Shaggy Dog

[Lone Star]

"Alright, ma'am, your dog is just fine. Just a little stomach ache is all. Give him some rest, and he should be over it soon. Just call me in a couple of days if you don't see any signs of improvement." Gregory was in his office with a woman and her pug. It was the butt-ugliest dog he had ever seen in his life, but he helped it. He scratched the dog behind its ear, and the dog almost smiled at him. He helped the woman attach the dog's leash, and walked her to the door. "Have a nice night!" Gregory said as he waved at her.

The moment her car drove off, Gregory was back inside, locking the doors. He was ready to leave. It was past midnight already, and although his office hours said he closed at eight, he often stayed behind a couple of hours to get patients that didn't operate on his schedule. As Gregory locked the front door, he felt a chilly winter breeze stir his hair. He bundled his coat closer to himself. He was ready to hit the bar.

[Heritage]

Estelle was hanging out with her sister Sunny at her favorite local pub in Kingston, The Magic Crab; it had been around forever and didn't have that fake 'wee Irish pub' feel, plus one of the best jukeboxes in the known world. Sunny was in town with her husband for a few days, but tonight was a casual girls' night out, just two sister in their early thirties checking out the cute guys and enjoying themselves.

Sunny, a few years older with dark brown hair and green eyes and wearing a tweed riding jacket and designer jeans, was laying it on thick with the wise married sister routine as she raised her second rum and coke to her lips.

"You know you'll be happier when you settle down, E; you can have a husband and a career."

Estelle, her long hair in its usual braid down her back, shrugged inside her dark blue sweater and khaki slacks.

"You may be right, but I just...want to get some serious work under my belt before I take that plunge. Plus my dating life has been very sporadic these days."

"Mmm, so I've read; so just how serious were you with this Divine girl? Or was it just some kind of superhero hook-up? And since when are you into girls, anyway? Not that I'm judging; I've seen her picture, she's postively stunning."

The blonde chemist rolled her eyes. "Can we not talk about this? It wasn't a phase or an act of rebellion like Mother seems to think; we happened to click, we're both human beings, and I don't see why I can't be attracted to a woman every now and again. Why rule out half the world's population because of some antiquated system of beliefs? It happened, it was fun, but it's over; now let's move on, okay?"

Sunny held up her hands and turned to sweep the crowd with her gaze. "Fair enough, I'll drop it." Then she paused and placed a hand on her little sister's shoulder. "Speaking of stunning, looked what just stepped in from the cold."

Estelle tossed a casual look over her shoulder at the newcomer, a very well-built man. "Interesting..."

[Lone Star]

Gregory walked into the bar, shivering a little. The first thing that caught his eye was the woman sitting at the bar. Her hair was down to her ankles; a beautiful blonde. He quickly suppressed the grin that threatened to overtake his face, and made his way towards her. He tried to play it cool, but he could almost feel the blush creep over his face. Dammit! Dammit! Do not blush! Gregory took the seat next to her. He ordered a Jack and Coke, and pretended not to see her there for a moment. He then turned his head to his left, and smiled at her. "Hey there."

[Heritage]

Estelle continued chatting with Sunny, who was carefully peeping over her sister's shoulder at Well-Built Guy's approach. Estelle mouthed 'Is he coming over?' to which her older sister responded with the slightest of nods and a tiny smile as she took another sip of her drink.

"Hey there."

The blonde chemist turned and sat up slightly, a look of polite 'surprise' on her face as she discretly gave the guy a thorough look over.

"Oh, hello."

She flashed a quick smile, certainly not the most deadly of her smiles, but one of the better ones; she kept the heavy duty stuff in reserve. She raised her Leinenkugel to her lips and took a smallish swig, but not a little girly swig; a decent-sized swig that indicated she liked good beer and was not some dithering lightweight.

Sunny grinned and shook her head; it was always fun to watch a true artist at work.

[Lone Star]

"Umm. Come here often? I just got off work- needed a good stiff drink. What do you do for a living?" Gregory said as he took a swig of his Jack and Coke. He restrained himself from grimacing as he swallowed the strong alcohol, to show her how badass he was!

[Heritage]

"Umm. Come here often? I just got off work- needed a good stiff drink. What do you do for a living?"

