She laughed, and hugged him tightly to her.  She whispered "My Hero, Ozzy.  Love your smile too."

Ozzy grinned, "Good, 'cause you're going to be seeing it a lot. I guess you really bring it out in me. It's kind of a shame that your curfew's almost here. I'm really glad your parents let you stay out this late, Clarissa, and that you could stand me occasionally putting my foot in my mouth."

  She smiled, and kissed him deeply, then whispered "Don't forget to send Tats with me, so I can give you the blushes!"

Ozzy kissed her back, grinning as he pulled away.

"Of course I won't forget. In fact..." he said, sliding one of his hands behind him to rest over hers, where the other cafe patrons couldn't see. Suddenly, she'd feel a tingling sensation as Tats, in his tattoo form, slithered onto her hand and up her arm, stopping on her shoulder for now, where the sleeves of her blouse would hide him.

  She shivered, and whispered breathily into his ear "That tickles . . . but I like it.  Got to have a good way to keep myself busy, right?  Does terrorizing you count?"  She winked, then kissed him again.  Oh yes, terrorizing was ONE way to put it . . . .

Ozzy couldn't help but grin as Clarissa winked at him, "If it helps you, go for it. I'm not sure if being thrilled is the same thing as being terrorized. We'll just have to find out, eh?"

  She giggled, and said "Make your pulse race and your cheeks turn bright red at any time, and without warning!  Bet some people will wonder though . . "

Ozzy blushed at that and smiled, "Yeah, maybe. But let 'em wonder. Just... promise me you'll stop if I need you to, okay? I don't think either of us will be very happy if a bad guy kills me 'cause I couldn't think straight."

  She said softly "When you need me to behave, just tell me it's Hero Time."

Ozzy nodded and whispered with a slight grin, "Got it. So the safe word is 'Hero Time'. I can remember that."

  She smiled, and said "Yeah.  After all, I want you in one piece, and not shot full of holes either.  You know, I bet your grandpa knows exactly what I've been doing to you.  And is laughing."  She cuddled a bit closer, so that he could feel EVERY INCH of her against him.

Ozzy shook his head, "I doubt it. Grandpa's the pretty stoic type. He hasn't laughed much ever since Grandma died a couple of years ago. Nah, he'd be more likely to chastise me for my 'improper behaviour', and remind me of what a gentleman and a lady do and do not do in public. He's really old fashioned like that. Fortunately, he doesn't make a habit of watching me when I'm in my civvies. Now, my Uncle Dave. If he knew about this, he'd laugh his ass off before giving me a high-five."

  She giggled, and said "That could be funny.  But, do you think your Grandpa would think he made a good chaperone?"

"You mean, do you think my Grandpa would think my Uncle Dave would make a good chaperone? Err, no. I don't think he would either. If I'd have asked him for advice about tonight, he probably would've just handed me a condom and said 'make sure you wear this'. While I do think I'm more like Uncle Dave than anyone else in my family, I do think that the others, as well as Tats' influence, have tempered me some. Now, if you mean, do you think my Grandpa would think he would make a good chaperone? Definitely. Like I said, he's really old fashioned, and there's no way anything'll slip by him. We probably would have ended up sitting on opposite ends of the table tonight," said Ozzy. He then whispered into her ear, "You know, you're really cute when you giggle like that. Of course, you're cute all the time."

  Clarissa smiled, and said "Do you think he'd count a couple of my cousins as chaperones?  So, if, like, they wanted to do a daytrip for shopping, you could come?  Keep me company, you know?"  She leaned against his chest, rubbing her cheek back and forth as she talked to him.

Ozzy smiled, "Yeah, as long as we're not alone, he should be okay. Like I said, I tend to be given a lot of 'leash'. And a shopping trip with you sounds like fun, even if we are being supervised."

He blushed slightly as she began to rub her cheek against him, enjoying the feel of her being this close. There was literally nothing between them now but their clothes, and once again those pesky hormones filled his mind with the sorts of thoughts that horny teenage boys tended to think. He tore his eyes away once again, wondering how much time remained. After all, they'd talked and talked of plans for the future, but none of that would come if he brought her home too late.

  He had 20 minutes.  Time to head her home.  She said softly "Are you going to be busy tomorrow, after about 9 AM?"

Ozzy shrugged, "Maybe. Depends on what sort of hero work comes in tomorrow. Why what's happening then?"

He then left a generous tip, and then started scooting them towards the edge of the booth. If she hadn't gotten out of his lap by then, he'd simply pick her up and carry her out to the car in his arms.

"Time to head home, unfortunately," he said, sighing, wishing that they could've had more time together.

  She giggled, and scooted with him, but didn't get up, rather, she held onto him, and held tightly to him as he carried her.  Just holding tight, although she let go to get into the car.  She reached up to pet Tats when she got her seatbelt on, and said with a giggle "You are so going to be blushing tonight . . . . I know you are.  Keeps MY mind off of things I don't need.  It's much, MUCH better to be thinking of how to make you blush and dream of me, than of what hunger screams aand claws at me."

Ozzy smiled softly, "It'll be a nice change of pace, for sure. I..."

He trailed off, his look becoming somewhat grim before he continued, "Ever since I fought Shade, I've been having a little trouble sleeping. I've just been so on edge. He nearly killed me the first time we fought, and given that he can port via shadows... well, I think you get why I'm worried. I haven't told most of the Defenders yet, I don't want them to worry about me. Still, knowing that I damn near died... it's a scary feeling, you know?"

  She hugged him, and said "Then you can tell ME if you need help.  Not that I could do much, but . . . I can hold your Tats close to me at night."

Ozzy smiled as she hugged him once again.

