Welcome to The Interceptors, Jill O'Cure [IC]

[quotemyname]

"Grim's right, Doc. What with th'crowd we been runnin' with, y'all c'n never be t'careful."

Then an idea struck her, and she looked first at Archeville, then to Colt, then back to their benefactor. "Although maybe...we could stay at your castle, for the honeymoon? That would be like something out of Sleeping Beauty!"

"Oh, now there's a notion." Colt responded. "Heck, I'd do't just fer th'irony of't all. An' here I was thinkin' I couldn't get no more outta' place'n this here city. Shoot. This's gon' be one hell'uva party!" Colt beamed.

[Dr Archeville]

Unlike Grim and Colt, Archeville's face actually fell at their suggestion.

Oh, I hate relating bad news!

"Unfortunately," he began dejectedly, "the castle is not really set up to house guests, at least not honeymooners. It is mostly research laboratories and workshops, and dormitories for the staff and students. It does have a large reception and dining hall, which is why I thought it a fine place to hold the wedding, but I do not think you would want to spend your honeymoon next to arc reactors and mutagenic compounds."

Ooh! Ooh! I know an alternative!

"On the other hand," he continued, his face lighting up again, "I am quite wealthy, and there are a number of castles in Germany available to rent!" He slapped one knee, "By Ludwig, you shall have your fairytale honeymoon!"

[Dariusprime]

"That's very sweet of you, Viktor," said Fulcrum with a smile, "Now please don't go to overboard, at least without consulting the lucky couple." She gave the couple in question a sidelong wink.

Addressing them, she asked, "Oh, if anyone crashes your wedding, I'd just stand aside and let Grim have them. Be like watching the Tasmanian Devil, with a side helping of Yosemite Sam. Seriously though, I didn't even think about security. Yeah, we'd better be prepared for anything. Maybe not advertise this too much in public either." Looking around the room skeptically, "After the Avenger Incident, the walls have ears." She giggled. Yes, giggled.

"On the other hand, an honeymoon next to arc reactors and chemicals sounds like an interesting origin."

[Dr Archeville]

"If they are to gain new superpowers, I would rather it be because of some treatment I intentionally gave to them," Archeville said with a jovial laugh. "As for security, as long as I am at the wedding, the Freedom League is one communicator signal away. And I believe Dynamo has made inroads with some of the students at Claremont, so he may be able to call on them."

Do not mention Lynn's espionage work Do not mention Lynn's espionage work Do not mention Lynn's espionage work!!!

"And we all know at least a handful of other heroes who might attend," he continued, "so I believe it will be well-covered. And- Oh!," he cried, slapping his leg. "A dress! And tuxedo! Do you have them?"

[Geez3r]

Eli had gotten a little consumed in his book, he wanted to finish up the paragraph on diminishing returns before he joined in the discussion. "I'll vouch that German food is most excellent." supplied Eli. "Now this is your special day and all of that, so it's not my place to interject, but... are you really sure that having it outside of the country is the best idea. Seems like that could create a lot of headaches, like getting passports for everyone and getting the marriage recognized in multiple countries. Now I'm not an expert or nothing, but that's something you may well want to think about first before you start booking flights."

[Gizmo]

"If you're gonna call in any of the Claremont kids, probably not a good idea to let them know I'll be there," Erik advised Eli with a muted wince. "I may have managed to inadvertently kinda sorta maybe earned their eternal enmity."

His sister, perched on the back of the couch, gave him a flat look. "And you're sending me to class with them."

"Little bit, yeah," the swashbuckler admitted.

With an inarticulate grumble, the teen rubbed her eyes with the heels of each hand.

[Heritage]

"And we all know at least a handful of other heroes who might attend," he continued, "so I believe it will be well-covered. And- Oh!," he cried, slapping his leg. "A dress! And tuxedo! Do you have them?"

Grim looked over her shoulder at the German genius and gave him an 'are you serious?' look. "A dress? Seriously? Dok, remember who you're talkin' to here."

She stood up, and in an instant mist swirled about her in delicate little whorls, leaving her in a lacey creation with a white bodice, her hair trailing majestically over her shoulders. She grinned happily as she did a slow spin.

"Now I'm not saying this is the final look; me and my sister Eddi are still batting around ideas via Facebook, but I am sayin' the dress is not an issue. The tux, on the other hand, we still need to pick out." She smiled at her fiance and shook her head. "And we're still debating the whole 'cowboy hat at the service' issue."