Now for some women the 'come here often' line is a huge red flag of loserdom, but Estelle was not so harsh. A lot of great guys struggle with their opening, because let's be honest it's the hardest part of the job, so she was more than willing to cut the right guy some slack in that department; asking about her line of work, on the other hand, showed much more promise, especially so early in the conversation. And the fact that he apparently didn't recognize her? Huge plus.

"Actually I'm a research chemist at ASTRO Labs; I'm working on biodegradable plastics made from plant oils, like corn and soybeans†She smiled sweetly. “How about you, what do you do for a living?â€

[Lone Star]

Gregory's eyebrows raised. "That's extremely impressive. I mean honestly, a very helpful cause. Well, I'm a veterinarian- my offices are just up the road. It was another late night, so this is where I usually hang out when I need to unwind." Gregory finished off his drink, and smiled at her. She was cute as hell- and a scientist! He couldn't be luckier to meet such a girl.

[Heritage]

"That's extremely impressive. I mean honestly, a very helpful cause. Well, I'm a veterinarian- my offices are just up the road. It was another late night, so this is where I usually hang out when I need to unwind."

As soon as the guy said 'veterinarian' Estelle's eyes lit up a bit, she inched just a hair closer to him on her stool and her smile became much warmer. His complement seemed sincere and he wasn't scared off by her big ol' brain; she could almost feel her sister's eager smile behind her back

"A vet, really? That's very good; I have a cat named May-Ray. So do you work at the emergency clinic? I'm sorry, I'm Estelle, and this is my sister Sunny. How do you do?"

She extended her hand in a rather lady-like fashion, bu her grip was nice and strong.

[Lone Star]

Gregory shook her hand back, now unable to conceal a big smile. "Yes I do, actually. I have my own clinic set up. It's a fairly small building, but I get a lot of business. Thus- why I stay so late. I love it though, it's great work. Things are going well." He said as he looked into her eyes. She was very beautiful, and he wanted to tell her, but it was way too soon for any of that. "May-Ray, huh? What kind of a cat?

[Heritage]

"May-Ray, huh? What kind of a cat?

Estelle smiled as she thought of her cat, who loved to chase furtive strands of her hair around the loft.

"He's a lynx-point Siamese, and other than being Satan Incarnate, he's a little dear. I think he's...five years old this year? Maybe six, I forget."

Suddenly Sunny starts waving her hands as she tips her head backwards. "Ah, ah, my stupid contact lens went up up behind my eyelid! Ahh!" Estelle curses softly, then seems very alarmed.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry, can you give us a minute? I'll be right back, I swear! Where's the ladies' room?"

Estelle hustles her sister towards the washrooms; once they get through the door, she slaps Sunny on the shoulder, but not too hard.

"What are you, sixteen? The 'contact lens' trick? Seriously? I haven't even gotten his name yet!"

Still wiping away tears of mirth, her big sister smiles at her. "He's cute, though, isn't he? And a vet, good with animals..."

"You're an animal, Sun. But yes, he is nice and cute." The blonde chemist sighed and ran her hand through a portion of her hair. "So, does this mean you're heading back to the hotel?"

"Yes, it does; I don't want to cramp your style, Stel."

"You're such a good sister, despite the hereditary insanity." :roll:

They share a warm hug, and then return to handsome vet at the bar, where Estelle makes a spastic face.

"Crisis averted! I keep telling her to get laser surgery, but apparently she's afraid of knives..."

[Lone Star]

"Well, they're part of my job, so I kind of don't have a choice. I prefer to think of them as tools of healing, not hurting." He grinned at her. "I've got a dog myself. He's a lab, I call him Lucky. He's great with cats, maybe we can meet in the park sometime? Or...um...they?" Gregory said as he took another sip. He hoped he wasn't being too forward, but she was cute.

[Heritage]

"I've got a dog myself. He's a lab, I call him Lucky. He's great with cats, maybe we can meet in the park sometime? Or...um...they?"

Estelle frowned in mild confusion, but the smile never left her lips, while Sunny giddily waved good-bye and paid her tab. After waving back to her departing sister, the lovely blonde returned her focus to the charming vet as she held up a slender finger to make a point.

"So...you realize I now know the name of your dog, but not your own actual real given person name. Is this how things are done in veterinary circles?"

Judging from her big smile, she was really enjoying this conversation, as well as the young man’s company.

