to be!" She sighed dramatically. "I was an innocent young thing, once upon a time..." Then she sat up and gave Fulcrum a nod. "But she's right, of course; no point in a pity party on a night like this." She peered intently at the digital drink list. "Right then, we're doing hideous girly drinks, eh? I'll have..." The Brit barked with laughter as she covered her mouth. "A 'Flaming Virgin'! Oh, that's just brilliant!" She began to look for a waitress to flag over to their table. "I hope you don't have to pass some sort of purity test to order that one, because I will most certainly fail..."

[SalmonMax]

Fulcrum grinned and 'shot' Slither with her gun-hand, then nodded at the others.

,,

"Okay, I'm gonna head to the bar and get these. You gals play nice while I'm gone."

,,

She pushed off away from the table and navigated to the closest bar. Sure there were people to take orders, and probably some kind of electronic ordering system too, but she felt like being old fashioned. Plus, this way she could harass the bartender with overly exact drink specifications, and there wouldn't be any awkward discussions about the tab.

,,

There were two bartenders, each working the opposite ends. A guy and a girl, both good looking and probably in their mid to late twenties. The girl had more traffic, so Fulcrum headed over to the guy. She didn't have to try to get his attention; he saw her coming a mile off. When she reached him, he had the sort of slightly disbelieving smile people get when they're fairly sure they're having a joke played on them, but don't want to bet all-in on it yet.

,,

"What can I get for you?" he asked, scratching the stubble on his chin absently. "Pan-galactic Gargle Blaster?"

,,

Fulcrum tilted her head. Her raised eyebrow was wasted behind the goggles, but the effect was plain regardless. "Is that a thing?" she asked.

,,

His eyes scanned her face, then dropped down to her waist...as low as he could go with the bar in the way...then popped back up to where her eyes probably were. He waved a hand at her, abruptly a little embarrassed. "It's...sorry, lame joke. Your getup looked kind of like a space suit, so... Anyway, yeah. What can I get for you tonight?"

,,

Space suit? She compared her mental image of herself to one of those giant, bulky-ass spacesuits you saw in Space Shuttle footage, and shook her head. Dude was a little wack.

,,

"Flaming Virgin, Sex & Violence, Pink Melon Rainbow Starburst?" Fulcrum rubbed her jaw after that one. "I'm not a hundred percent I got that last one right. Is there supposed to be a unicorn in there somewhere?"

,,

The bartender laughed. "No, but there probably should be. I think that's the only drink here where the sugar content is probably more dangerous than the alcohol content. It's like, you're bouncing off the walls with reckless energy you no longer have the fine motor coordination to use safely."

,,

Fulcrum shrugged. Just what the world needed, another "funny" bartender. "I'm pretty sure she'll be okay. So, all that, plus I want your input on something. I have a friend from old-skool Scandanavia or something like it, and she doesn't think we can get good beer here. Your mission...prove her wrong. And by 'good' I mean 'potent.' But it has to be beer...no cheating with hard liquor mixed in."

,,

The bartender's expression changed subtly. While he'd been smiling all this time, now a certain focus entered his expression. A glint in his eye. "Scandanavian, eh? Where from? Denmark? Norway?"

,,

"Norway, I think," was her response. Norse, right? That was Norway...right?

,,

He nodded. "Alright...won't be easy to impress her. They know their beers up there. But, I think we've got some microbrewed stuff that'll shut her up. Not exactly cheap, but..."

,,

She unzipped her suit enough to reach in and produce a thin little wallet. No cards or anything, it wasn't much more than a moneyclip really. "That's not really a big deal. Give us a pint. To start with."

,,

The bartender nodded and started making the drinks.

,,

"Hey, hope this is okay to ask, but what's your story? There a convention or something?" he asked.

,,

Fulcrum grinned. "Actually, I'm a superhero."

,,

He looked back over at her, eyebrow raised skeptically. Then it started to sink in. "Wait, for real? Like, from when those things knocked over those buildings on the north side?"

,,

Her grin widened, and she spread her arms to take a bow.

,,

"I heard it was Magnum Opus," he said, a little too startled to think it through first. "But yeah, there were a few others too, right? You're one of them?"

