The Park Date (IC)

[Lone Star]

Clad finds the controls, and the entire park shuts down. KC breathes a sigh of relief as the cars fall dead. "You managed to save my ass again. I owe you a big kiss when all of this blows over. I guess it isn't a demon after all. What we need to do now is find who's behind this. I'll meet you at the main gate." KC quickly exited the bumper car arena and spread his nightmare wings, and made his way towards the park's entrance.

[Raveled]

Ironclad sighed heavily as the lights dimmed around her and Kid Cthulhu confirmed that the power was dying in the rest of the park. She stepped out of the hole she'd made in the front door and sprang into the air, her flight systems propelling her in a roughly parabolic arc to the entrance of the amusement park; at the last moment her safeties kicked in and lowered her to the ground, instead of letting her crash through the wooden boards. She stood there and scanned her sensorium, but all appeared quiet, so she turned to Kid Cthulhu instead. "Have you called the police yet," she asked.

[Lone Star]

"I will in one second." KC said, his phone already open. He was still weirded out by these occurances, although he was relieved there were no demons involved. "Hopefully we'll figure out who's behind this. Let's stick around until the cops get here."

[Raveled]

Ironclad set herself at the entrance to the park, attracting a few tourists who snapped pictures of the heroic pair. Behind her helmet, though, her eyes were closed and she was lost in thought. If the hacker who took things over had been hacking in remotely, then he should've left traces. Heck, he might still be connected and trying to restart the park!

The armored heroine walked into the ticket booth, calmly opening the top of the cash register there and removing a few wires, before plugging herself into the system. The cash register wasn't supposed to have the access she needed for this, but the security really was laughable and within moments Ironclad was leafing through access logs, trying to determine just who had subverted the park's systems.

[Lone Star]

Whoever hacked into the system did a damn good job. She can't find any traces he left behind. The systems were spotless. KC stood next to her. "Any luck babe? Looks like our villain got away this time...thanks for shutting those cars down. Getting run over by bumper cars is not the most glamorous way to die. Whenever we get out of here, I owe you a big kiss." KC said with a grin. "And a fancy dinner."

[Raveled]

Ironclad leaned against Kid Cthulhu very lightly; she didn't want to put the entire eight of the suit on his slim shoulders. She felt tired, drained by the sudden spikes of adrenaline and the odd sense of victory snatched away at the last second. Sure, they'd saved everyone at the park and saved themselves, too, but the hacker was still out there. It felt like the job wasn't complete, and it weighed on Ironclad, made her weary.

Still, no hero worth the name would pass up a straight line like the one her boyfriend had just delivered. "So what you're saying," she replied, her voice quiet and tired, "is that you're gonna take me out to McDonald's and let me have both apple pies?"

[Lone Star]

KC wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Like I said, I have that inheritance coming in. I'll maybe even take you to that place uptown when I get it. My secret hideout. The Cthulhu Cave! I'm not even joking! I actually will get a pretty fair sum from the inheritance." KC kissed her where he cheek would be. "And I'll take you out for steak. Or we can eat out at your place." KC said with a sly wink.

[Raveled]

Ironclad pushed away her squiddly boyfriend away, giggling a bit. "Right now, all I want to do at my place is go to sleep. I think I'll nap for a year or two after all this, honey." She straightened up and stepped away from him as police band radios started whispering in her ears. "Cops are here. Time to be all official-like, again."

[Lone Star]

The cops interviewed the pair, and were congratulated for their efforts. The police went into the park for a further investigation, and KC walked off with Ironclad. "Wow...that was quite an uneventful date. Let's get these costumes off and spend a little alone time. I could really use some downtime after all that." The sun was setting in the distance, and it gave off brilliant patterns of red, purple and orange as the sun sank into the horizon. A cool breeze stirred KC's tentacles, and he smiled at her.

[Raveled]

Ironclad managed to slip back into the park and find an unobserved rest room. There she was able to strip off the pieces of her armor and pack it away again. She slung the heavy pack on her back again and wandered out to the Boardwalk. She leaned on the railing and looked out to the water; the breeze came off the sea and dried her sweat-drenched hair, and she closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation.

