ic Puppet Day (IC)

[Sophistemon]

Punchline whipped his head towards Cassandra and blinked his yellow eyes. "I wasn't... it was a joke! I wasn't going to sell the baby!" He looked back towards the infant and smiled. "Besides, just look at her! She's precious. There's nobody alive that could afford her!" He flexed his fingers and lowered his arms, admitting defeat for now. "But fine! Fine, we'll follow the veteran for now." He chuckled and looked towards Leviathan, recently returned after having discarded his human disguise. His smile widened when the creature spoke. "Why grandma, what big teeth you have! It looks like I'm not the only one here that likes to shed his skin every once and awhile. And hey, listen: take it from me, scales, there's no such think as too much fun." He wavered a bit, his details going fuzzy and indistinct -- shot through with static -- before he reappeared as a indistinguishable duplicate of Leviathan. Punchline stuck out his tongue and explored the strange new shape of his maw. "Anyone else wanna go out for some wildebeest? I feel like I could eat a horse!" He abandoned the shape and laughed, nearly doubling over. At that moment, Bonfire spoke up and Punchline listened intently. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, matchstick! You'll be useful if I fancy some s'mores to go with my wildebeest." He chortled, and then pointed a thumb at his own chest. "I'm the pugnacious Punchline, the jester of justice, the clown king of crime-fighting!" He bowed, his spine bending unnaturally so that his forehead clocks the ground with a hollow 'thump.' He straightens, beaming a wide, wide grin. "It's a hoot to meet you all!"

Edited August 26, 2016 by Sophistemon

[Avenger Assembled]

"All right," said Monsoon thoughtfully, her voice partially modulated by the mask she wore. "We were all brought together in this way - which means our esteemed host must have had his own reasons for it." Nina knew a thing or two about how to seem courteous even in the home of a small god. "Edge and I know each other - but the rest of you seem to be strangers to one another. Hmm." She knew she could not read this situation as she would one back home - it was unlikely, for example, that the Russian woman had been added as a sexual lure for the men, or that the clownish Punchline was there to eventually go mad or drive the other woman. Pulling herself out of her own suspicions, she headed straight for the much-taller Cassandra and removed her own cape. "From the style with which he dresses women, perhaps this is Quirk's very first date. Take this," she said, offering the glossy gold and blue garment to Cassandra. "We have to stick together on this." 

 

"I'm not in charge," said Edge automatically - and with such speed that he seemed to be deliberately trying to defuse the suggestion. "I just know a lot about babies." When the baby godling was done with her bottle, Mark dismissed it with a wave of his hand - and then produced a rag to throw over his shoulder. "Nice to meet everyone," he said as he put the baby over his back. "I think I have heard of some of you," he said "and I'm glad you're here. I know things seem strange right now, but Monsoon and I have been in worse situations than this. I guess we should just call her Baby, huh?" he said, nodding his head towards the subject of the conversation. "A lot of the stuff in here is too big for babies," he said, looking around. "Maybe something from that stuffed animal bin for her?" 

[olopi]

Bonfire was quick to respond to Punchline’s antics. He did not dislike them, he was going to have some fun with them, and in a clearly not serious tone responded.

“I’m more of a smoked fish person, but I think I can handle s’mores. You’ll just have to pay for them.”

Then, as a response to Edge pointing to the bin, Bonfire walked off, moving closer to said bin, at a casual pace. He turned around midway but continued walking into the same direction, just facing towards the rest of the party for now.

 

“Any preferences? A fish? A parrot? Or should I just pick something?”

 

He arrived at the bin, Bonfire kneeled down, inspecting it for a few seconds. A lot of animals in there, all kinds of them. He then stood back up, the smoke currently replacing his head shrinking, until it was only a tiny, almost transparent cloud. He turned away from the bin, sticking his arm into the bin at the same time. He moved it around for a few seconds, before pulling it upwards again and taking a step forward, towards the rest of the party.

 

He began to speak again, his head now also slowly going back to how it had been before, with the smoke being a lot thicker again. He held up the stuffed animal he had pulled out and talked.

 

“It’s …. a crocodile. Huh. Maybe that’s not the best thing to give to a baby?”