[Lone Star]

"Oh wow, I forgot. My name's Gregory. What's yours? Oh, forgot to ask. Want me to buy you another of what you're drinking? Looks like you've run empty." Gregory said with a grin on his face. "I'm kind of a lightweight myself. Don't know about you." He was hoping his bravado didn't get to her. He felt a lot more confident now that her friend had left.

[Heritage]

"Oh wow, I forgot. My name's Gregory. What's yours? Oh, forgot to ask. Want me to buy you another of what you're drinking? Looks like you've run empty." Gregory said with a grin on his face. "I'm kind of a lightweight myself. Don't know about you."

She cocked an elegant eyebrow, then pursed her lips.

"Apparently so, or else you'd remember my name's Estelle? From our earlier handshake?"

Did she actually have him flustered? Because that would be fun. She tapped her empty beer bottle with a glossy fingernail (all of which where trimmed quite short).

"And yes, I'd love another Leinenkugel's; thank you."

She waited for him to finish ordering, then raised her fresh bottle to tap it against his drink.

"Cheers, Gregory. You know, I often work 'til odd hours of the night myself; do you find it drastically impacts your social life?"

[Lone Star]

Gregory took a swig of his second drink. "Sorry, I'm very bad with names. I'm also very forgetful. So don't take that personally. I mean. Sorry. What was I saying? Gosh, I look stupid." Gregory coughed and had another swig.

"Uh...well, yes it does. As you can probably tell, I don't get much contact with other humans."

[Heritage]

"Uh...well, yes it does. As you can probably tell, I don't get much contact with other humans."

Estelle laughed and waved a hand dismissvely. "Ah, human contact is overrated! Who needs friends, family and lovers when you have a good book, a lovable pet and bottle of fine wine?" Then she stopped, stroked a lip thoughtfuly and suddenly opened her eyes wide in mock-revelation. "Wait a minute...I've turned into a Cat Lady! Dear God, when did that happen?"

Chuckling at her own silliness, the blonde chemist shook her head, which made her long braid wag from side to side like a happy tail. "Ah Gregory, whatever will become of us? Our personal lives sacrificed on the altar of our careers..." She took a nice long swig and sighed wistfully.

[Lone Star]

"Well, you're not the first cat lady I've ever met. But you're by far the prettiest." Gregory said with a smile. He smoothed back his hair, and took a sip of his drink. "I hope you don't mind me being that weird veterinarian guy. Let's see....I almost never go out, my best friend's a dog, and I work all the time. I work out too much, and I'm kind of strange sometimes." He looked at her, and grinned. "Buuut, I have an off-day on Sunday. Are you busy?

[Heritage]

"Well, you're not the first cat lady I've ever met. But you're by far the prettiest."

Estelle tried to hide her smile as she took a sip of beer, but her dimples gave her away.

"I hope you don't mind me being that weird veterinarian guy. Let's see....I almost never go out, my best friend's a dog, and I work all the time. I work out too much, and I'm kind of strange sometimes." He looked at her, and grinned. "Buuut, I have an off-day on Sunday. Are you busy?

She shrugged and tried to look nonchalant as she ran a finger around the mouth of her beer bottle. "For the right guy, I might be. And don't worry, I'm weird all the time."

The long-haired lovely cast a glance over her shoulder before she leaned forward conspiratorially.

"Actually, in the interest of full disclosure I feel I should warn you: I'm not just a chemist, I'm also a superhero."

Setting aside her beer, she rolled up the sleeve of her sweater to reveal some sort of high-tech computer terminal, in the form of an armband that covered most of her left forearm.

"See? I have a superhero accessory." She winked broadly, tapped the side of her nose with her finger, then pointed at Gregory and gave him 'the nod'.

[Lone Star]

"Really? Which one are you? I've met a couple of superheroes in my lifetime." What a coincidence! The odds weren't that small...but once he confirmed she wasn't a supervillain, he would be sure to tell her who he was. He smiled at her. "The right guy, huh? Hmm, well hope you're not too picky." Gregory said with a huge grin, finishing off his second drink.

[Heritage]

"Really? Which one are you? I've met a couple of superheroes in my lifetime."

She looks mildly embarrassed as she runs her fingers through her hair. "Uh, I go by 'Gossamer'? It's, it's probably easier to just show you, really."

Suddenly her long braid unfurls, and she is surrounded by a golden cloud, millions of fine strands that drift about her like seaweed. A thin tendril of hair forms and hangs patiently in the air in front of her as she digs a dollar bill out of her back pocket. She offers the dollar to the strand, which obediently stretches across the room, slips the bill into the juke box, and even taps in a selection.