"Now this is your special day and all of that, so it's not my place to interject, but... are you really sure that having it outside of the country is the best idea. Seems like that could create a lot of headaches, like getting passports for everyone and getting the marriage recognized in multiple countries. Now I'm not an expert or nothing, but that's something you may well want to think about first before you start booking flights."

The shapeshifter gracefully stepped over to Eli and playfully bopped him on the head with her bouquet.

"Dude, stop learning so darn much and pay attention! The service will be here in Freedom, in the family bookstore so both my family and all our hero buddies can attend; we're only talking about having the honeymoon in a gingerbread Bavarian castle."

She moved back over to Colt and pulled him down onto the beanbag, the dress shifting back into her FC sweats to make for better snuggling during the movie.

[quotemyname]

"Now I'm not saying this is the final look; me and my sister Eddi are still batting around ideas via Facebook, but I am sayin' the dress is not an issue. The tux, on the other hand, we still need to pick out." She smiled at her fiance and shook her head. "And we're still debating the whole 'cowboy hat at the service' issue."

"Well, I c'n wear one'a them kippah's underneath if'n y'd like..." Colt joked as he adjusted the hat on his head, "An' I'm sorry, but that there dress might still be'n issue. I'm fine with ya makin' stuff'n everyday life, honey. But this here's ar weddin'. We ain't gettin'a 'nother one. Least god willin' we ain't. I want that dress t'be somethin' ya c'n hang up'n remember. Maybe give't our kids one day if'n we hav'em. Least ways, it shouldn't be somethin' ya c'n just go'n dissolve when it suits ya. I'm afraid I'm gon' have'ta put ma foot down too. I don't care what't costs. Yer gettin' one." Colt said as he wagged his finger at his fiance.

She moved back over to Colt and pulled him down onto the beanbag, the dress shifting back into her FC sweats to make for better snuggling during the movie.

"Woah!" Colt smiled as he was dragged downward onto the strange bean filled chair.

[Dr Archeville]

"And what if the Queen of the Faeries appears," Archeville added, "and decides she does not care for you marrying a mortal -- no offense, Herr Renolds -- so she strips you of your powers there and then and returns you to what you once were? You should be naked on your wedding night, not your wedding day!"

Unless you are a Betazoid... which I am pretty sure Lynn is not.

The Doktor felt some odd looks pointed his way, "what? Too Grimm?"

Wait, did he just make a pun?

[Heritage]

"An' I'm sorry, but that there dress might still be'n issue. I'm fine with ya makin' stuff'n everyday life, honey. But this here's ar weddin'. We ain't gettin'a 'nother one. Least god willin' we ain't. I want that dress t'be somethin' ya c'n hang up'n remember. Maybe give't our kids one day if'n we hav'em. Least ways, it shouldn't be somethin' ya c'n just go'n dissolve when it suits ya. I'm afraid I'm gon' have'ta put ma foot down too. I don't care what't costs. Yer gettin' one."

The truly observant (and there were several in the room) could see a slight cloud pass over the shapeshifter's face when Colt insisted a real wedding dress, but by the time her fiance was on the beanbag with her, she seemed happy enough to kiss him.

"And what if the Queen of the Faeries appears," Archeville added, "and decides she does not care for you marrying a mortal -- no offense, Herr Renolds -- so she strips you of your powers there and then and returns you to what you once were? You should be naked on your wedding night, not your wedding day!"

The joke struck a nerve, and Colt could feel his lover's body suddenly go rigid beside him; the glance she sent the German's way was fairly icy,

"Not funny, Dok."

She didn't even comment on his pun!

[Dariusprime]

Talk about your awkward silences. If the room got any chillier, they'd have icicles hanging from the fixtures. Not her place to ask though, thought Fulcrum. Mentally she hoped that reaction didn't mean, one, trouble at the wedding, and two, a Queen of the Fairies actually existed. She didn't need anything more after shape-shifting aliens, inter-dimensional horrors, self-proclaimed angels and jovial undead.

"Okay...yeah. Let's start the movie, shall we?" she said cheerfully, and listened to it echo around the room. "Lets just enjoy the movie and worry about wedding specifics later."

She smiled to Viktor and patted the coach next to her. "Have a seat, Shakespeare."

If anything he'd settle down a bit and maybe not make the situation any worse. She liked the new, mellower Viktor (now with Puns!), but she didn't want a situation. Just thinking about the pun did make her smile turn into a grin.

"That was good," she whispered to him.