"Heh. Thanks. It's a bit of a story. It started when Dragon Fist messaged me, asking for my help with a tough case. Shade, also known as Michael Bertelli, the adopted son of Antonio Bertelli, had captured the head of the DPA and was holding him ransom, the ransom being a list of the current names and whereabouts of all the kids from a government facility where they'd studied para kids who were orphaned. Apparently, he wanted to get the old band back together or something, I don't know, nobody told me. Anyway, since D.F. asked for Grandpa's help, too, we were both arriving at the meeting place when..."

He continued to tell the story as he drove, and occasionally Tats would 'demonstrate' for Clarissa. Soon, they were back in Clarissa's neighborhood.

<b>>>>To the Suburbs>>>

----> arriving from Derring Condos, with Bella and the whole Eskin family


Finding a parking space too a bit of driving around and around until Rodger caught someone pulling out. From there, it was get everyone out of the car, the doors locked, and heading inside.

  Bella landed lightly beside them on the pavement, and said "You know, I have no idea what's in fashion, so don't worry about fashionable, but serviceable will be a good idea."

John gurgled something.

"No, we're not getting ice cream John. We're shopping for clothes." Rodger told him gently.

"I have no idea what's fashionable, either, Bella. I'll leave that to a lady's sense of taste, not a professional clown's," he commented to her as he got his bearings on what stores they were closest to.

  Brenda led the way toward Dots, a 'ten and under' store in the mall.  The stuff might not be stylish, but it was affordable and offered sensible things.

Pushing John's chair, Rodger followed, taking care as always to mind what was ahead for his son's safety. And keeping an eye on Harold as well as the ladies to be sure he didn't get into anything he shouldn't.

  Brenda and Bella were looking at the jeans.  Bella was tall and slender, so she was definitely going to be difficult to get properly fitted.

"Hmm. What measurements am I looking for?" Rodger asked at one point, trying to help with spotting possible garments.

  Bella said "I take a women's size six in the waist, but I need them for tall, because I'm six four."

"In a pinch, we could get two of the same material with the right waist, and use one for cloth to extend the legs of the other," he mused out loud while scanning the racks and/or shelves for size 6 jeans.

  Bella half smiled, and said "Mom used to say she thought I'd take after Dad-E in height, and be a freaking skyscraper.  Looks like I will!"

"I've seen stores for especially tall men. But offhand I can't recall any that cater to the unusually tall woman," Rodger commented, half to himself. But than, he hadn't especially had reason to, given the height of the women in his family, both before and after marriage.

  Bella nodded, and said "There's not exactly a lot of people built like I am.  Darn it."

"It's one of the hazards of being different," Rodger agreed, looking closer at a pair of purple slacks. No, it wasn't the right waist, the tag said 9 rather than 6.

  Bella modeled a couple pairs of pants. One that fit her waist (but made capris) and one that fit her leg length, which left the waist trying to fall down off her butt.

Rodger let Brenda give her opinions of them first. The one could be worn as summer shorts, perhaps, or lengthened with additional cloth if they found a match, as he saw it. And the other could be taken in or worn as very baggy pants with a belt. Did young ladies ever wear suspenders after about 2nd grade? He didn't think so, but wasn't sure.

  Brenda said "I think you need to learn to sew, Bella.  So that you can make your own clothes, and not have to buy them.  Nothing off the rack is going to fit you correctly due to your build and height."

  Bella nodded, and said "Yeah, but neither DadE or DadD know how to sew."

"That's what libraries are for. Go to one and read few books on the subject, get materials and practice what you read. Parents are hardly the only source for an education and life skills," Rodger stated. Why, oh why had the public schools stopped teaching home ec, he wondered in the privacy (?) of his thoughts.

  Brenda blinked, and poked Rodger in the ribs a little, then said "Sewing machines DO take a little practice to run."

  Bella nodded, and said "I'll look into one, maybe Meg will get me one, since she has money now."

>>from Gysbourne Manor
Jeff and company soon arrived just outside of the mall.

"OK guys..let's go get Ozzy's Ipod dealt with.'

  Jack glanced around, and said quietly "Yeah, just keep an eye out for the cops, since I'm wanted and all."

Chuck looked over at Icepick curiously, then glanced down at the ipod in his hand, "That's not Ozzy's. That's Iris'." He said, "I know. I borrowed it just before finals to record the teachers' review sessions on so that I could have complete notes. It was working fine then."

"And what about sewing before there were sewing machines?" Rodger retorted. "Needles, thread, scissors, and maybe a thimble?"

  Bella said "See?  There are no home economics classes in school anymore.  They're not on the Proficiency Exams, so they got cut from the curricula."

"Quite a sore point, that, between teachers and administration Bella. Many of us would rather have old-fashioned electives, arts, choir, etc. than this emphasis on standardized testing and big-name sports."

In reply to Chuck Edwards (msg #43):

Jeff subtly whispered in Chuck's ear.

  Bella shrugged, and said "I don't know what the teachers think about it, just that the schools all dropped the Home Ec courses before I was born."

"Before they were born, too," Rodger said dryly, indicating John and Harold with a gesture. "Powers or not, politics rolls on unimpeded by common sense."

  Bella nodded, and said "I abhor politics.  They cause a lot of trouble."

Chuck's eyes widened, "OOOOOOooooh!" he agreed, looking shiftily around. He grinned.

"What's home economics, daddy?" Harold asked quietly. "Is that like real estate?"

"No, not that kind of economics. Home ec classes used to teach kids how to do basic, fundamental tasks in and around their home. How to clean things, make simple repairs, fix their clothes, cook for themselves, and the like." he explained.

  Bella nodded, and said "Well, Mom taught me how to cook."

"Both of her ancestral cuisines? Or more than just that?" Rodger asked with a slight smile.

  Bella giggled, and said "Anything and everything.  I'm goodat it."

"Well, than, you have a skill with which to support yourself without advertising how extraordinary you are. There's always a call for quality cooking."