Edited August 28, 2016 by olopi

[SoullessGinger]

Cassandra eyes the illusions warily and nods as the heroes that introduce themselves. 

 

"I am Cassandra Alkaev. I hit things," she says by way of introduction. "I do not know much about babies, but am good at protecting peoples."

 

She keeps a careful eye on Edge, noting that the others seem to be in awe of him and listens intently when Monsoon speaks. She eagerly accepts the offered cloak and does her best to cover herself with it. "Thank you. Will try not to break it. Clothes are so.. flimsy."

 

She takes the stuffed toy that Bonfire offers from the bin and gives it to Baby.

 

"Nonsense. Is good to make scary things into toy. Is how you learn not to be afraid."

[Blarghy]

Leviathan was most intrigued by Monsoon's musings; he hadn't considered that perhaps Quirk had a plan beyond what the god had outright told them.  He expected their troubles to come from the other direction, general chaos from trying to manage a miniature deity.  She may've been calm so far, but just how were they supposed to handle her first real tantrum?  And what would Quirk's parents think of their child being handed off to a bunch of mortals?

 

Stuck in his own thoughts, he could only stare in bemusement at Punchline, though Cassandra's description of her abilities made him laugh, like a quick bark, in spite of himself.  The giant reptile gave the final introduction, a simple "Leviathan," before turning to scan the shelves around them.  Why a toy store?  Just Quirk's way of ensuring his sister wouldn't get bored, so he placed her in a location he thought he'd enjoy himself?

 

"Think I'll have a look around," he rumbled.  "Since I'm not holding the kid."

 

[Avenger Assembled]

As Levithan headed out among the toy shelves, the scene around him was one of a faint sense of dissolution. The toys on the shelves and bins were all well-made, most of them by hand or with other simple tools, the wooden toys showing a carpenter's touch and the metal the mark of a smith. But everything looked old, not just in style but as if it had been sitting on the shelves for a while, long enough for items near the window to grow faintly discolored and a faint layer of dust to settle on most of the items too. The prices were a little off too, more appropriate for a store of his parents' generation than one active in 2016. 

 

Reaching the frosted glass at the front of the store, he peered outside to see not the street scene he had left, but a swamp! He didn't have a clear view outside, but he could make out mangroves strewn with Spanish moss and a distinctly grey sky outside, and condensation on the window that suggested it had abruptly grown much warmer and wetter outside. 

 

The baby took the crocodile from Cassandra and began chewing on it avidly, making pleased baby noises and burbling noisily. "Yes, you're a good baby," Mark encouraged Baby, bouncing her up and down. Despite a truly impressive quantity of drool, none seemed to be getting on his neatly tailored suit. "Hey, can you do faces for a baby?" he asked Punchline, trying to keep the clown on their side. If Nina was right about them all being brought together for a reason, it was probably important they all work together. He held the bright-eyed sprog up so she had a better view of the other hero. 

[Blarghy]

Well, that brought the huge lizard up short.  He slowly approached the window and tapped one blunt fingertip against it, as though expecting to warp through an illusion.  Why move them out of Freedom City for this task?  Did Quirk just want them well-hidden and unable to call on help from any usual allies?  Was there something special about this location?  Leviathan began to wonder if babysitting was just the first stage of a more elaborate game.

 

"Uhhh...everybody?  Might want to look at this." 

[Sophistemon]

Punchline chuckled. "Hah! Smoked fish. You're all right, sulfur-breath." When Mark addressed him, he turned back around and quirked his head. "Faces?" he asked, incredulous. "Can I do faces?" He grinned, and the corners of his mouth stretched up to reach his ears. "Friend, I can do faces like Bob Ross painted happy little trees!" He looked, then, at the baby. Grin still shining, he bugged out his bright yellow eyes, scrunched up his bulbous red nose, and wiggled his ears. For the coup de grace, he stuck out his tongue and blew a long, wet raspberry right in her soft little face. "Who's a cute little god?" he asked the baby. "Who's an adorable little divinity? You are! Yes, you are!"