,,

"Yeah," she replied, a little nettled. Price of having a celeb on the team, she supposed. "Fulcrum."

,,

He went over to the bar and reached across to shake her hand. "This is crazy! I mean, it's great, but it's crazy! Never thought we'd see...I mean...you're in your costume and everything. Are you a regular, and we just never knew before?"

,,

Fulcrum wagged her free hand's finger. "Ah ah...that would be telling. But yeah, me and some of the others got a job done in another town, decided to blow off some steam, and...here we are. Ready to have some fun."

,,

"That's great!" the bartender enthused, pumping her hand, "I gotta ask though, why come as superheroes?"

,,

"Because if we didn't, we wouldn't get to use our powers," she replied with a grin, and the two drinks he'd finished so far levitated up off the counter and orbited one another once before settling gently back down. "And where's the fun in that?"

,,

He jumped a little, but then watched, awestruck. There was something else in his eyes too though, when he looked from the glasses to Fulcrum. A little...concern, hovering in the back. He'd seen what people sometimes meant by 'blowing off steam.' The idea that someone might do that with weird mind powers was a bit unsettling to him.

,,

"Anyway..." Fulcrum ponied up the cash, plus his tip, and added "If the beer works out, I'll tip you for it again."

,,

The bartender pushed that beer over next to the other drinks and nodded. "You know, I wish I could say you could just have them. After what you guys did for the city..." He shrugged helplessly. "Not my call though."

,,

Fulcrum chuckled and shook her head. "It's cool," she assured him. "I like spending money. Keeps the economy going."

,,

On impulse she looked over at the other bartender, and her Oort Cloud of thirsty patrons. They were all looking across the bar at her and the Comedian. The bartender over there had an expression of naked envy on her face.

,,

For some reason, that satisfied Fulcrum a great deal, and she whisked the drinks into the air over her hand where they revolved lazily in a little ring. "Thanks," she said. "I'll let you know how she likes it."

,,

"Yeah!" he replied automatically, "Please do!"

,,

Despite the number of people around, the way opened in front of Fulcrum as she headed back...people cleared away, staring at her and her funny outfit, but mostly at the drinks whirlyigging around. Flashes of light started erupting around her as cellphones were brought to bear, and Facebook and Twitter began choking on images.

,,

Meanwhile, back at the table...

,,

Fulcrum hadn't been gone two minutes before a pair of 'dudes' came up to the table. They had drinks, but didn't look drunk. Maybe a little buzzed though. College age guys, probably early twenties, kind of jockey in build. The one with lighter hair was taller...the shorter, darker guy looked like he was trying to grow a beard. Either he'd only started recently or it was slow going though. They had pretty nice clothes...silk shirts, pants, nice shoes. Maybe a leeeeetle too formal for the club's decor. Probably there with others somewhere.

,,

They stared first at Magnum Opus, then around at the others, then back at Magnum.

,,

"Alright," the taller one said with a grin, "those are either amazing costumes, or you're the real thing. My friend and I have a little wager going. Are you actually Magnum Opus, or is the nonbeliever among us out fifty bucks?"

[Magnum Opus]

"Yeah, I don't think any of us are more innocent, but that's not quite what I mean. I mean, do you look back at who you used to be and wonder if you had the right idea then and aren't living up to it? I - ah."

,,

She stood, smiling, and shook their hands. "I'm she! These are my friends, the other members of... we are going to have to think of a name for ourselves. Between you and me, they're the cool ones."

[Slither]

"Yeah, I don't think any of us are more innocent, but that's not quite what I mean. I mean, do you look back at who you used to be and wonder if you had the right idea then and aren't living up to it? I - ah."

,,

Slither had intently locked eyes with Mo, and was actually nodding along with great interest; it seemed she had something to share on the matter, but then the 'frat boyz' made their appearance.

,,

Dear God, save me from young American men. And of course, they fixated straight away on the tall blonde; well to be fair, she IS the most famous of us all. Still, I rather petulantly choose to be offended.

,,

She stood, smiling, and shook their hands. "I'm she! These are my friends, the other members of... we are going to have to think of a name for ourselves. Between you and me, they're the cool ones."