Unfortunately, he realized, if the players of The Game had any kind of get togethers or meetings - something that he still wasn't sure regularly happened, despite the one group meeting for conducting a rescue - he couldn't ask Bella to do the catering any more than he could ask Meg. Which reminded him; he still hadn't told the demons about the girl from the future. Maybe he could spring it on Johnny and let the professional deal with it?

  Bella nodded, and said "Yes.  The only sticky part is that I'm sorta fifteen, and sorta don't exist yet.  Makes a job problematic."

"Oh yes... social security numbers. You'll need to get one before you can be employed. Well, one that's valid in the present... did Social Security finally collapse or is it still around in the future?"

  Bella nodded, and said "Oh, I have one.  I just don't know if I want to try using it.  Makes for some awfully complicated questions, you know?"

"Considering that it wouldn't have been issued yet, yes. Oh dear." He considered this while coaxing John to let go of something he'd grabbed onto.

  Bella nodded, and said softly "I have my birth certificate.  My social security card.  My Registration card.  I had to be registered when I was two, the neighbors freaked too badly when I drug their car out to the road to play with it.  Apparently I just wanted to push it around."

In reply to Chuck Edwards (msg #51):

Jeff sighed for a moment, then chuckled.

"OK...I think you got it. So if you guys will hang loose for a moment, I'll get the Pod worked out, then we go and have some fun."

His expression darkened. "I wish I'd never registered." Rodger stated.

  Bella shrugged, and said "Insurance.  They registered me so that the neighbors could be compensated for things I messed up."

"Yes, but they're superheroes. I'm quite definitely not cut out for that."

  Bella said "Hero can have a very flexible definition."  She gave him a sidelong look, not wanting to leave it at that, and not wanting to say too much.

In reply to Icepick (msg #62):

  Andy nodded, and said "We gotcha."

He caught the look, and stiffened for a second before looking away, ashamed. Rodger's ears reddened.

  Bella half smiled at him.  She knew he hated his job, but she could hardly tell him all the details!!

Rodger didn't see the half-smile. Internally, his thoughts were stewing over the mess that his life had become since that fateful birthday party. In the wheelchair, John's eyes flickered blue again, and he looked pensive beyond his years for a few moments before grinning and reaching up to bat playfully at his father's sleeve, making a game of trying to catch it like a kitten.

That distracted Rodger from the funk he was starting to fall into, playing along with his son's game.

  Bella was peeking through the t-shirts, and said "Heyla!  This one begs for you, Rodg."  She held it up, so he could see it proclaiming 'I don't play at clowning around, it is a lifestyle!'

He looked over, did a double take, and laughed. "That's a good one!" And took another look at the shirt when John's playtime with his arm permitted, guessing as to whether it was close to his size.

  Bella made it easy, she came around behind him and held it around him so that she could see if it would fit.  She grinned as it fit perfect, and Brenda told him affectionately "That is all you, Rodger.  We will have to get that one for you."

  The next one to go in the cart was one that said 'I'm with the clown', and was pink.  It had an arrow that went every-which-way, and ended in a question mark, with a big cream pie on the back.  That was for Brenda.

He grinned, clearly amused and in full agreement with them about it. Matching shirts if they went somewhere casual together. But, they were here for a specific reason, so they shouldn't get caught up in something else, he felt.

"Bella? Do you wear skirts or dresses, or prefer pants?" he asked after a little bit, having noticed a small display of long skirts.

  Bella said "I like skirts if they don't ride too high on my legs, or keep me from moving.  Gotta watch it, I rip them if they are tight and I can't move, and I'm in a hurry."  She held up a shirt to Jon to measure it against him, it said 'Quit clowning around?  But I'm just getting good at it!'

In reply to Andy Black (msg #67):

The plan was in motion. Hopefully Jack would feel a little more talkative about his relationship with Penny now that he was "with the guys." Jeff then scurried off for a moment to what appeared to be the electronics store, but got the Ipod ready to record.

Rodger eyed the shirt a little dubiously. It was cute, but while he was a clown - originally by choice, now by design - he'd rather let the boys decide for themselves whether they wanted to follow in his oversized footsteps, or take another career path.

  Bella grinned at him, and said "Let me know if you don't like something I spy."

"Oh, it's a nice shirt. But is it right for me to emphasize my profession on my children? If they want to be clowns, that's one thing, but I don't want them to think that they have to take after Mommy or Daddy. What do you think, Brenda?"

  Brenda said "Well, she's measuring for John, so I think she's sort of trying to give him a shirt that says encouragement."

  Bella nodded, and saud "Yes."

"Well... hmm. That's a good idea. I hadn't seen it from that point of view, and you're right."

  Bella nodded, and said "DadD always called playing 'clowning around'.  So, he's just getting started on it, now isn't he?"

Rodger didn't say a word at first, but looked down at his son in his chair, a intensely tender and protective love clear in his mannerisms and expression as he gently tousled John's hair with one hand.

He looked back at Bella. "He has a lot of playing to catch up on." A quiet truth, carefully stated to avoid mentioning Meg's powers where folks who didn't already know might here, but expressing something of the eternal gratitude he felt towards her for what she'd done for his youngest.

 Bella nodded, and said "Yeah, Mom can do some phenomenal things."  Her smile was a knowing one.

"And make some phenomenal enemies, which means being discrete when discussing that side of her in public," Rodger answered in a low voice.

  Bella waved a hand, and said "What she does with fresh fish is nothing short of phenomenal, and if that makes her some enemies?  They will deal."

Rodger laughed. She had him there. Hmm, he didn't remember whether Brenda had had any fish (finfish, at least) dishes from Meg's kitchen yet. He knew that he hadn't, but what he had tasted of her cooking had been marvelous.

"Touche," he responded with a grin and a twinkle in his eye when he managed to stop laughing.

  Bella grinned, and said "And that doesn't even get INTO the things she can do with a fresh chicken or turkey.  Phenomenal doesn't cover it."

"Oh, that I've certainly heard about. I missed the Christmas party, but apparently she made the turkey for it. Among other things."