Edited September 6, 2016 by Sophistemon

[olopi]

Bonfire continued to wander around the room. He still didn’t feel too comfortable getting close to Monsoon and Edge, for a few different reasons, so he just occasionally checked what they were doing from a distance, while further exploring the place. On closer inspection, it felt … off. Sure, it all looked the same still, but some things just felt a bit strange. Perhaps the god of ... whatever Quirk was had some ulterior motive? At the same time, he’d probably not leave them with his sister in that case. Bonfire took a few more steps around, trying to inspect what looked like a counter of some sort, when Leviathan notified the group of strange happenings.

 

Immediately, Bonfire’s body started to disappear, the cloud forming his head expanding and replacing the flesh. The cloud then drifted over to the Reptilian, where Bonfire’s body began to reform, turned towards the window.

 

“Well, this is strange, agreed.  Looks like we moved quite a distance. “

 

He turned around, looking back to the rest of the group, while still giving Leviathan enough room to easily move his limbs, and then addressed everyone in the room.

 

“So, status report: We’re in a swamp of some sorts. Is this good or bad? No clue. But, here we are. Chances are there’s some reason behind this. It’s probably a good idea to stay in here and just wait, but at the same time, part of me wants to see just where we ended up. Any inputs?”

Edited September 9, 2016 by olopi

[Avenger Assembled]

"Well, that...can't be good," said Edge, peering outside past Bonfire and Leviathan. He'd passed the baby over to Monsoon as he went, a faintly muffled sigh coming from the armored heroine as she handled the baby. It was hard to tell what she thought of the matter, her head and face being fully covered beneath white and gold armor. He took out what looked like a very fancy phone and tried tapping out a few numbers, then slid it back into his pocket with a sigh. "Might have known that wouldn't do anything. I wonder if we're even still on Earth-Prime...." 

 

"Well damn - can you teleport us out of here?" called Monsoon, the baby in her arms giggling and waving the crocodile around as she watched Punchline's antics. Here, at least, was a completely appreciative audience. Mark tried, and shook his head, evidently unable to do so. "I might have known. Gods." 

 

Just then, from the direction of a particularly thick clot of mangroves outside, there came the sound and sight of movement. Something was running towards them, fast and awkward, as if it wasn't entirely at home out here - something that on closer inspection revealed itself to be an alien! Looking vaguely like a humanoid alligator, it ran on two legs, a once-silvery skin-tight spacesuit wrapped around its body now covered in mud, blood, and other stairs. The gator-thing hadn't noticed them yet, it was too busy running along, occasionally stopping to look frantically at the sky overhead. 

[Blarghy]

Leviathan considered this new development with mixed emotions.  He definitely hadn't planned on getting stranded on an alien planet today; he wished he'd taken more of a leave of absence instead of just one day off work.  How long could they be stuck here?  At some point the Institute would notice, and people would start looking for Tristan.  That meant more attention and more questions, both of which he preferred to avoid. 

 

On the other hand, he was somewhere out in space with a baby god, several heroes, and Edge, trying to save Freedom City from a rare problem it had never seen before.  How cool was that?  Sure, he made a poor first impression, but even beyond being a potentially good story, this was the superhero equivalent of a great networking opportunity. 

 

Then the odd alien ran into view, capturing Leviathan's attention.  He couldn't help but note the connections here.  Scaly lizard toy for the baby, scaly lizard alien here now, and he himself...he thought back to Monsoon's comments.  Is this why Quirk chose me?  Because I fit some theme he had in mind?

 

"...Doesn't look happy," he grunted with a nod toward the newcomer.  "Could be dangerous, could be in trouble.  The rest of you'll probably scare the guy, but maybe it'll talk to me.  If it's bad news, then I can take a hit.  I'll be ok until the rest of you come running." 

 

Despite the verbal firmness of his plan, Leviathan didn't move for the door just yet.  First he looked to Edge, as though for permission.

[Sophistemon]

Punchline turned away from the infant, his face still twisted into a grotesque mockery of human expression. "What's happening?" he asked. "I think I missed it." He shook his head to slide his features back to normal, and after an apologetic wink at the baby he bounded over to the window and peered outside. He pressed his face right up against the glass, squishing his nose onto the surface so that his breath fogged it up, and stared into the wilderness outside. "So what am I looking at here, gator-boy?" he asked, the question directed towards Leviathan. "Some kind of family reunion?" He backed away from the glass and shook his head. "I've gotta ask, pal -- were your parents related? I mean, before they were married? Because you're a very ugly bunch of lizards." He grinned, then hooted laughter before socking the other hero softly on the shoulder. "I'm just kidding. If you're headed out there, I can put on my party-face and we can handle it together. What do you say?"