,,

The willowy Brit slyly peered up at the boys, looking first at one, then the next; she really wanted to rip them apart with a few well-chosen words, but that would be bad for morale, PR and all that other rot, so she decided to be a good little soldier and play nice.

,,

"Oh I don't know, Mo; you are rather cool in your own flying, indestructable way."

,,

Then she turned back to the two young men.

,,

"And I, my lads, am Slither; pleased to make your acquainance."

,,

And with that, she shook both their hands...without rising from her seat; the display of her flexibility led to a rather delightful range of expressions on their stunned faces. And then she turned to Mo as if nothing odd had happened.

,,

"But you're right, Mags, we really do need to come up with some sort of team name; I want to send some proper football jerseys back to my family back home."

[SalmonMax]

Magnum Opus' confession brought an elated, triumphant grin to the taller guy's face, and he immediately turned to poke the other one in the chest. "Yes!" he crowed. "I told you! God DAMN I'm good!"

,,

They looked back at the table and Slither introduced herself...and her handshake blew them both away. They shook her hands with numb looks of astonishment, then looked down at those hands for a second. This time it was the not-quite-as-tall one who seemed to recover first, edging around the table towards Slither.

,,

"So you're from England? That's an awesome accent, by the way. So, uh, you follow football? Just the pros or do you follow any local games?" He indicated his pal and nodded, gaining confidence. The 'we're football players' angle seemed to be one he put some stock into. "We're on the Columbia Lions. Jack there's our up and coming star runner, and me? Just the quarterback." He grinned and pantomimed throwing a football at Slither.

,,

Meanwhile Jack was all about Magnum Opus. He leaned forward a little over the table...not enough to crowd, but enough to seem like he was 'joining the group' there.

,,

"Listen, my sister's a huge fan. Hell, we all are, but she's got everything she could find about you. Hey, if I brought something over here for you to sign...you think you could do that?" He gave his friend a quick, slightly annoyed look, but only for an instant before giving Magnum Opus the kind of pleading eyes that normally only pre-adolescent girls and puppy dogs can muster.

[Magnum Opus]

"Oh, sure! I'll sign it, no problem. As long as it's not a body part." And let's not get into how I had to establish that rule. "Is she here?"

[Slither]

"So you're from England? That's an awesome accent, by the way. So, uh, you follow football? Just the pros or do you follow any local games?" He indicated his pal and nodded, gaining confidence. The 'we're football players' angle seemed to be one he put some stock into. "We're on the Columbia Lions. Jack there's our up and coming star runner, and me? Just the quarterback." He grinned and pantomimed throwing a football at Slither.

,,

Here we go... The former spy sucked some air in between her teeth and looked apologetic. "Sorry, I meant English football? As in-" She leaned back and kicked a little kick under the table. "'Soccer'?" It took all her compusure not to make a ghastly face when she said 'The Word'. "I support Tottenham Hotspur back home; they're a North London club?" The top of her suit morphed into a Spurs home jersey with the name 'SLITHER' across the back, and then she cupped her hands around her mouth and began to sing their rally song.

,,

"Oh when the Spurs go marching in!

Oh when the Spurs go marching in!

I wanna be in that number!

Oh when the Spurs go maching in!"

,,

The young American looked a bit crestfallen, though he put on a brave face; she felt bad for him, so she did her best to soften the blow. "I've got nothing against American football, mind; I've never even seen a proper match...sorry, a game. The quarterback's quite important, isn't he? He's like the team captain." Slither gave him a cheeky little grin. "I suppose that means all the girls fancy you, eh?"

,,

Then she glanced over to MO and the other lad, and then back to her bloke. "D'you have anything you'd like me sign, or would you like to take a picture? I might not be famous now, but you never know, someday..."

[SalmonMax]

Jack the Runningback lit up at Magnum Opus' magnanimousness, and he excused himself briefly to hurry back to his table, where several other guys of similar persuasion cheered and looked over at the table of the Unladies to appraise the superheroines assembled there. Then the Jack came back, with a football in his hands. An American football, damnit. Which isn't really a 'ball' but...shut up.

,,

He offered it up to Magnum Opus.

,,

"Use this."

,,

For those with super hearing.

