Shaggy Dog

[Heritage]

"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?"

“Complicated, me? No, not really; I’m just like any other…disowned heiress with living hair and a doctorate, who plays the electric guitar. I’m as simple as basic math.â€

"We can make this work out."

She actually jumped a tiny bit when she felt his hand on hers; it was unexpected, but not unpleasant, though it need seem a little faster than she’d like. To cool Gregory down a bit, she gently slid her hand out from under his, and signaled for another beer.

“You want another, or are you good for now? Actually, I’m starving; do you want to grab a bite? I know a delightfully skeezy Chinese place that stays open late; terribly greasy, but we’re both young, right? Besides, we can just fight it off tomorrow!â€

[Lone Star]

"Chinese sounds great, I haven't eaten much all day. Sorry for the- eh. Hand thing. It's just...well. Yeah." Gregory stammered. "So, where is this place? I'd love to take you- I've got a Harley I parked out back." He was hoping he wouldn't be as awkward in the future.

[Heritage]

"Chinese sounds great, I haven't eaten much all day. Sorry for the- eh. Hand thing. It's just...well. Yeah."

Estelle laughed and waved her hand dismissively. “What? Oh, don’t worry about it; you get used to it when you have good genes.â€

"So, where is this place? I'd love to take you- I've got a Harley I parked out back."

“It’s not too far, a bit closer to Hanover; I can give you the- oh!†The last beer she ordered arrived, and she studied it carefully. “Mmm…well, it is already open, and you’re driving..I can do this.â€

Taking the bottle firmly in one hand, she tipped back her head and straight-up chugged it in one go! Wiping her mouth on the back of her hand, the lovely blonde smiled sheepishly.

“See, I learned all sorts of things at Harvard; benefit of a well-rounded education.â€

This is followed by a prodigious belch which earns her a smattering of applause. "Ooh, excuse me! C'mon, we better go before my reputation gets any more colorful. Lead the way, Mad Gregory!â€

[Lone Star]

Gregory laughed aloud. "Hahahaha you're awesome. I'm definitely driving. As much as he slightly disliked her blurting out half of his secret identity, he was more than happy to have found a sexy drinking buddy. As he led her to the back parking lot, his gigantic Harley sat, all chrome and black leather. "Now it's very important that you hold onto my waist. I'm not trying to be cheeky, it's important for your safety. Here- you take the helmet. I've driven without a helmet before." He handed her the helmet, which had his intials painted on the side.

[Heritage]

"Now it's very important that you hold onto my waist. I'm not trying to be cheeky, it's important for your safety. Here- you take the helmet. I've driven without a helmet before." He handed her the helmet, which had his intials painted on the side.

At first, Estelle just stared at the offered helmet blankly; yep, chugging that beer was probably a mistake. But then she shook her head and handed it back to him.

"No, you wear it; I have other options."

Her blue eyes looked upward as her amazing hair folded and wove itself into a golden motorcycle helmet! She knocked on it with her knuckles, and it yeilded a nice solid clunk.

"See? Better than fiberglass! Now, where's my jacket? Ah, I'm wearing it!"

She climbed on the back of the Harley and wrapped her arms around Gregory's waist.

"Such a clever man, you are, riding one of these! Oh, let's take the Promenade, it's much prettier that way."

[Lone Star]

Gregory shrugged, and put on the helmet. "As you say, Gossamer." Gregory said as he kicked up the bike's engine. He made sure her arms were tightly around his waist- just to be safe. He revved the engine, and drove slowly down the street- making sure his slightly intoxicated friend did not fall off in the process. "So what's this place called, anyway?" Gregory called back to her.

[Heritage]

"So what's this place called, anyway?" Gregory called back to her.

Estelle leaned closer and yelled a bit to be heard over the growling Harley.

"Imperial Garden; it's got the traditional Chinese take-out look, with the two stone lions and lots of red neon!"

She rested her chin on his shoulder and sighed.