(OOC:I hope I'm remembering that right.)

  Bella giggled, and said "Mom's a heck of a cook."

(OOC: yes, you are.  Fear not.)

"Uuky!" gurgled John with a delighted expression. He remembered those cookies the day they'd gone out for lunch and the bad men had done scary things. And what the therapist and his parents had been teaching him about speech, managing to make a sound kind of similar to the actual word.

"Yes, Bella's mom made cookies," Rodger agreed with his son, nodding.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:27, Sat 30 July 2011.

  Andy had nodded to Icepick, and he kept an eye on Jack, who looked pretty nervous.

In reply to Andy Black (msg #92):

"OK...Ipod has been taken care of,' Jeff exclaimed. "Now then guys...the city is our oyster. Um....why don't we get outside and get some air, y'know? Most of the adults are sayin' that kids don't get enough exercise. Let's prove 'em wrong, huh?"

In reply to Rodger Eskin (msg #91):

  Bella grinned, and said "OH yeah, Mom's cookies are phenomenal!!"

"I know... we have a champion cookie muncher in the making thanks to them." He wasn't making a joke.

  Bella giggled, and said "Mom shared her cookie recipes with me."

As they scurried away from the crowd of onlookers, Jeff turned to Jack.

"So...Jack....y'know...it's just us guys here. C'mon man...you and Penny are pretty tight. Do you....um...do you guys see a future for yourselves at all?"

Jeff subtly put his finger over the record button on the Ipod, ready to start recording with what Jack had to say.

  Jack tilted his head, and said quietly "I don't know.  I wish there could be.  But she's been hurt, so badly.  They did such horrible things to her . . . used her.  I promised to protect her from anyone ever doing that again."

Jeff smiled as they walked along.

'Well..once all of this stuff is dealt with, then maybe you guys will have time to consider the future. we don't stay teenagers forever. I mean, I'm graduating in just a few months. Call me an optimist or whatever, but I believe you guys will have a good thing going."

  Jack half-laughed, and said softly "No, but we don't even know for sure how old Penny is.  She doesn't remember ANYTHING definite except butterflies.  I had to give her the name she has now.  I mean, the skills, the language and math and such, those are there, but she can't tell anyone HOW she learned what she does know.  She doesn't remember where she learned it.  Doesn't know who taught her, or where, what city she's from, what country, what she even LOOKS like in the mirror.  Just the butterflies.  I would do anything to protect her from whatever it was that stole away her memories.  From what robbed her of any idea who her family was, or is, or what her home was like, what color is her favorite, or if she had any treasured items from a loving grandparent.  If it would keep her completely safe, I'd willingly take the rap for murdering my own mother.  I'm innocent, but nobody else believes me yet.  Penny's so special, she needs cherished and loved, but not hurt, not forced, NEVER.  I wish I could do that, but with what those animals did to her . . . I'm not sure she could ever accept that.  I'm not sure she can ever handle having a man lay his hands on her in any way other than platonic, and it makes me ache, in my heart.  I won't push her.  I can't, not knowing what Builder and his goons did.  Not when I remember crystal clear hearing her cry like the world had shattered when they brought her back, and feeling her trembling against me as I tried to make her feel a little better."

"All things take time, bro....that's been a hard lesson I've had to learn," Jeff replied. "But I see the way you two are...there's some good feelings there...good feelings that will last a lifetime. As for the Builder thing, there are people on that right now. And I'm confident that they'll find out the truth, and you guys can live your life the way you were meant to before that jackass gotcha. Do you...do you see yourselp spending your life with Penny? I know that's an early question...but, no better time than the present right?"

  Jack half smiled, and said softly "I promised her I would protect her.  I'm all she has.  She's all I have left.  I will never abandon her.  I promised to protect her and take care of her to the very best of my abilities."

"There you go..." Jeff replied with a content smile. Seemed Jack had warm feelings but it was easier to talk about those feelings when not around Penny. It was a typical teenage thing.

"You know...once this thing with Builder is done with...maybe we could send you guys on a nice trip. Just the two of you. Only you guys won't be having to watch your back so much."

  Jack said "I like the idea, but I'd have to ask Penny.  I know I'd like to have some place where we can settle in permanently, and not be on the run anymore, but until we get the issue with me being framed dealt with, I can't offer that to Penny.  She needs a place where she knows where everything is.  Somewhere she knows she's safe, and it's her space too, you know?"

Jeff subtly stopped the record function on the Ipod. It sounded like they had what they needed.

"It will get worked out. Don't worry Jack...now then, how about we get out of the mall? Maybe go to the park or the arcade?"

  The mall was packed.  It was early may, and Mother's Day was coming up.  Clarissa poked him lightly with one finger, and asked softly "What sort of things would make a good present for your Mom, Ozzy?  It's close to mothers day."

Ozzy shrugged his massive shoulders as he said, "Well, she loves to cook, so spices and stuff are good. I also made a necklace for her one year. Just a crystal I bought at a 'new age' place and put on a chain. It's like a prism she can wear."

He put a hand on her shoulder and asked, "And what about your Mom? What should we get her? And... well, she might still be in the hospital. I had Mr. Witness call an ambulance for her, just in case. Wanna go and try to visit her, later?"

   She kissed his cheek, and said softly "Let's get your Mom a present, and something for my Mom.  Think we can sneak a visit in to both of them today?"  She was sitting very daintily on his forearm, and she tickled the loop-handle of the leather leash against his shirt in a playful caress.

  Some of the other patrons in the parking lot were giving him wide eyed looks of mild alarm.

Ozzy hoooked the leash onto his collar, then waved at the gawkers and said, "Uhh... hi! We come in peace?"

He did look a little nervous, though it was mostly because he didn't want to turn this into some huge human/parahuman war thing.