From the brief conversation at the table where he picked the ball up, it seems pretty unlikely he's planning on giving this to his sister.

,,

Meanwhile, Slither was getting an offer of her own. The quarterback regained his composure quickly and grinned. "Yeah, pretty important. I mean, it's one big team, but it all comes down to the quarterback's throwing and kicking. But you know, talking about it isn't really a good way to learn the game. Maybe I can take you to the next one I'm not in?"

,,

He put his hand out. "Here, sign this. And maybe your phone number too?"

,,

Meanwhile, the people not far off pulled back a bit to give Fulcrum and her cometary halo of booze a clear shot at the table. She was on final approach, and already had her own drink in her hands, tugging at the straw a little as she walked.

[Magnum Opus]

Magnum Opus held the football, smiling a little wryly.

,,

You know? Being too shy to ask on your own behalf isn't a crime. And besides, for all I know she could play football. I used to, after all. Let's not give the poor guy a hard time.

,,

"Who should I make it out to? Or should I make it out to both of you?" She caught Fulcrum's eye and waved. "Want me to help you carry those?"

[Slither]

"Yeah, pretty important. I mean, it's one big team, but it all comes down to the quarterback's throwing and kicking. But you know, talking about it isn't really a good way to learn the game. Maybe I can take you to the next one I'm not in?",,

He put his hand out. "Here, sign this. And maybe your phone number too?"

,,

Slither had to cover her mouth to keep from bursting into loud guffaws. "Look, I'm sorry, love, that's just not going to work; here, how about this-"

,,

The ex-spy produced a smartphone...which up until recently, had been in the young quarterback's pocket!

,,

"I'll pose for a snap with you, maybe record a voicemail message for you, or even call your mum, even though she probably has no idea who I am. But public figures just don't give out our mobile numbers." She gave him an appraising look. "You're very fit, I'm not going to lie, and you have a certain...insane confidence which is not unattractive, but the answer's still 'no'."

,,

She smiled sympathetically as she offered him his phone back.

,,

"So, which will it be, love?"

,,

At this point, Fulcrum returned with some drinks orbiting around her, including Slither's Flaming Virgin, which trailed a thin blue streamer of flame.

,,

"Ooh, here come the drinks!"

[SalmonMax]

"Jack and Sam," was Magnum Opus' reply as the jock's friend sidled in closer to Slither to get a selfie with the superheroine.

,,

"Thanks," he said to her with a grin, and scribbled something on her napkin. "Just in case you change your mind about fitness and insanity." He backed off as drinks, flaming and otherwise, descended upon the table like a Biblical plague. On Slither's napkin was a scrawled phone number.

,,

The two paused in their strategic withdrawl to gawk at the flying alcoholic menagerie, and Fulcrum walking up in her skintight bodysuit and weird goggles. She glared at them until they hurried on back to their table, football and precious photo-bearing camera in hand as trophies of their brush with herodom.

,,

"What," asked Fulcrum, "was that all about?"

,,

As she waited for an answer she poked her straw into her mouth and sipped at her drink, which was in a tall straight glass and appeared to be marbled creamy white and bright orange-red.

[Magnum Opus]

Magnum Opus took her drink in hand, an exotic near-punch-bowl sized concoction that looked like a fruit stand's fever dream. She sipped at one of the straws.

,,

"Couple of guys. Little friendly." She looked to Slither and Jael. "Were they a little too friendly? I may not be the best judge."

[Slither]

Slither chuckled as she gingerly took her flaming beverage. "Yours was rather sweet, Mo; mine..." She wiggled her free hand. "Was a little pushy. But one must make allowances since he was, in fact, a quarterback, and therefore used to women swooning at his feet, dizzy with lust and longing!"

,,

The lithe brunette sighed as she cast a glance in Sam's general direction.

,,

"Still...he did have a rather magnificent bum..." She made the napkin disappear with a quick motion, then took a sip of her drink. "Mmm, there's a bit of ginger beer in this; I like it!"

,,

The Brit went back to surveying the crowd. "So what's the plan, then? Have a few drinks, then have a go at the dance floor? I haven't been dancing since-" She rolled her shoulders in a sinuous way that would be impossible for most humans. "'The change'; might be fun to take the old chassis for a spin."