"Mmm, we should pick up a few bottles of Tsingtao while we're at it!"

[Lone Star]

Gregory grinned. Hell, if I can keep you from falling over, sure. Oh- here we are." Gregory said. His bike squealed to a stop in the parking lot, and he helped Gossamer off of her bike. "Did you enjoy the ride? I tried to drive a little slower for my slightly intoxicated passenger." Gregory teased. He opened the door to the restaurant for her, and entered the building. Not a bad place. The restaurant was relatively empty, only a few customers talking and eating.

"Two, please." Gregory said to the woman at the counter.

[Heritage]

"Did you enjoy the ride? I tried to drive a little slower for my slightly intoxicated passenger."

Estelle got off the bike and shook her helmet apart so that she was once again surrounded by her familiar golden cloud.

"Oh, it was fun! I haven't been on a bike since my transformation; too many fears of ending up like Isadora Duncan." She shuddered at the thought. "But this new helmet trick has opened up new possibilities!"

As they entered the restaurant, she tamed her mane into the thick single braid she often favored, since she didn't want any patrons to imagine finding a five foot long hair in their beef chow mein. She smiled at the laminated Chinese zodiac placemats and ordered her last beer for the night, or at least so she hoped.

You don't want to give up all control, you silly girl!

As she picked up her menu, she idly looked down at the colorful pictures on the placemat.

"I'm a ram, what are you?"

[Lone Star]

"Hmm, looks like I'm a tiger. I'm not exactly sure what that means." Gregory didn't order any more alcohol- after all, he didn't want to kill his sexy new friend driving her home. "So what's good here? I've never been here before." He grinned at her. Gregory was glad he had met another metahuman, especially a cute one.

[Heritage]

"So what's good here? I've never been here before."

Still perusing her menu, Estelle looked up. "Hmm? Oh, I recommend the food; the napkins are rather tough." She returned to pondering her options, a wry grin on her face. "Actually I'm in the mood for chicken fried rice, with crab rangoon and egg rolls to start." She leaned over to look at Gregory's menu, and a thin golden tendril loosened itself from her braid to point out a few selections. "Uh, these are all good, especially the egg foo yung and sweet-and-sour items."

Her eyes fell upon the placemat once again, and she cocked her head to one side. "A tiger, eh? That means..." She looked up at his face, then back to the years listed next to the picture of the snarling feline. "Goodness, you're young, aren't you?"

Estelle's cheeks went a little pink as a long lock of hair slowly wended its way across the table, discretely covering the Ram on both placemats...:oops:

[Lone Star]

"Heh, I guess so. So how old are you..." Gregory said, pushing her animated hair aside. He didn't want to embarrass her anymore by stating her age out loud. Gregory looked up at her, now then down at the paper, then back to her. "No way. You seriously look young, Goss. Like, I thought you were my age. I certainly don't mind drinking with such a beautiful woman who's a little older. As long as it's not weird for you! I mean...I'm an experienced drinker. College was pretty good for me. I mean, well. Wait. Nevermind I said that."

[Heritage]

"Heh, I guess so. So how old are you..."

If she really wanted to, she could have stopped him; her animated hair was far stronger than his arms, at least as far as she could tell, but if things somehow got serious, he would find out anyway. Lying about her age was not something Estelle ever enjoyed doing.

"No way. You seriously look young, Goss. Like, I thought you were my age. I certainly don't mind drinking with such a beautiful woman who's a little older. As long as it's not weird for you! I mean...I'm an experienced drinker. College was pretty good for me. I mean, well. Wait. Nevermind I said that."

Her cheeks got even pinker, and the tendril reached up and pressed his lips for silence as she shook her head.

"Thank you, you're very sweet, but don't worry about it; I was just a little...surprised, that's all. I don't know how long it takes to go through vet school, I just assumed it would be similar to my own university experience; a mistake, as assumptions always are, by their very nature."

She released his lips as she adjusted hereself in her seat and smiled.