  She kissed him, and said lightly "Head for the doors, you big sexy beastie."  She waved to the folks now openly gawking at him, since he was now leashed, and one of them said (he had to be about five) "Mommy, why is he on a leash?  He's not a doggie . . . "

  Clarissa told him affectionately "You know, I think they can tell who's in charge of this little shopping trip.  I love sitting here in your arms, but I'll probably have to walk when we get inside."

Ozzy nodded and strode towards the doors, saying, "Yeah. At least the Mall's nice and open in the main part, so I won't have to be ducking down the whole time. Tall ceilings for the win!"

He ignored the people for the most part, just kept a smile on his face and didn't make any sudden moves.

  She giggled, and kissed him again, then let him either open the doors or set her down to get them.  She said "I think you and I are going to get a fondness for stores with high ceilings and lots and lots of ope spaces.  But you do look good.  Let's start in the craft store.  Then maybe we can find something for your Mom in The Great Indoors, and for my Mom . . . I think we should check Hallmark.  She actually collects teddy bears."

Ozzy did indeed get the door, though he opened it gingerly, as if he was afraid he'd break it. He then let her down so she could go in before ducking through the door himself.

"Sounds like a plan, babe. I'm sure we'll find something for my Mom. If nothing else, a gift card would work. She loves that store. Yours collects Teddy Bears, eh? So are we looking for a special one, or should we get a generic one then customize it?"

  She waited for him to get through the doors, not wanting to yank on his leash, and said  "Well, we can either get your mom a gift card, or a pasta machine, or maybe both, depending if she likes the personal touch, or to make her own selections.  My mom is easy.  There's a new bear every month, and one just came out yesterday.  I'm SURE she couldn't have bought it yet, so we could easily get it and make her day complete with it.  You are such a sexy beastie, my Ozzy.  Watch your tail, don't let it catch in the doors."  She held the door open so he could get the tip of his tail in, then caught his hand, the leash-loop around that wrist as she headed them toward The Great Indoors.

Ozzy chuckled and replied, "Yes, dear. I'll be careful."

And he did indeed keep his tail close so that it went through at roughly the same time as the rest of him. When they were through, he stood up again and pondered, "Man, those doors feel so tiny now. And I'm getting bigger! Will... will I even be able to come inside here after a while?"

  Clarissa looked up at him, and said "Of course you will.  We'll just have to use the double doors that auto-open for you.  You're very tall, love.  Sexy too."  She   was so totally fearless, he soon got surrounded by a bunch of other classmates from school.  One of them asked him "Dude.  Are you Ozzy??  Cause, you know, you look way different than you did at school."

  Clarissa smiled, and said "Of course it is.  You think I'd let this big, sexy beastie get away from me even if he DID double in height??"  Which got some chuckles.  It had become a bit of a running joke in school that she had chased him until he caught her.

Ozzy nodded, "Yeah, it's me. I'm a superhero, and got mutated in the line of duty. It's all good, though. I'll adjust, and deal with it."

He then smirked and said, "And I'm not running away anytime soon. She's got me leashed up and everything. No complaints, though."

  She grinned, and said "And you're my superhero, love.  All mine."  She leaned against his arm, smiling.

  One of the guys asked him "Does it feel weird to be, like, huge and green, instead of, you know, before?  Doesn't it make things hard?  You're like, twice her size!"

  One of the girls said "So, is EVERYTHING that big?"

Ozzy shrugged at the guy's question, "This happened, literally, last night. I'm still kind of figuring stuff out, man. Like, I feel stronger. Lifting Clarissa takes about as much effort as picking up a barbie doll for you guys. It's been interesting trying to not be constantly breaking things."

When the girl asked if EVERYTHING was that big, he did indeed blush a bright shade of red, before stammering, "Uh... wow. Kinda... personal question you're asking there. You don't mince words, do you?"

  Clarissa gave her an arch look (she was six inches shorter than the girl who'd asked him that), and said "Like I said, Maggie, he's MY superhero.  You'll never know.  But I can promise you, he's a very good catch."  She reached up, leaning against his leg to hug his waist as she said happily "And I know you're far more fun to talk to than Maggie is, love.  She's a real maneater."

  Maggie looked at him, and he felt distinctly like a cat had just spotted a naked and defenseless canary out of it's cage.  Maggie said coyly "If that's built like everything else, Clarissa, you're a fool if you aren't riding him hard and putting him away wet every time.  I'd love to borrow him and see if he can be a good stud."

Ozzy's blush got darker, and he grabbed onto Clarissa and said, "I'm not for 'borrowing', sorry. I'm a one woman man."

He was starting to wonder if this was how Andy had felt when Clarissa's cousins had had him spooked.

  Clarissa patted his belly reassuringly, and said "All mine, love, and you're not getting borrowed."  She slid her hand down his hip, and turned to look at Maggie.

  Maggie looked at her, and said "I think he can do better than a little addict.  I don't think you've got the spine to stay clean enough to keep a stud like that."

  Clarissa arched one eyebrow, and her right hand came up on her hip as she said "Maggie, my dear, you have no idea what I've got the spine for.  I'm the lady my sexy Ozzy has chosen, and I am by god going to keep him.  You come sniffing around like the little trollop you are, and I will make you so sorry, you won't get laid for a month while you heal."  And she sounded like she meant every word.

Ozzy chuckled, "I'm quite happily taken. And she's been clean since Christmas, and shows no signs of going back. And even if she did, I'd help her get back off. So, yeah, not happening. Read the tag."

To illustrate his point further, he crouched down and wrapped his arms around her, smiling.

  When he crouched down, she grinned, and turned, tipping his chin to kiss him, the sort of hot, searing kiss that told everyone exactly to whom he belonged.  And when that kiss broke, she glanced over her shoulder at Maggie, and said "My only addiction is Ozzy, Maggie, and I don't share."

  Maggie gave them both the dirtiest look he'd seen in a very long time.  And he could see the glitter of both desire, and of lust.  She said "Just you wait.  You'll get what's coming to you, you little addict-bitch!"