[Lone Star]

KC snapped his fingers, and Blake appeared. He watched Jessica lean against the railing, and he came to her side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "That was interesting, to say the least. Hopefully we'll get that hacker next time. It seems we can't have a normal date." Blake said as he put his head on her shoulder.

[Raveled]

Jessica leaned against Blake, her head resting against his. "What do you mean," she asked, her voice quiet. "We ran into a supervillain, then we almost got arrested, and now we foiled a plot by an evil hacker/maybe demon. What part of that is odd in this town?" She smiled at her own remark, her expression more tired than anything else. "It's the world we choose to live in. Folks hear explosions and screams and they run away. Us, we run towards it and try to put things to right." She put her arm around Blake, holding him close as they looked off into ocean, the sunset to their backs. "It's just how we are, I suppose."

[Lone Star]

"At least there are superheroes like us to do it." Blake said. He snuggled closer to her. He sighed deeply, and looked up at her. He was happy he had a great girlfriend like her. "We're society's protection. It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it." Blake said with a playful nudge.

[Raveled]

Jessica smiled at Blake's sentiment, walking over with him to a nearby bench. She slid her pack underneath and sat, holding Blake close. They kissed a few times, cuddling close in the sunset, but each time she closed her eyes it was a struggle to open them again. Not to say that she didn't enjoy kissing Blake with her eyes closed, but her body was too tired to enjoy it totally. She separated and rested her forehead against her boyfriend's, looking him in the eye. "I'm sorry, hun," she said. "I think I'm more in the mood for a nap than anything else."

[Lone Star]

Blake put his arm around her shoulder and held her to his chest. "Well...I don't want you driving me home sleepy. How about we take a little nap here? I'll hold you." Blake started to stroke her hair gently. "I'm feeling pretty beat myself. That was another fun and exciting date."

[Raveled]

Jessica chuckled and kissed Blake again, smiling against his lips. "You know, you could drive me home. Tuck me in, watch me while I sleep... Wait until I close my eyes, then slip in." She folded her arms around him and held him closer. "We could end up sleeping together before we, you know, sleep together." She looked out over the water again, her eyes dropping closed and her breath growing slower.

[Lone Star]

"I could drive you home, but it wouldn't be safe or legal." Blake said with a huge grin. "Now why don't you take a nap for a minute, and then you can drive us back. Then if you want...I'll sleep with ya. In a non-sexual way. Like...what you said." Blake stammered.

[Raveled]

Jessica rested her head against Blake's shoulder, and within moments she was sleeping soundly. A police officer came by once, saw that his girlfriend was sleeping, and just smiled at Blake and backed away, but mostly they were left alone. About fifteen minutes later, Jessica stirred against her boyfriend's shoulder, raising her head and rubbing idly at her eyes. She turned to him and gave him a warm peck on the cheek. "Thanks, honey," she said, still leaning against him. "I really needed that. And now I think I'm good to head back home." She didn't make any effort to stand up, though, preferring to sit with Blake a little while longer.

[Lone Star]

Blake giggled and kissed her back. "Alright sweetheart. Let's go." Blake put his arm around her waist and helped her up. He held her closely and gave her a big kiss on the lips. "Umm...." Blake said. "Do you still want me to stay over?"

[Raveled]

Jessica retrieved her pack and shrugged it on, walking slow and close to Blake. She smiled and hummed tunelessly, mulling the idea over. "I think I'd like it," she said after awhile, "but I don't think Grandpa would." She giggled, lifting a hand to her mouth. "We could, ah, go camping in the state park, though. Wouldn't be anyone to watch us out there." She bumped Blake with her hip, grinning widely at the idea.

[Lone Star]

Blake grinned back at her. "Sure thing...sounds like fun babe. Do you have any camping gear? I can grab a sleeping bag from my dorm if you'd like." Blake wrapped his arm around her. He hoped she wasn't joking around with him. "And we'd have all the privacy we'd need. No cops out in the woods."

[Raveled]

Jessica laughed, standing at the edge of the parking lot with Blake. "I think I might last, oh, twelve seconds in the wild," she said. "No, Blake, I like the city. It's got shopping malls and Starbucks and air conditioning -- it's civilization, baby." She walked off onto the pavement, weaving her way through the parked cars towards the black bulk of her truck. "I'll call you up in a couple days, okay?"