Gizmo

Earth-Prime "Welcome to the job, Templar," Midnight grated through his mask, stepping swiftly past the uncertain junior student to fall in next to Wander on the way to the vessel. He didn't make any overt gesture, but his body language, though conservative as always, was reassuring. "Put Edge at the controls," he suggested, vaguely regretting it, logical choice or not. "More likely to make it in one piece anyway." --- Earth-Paragons "Think they have a big enough ramp?" Midnight drawled to Sage in a gravelly baritone, quietly enough not disrupt the discussion as he hung toward the back, arms crossed over his black, armored jacket. If he was particularly disturbed by the unbelievable scope of the task before them, he did a good job keeping it out of his contained body language.

Trevor made a low, baritone noise that it took Mark a moment to recognize as a quiet chuckle. "Mark, buddy? You're a very good friend, but I'm not letting you plan my hypothetical wedding. Just... no." With a faint smile, the dark haired youth shook his head slowly before looking around the church as guests filtered in. "At least we don't stick out much," he noted, reflexively adjusting the sunglasses obscuring his unusually pigmented eyes.

Trevor looked downward, though his ruby irises, standing out even more now that they were set above dusky onyx cheeks, seemed to focus on Erin more than his own flesh. "Hrm. Didn't expect that, but it makes sense." The touch of her hands sliding up across his back confirmed that the added durability below his skin hadn't affected his sensitivity. "Super saturated tissues... nng, must look strange." The young man's thin lips twisted slightly in a suppressed grimace.

Leaning back enough to get a full view of Dragonfly's face, Jill left one wrist resting on the inventor's shoulder, letting her fingers slide through blonde hair as they slid upward. "Pretty conclusive," she agreed through a ruddy flush and a giddy grin. The experiment hadn't been solely for Dragonfly's benefit, and the medic felt vaguely as though pieces inside her were sliding into place. "You should smile more," she remarked with breathy distraction, "s'nice."

Wrapping his bare arms around Erin tightly, Trevor rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes for a moment. "Sorry, love. Promise." Between her past and her powers, he'd known that his girlfriend tended toward concern about his safety, but on some level he supposed he'd regarded those feelings as needless worrying. He wasn't invincible, he knew, however, and the idea of leaving Erin on her own but the issue in dramatic perspective, sending a chill through him and causing him to hold her just a little closer. "...me too."

Still occupied with the rescued hostage, Jack gave Gabriel a thumbs up without looking as the white clad man passed. Eventually extricating himself, the swashbuckler offered a low bow before firing his grapple and swinging off, Jill propelling herself with a series of force field constructs behind him. Circling around, the pair landed unseen on the rooftop of a building down the street from the bank, high enough that they could easily observe the going ons below. "I'm just saying, that was pretty gross," Jill told her brother, arms crossed and head shaking slightly. Jack snorted. "What's gross is coming in second to a guy who dresses like a very clean Jawa," he retorted with a good natured smirk, evidently not terribly broken up about the situation.

"Hahmmm..." Jill's laugh was cut off abruptly as her mouth became otherwise occupied, but if the throaty murmur it devolved into was any indication, she didn't particularly mind. Sliding her chair closer yet, she managed to bump the bridge of her nose on the edge of Dragonfly's visor, moving her hand from the desk to hang loosely over the engineer's jacketed shoulder as she shifted her weight, twining her fingers through long blonde hair.

Regaining his balance, Trevor worked his jaw back and forth in his hand. "Heh. Still felt it, but... doesn't really sting." He probed his face a little more carefully with his fingers. "Don't think it's even going to bruise. It... I think it worked. Ha." He couldn't help grinning again, filled with the rush of a successful experiment, an idea pressed into reality despite potential risk. Experimentally he tried pounding his chest a few times, oblivious to how silly he must have looked.

"Do look different," Trevor agreed, turning his hands over in front of himself. "Didn't expect that, but I should be able to just expel the mist normally to reverse it. Feels... hmn." He clenched and unclenched his fist experimentally. He didn't feel stronger, per se, but there was a definite change. "Not sure how to test it. Uhm... if you're still upset, this'd probably be a really good opportunity to slap me, I suppose."

Trevor balked at the outburst, placing a newly dark hand on the back oh his neck and wincing. "It wasn't... I'd been kinda toying with the idea for a while, and, ah. It was more like three-quarters baked. " Seeing she clearly wasn't impressed he slumped his shoulders. "Erin, I'm sorry. I just... you almost never ask me for anything, really, and the last time..." Reflexively he looked over to the spot in the Manor where they'd been standing while monitoring the outbreak of zombies month before. "Last time I couldn't do it. So, I just wanted..." The young man trailed off, more than a little embarrassed by his stunt now that he'd taken time to think it through.