Ozzy snorted as she threatened Clarissa vaguely, and said, "You have no idea what a man wants, do you? You might be plenty for a little boy looking to just get laid. But to me? You're just annoying. Get lost, and I'd advise you not to carry out that threat."

  Clarissa shot Maggie a look over her shoulder, and slid closer, parking her ass on his forearm as she leaned against his chest.  "See, Maggie, you don't know how to make my Ozzy smile.  I do.  And it starts with him being HAPPY to have me cuddled up to him."

  Maggie gave him a sizzling look, and whirled, stomping away.  He heard (but Clarissa couldn't) "He WILL be my bitch.  If YOU can pussy whip him, I'm sure I could do it."

Ozzy smirked as he said mirthlessly, "Old 'friend' of yours, love? She seemed to recognize you well enough. And she seems to have the impression that I'm whipped, too."

  Clarissa leaned against him as she said "She's only the biggest maneating, ballbusting bitch in the school, Ozzy.  The guys she dates are normally either jocks with no brains, or they have money.  She might think you hit both, but I know better.  You have far better taste than to think a trollop like her was sexy.  She's slept with more guys than I can even name."

  One of the other guys said "Yo, Ozzy?  You're in a collar and leash.  Most guys would call that looking pussywhipped, since, no offense here, the chick holding your leash is half your size and looks small enough to be snapped like a toothpick with a good hard hug."

Ozzy grinned and said, "It's an in-joke between us. I can take this collar off any time I want. I just don't particularly want to. And you're right, I do have to be careful, now. But I've managed to find that happy medium between 'treating her like she's made of glass' and 'Man of Steel, Woman of Paper issues'. She gets her daily recommended dose of hugs, still."

  She smiled, and said softly "The thing is, I love Ozzy.  The bonds between us are far more powerful than any leash or collar, and those are willingly taken."  She patted his cheek, and added "I adore Ozzy.  He's addictively sweet."

  The dude grinned, and said "So the leash and collar are there, because YOU want everyone else to know which girl you've chosen.  I gotta know, how the HELL you gonna fit in a tux for prom?"

Ozzy chuckled, "Easy! There's a guy in Derrton who does custom tuxes. I'll get one from him. I can tell you where his shop is, if you need a tux of your own."

  Clarissa giggled, and said "We DO need to take a trip there fairly soon.  You need refitted for your tux, love.  You're NOT going to fit the one for you that they had in the works."

  The fellow chuckled, and told Ozzy "You know, you're a really lucky guy, being so confident of your girl like this.  It's hard to find a girl who isn't fickle at our age."

Ozzy chuckled, "Yeah, I did kinda 'Hulk Out' of my suit last night, love. At least it was my work suit. And no, no I'm not, am I?"

He then smiled at the guy and said, "Yeah. I am a lucky, lucky guy. Clarissa's an amazing girl, and I'm so glad she picked me."

  She smiled, and said "You've put on a couple inches, and a couple pounds.  But it all looks so sexy."  She caught his horn lightly, tugging him close so she could give him another kiss.  When their lips met this time, she pushed mana into him, filling his reserves (they were bigger than they had been) and making him feel ten feet tall AND bulletproof.

  The guys grinned, and one said "Dude, you really want to blow folks away?  Get her a ring."

Ozzy kissed her back, and grinned at the feeling of mana rushing into him, filling his reserves to the brim.

He then grinned at the guy and said, "Yeah. Working on it. Just need to find something appropriate, you know? Plus, we couldn't actually get hitched until we're both 18."

  She grinned, and said softly "You could say I give Ozzy a real charge."

  The guys laughed, and one of them told him "Alabama lets you get married at fourteen with consent."

Ozzy chuckled, "Yeah, but we weren't really wanting to leave the state, ya know? Besides, would this state even recognize it, since we wouldn't have been able to get married legally here?"

He then shrugged and said, "Besides, the actual marriage bit is just a party and a piece of paper. Clarissa and I made our promises to each other already, and that's what really matters. The rest is just officially letting the government and our friends know, ya know?"

  The fellow chuckled, replying "Yeah, they recognize it.  Since, you know, you're not a gay couple, they HAVE to.  It's  one of the weird factoids I learned in my civics classes.  A binding, legal marriage performed anywhere in the US or it's territories MUST be recognized in any and all other states of the Union.  And you don't have to MOVE there, just be there to do the ceremony, where it's legal.  Then you can come home.  Like Las Vegas with it's drivr through wedding chapels."

  Clarissa smiled, leaning against him as they were chatting.  He never had to worry about her wandering off while he conversed, she liked to lean against him and listen.  Right now, her left hand was tracing slow patterns across his new tattoos on his chest through the paint-shirt.

Ozzy chuckled, "Wow. Didn't know that. Thanks for the tip! Wait, by 'consent' do you mean her consent, or her parents' consent? We can get married here now if her parents consent to it, but, well... that ain't happening anytime soon. They're not fond of me, and technically, they have a good reason."

As he talked, he started to gently stroke Clarissa's hair, loving the way it felt against his fingers.

  Clarissa made a soft, pleased sound, and leaned right against him, eyes closed in a smile.  She LOVED feeling him stroke her hair.  And it felt like silk to him, those long, soft strands of chocolate-brown hair.

  His classmate nodded, and said "I think it's parents or a legal guardian, but I'd have to check to be sure.  I somehow don't think too many parents are gonna look you in the eye NOW and tell you 'no'.  You're big as an ogre, a lot better looking, better mannered, but HUGE, Ozzy-Dude!"

Ozzy chuckled, "I don't want to scare them into signing. Though, maybe her Mom's warmed up to me a bit, I dunno. We're gonna go visit her today, though. So who knows what'll happen?"

He then grinned and pulled his hair out to the side a bit, and said, "Still, this form comes with some perks. I can fly, now, and I'm equipped to do some SERIOUS headbanging, hehe."