[Geez3r]

Eli was immediately reminded of a stand up routine by Chris Porter: "My dad could be talking to my mom, face to face, piss her off and have no idea how it happened. Eli felt this was one of these scenarios. This was also one of the problems with super-speed, sometimes, no matter how hard you tried, something was just outside of your reach. He tried walking through the conversation over and over again. He had figured out what had caused that weird vibe, but he didn't get why. Yeah Grim was a fairy, but wasn't that like public knowledge? I mean, she turns into a pixie like daily. Did Colt not know or something? I'm so confused. thought Eli in exasperation as he looked back and forth between everyone trying to get some context clues.

[Heritage]

As the film began, the room was unusually still; Grim silently munched on a conjured bowl of popcorn, mulling over her reaction to Dok's rather awkward joke.

Oh man, I think I really overreacted to that; I'm sure he didn't think it would touch a nerve, but part of me really does worry about crazy stuff like that. Is this just the result of watching too many episodes of Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie with Dad as a kid? Can a 'mere mortal' and a fae live happily ever after, or at least just happily?

Right in the middle of Frozone's opening monologue, she rolled over on her back, zeroed in on Dok's face, and pelted him right between the eyes with an expertly-tossed piece of popcorn. She flashed him a silly grin and whispered, "Bingo."

[Dr Archeville]

Oh no! My words have caused unintended harm!

Archeville shrank into himself a bit at Grim's reaction, placing hands flat on his lap and his mouth tightening up. Mona's words loosened him back up, though...

Mmmmm...

and Grim's perfectly-placed popcorn projectile and silly grin got him back to his old (well, new-old) relaxed self.

Hooray, social disaster averted!

He stretched out, propping his feet on the arms of the couch on his head on Fulcrum's lap; she actually heard him sigh contentedly.

This is a good team I have got here. They are as dedicated to each other as the Freedom League is -- maybe even moreso! -- and while they may not get along with others, and still have some rough edges, they have proven their worth as heroes many times over. I would like to spend more time with them... but with so many duties, both at ArcheTech and with the League... still, I know Vince has their back, and he can instantly let me know of any problems.

"So a blonde super-strong and super-tough man and a redheaded elastic woman give rise to a blonde speedster boy and a girl with jet-black hair and invisibility powers? How does...?"

[Gizmo]

Erik ran a hand through his dusty brown hair, bemused. Acheville was acting a lot more like Vince than his regular self, and the pun caught the swordsman's attention enough to highlight to diminished accent. Lynn, on the other hand, was being touchy enough to be compared to him, which Erik had to admit was not a great sign either. "I dunno, recessive genes?" he responded, letting his voice circumvent his brain to hide his concern.

"That's not even kind of how that would work," Ellie correct him flatly, shifting her perch on the back of the couch to watch the screen. The teen tucked a few loose strands of her artificially dark hair pointedly behind her ear. "Maybe she dyes it."

[quotemyname]

At Dr. Archeville's remark, and Grimm's reaction, the cowboy fixed the scientist with a gaze that simply said, "Please don't." He felt no need to reiterate things that had already been said.

As the two watched the movie, Colt whispered quietly in Grimm's ear, "I...reckon ah didn't know th'dress was'at important. Part'a me needs some form'a tradition, ah'guess. My notion is if'n ya really wanna make yer own, that's fine. It ain't worth fightin' over, an it ain't worth makin' ya mad."

He was interrupted by Grimm's display of popcorn marksmanship.

"Nice shot!" he said aloud. "Sorry, ah got all bossy in front'a th'gang." He finished with a whisper. "After all, 'Y'all're th' greatest good I'm evah gonna get.' he mimicked the line spoken by Frozone's wife.

[Geez3r]

"Such are the great questions in life Doc." mused Eli. "I find the mechanics of the flying ships to be a little more problematic. The method of propulsion and the method of attack are the same. Hitting a hard surface would likely cause the machine to become unbalanced unless there is some other mechanism at work. Though that wouldn't necessarily make the fact that they've got to lean forward to actually go forward make anymore sense." continued Eli. "But irregardless, it's just a show, I should really just relax.... though the shortcuts they used when animating Dash bug me." added Eli in an after thought.

[Gizmo]

"'Irregardless' isn't a word," Ellie corrected the speedster, leaning down from her perch next to him. "You're looking for 'regardless'."

Leaning against the back of the couch, Erik cuffed his sister lightly on the shoulder. "Seriously? Shut up and watch the movie, hermanita."

The younger sibling responded by slugging him back with considerably more force. "It's not a word!"

"Nobody cares!" her brother retorted using his longer reach to tousle her hair messily.

Combing it back into place with her fingers, she glowered at him, grumbling something uncomplimentary under her breath.