Doubling over with a tight grimace, Trevor grabbed the corner of the workbench in a death grip, keeping himself upright. "Hrgh, hahn..." For a moment it was difficult to breath as his muscles spasmed in sequence, and he dimly reflected that this perhaps hadn't been quite as good an idea as it had seemed a minute ago. "Hkk, hahh, ha..." Straightening abruptly, Trevor squared his shoulders as air rushed back into his lungs and he felt oddly warm in the cool dimness of the Manor. As Erin watched, the flesh below his pale skin took on a pitch black colour, the same shade he occasionally blushed, spreading out from the electrodes to cover his exposed torso. Within moments, he stood looking down at his hands as he removed the equipment, looking the part of an onyx carving. "Ha. Wow." His lips pulled back reflexively in a humorless grin, exposing white teeth that shone in comparison. "That's something."

"I... come on," Trevor told Erin, evidently reaching a decision. Placing his mug down once again and draping the afghan on the chair, he briefly ensured that the fireplace was closed safely before moving to an old grandfather clock in the corner of the room, largely concealed by shadow. Opening up the glass face, he nudged both hands on its face to point directly upward. A moment later, there was a faint click as the section of the floor retracted into the wall, pulling the clock backward and revealing a staircase downward. Offering Erin his hand, he led the way down in the Midnight Manor. In the expansive cavern below, a number of worktables were covered in what were clearly half completed gadgets and tools. Unbuttoning his shirt, Trevor tossed it on a nearby chair and moved to a boxy apparatus with a number of trailing wires. Each ended in a circular electrode which he began fixing to his torso, spaced out evenly. "Oh, there's a landline built into the console there," he told Erin absently as he began carefully adjusting a range of dials on the main device. "There's a pretty good chance this may induce cardiac arrest or burst a vessel in my brain, so." Without further warning, he flipped a switch, grunting loudly as electrical current coursed into his flesh.

With a pleased murmur, Jill shifted forward into the deepening kiss, supporting herself with one arm on the sheet covered desk to make up for their awkward seated position. Any advantage in experience she might have had was undone by nervous excitement, but the gesture was salvaged through sincerity and enthusiasm. After a long moment, the medic pulled away just enough to catch her breath. "So," she grinned through a fierce flush, "that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Erin's distress bothered Trevor's far more than anything else, spurning him to legitimately consider potential options he likely would not have otherwise. "Invention. Ah... well, maybe? Personal forcefield is pretty simple, but, er. Might defeat the purpose," he qualified with an embarrassed cough. "There's... well, there's one thing. Potentially." The young man rolled one sleeve of his pal blue dress shirt up to his elbow absently, flexing slightly. "One time, Midnight - my grandfather, I mean - was fighting this electrical villain, or it could have been a weather thing, either way. Gramps ended up ionizing a cloud of midnight mist, made it denser, not solid, but... the mist has some weird properties like that." Trevor looked up from his arm to Erin. "My muscle tissue is saturated with mist. I haven't tried... I could, though."

Trevor regarded the crumpled silverware soberly, rubbing his free hand across his jawline. "Hhn. Point taken. Hadn't really... hmph." The young man was silent more several moments, his expression thoughtful. "Not sure what I can say. You know your abilities best. But... should know I trust you. Trust your judgment, reflexes. Have saved my life more than once." He considered reaching out for her hand but decided she'd probably backed up to the chair's arm for a reason. "Even if your never... if it's not something you can feel safe about, we'll think of something. We've, well, there are options."

"'Fly?" Jill stopped the inventor gently, reaching over to place one gloved hand lightly atop the flustered girl's gauntlet and guide the french fly back down to the desk. "Muñequita?" Sliding her chair a little closer and leaning over she placed her other hand on the collar of Dragonfly's jacket, smoothing it a little as she tightened her fingers. Pulling gingerly, her voice lowered to barely more than a whisper. "Shut up for a minute, okay?" Closing the rest of the distance, she brushed her lips delicately over the heroine's, mindful of the visor even as she let her eye close most of the way.

Trevor clamped down tightly on a guileless grin, covering his mouth with the back of his hand briefly. "...sorry, trying not to look too pleased with myself," he apologized, his face darkening with his soot hued flush. "I don't want you to feel like there's a... schedule or a window here." Looking down into his mug, the young man admitted, "I do... want to. Just so that's clear. But I'm not going anywhere, period."