  Clarissa giggled, and said "I'm going to have to start braiding that for you, or the tangles will be a nightmare to brush out.  You can sit on the floor while I brush and braid it."  She kissed him, adding "Sexy blonde beastie."

  Which got some chuckles, and one of his friends teased gently "You gonna live up to that old saw that blondes have more fun, Ozzy?  Oh, and I think you got her about melting in your arms.  I think she likes it when you play with her hair."

Ozzy grinned, "Sounds awesome, babe. I could totally go for some viking braids or something. I'd almost say cut it, but I kinda like it like this, and I'm not sure it wouldn't grow back really quick. I do regenerate, after all."

He then chuckled and said, "I'm pretty sure I was living up to that saying already, dude. Now I'm just having even MORE fun. Enhanced senses are AMAZING, lemme tell you. Well, at least when you're not near bad stuff. Somebody over by the Borders just farted, and I can smell it from all the way over here. Ugh."

  Clarissa stroked a hand through his hair, and said "Okay, you are lucky as hell.  Your hair has that fine, silky texture that most girls would kill for.  You know, we need to get you some hair fasteners and stuff too now.  More shopping!"  She kept running her fingers through his hair though.  It made shivers of pleasure run up his spine as she did it, and she grinned as she said "Put you in three braids, and then it won't snarl badly."

  The guys chuckled, and said "Does it give you any advantages when dealing with your girlfriend?  And can you tell WHO farted?"

Ozzy grinned and shivered as she ran her fingers through his hair, and said dreamily, "Oh, yeah, there's advantages. I can feel every touch sharper and more intensely than before. She smells good, too. Plus, I can just pick her up and cradle her against my chest, King Kong style."

His face scrunched up as he continued, "And no, not really. I'm too far away, and it doesn't really have 'their' scent on it. Whoever it is really shouldn't be eating Taco Bell, however."

He then looked down at Clarissa and said, "Cool. You know more about this than I do. I usually just kept it like I had it, not really long enough to do much with."

  She giggled, and stroked his hair again, wincing when she found a tangle, and gently straightening and smoothing it.  She said "Ozzy, my love, you should have realized, I'm a girl, I have long hair, I know how to take good care of it.  You'll just have to do a lot of sitting still while I play in your lovely locks of gold."  Still stroking his hair in a sensual caress that made him all TOO aware of her right there. And he could smell how this was a turnon for her too!

  The guys grinned, and one said "I think you got a collar on because she's got a chain on hert bedpost for you!"

Ozzy winced a bit as she pulled the tangle out of his hair, then said, "I know, love. You can play with it as much as you want. It feels nice when you're running your hands through it."

He then grinned and blushed a bit as he said, "Technically, it's our bedpost, but yeah."

  She grinned, still finger-combing him, and said softly "I think I found a new hobby!  Ozzy-brushing."  He could feel her finger-combing it into sections as she talked too.

  His friends chuckled, and one asked him "So, you happy being all tied down now?"

Ozzy grinned and leaned gently into her brushing, clearly enjoying it as she brushed him. "Good. We'll have to make sure you keep up with your hobbies, now won't we?"

He then grinned devilishly at his friends and said, "Dude, that's probably the best part!"

  She grinned as she began to gently braid his hair, and said "I'm going to have to get bigger scarves, you know.  Or those silky curtain-cords.  They're longer.  Your wrists are bigger."  She tugged one of the hair fasteners off of her own ponytail, and once she got to the end of his braid, she tied the end with her fastener. Of course, this left him with a bright pink hair fastener in his hair.

  The guys grinned, and said "Oh, wow.  She ties you to the bed?  Gods, that must be one hell of a fun time, being you!"

Ozzy grinned and said, "That, my friends, is why I am a lucky, lucky bastard. And even when were just hanging out at the mall, or with friends, shes fun to be around. Im not going ANYWHERE."

As she clipped his hair off, he gave her a quick kiss before saying, "Thanks, babe. You spoil me so much."

  She grinned, and said "Better get used to that, love.  It's like silk, and I do love silk."  She leaned in, and whispered in his ear, too softly for the other boys to hear "Tickle my naked body with that, and I'll almost be purring in your arms."

  They shook their heads, and one of them said "Ozzy, dude, happy as you look, you better put a ring on her finger fast, so that nobody tries to snipe her."

Ozzy grinned and said, "Im not worried. I trust Clarissa, and I know she loves me. Not that Im not trying, mind you."

He then grinned and kissed Clarissa, and said, "I think I can get used to it. And Ill keep that in mind."

  She grinned, and held him in that kiss by taking hold of his horns, then said softly "Chocolate syrup you tonight.  Like the idea?"

  The guys chuckled, and one of them said "Ozzy-dude, the way she's dressed today, you'd better be glad she's got you on a leash, or someone WOULD try and snipe her!  You've seen how she dressed at school.  Casual but not hot?  Well, today your girlfriend is dressed in 'hot'.   And the football team's captain is looking for a fresh piece of meat to try and boss around.  He likes brunettes."

Ozzy kissed her back and grinned,"Sounds delightful, babe. You know I love it when you lick me."

He then chuckled, "As long as he doesnt annoy us too bad, hes free to try nd talk to her. But if he gets grabby, I WILL kick his ass. Guy in Derrton made that mistake yesterday, before I was this size. When I was the way I used to be. Jackass is eating through a straw today."

  Clarissa grinned, and said "You taste good.  And you have good taste.  Now, any specific colors you want your kilt in?  And I need a pattern for kilts.  I like having a pattern to work from."

  The guys chuckled, and one said "Better let you go shop, dude, before she hauls you off by the collar."

Ozzy nodded and waved goodbye, "Later!"

He then started walking with Clarissa towards the crafts store, saying, "So that's fabric and a pattern. And a sewing machine. We'll probably want fasteners and such, too, so I can put it on and take it off easy enough."

