Raveled

"Um. Didn't actually get to see much." She giggled. "One of Blake's enemies was there, and interrupted the movie. Has something against chop-sockey action flicks, I guess. We took him down, but we never did get to see the flick." She took another huge breath, rubbing absently at her eye. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you." She laughed at that, a yawn following on its heels.

Malcolm didn't quite scowl, but he did glower at Blake rather openly. "I hope you're aware that my granddaughter it a very special young woman. I hope you're taking--" Jessica barged into the room quite unannounced. She'd realized, rather belatedly, that sending her octogenarian grandfather to check the front door might not have been the best idea, and she had came forward to check on him. "Grandpa," she began, "what's wrong? Who was at the door?" She followed his line of sight and her eyes fell on Blake, standing in the entryway. Her face brightened and she smiled at her boyfriend -- that idea was still new enough to make her giddy -- and, a second later, her face fell. She touched her face with one hand where machine grease was streaked across her forehead. She looked down at herself, dressed in clunky jeans, an old shirt with the sleeves pushed up, and a leather apron. "Oh God," she said, before turning and fairly sprinting out of the room.

Jessica blushed at the question. "Well heck, it's not like I have a lot of experience with that. But, um." She blushed brighter, but kept talking. "It was a lot of fun. Made me tingle all the way down to my toes, you know." She sighed hugely, shifting so that she was lying straight-out on the couch. "And now I'm full of caffeine and excitement and now I can't sleeeeeeeep! Woo!"

Ironclad typed in the air and the number zapped to Dragonfly. "Look me up some time," she offered. "We can play some games or talk up projects." Flashing lights were visible in the distance now, growing steadily closer as they negotiated city traffic. "Do you want to be here when the coops arrive?"

Robin nodded solemnly. "The best are charlatans," she suggested. "They're just con men. The ones who hand out trinkets of real power without understanding them, though, are like children playing with hand grenades." She shook her head with a quick motion. "But those are bad memories, and I don't like to dwell on those if I can help it. Instead, let's gossip about people who aren't here." Her eyes glittered with good humor and she smiled, undercutting her petty words. "My invitation was signed by Eldrich. I wonder he'll show?"

Malcolm gave Blake a long, hard, searching look before stepping back and letting him in. He stayed by the door, taking his time in closing it and shooting the dead bolt. He turned to Blake, leaning on his cane and staring at him, letting the silence stretch between. "So you're dating my granddaughter," he said out of the blue. "Is that right?"

Jessica rolled her eyes at Mara's usual greeting. "Mara, it's Jessica. Listen, remember that guy I told you about before? Blake Salazar? He saved my ass when we went up against the dead man, you remember!" She squirmed on the couch, drawing her legs up underneath her to get into a more comfortable position. "Well, we had our first date last night. We went to the movies and then we went for a walk in the park, and then--" Jessica broke off, giggling to herself. "Then we kissed. Mara, I kissed a boy! I have a boyfriend and I kissed him!"

Jessica very carefully didn't comment on Mara's hastily bitten-off surname. Instead she drew her hand back and nodded to the other woman. "Mara. Well. Good to make your acquaintance, then." The howl of emergency sirens rose in the distance and her head came around, facing the distant sound. The helmet unfolded again and covered her face, making her anonymous again. "So," she said, still tracking the sirens, "have a cell phone number or some other way to get ahold of you?"

OOC for this thread.

The Parker's ranch-style condo sprawled over a larger footprint than the others around it, but was otherwise unremarkable when compared to its neighbors. No one walking by on the street would guess the amount of high tech inside. Malcolm Dawes leaned on a table, squinting at a computer display. He had to admit that they were more versatile than reams and reams of paper print-outs, but they seemed to get harder to read every year. He stabbed at the screen with a thick finger. "Radar stealth envelope?" Across the room, Jessica Parker was bent over a circuit board, soldering iron in hand. She touched the circuit in places and steam rose as the bonding metal flashed to liquid. When she spoke, it was with the careful, distant tones of someone whose attention was elsewhere. "Yes," she replied. "I figured out how to redirect some of the excess energy from the flight systems to absorb and redirect radar signals." Malcolm half-turned to look at his granddaughter. "You're facing gang-bangers with machine pistols, not sovereign nations with modern anti-aircraft defenses. Why do you need radar invisibility?" "I don't," Jessica chirped, frowning at her work. "It was a whim, and for what it's worth the system works -- I was able to buzz the tower at Jordan airport before anyone noticed me. But it's unnecessary, so I reallocated the resources. Check the latest design document." The front door bell rang, transmitted through the house by strategically placed speakers. Jessica sighed, eyes fixed on the electronics in front of her. "Grandpa, can you get that? If I step away, I'm going to lose the structure of this." Malcolm grunted as he stood upright, leaning on his cane and walking heavily to the front of the building, opening the door. He eyed the slim young man there, hair combed over his eyes. "CanI help you," he asked, filling the doorway with his blocky frame

The OOC for this thread. Not that I expect it'll be needed, but.