"I think it works for you," Jill assured Dragonfly, looking away briefly with a shy grin. "A lot of guys - well, people - have these whole plans, trying to maneuver each other, and it's not actually as bad as that sounds, but this..." The young woman gestured vaguely to the desk covered in various foods and the dimly lit office. "This is really nice. I wasn't expecting any of it, but... I'm, ah, I'm glad." Taking a deep breath, she looked back over at the shorter girl. "Aaand I guess I was wondering if, since you hadn't gotten to date and all, if that meant you hadn't, ah... been kissed. Before."

Trevor took a quiet, shuddering breath that was equal part inhaling and clearing his throat. "Talking," he agreed thickly, retrieving both mugs of hot chocolate and taking a long sip from his, not entirely trusting himself with both hands free. The beverage helped with his suddenly dry mouth and bought him a few moments to collect his thoughts. "I, ah... I..." he began haltingly before squeezing his eyes shut in frustration and working his jaw back and forth. "Maybe you should start?"

Jill toyed briefly with the french fry in her hand, colouring slightly in the dim light. "Oh, ah, right, that... I mean, that makes sense, when would you have?" In her own way, the inventor seems much more confident about the idea of firsts than the medic, who couldn't help biting her lower lip briefly before finally eating the fry she'd picked up. "You're doing a good job so far," she offered with a small smile, "so yes, definitely a 'hot date'." After a pause, she began, "So, does that mean..." With a light cough she trailed off.

If Trevor had any particularly compelling argument for continued discussion if evidently deserted him as he kissed Erin back, a low sound rumbling in the back of his throat while he shifted his position in the seat slightly to place himself in the corner of the chair's high back and curving sides, pulling Erin with him as the hand on her waist moved slowly up to her back. Tightening fingers bunched together the fabric of her sweatshirt as he attempted halfheartedly to call upon his usually characteristic ability to plan beyond the immediate moment.

Earth-Prime Arriving with Wander, Midnight took up a position toward the back of the group with his arms crossed as Sage began explaining what she'd discovered, stony silence making clear his position toward anyone who gave the telepath grief over her method of communication. His eyes narrowed behind the ruby lenses of his mask at the mention of another mind similar to that of his diminutive friend. Young Freedom had had more than their share of encounters with extradimensional doubles, enough to form a pattern. In particular, they're brief stay on Anti-Earth had certainly earned them some new, very personal enemies. It added a worrisome wrinkle to the already disturbing situation. --- Earth-Paragons "Hnn, my kind of date," Midnight rumbled sardonically at Sage's suggested methods for entering the building, "but we're in a hurry. Get back on." Without further explanation, the vigilante waited until the white haired girl had done so before revving the engine of his motorcycle with a growl like thunder and rocketing through a gap in the angry crowd toward the massive statue of League member The Patriot. Accelerating as they flew past, Midnight wrenched up on the handlebars at the last moment to bring the pair onto an inclined marble outcropping at the statue's base, which in turn sent them hurtling through the air. Even the shouts down below were silenced for a moment as the streak of matte black hung in the air before slipping neatly through an open window on the second floor. The bike's rider scythed his vehicle sideways once they were inside, immediately halting their momentum and planting a foot down. "Now, elevator."

DC 30 Drive Check. (1d20+15=26) Boo. DC 30 Drive Check HP reroll. (1d20+15=32) Yay!

Jill made a surprised sound as she availed herself of the side dish. "...hmm." Locating the bag she'd taken the container of thick, homestyle french fries from in the first place, she found a couple packets of ketchup and proceeded to tear them open and create a small pool on the styrofoam lid. "I think I'm gonna have to steal your answer," she admitted, swirling a fry in the condiment absently. "Not like I've never, y'know, gone on dates," the coltish girl explained, rushing through the last few words, "but they didn't generally go so hot. Which, in retrospect, duh."

Whether the heat of Erin's lips was lingering from the hot chocolate or generated from within, Trevor leaned into the kiss with the sincerity of a frozen man stepping in from the cold. As his toes clenched reflexively, a faint trail of smokey black mist spilled out from the bottom of the afghan, rolling outward along the hardwood floor like dry ice fog. After several long moments, he broke away just far enough to speak, though close enough that he could still feel her breath on his face. "Should... probably talk..." he managed, though he didn't sound particularly convinced himself.