"And anway, it's not all that big of a difference; I've noticed the only time it has a major impact on the conversation is if one discusses one's favorite childhood cartoons."

The waitress showed up with her beer and took her dinner order, then smiled and looked at Greg expectantly.

[Lone Star]

Gregory looked up at the waitress. "I'll have what she's having." He smiled at Goss and handed the waitress his menu. "You have very good taste. I think you know what's best here." As the waitress walked off, Gregory put his fist under his chin. "So tell me. How long have you been in the business? I just started a couple of months ago."

[Heritage]

"So tell me. How long have you been in the business? I just started a couple of months ago."

The blonde chemist frowned thoughfully. "Let me see, I have been a public metahuman since...mid-2008? Yes, that sounds about right. But to be honest, I didn't make a very serious go of it until last fall, when I decided to become more active and actively seek out challenges and situations where I could help."

She smiled and shrugged. "So not a grizzled veteran, but a journeyman, at least."

[Lone Star]

"I need all the help I can get, Goss. It's really tough to fight crime in the city when all you've got are your two fists, some gadgets, and a devil-may-care attitude. It seems willpower isn't enough to get by. But I do okay, I guess. I'm looking forward to patrolling with you, though." Gregory said to Gossamer with a smile. "You're a very strong woman, Gossamer. I really like that about you. Not enough people these days are independent- able to get by on their own."

[Heritage]

"I need all the help I can get, Goss. It's really tough to fight crime in the city when all you've got are your two fists, some gadgets, and a devil-may-care attitude. It seems willpower isn't enough to get by. But I do okay, I guess. I'm looking forward to patrolling with you, though." Gregory said to Gossamer with a smile. "You're a very strong woman, Gossamer. I really like that about you. Not enough people these days are independent- able to get by on their own."

Gossamer smiled and blushed slightly at the compliment. "Well, thank you Gregory; I'm looking forward to seeing you in action as well." She leaned forward as bit. "You know, I wasn't always this independant; I was spoiled rotten when I was little. But then when I went Harvard, my parents agreed to pay for the tuition, books and meal program, but they insisted that if I wanted to have any sort of spending money, I had to get a job."

She laughs at the memory. "Oh, how I howled at that one! It wasn't so much the having to work part, though I'd be lying if I didn't admit how very unkeen I was on the idea; I was convinced having a job would mean I'd have less time to study and I'd miss out on all the good parties."

The lovely blonde paused in her story as the appetizers arrived, then continued as she squeezed a sweet and sour packet onto her egg roll.

"I got my first job at a pizzeria just outside of campus, and I loved it; the best friends I made at school were the ones I sweated next to at Pizza Luigi." She took a big bite of egg roll, chewed it thoroughly and swallowed. "And I still make a mean pizza. The secret is in making the right dough; a pie is only as good as its crust, I assure you. And after all, cooking is just applied chemistry, so there you are."

She daintily wiped the corners of her mouth, then squeezed on more sweet and sour sauce.

“So did you work your way through college? Or judging from your build, I could see you going in under some sort of athletic scholarship.â€

[Lone Star]

Gregory took a bite of his crab puff, a bit of the cream cheese falling on his lip. He took a finger and licked it off, and smiled at her. "Athletic? Well, I do like to work out. It's important to be fit. I hope you don't think I'm a gym rat or anything!" he said with a laugh. "But yeah, I did work a lot during college. My folks helped me out a lot too, but I worked holidays and every summer I was there. It was all worth it in the end though. I do what I love for a living." Gregory finished off his crab puff, and took a sip of water. "I'm living the American dream, as far as that goes."

[Heritage]

"But yeah, I did work a lot during college. My folks helped me out a lot too, but I worked holidays and every summer I was there. It was all worth it in the end though. I do what I love for a living." Gregory finished off his crab puff, and took a sip of water. "I'm living the American dream, as far as that goes."