[Blarghy]

Leviathan's initial reaction was a surprised narrowing of his eyes; he still wasn't sure what to make of the clown.  But momentarily, he chuckled gruffly and shook his head with mild humor.  He had been so tightly-wound since he first saw his name on that magical door, but a little banter--even if it had some barbs to it--was perhaps what the situation needed. 

 

With a shrug, he agreed, "Sure, if you won't scare this guy off.  Whatever it is, looks like it's having a rough day."  Though for the second time, he turned his blunt face toward Edge.  The world-famous hero may've said he wasn't in charge, but the young fanboy inside all those scales wanted approval anyway. 

Edited September 17, 2016 by Blarghy

[olopi]

Bonfire continued to focus on the outside, tempted to go and explore the marsh the group was now located in. Then, he saw the gator-like alien running towards the house. Huh, this hadn’t been the first time Cass saw aliens (It was however the first time Bonfire did!), but this one looked different from the ones he’d seen back on earth. Was it even an alien? Maybe it was just somebody with powers like Leviathan?

 

Bonfire took a few steps to the side, becoming smoke again and partially moving into the same space as a bunch of toys located nearby, at the wall. This wasn’t really something for him to handle, he had no idea of this ... person ? … even spoke English. He looked over at the others, notifying them of doing so by having eyes appear out of the smoke, and talked.

 

“I think it’s best we let the big guy handle this one. Being less alien might be a good idea. And, if things go bad, I’ll be right there, invisible, ready to st-“

 

“Nevermind. Not enough space around here. Let’s just avoid this turning south, okay? If you feel up to it you can try to Punchline, just try and remain civil. ”

Edited September 17, 2016 by olopi

[Avenger Assembled]

Edge's nod sent Leviathan outside - right towards the alien alligator that walked like a man! (There was no better word for it.) The creature took one look at Leviathan and hissed, eyes widening and nostrils flaring, and immediately began grunting and popping at the reptilian hero with great and ferocious animation, teeth bared for special emphasis. It was all very interesting and no doubt exactly the language that a humanoid alligator would speak, but it was not within the realm of languages spoken by Tristan Delacroix. 

 

Up in the sky, a man with bird wings swooped overhead above the treeline, his form half-obscured by the overgrowth. "Alien-Gator!" he was calling. "You can't hide from me forever, monster! You'll pay for what you did - so swears FREEDOM EAGLE!" 

 

"Oh my God," said Edge aloud, staring up at the canopy. "That's Freedom Eagle! The original Freedom Eagle...have we gone back in time?" 

 

"Quirk has never had that kind of power, has he?" asked Monsoon, standing next to Mark by the shop window as if this sort of thing happened all the time. "This must just be a recreation of the past..."  

[Sophistemon]

Punchline followed Leviathan outside, the shape of his body blurring in a hissing flash of buzzing static before re-configuring into an exact duplicate of the lumbering hero. When the fearless flier known as Freedom Eagle appeared, Punchline pointed at him with an extended claw. "Look!" he garbled, his voice indistinguishable from Leviathan's own. "Up in the sky!" He chuckled. "I know that guy! I've seen him on teevee!" He looked at the other creature, this 'Alien-Gator' and then back over to his partner in scales. "Uh-oh," he mused, connecting dots. "We look like his cousins."

[Blarghy]

Leviathan's eyes widened to saucers at the sight of another famous hero, this time even more legendary than Edge.  He momentarily forgot about the others, let alone the creature he'd come out here to talk to; the giant's harsh frown became a lopsided grin, if only for a few moments.  Once he regained control of himself, his brain started working.  Punchline took the words right out of his mouth.

 

"Uh-oh," he repeated.  "Uhhhh..."  Hastily, he waved both hands--one toward the alligator-man, hoping to calm the creature and keep it back; the other toward the sky, with vague motions of surrender.  "Hey, let's just talk about this, ok?  No reason we can't all be friends."