[SalmonMax]

"That," Fulcrum said to Slither, "Is exactly the plan. Drinks will be had, chassiseses...chassais? Bodies will be spinned. The works."

,,

She took another drink from her straw, then discarded the straw. "Always wanted to try this."

,,

A thin proboscis of liquid started rising out of the surface of her drink, inching its way up the glass as she watched it intently, clearly concentrating. It wobbled, slipped sideways, and she moved her head with a quick little hiss before getting it under control again.

,,

By the time it lifted clear of the glass it was an orb of milky white, shot through with globs of color, slowly levitating across the table towards Fulcrum's waiting mouth. There was on more tense moment, where it started to flatten out and seemed ready to patter down onto the table...but she cheated and leaned forward and slurped it up out of midair for the win!

,,

"And that is what it's like to drink if you're an astronaut," she declared. "I wanted to be an astronaut at one point too. Pre-powers, I mean."

[Magnum Opus]

"I haven't been out dancing since I got mine either. Just, you know..." She shrugged.

,,

Just having to relearn all the gender rules from the other end. No biggie. Kinda tough to date in the middle of all that.

,,

At Fulcrum's display, she smiled. "When I was a kid, I wanted to grow up to be an artist, myself. I mean, on the days I wasn't convinced that I wanted to be a superhero, which they told me was impossible, so ha ha. Best gift you could get me was pencil crayons and a sketchbook. Astronaut's pretty cool too. I actually met - naw, no namedropping. What about you two?" She looked to Jael and Slither. "Any childhood aspirations?"

[Slither]

The elastic lass rested her chin in her palm as she surveyed the crowd wistfully.

,,

"I dunno, I suppose I'd always pictured myself going into the Foreign Service...or maybe becoming a boring, fussy academic." She sighed. "And of course there would be a marriage to a handsome prince, or viscount or baronet; I wasn't too picky."

,,

She straightened up suddenly as an idea struck her. "Hang on, if we're showing off a bit, I've got something I've working on." She adjusted her shoulders and rubbed her hands together. "Now bear in mind, I don't watch the telly or like the Internet very much, so I've been extremely BORED the last few days."

,,

She cleared her throat a few times, closed her eyes and took a deep breath; when she spoke again, the words sounded nothing like here own voice!

,,

<"Hi, the name's Gabe; I may just be a simple farm boy, but I sure as heck can knock you into next Tuesday!">

,,

The imitation was downright eerie; if you closed your eyes, you would have sworn the earnest young hero was sitting at the table. Izzy cleared her throat a few more times, then burst out laughing, her cheeks flushed with mild embarrassment.

,,

"Oh my God, that was even better than the last time I tried that! Is that too weird? I reshape my vocal cords to do it."

,,

OOC

First use of Slither's new Mimicry power.

Deception Mimicry roll: 1d20+20=40. Yikes, that's good!

[SalmonMax]

Fulcrum bursts out laughing and finally takes those goggles off. Her mask still covers enough of her face that it shields her identity, but now her hazel eyes can be seen at least.

,,

"That's awesome," she chortles. "You could really mess with him that way."

,,

After another long sip she pushes her drink away a little. "Alright, I need something to eat before I pull this club down in a drunken haze."

,,

She flags down a passing server and gets a bowl of mixed nuts for her trouble, which she immediately begins nibbling at.

,,

"Do Andery," she urges.

[Magnum Opus]

"That's a hell of a trick. I had to work on my voice a little for when I want to go incognito." MO took another sip. "Don't do me, though. I hate how I sound on TV and it'd probably be a dozen times worse if I heard it up close. Though..."

,,

She swirled the pink fluid around. "On second thought, go ahead if you want to."

[Slither]

Slither suddenly looks self-conscious, poking her straw around in her drink. "Nah, I won't do you, MO; I know what you mean about hearing your own voice like that. it's too weird" She gave Fulcrum a playful sidelong glance. "I will do Andery, though; if you can't make good-natured fun of the boss once in a while, what's the point of living, eh?"