[Geez3r]

Eli chuckled, finding that little exchange pretty darn funny. But not for the reasons one might expect. "Heh. Managed to correct me without calling me 'zippy' or making a white guy crack. That'd be a first in this house. Be careful now, keep that up and people will think you're starting to fall for my unrelenting machismo, not that anyone can blame you really." joked Eli while preparing for the onslaught of a great number of things being thrown at him. "But seriously, don't do that. Jack gives me the evil eye enough with you here as is. I do not want to have to avoid stabpunches while doing my math homework."

[quotemyname]

"Machismo? Oh please..." Colt groaned. It was his turn to throw popcorn. A small handfull of the stuff sailed through the air and dusted Eli's face and shoulders. "Put that'n yer machismo," Colt jested. Unsure himself if the comment even meant anything.

"An' jus' 'cause ya c'n see them animation shortcuts don't mean ya gotta ruin'em fer the rest'a us," Colt paused, almost as if daring himself to finish the sentence, "Zippy." Colt wore a goofy smile. He shrugged helplessly, clearly advertising that he was simply doing his duty, "What? Reckon one'a us had'ta do't. Can't let'em git too comfortable."

[Gizmo]

With a dry look, Erik crossed his arms then raised a single hand, mentally tugging on the crackling electrical field always present just below Eli's surface, an arc of lightning lifting off of the speedster's shoulder. The older hero made a snapping movement with his wrist, and the electricity popped back with an audible but largely harmless crack. "Dumbass," he drawled goodnaturedly.

"You've got nothing to worry about, hermano," Ellie assured the swordsman in an airy tone, her attention apparently on the movie. "I'm not even sure if I like guys." The coltish teen's casual deadpan left her brother and the rest of the household uncertain if she was pulling their collective legs or not, even as an amused smirk pulled at one corner of her mouth.

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum said nothing. Nope. Not at a thing. She just slid an arm around Viktor's shoulders and leaned into him. Gently. No need to break the guy.

Although, Eli did have a good point about animation shortcuts. She'd heard about recycling frames, only scenes or character models, but what about simply blurring over the kid's movements? Normal people couldn't follow it anyway. Nonchalantly she sighed and flipped over to her own superspeed. Her eyes lit up at how different everything seemed. Not just the movie, but how the flat screen processed the images. She wasn't fast enough to follow it completely, but the effect was almost eye-watering.

After filtering certain phenomena out, however, she could see the work for itself. "You do have a point, Eli." How did Eli keep from going nuts?

Glancing to Erik, she covered her mouth with a hand and did a passable Vader, "No stabpunching!"

[Heritage]

Grim rolled her eyes at at her teammates' and employer's nitpicking of one of the greatest films of all time. :roll:

"Guys, it's called 'suspension of disbelief' for a reason, alright? It's about the message, not who did what and how. And twenty-four frames of second is fine for like 99.9% of the world's population, Eli; you want to watch a better film about speedsters, go make it yourself." She grinned as she gobbled more popcorn. "S'what my dad always used to say when my mom got mad at the science on Next Generation. Now all a y'all shush."

When Ellie made her statement (or joke, or both), Lynn merely cocked an eyebrow and gave her sidelong glance as she murmered, "Boy did you choose the right line of work."

[Geez3r]

Eli didn't say anything else either, he was too busy laughing. Not a giggle, not a chuckle. We're talking full on, barely coherent, eyes watering, red faced, doubled over laughter. He couldn't explain it, it just struck him as really, really funny. The other Interceptors likely found it really annoying. When Eli got laughing like this he couldn't quite control his speed, so he'd have a few brief spans where he'd wind up laughing at like 2-5 times normal speed, which in addition to looking freaky as all get out, raised his voice a couple of octaves so he sounded like a gerbil on helium. Grim's comment just added fuel to the fire.

[Dr Archeville]

"Grimal, you magnificent boggart!," Archeville exclaimed, bolting upright from his comfy spot in Mona's arms. "Movies for metahumans, made by metahumans! Why, the savings in special effects alone would make it a huge money-maker! Get some illusionists, of course; need to make sure they are the type whose illusions can be recorded mechanically, and are not just mental phantasms. Maybe some telekinetics to replace wire-work. Meta-intellects to write stories, both to take full advantage of the new media and to make intelligent and internally consistent stories..." He glanced over to Eli, up to Mona, then back to Eli again, "movies filmed and shown at an accelerated rate for Speedsters! Oh, and maybe an arrangement with Blackstone, have the proceeds from the works go to relief funds for the victim's families."

It! Could! Work!