Jessica Parker pulled her truck into the driveway of her ranch-style condominium. The paved surface went all the way to the back, and when she finally parked the SUV it was entirely hidden from a view off the street. She went into the house by the back door and moved through the building, flipping on all the lights. She was filled with a manic, nervous energy, equal parts caffeine and excitement over what had happened. She finally flounced onto the couch in the front room and pulled out her cellphone, dialing a number she had memorized but not programmed into the phone. She sat there, humming and bouncing slightly as she listened to it ring.

Robin scowled but kept herself from lashing out against the furnishing. "Well, you have my card," she said. "I'll keep an eye out and light a candle if I figure anything out." Excusing herself from the revenant, she moved down the table to the pale man in the flowing robes. She didn't hold out her hand, but she did bow slightly to him. "Robin Cross," she said by way of greeting. "Owner and proprietor of Cross' Roads."

The pair retraced their steps and climbed up to the surface without any further disturbance. Once out in the sun, Ironclad held up a hand to keep Dragonfly talking or trying to leave, while she talked to the police. The call was quick and to the point, and entirely within the confines of her helmet; the other heroine only heard vague mumbling noises. Once finished she double-checked that no one else was around and waved at a command only she could see. Her helmet folded back and away, leaving her damp hair to bob free, tumbling to just past her collar line. She held out her hand to Dragonfly and said simply, "Airlifting counts as a bonding experience. Jessica Parker."

Please add that Ironclad and Kid Cthulhu got to first base.

Ironclad did a double-take, looking from where Dragonfly had been and where she was a second later. A wicked grin erupted on her face, hidden as it was by her helmet. She leapt into the air, and in seconds was level with the other heroine. "You may be able to move like that," she pointed out, "but you're still standing in sewage in the end." She floated down the tunnel, rotating to keep Dragonfly in front of her. "Well? Coming?"

Jessica made a small noise in her throat and snaked her arm around Blake's neck, checking her watch. "Um. Kinda." She swallowed and smiled at him. "But if you wanna stay out here, I can think something up." She kissed him again, just the tips of her lips against his.

Jessica made a surprised sound, then for a few minutes there were only the soft sounds of their lips and tongues. Eventually they parted, leaving Jessica's lips feeling too large and needing to be kissed. She rested her forehead against Blake's, brushing the hair out of his eyes so she could see them both at once. She swallowed hard and, after a moment's consideration, said, "My birthday's in June. Early June."

Ironclad shook her head, casting her eyes around. "Well, at least we know to watch this place now. They won't be using this place again." Ironclad reached up to rub at her armored forehead. "Of course, the city has, uh, eleven other storm basins pretty much identical to this one, but at least this one is cleared." She sighed and stepped close to Dragonfly, eying where the cannon had been a moment ago. "Anyway. Want to get out of here?"

Jessica sat there, one leg and the side of her body pressed against Blake, their arms and fingers intertwined. The night was peaceful, and it was the perfect balm for the turmoil inside of her. It was a good sort of turmoil, compared to everything else that could've happened that night, but as the pair of them sat there her stomach settled and her heart rate slowed. After a moment she leaned close and whispered in his ear, not wanting to break the perfect silence of the moment. "I really shouldn't say this," she said, her breath warm in the cold night, "but I kinda wish I was a couple years older." She blushed again and ducked her head, watching Blake out of the corner of her eye.

Fiat. Both gain an HP.

As Dragonfly knelt down to tie up the villainess, the Worm twisted under her grip. A hand came up, slapping the heroine away. As Dragonfly staggered back from the unexpected assault and Ironclad turned, targeters drawing a bead on the Worm, the villainess pulled a short cylinder from her jacket and tossed it into the air. It exploded with the light of a sun and the sound of an artillery assault, and when the barrage of light and noise faded the Conqueror Worm was no where to be seen. Ironclad stood there for a moment, gauntlets half-raised to attack. She screamed out a profanity that would've shocked a sailor and kicked the wall savagely, leaving an imprint and shaking embedded dirt loose ten feet away.

Jessica followed Blake into the forest, not trying to track the different noises, simply absorbing and accepting the cacophony of life all around them. As they stood there next to the benches, in the light of the sliver of moon left in the sky, she laid her head on Blake's and put her hand to his chest, feeling his heartbeat. Her mouth curved into a simple, uncomplicated smile as she just stood there. "It's beautiful," she said, obviously not referring to the view.

Jessica made a small, surprised sound when Blake put a hand behind her head, but instead of moving away she stepped closer, pressing her body up against his. Once he broke off the kiss she concentrated on breathing, her chest moving in short gasps, smelling herself and Blake, her head whirling with what had just happened. When Blake -- my boyfriend my boyfriend oh-my-god I have a boyfriend -- suggested moving off somewhere, she simply swallowed and nodded quickly. She took his hand and intertwined their fingers, staying close.

Ironclad stood, rubbing at the side of her helmet with one hand. "I have a flight system. I knew coming down into the mud would be bad, but I couldn't let them grab Worm and drag her off." She moved a little ways off, leaning against the wall with one hand. "So get the cannon off her, so we can go up in the daylight and I can wash all this muck off."