,,

The Brit proceeded to try a out a few more voices, starting with their esteemed employer but working through their teammates Gatekeeper, Scout and Paladin, and finally throwing in a few celebrities like Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine. Hearing the super macho voices coming out of her mouth was a kick; combined with a bit of alcohol, it led to major giggle fits.

,,

"Oh God, I have to stop before I die!" The former spy was laughing and gasping for air as she dabbed the corners of her eyes with a cocktail napkin. "Have to be careful with that! Ooh, I think I need one more drink before i start dancing."

[SalmonMax]

Still chuckling, Fulcrum put her empty glass down.

,,

"One more of these, and I'll be dancing straight to the bathroom, so...come find me when you've drunk yourself a spine." She gave Slither a wink, and headed out to the broad, slightly lowered area where people were flailing and gyrating; painted a wild melange of vivid blues and purples and pinks by the overhead UV lamps.

,,

Her outfit wasn't so weird there...not that many folks were sporting black bodysuits, but rather that the range of attire was so wide that it just didn't seem terribly out of place. Before too long, a little bubble of onlookers was forming around her though. It wasn't the quality of her dancing, not exactly. Rather, it was the antics she was getting up to with her TK.

,,

Fulcrum never quite 'flew,' but she seemed able to give herself a prodigious ability to jump and support her weight with a minimum of effort. The one-handed handstand, and moves that looked like they'd make a seasoned parkourist sweat a bit. Fortunately she had the wit to stop grandstanding before the novelty wore off, and pretty soon the dancing was going again. For the moment she didn't have a specific partner...though that was surely something that'd change quickly.

[Magnum Opus]

MO held back for long moments, content to nurse her drink a little. "Well, she's having fun." She nodded towards the dance floor.

,,

After a few moments of thought, she smiled, setting her drink down. "Slither, Joka: I wonder if the DJ takes requests?"

[Slither]

Slither giggled as Fulcrum got up to dance, then an annoyed look crossed her face and she turned to call after the departing telekinetic.

 

"Hang on, I've got a spine! It's just...extra bendy!"

 

Seeing that her chosen quarry was now far out of earshot, the Brit waved a hand dismissively and slid back into her seat.

 

"Ah, let her go; I'll join her in a tick." Then she frowned down at her football jersey. "I should probably come up with a new look, eh?"

 

In response to Mo's question, the flexibly spy merely shrugged.

 

"I suppose so, though I'm afraid my tastes are about ten years out of date; I haven't been clubbing since...ooh, I dunno."

 

 

 

 

 

[Magnum Opus]

"This is a little older than ten years, but oh, it is a classic." Magnum Opus took one large gulp from her drink, then held onto it as she walked.

 

She made her way towards the DJ, stopping along the way to say hello to everyone who said hello to her, meaning the process took about five times longer than it really needed to. By the fifteenth handshake she'd gotten proficient at the hand gestures needed to communicate in a super-loud club. It took twenty in total before she'd made her way to the DJ.

 

There was a blur, a few gasps, and Magnum Opus was holding a piece of paper with a politely worded request on it. The DJ read it, looked at her, then smiled, shouting "after this one's over!"

 

"That sounds great! Thank you!" She took another sip, looking out upon the dance floor.

[Slither]

Seeing that she was more or less alone at the table (the wolf-girl being rather uncommunicative), Slither sighed and picked up her glass.

 

"Oh, bugger this for a game of soldiers..."

 

She quickly downed it in one go, which sent a rippling shiver down the length of her body; as it passed through her torso, her football jersey shifted into a tiny neon purple cropped top with sports shorts to match. Then she was up and heading for the dance floor, pausing next to MO with a big, shit-eating grin on her face fueled by recent alcohol consumption. Her cheeks glowed almost as much as her outfit in the black light.

 

"Hello, luv! Ready to dive in?"

[SalmonMax]

And as fast as that, Fulcrum appeared, grinning like a loon. She looped an arm around Slither's waist and whooped, "Too slow! Yoink!"

 

Then dragged her into the crowd on the floor.

 

Once out there, she didn't even try to talk over the booming thuds of the music and the din of the crowd. Without using her powers she had decent if not spectacular moves. She made a little winding gesture, as if to say 'show me what you've got.'