 

Please don't let me get knocked out and jailed by the Freedom Eagle.  Today's already been undignified enough.  ...And if this really is the past...I could go back home to a time where Leviathan is known as a villain.  Who'd take my word over the Eagle's?  The idea left a heavy lump in his throat. 

 

Edited September 21, 2016 by Blarghy

[olopi]

“You can say that again. Oh my god indeed.”

 

Bonfire moved closer to the window, to see just what was going on outside. This was crazy, Cass had heard of things like this happening before, but being right in the middle of it? He was not sure how to feel, he defaulted to his instincts. And in his case, that was to take pictures. Sure, he’d not been the best photographer ever, and apart from a few wedding photos he’d barely worked recently, but this? This even was worth the chance of his phone somehow breaking.

 

Immediately, his hand wandered towards his pocket, where he kept his phone. A slight flick to remove the part of the case covering the screen, and thanks to a special set up, the video started running immediately. A single click, and a photo was added too. He tried to get as good of a shot of the Freedom Eagle as possible, doing his best to not have the two Leviathans show up on either recording.

 

While focusing on his camerawork (not quite easy through a rather small window), he mumbled a few words, loud enough for the other heroes still inside the toy shop to hear.

 

“If this goes south, or it even looks like it will, I’ll be out there ASAP, no worries. “

Edited September 21, 2016 by olopi

[Avenger Assembled]

The gator hissed again at them - this time a warning, as Freedom Eagle sure enough dropped out of the sky and through the treeline to join them. The red, white, blue, and gold figure standing before them was unquestionably not any of the 21st century figures who had worn the armor, but clearly the original holder of the title and designer of the famous patriotic flight suit. 

 

The Eagle's face was hard to see behind his flight helmet - he hesitated only a moment before spreading his wings and raising a gauntleted hand. "Citizens! Please be careful; that creature is the Alien-Gator, a monster responsible for the deaths of several hunters over the last few months. If you step away from the creature, I'll be able to apprehend it and take it into custody." 

 

The alligator hissed again at Leviathan and Punchline, its scaly eyes widening - a plea? 

 

"Crap!" hissed Edge, ducking out of sight inside the shop lest his grandfather's old friend catch a glimpse of him. Everyone had always commented how much Mark Lucas and Jimmy Lucas resembled each other - except that the latter had always favored the bow tie. Despite his desire to stay hidden, though, Mark couldn't help but watch from the doorframe, keeping an eye on the original Freedom Eagle in his prime. 

[Sophistemon]

Punchline looked from Leviathan, to the Alien-Gator, to the Freedom Eagle, and then for some reason he stared up into the sun for approximately five seconds, his pupils contracting to narrow slits, before he licked his chops and faced the esteemed hero once more. "Citizens?" he rumbled, his voice an eerie mimicry of Leviathan's own. It wasn't a perfect copy -- it wasn't meant to be -- but it was similar enough to be moderately unsettling. "Do we look like a bunch of locals to you?" He looked around, taking in the swamp that surrounded them, and shrugged. "Well, tan my hide and make me a purse, maybe we do." He chortled, in a voice that was much too high to emerge from such a monstrous throat. "Where is here, anyway?"

Edited October 3, 2016 by Sophistemon
Edited for tone -- Punchline isn't that polite.

[Blarghy]

With his head swiveling back and forth between the various players in this bizarre drama, Leviathan's attention soon settled again fully on the Freedom Eagle.  His relief at not being grouped in with this other creature, and thus disappointing such a renowned hero, smothered any appreciation he might've had for Punchline's tactic.  Certainly smart to use their obviously foreign nature to hopefully gain more information about where and when they were--though the Eagle himself seemed to narrow down the options.

 

As for the Alien-Gator, Leviathan's sympathy dwindled to a minimum.  This kind of accusation would normally need some proof tacked on, but given the source...his posture changed, shifting away from the other lizard, and when he bothered to meet the Gator's begging eyes, his own were cold.  Leviathan might've tried to advise that he surrender peacefully, despite the language barrier, but why bother?  Killers never complied. 

 

His massive hands closed into fists as he waited.  What if he got to fight alongside the Freedom Eagle?  That'd be even cooler than meeting Edge!