"Actually I know this jukebox really well, so it's not quite as impressive as it first appears."

The bar fills with the opening chords of 'Back in Black', and there are a few ragged cheers from the regulars, who've seen her pull this stunt before. The thin little limb returns to her side, where it coils around her beer and raises it to her lips.

"I can also benchpress six tons with it, which really is much cooler, but the management tends to discourage those sort of hijinks."

"The right guy, huh? Hmm, well hope you're not too picky."

Estelle shook her head, and the effect on her tresses is quite fascinating, like watching water surge back and forth.

"Me? Noooo. Who can afford to be picky these days? So what heroes have you run into, prior to today?"

[Lone Star]

She looks mildly embarrassed as she runs her fingers through her hair. "Uh, I go by 'Gossamer'? It's, it's probably easier to just show you, really."

Suddenly her long braid unfurls, and she is surrounded by a golden cloud, millions of fine strands that drift about her like seaweed. A thin tendril of hair forms and hangs patiently in the air in front of her as she digs a dollar bill out of her back pocket. She offers the dollar to the strand, which obediently stretches across the room, slips the bill into the juke box, and even taps in a selection.

Gregory's eyebrows raise. "Gotta admit, Gossamer. That's pretty badass. So now I know you're a real superhero." Gregory said as he grinned at her. "I'm a superhero too. Name's Mad Dog. I don't have any superpowers, but I fight crime up around Kingston, and the surrounding areas. I gotta say, I've never met a superhero out of costume, but I've met Slick and Avenger. But it's a pleasure to meet another one of us, Gossamer." Gregory cleared his throat. He mustered up all of his confidence. "So can I take you out sometime?"

[Heritage]

"I'm a superhero too. Name's Mad Dog. I don't have any superpowers, but I fight crime up around Kingston, and the surrounding areas. I gotta say, I've never met a superhero out of costume, but I've met Slick and Avenger. But it's a pleasure to meet another one of us, Gossamer." Gregory cleared his throat. He mustered up all of his confidence. "So can I take you out sometime?"

Estelle's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You have got to be kidding! Really? What are the chances? Well, we are in Freedom City, so I suppose the odds are higher here, but still..."

Now that she's dropped her 'cover', it's quite clear that her animated hair is very much a part of her; several of the strands are gently tapping her leg, parts of the stool and even the bar to the beat of the AC/DC track as she ponders Gregory's question, rubbing a finger along the lip of her beer.

"Hmm, another date with a super; actually I just got out of a brief relationship with one, but it's not like it soured me on the concept." She shrugged. "I think we were just looking for different things at the time. I think she actually wanted something long-term, but I'm not there yet."

She sighed, set her nearly empty beer on the bar, and faced the crimefigting vet straight on.

"All right, I'm not going to lie to you, 'Mad Dog'; this complicates things. But it also makes some things easier, so it's not all bad." She shook her head and chuckled. "I'm guessing this is why so many actors end up together, at least for a while; common ground, common experience." Then a thought struck her. "In an odd way, you know what would be a good first date? Patroling together, followed by a late supper. Am I crazy for suggesting such a thing?"

[Lone Star]

Ohmygod she went out with a girl that's so hot I bet they made out awesome! was the first thing that popped into Gregory's head. He cleared his throat and smoothed back his hair. Okay. Play it cool, Greg. "Sure, that actually sounds pretty good. It will be kind of a complicated deal, but I'm glad we can go out. I'm off tomorrow. How's that sound?"

[Heritage]

"Sure, that actually sounds pretty good. It will be kind of a complicated deal, but I'm glad we can go out. I'm off tomorrow. How's that sound?"

Estelle nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, that would be fine!" Then she suddenly looked concerned, and leaned forward to rest a hand on Greg's leg. "Wait, you said it would be complicated; if this is in any way an imposition, we can do something else. We can go bowling or engage in some other normal, human activity."

Her tone was light but there's just a hint of pleading; she didn't want to lose this fish so easily, so she was willing to be flexible.

[Lone Star]

"Oh no, I should be able to work around my schedule just fine. It's just that we're both superheroes and as superheroes, we are complicated people by nature. But someone's gotta do it, right?" It was at this moment that he noticed her hand on his knee. He smiled at her, and looked deep into her eyes. He put his hand over hers. "We can make this work out."