"Hear hear!" Estelle raised her beer in salute. "So, before we run off into the night tomorrow in our quest to fight evil, can I ask what sort of tactics and techniques you use? Personally my best trick seems to be a straightforward grab; very few bad guys can wriggle free once I've wrapped my hair around them."

[Lone Star]

"Psssh, tactics are overrated. I just get in there and beat the crap out of 'em until they can't see straight. Nah, I actually use guerilla tactics. I have a natural knack for being quiet and stealthy, so I'll sneak up on 'em and give 'em a good smack on the kisser. Then I'll disappear and repeat step 1. I'm also a pretty intimidating guy, if I may say so myself, especially in my mask, so it's good for distracting criminals. Geez, I sound so egotistical, don't I!" Gregory said with a laugh.

[Heritage]

"Psssh, tactics are overrated. I just get in there and beat the crap out of 'em until they can't see straight. Nah, I actually use guerilla tactics. I have a natural knack for being quiet and stealthy, so I'll sneak up on 'em and give 'em a good smack on the kisser. Then I'll disappear and repeat step 1. I'm also a pretty intimidating guy, if I may say so myself, especially in my mask, so it's good for distracting criminals. Geez, I sound so egotistical, don't I!"

Gossamer laughed and shook her head. "Not at all; you sound confidant. But personally I think that confidence only gets you so far; there is value in thinking ahead and being prepared." She shrugged affably. "And who knows, this might be an area where I can help you."

The appetizers were cleared away and the entrees arrived; as she ladled out MSG-laden goodness, the blonde heroine continued.

"By and large, I'm pretty much a front-and-center combatant; my hair is far from subtle, though I would like to work on that as well. Having someone who could sneak in from the shadows and flank a foe while they're focusing their attention on my frontal assault might prove to be very effective one-two punch."

[Lone Star]

"That's very true. We could make an extremely effective team. I bet we'd do very well together." Gregory smirked at her. He took a bite out of his meal, and smiled in pleasure. She was right, this was a good restaurant. "So I'm really curious. How did you get your powers? Were you bitten by a radioactive hairdresser?"

[Heritage]

"So I'm really curious. How did you get your powers? Were you bitten by a radioactive hairdresser?"

The lovely blonde winced at the mention of her 'origin story', and looked decidedly uncomfortable as she poked at her meal with her chopsticks and chose her next words very carefully.

"There's....not a lot I can say about that, unfortunately, due to an ongoing legal action; suffice it to say that I wish I was bitten by a radioactive hairdresser, because that would be far less embarrassing."

Estelle sighed and gave Gregory an eager ‘let’s change the subject’ smile.

“So, do you ride the motorbike when you patrol, or do you go on foot? I actually swing from lamp posts, flagpoles and little bits of architectural decoration as I make way down the darkened streets; it might sound silly, but it’s quick and I have a good view of my surroundings, though the showers at the end of the night tend to be fairly long.†:roll:

[Lone Star]

"Ah, I'm sorry." He didn't want to talk about it if she didn't. "But yeah, I'll sometimes take my Harley out on patrols. Usually I'll walk though, maybe take a nice jog. It's been getting very cold out lately, so taking a short run or leaping from rooftops is a good way to keep warm. Great exercise too! He laughed a little when she mentioned how long her showers were. "And yeah, I imagine so. I'll bet they don't clean those as often as they should."

[Heritage]

"And yeah, I imagine so. I'll bet they don't clean those as often as they should."

Estelle laughed and nodded vigorously. "Oh, you have no idea! And how does gum end up on top of a streetlight? Some city worker on a cherry picker must have left it up there." The long-haired heroine made a disgusted face as she returned back to her food. "I actually have to move out of my building because I've become such a hot water hog; everyone was complaining, as they should."

Then she smiled and her face lit up like the annual Christmas tree in City Center.

"Oh, but my new place is going to be amazing! I designed the new shower system myself, which recycles sixty-three percent of the water between showers; I hope to get it up to at least seventy-five percent with a bit of tinkering. And the place is all mine, the whole building, so no more angry neighbors!" :D