[Avenger Assembled]

"Oh, crap!" Still hidden inside the toyshop, Mark covered his mouth with his hands, thinking faster than he ever had in his life. "The Alien-Gator's innocent," he hissed to Bonfire, "or, kind of. He's sentient but he can't speak English. He did kill those hunters but they were in the swamp trying to hunt him. But we can't go out there and tell them, because Freedom Eagle never figured it out. It wasn't till his species showed up on Earth again about ten years ago that anyone put two and two together." 

 

"What, did Freedom Eagle put an innocent alien in jail?" asked Monsoon, who had sensibly taken cover herself but with a little more dignity, standing flat against the wall rather than crouching beneath the mostly-frosted window. "That's not like the stories you usually tell about the Liberty League." She rocked the baby back and forth, taking the alligator from it and setting it aside. 

 

"No, he never put him in jail...because he never caught him..." 

 

-

 

"You are in the Morris County swamps," said Freedom Eagle, eying the trio suspiciously. "I took you two for new recruits, but I don't think I know either of you - and I'd definitely know men like you. What are your names?" The Gator, seeking to take advantage of the Eagle's distraction, was now slowly, almost imperceptibly, making his way backwards towards the cover of the swamps behind him. 

[olopi]

That was the eignal Cass needed. It was time to be proactive, and not just stand there and let thing shappen. Sure, it was a breach of one of the laws of journalism to actually make something happen. But Bonfire was not a journalist, he simply recorded this mission!

 

His phone slipped back inside the pocket, as he whispered, once again loud enough for just the others in the room to hear.

 

“Okay. Let’s make sure he doesn’t catch him, then. Just to let you know, I’m gonna leave through the front door, so hide somewhere else if you’d be seen.“

 

Once the more famous heroes had hidden, Bonfire applied a fully-body smoke illusion to himself. The modern look faded into invisibility, and was replaced with a bulky armor, the style similar to that of retro-sci-fi, a similar colour scheme to Freedom Eagle’s. Only a few details were on the armor, everything else was rather bland.

 

Then, he stepped through the door, making sure the armor did not phase though the walls on his side, before taking flight, hovering some distance above the ground. Making sure he had everyone’s attention thanks to the entry, he began to address the Freedom Eagle.

 

“Greetings! We are members of a squad of extra-dimensional travellers and guardians. It might explain why you know people similar to these two. We exist in many a different place, you may have met their versions of this world. “

 

 

Edited October 2, 2016 by olopi

[Blarghy]

Leviathan was just about to eagerly introduce himself (his earlier worry now inverted: what if he could make a good impression now and return to a future where he was already famous?) when Bonfire appeared.  Having only met this other hero within the past hour, his new appearance startled and confused the giant lizard, but not as much as his claim.  Leviathan tried to figure out what his ally might have in mind, but was soon distracted when he noticed the Alien-Gator trying to subtly escape from the corner of his eye.  He took two quick, fierce steps toward the "villain" and pointed harshly.

 

"Stay where you are!"

 

Righteous anger filled his deep, booming voice, but a keen observer might suspect that it was at least partly forced.  Not that the other reptile would likely care: his tone certainly promised violence. 

[Sophistemon]

The situation was so kooky that Punchline couldn't help but grin. His long, toothy maw split open to reveal a mouthful of glistening fangs and he chuckled in short, hissing bursts. "Hehn hehn hehn." He turned his head from side to side, taking in all the players currently on stage, and rolled his eyes. "Our story's getting complicated," he mused, and then stuck out a scaly claw. Intent on shaking the hand of Freedom Eagle, he wagged the appendage up and down before the veteran hero. "Used to watch you on teevee all the time," he said. "Old film-reels and documentaries. You and all the other greats." The big, toothy smile widened. "I'm a big fan." With his other hand, he arced a thumb over his shoulder, back at the building they'd come from. "Say, you wanna come inside and take a load off? We've got a baby in there that may or may not be a god, and may or may not be interested in making margaritas." Then, he turned to face the Alien-Gator -- with one of his hands still outstretched towards the Freedom Eagle, the action looked ridiculous. "How about you, buddy? Feel like having a little fun?"