  She smiled, and said "The question is, do you want velcro, snaps, buttons, or buckles?  Velcro and buckles can make it more flexible, in case you grow some, but velcro doesn't always hold super good in stress.  But I do need a good kilt pattern first so I can make you one with a couple mods.  I don't think you can wear a cup if you don't have anything else to support it, and I do NOT want you going unprotected, given that, well, certain things are at fist-height now."  She led him to the craft store, and rubbed his ribs affectionately as she said "Low ceiling.  Want to lurk out here, where you have room to stand, or come in and sit while I flip through patterns?"

Ozzy smiled and said, "If I won't be too bad in the way, I'll come in."

With that, he stooped down and, if needed, started to walk gorilla-style as he said, "And definitely buckles, love. Leather straps and metal buckles are traditional, methinks. And maybe a zipper up the front and back so that I can switch to the armor easily enough? Of course, I could modify the armor a bit, give it a 'skirt' to fit with the kilt, and have some more underneath. And do they MAKE cups in my size? I mean... you know."

  She caught him for a kiss, and said "I sure hope they do.  I don't want someone giving you a nutpunch."  She found the area with the patterns, and said "This may take me a bit, so you might want to have a seat.  Or wander around through the fabric to find stuff you'd like me to use to make you clothes."  She began to flip through the pattern catalogs, of which there were a half dozen, and all of them two or three inches thick.

Ozzy chuckled and said, "Right, because I have no idea how to protect that area in a fight. Still, better safe than sorry."

He then started to browse the fabrics as best he could, wondering what would be best for a kilt. Definitely something sturdy, but comfy... maybe denim?

  She was still flipping through patterns, and Crystal Rose came swooping over to land on his shoulder.  She said "Clarissa says you want to pick out colors you like, and in a number of different fabric weights.  You know, something light for hot weather, something heavy for cold, something medium for the days that can't make up their minds."

Ozzy nodded, "I like green, brown, blue... cool or earth colors. Prolly not green, though. I think I got enough green on me to last a lifetime, hehe."

He continued to browse through the fabrics, taking Crystal's advice into consideration as he did.

  Crystal Rose pointed out some nice earth tones, seeing a batch of lovely browns and tans.  She asked him "You like camouflage?  There's a whole mess of urban camouflage over there.  Buy the whole bolts if you really like the colors, if she has leftovers, she can always make you a patchwork piece.  You're BIG, Ozzy.  You'll take a lot of fabric."

Ozzy grabbed a few bolts of urban camo fabric in various weights, as well as some browns and tans in various weights. He grinned and said, "Well, I'll at least make up for any customers I scare off, yeah?"

  Clarissa was digging in a filing cabinet, and laying a little packet with two others on the table before going back to the catalogs.

  A couple older women were looking at him with WIDE eyes over a rack of silk bolts, almost like they thought he might jump on them if they got too close.  He heard one say "Is he a pet or a person???  There's a collar on his neck and a leash hanging on it . . . who let him loose??"

  Crystal Rose chuckled, and said "You might draw more."  There were several students from school in, browsing a bit, but more watching him with fascination.

Ozzy peeked over the racks if he could without puncturing the ceiling with his horns and smiled at the older ladies, "I'm a person. The collar and leash are just an in-joke between me and my girlfriend. Sorry if I'm scaring you. I'm a superhero. Painter, to be specific. I kinda got mutated in the line of duty last night, so my girlfriend is looking at patterns so she can make me clothes that fit. I wasn't exactly ten feet tall before, ya know?"

  Clarissa glanced over at him, and grinned at his methods.

  The ladies squeaked, but relaxed a bit when he admitted the collar and leash were an in-joke.  One of them asked him "Did . . . it hurt?  Did you save anyone else, or just stop the bad guys?"

  One of the other kids came over, and poked him in the leg.  "Dude.  Did you do the para-party thing, or did you get it all natural and shit?"

Ozzy chuckled, "Coincidentally? The house where the bad guys were making a deal was three houses down from my girlfriend's house, and one of the bad guys started going after her Mom, so I stepped in. I'd been sitting outside with another para, helping with a stakeout to try and catch the bad guys. But, yeah, I was protecting someone else."

He then looked down and said, "All natural, man. Well, the powers I became Painter with. One of the guys I fought last night shot me with this dart full of mutagenic stuff. I nearly lost my mind, but thankfully, I had a certain special someone to help keep me anchored and sane. Para-parties don't usually work, and I do NOT recommend them. You heard about Hotwire's hero boot camp? If you really want to be a para, try that. He's legit. I met him, and worked with him a couple times."

  Clarissa smiled, and fished out a couple more patterns, giggling softly.

  Crystal Rose chirped, and soared off to a rack, clinging to the top of it as she asked Ozzy "Goldtone, silverwash, brass or copper?"

  The ladies smiled, and one said "It's hard to find many good, civic minded young people these days.  That's good."

  His classmate said "I want to be a para, and kick bad guy butt.  Can you recommend me to Hotwires boot camps?"

  Maggie and her boy toy and a couple friends came swanning in, and she heard the 'big monster' was in the craft store.  She told them to get ready to cause a ruckus.

Ozzy smiled and said, "Copper, Crystal. And thank you, ma'am. I try. Mama didn't raise me to be a jerk."

He then nodded down at the guy and said, "Sure. Even if you don't have powers, you'll be getting the kind of training you'll need to maybe be like Hunter, or Batman. You don't need powers to be badass."

   Clarissa picked up her pile of patterns, and collected a shopping buggy to present to him, telling him "I found the patterns I think I can use.  Put the bolts you want in here with them, and we can snag the fasteners.  I need a bolt of elastic fabric too though, for the, umm, understraps."

  The ladies giggled, and one said "Tell her she did well."

  The student grinned, and said "I would like that.  A lot."

  Crystal Rose collected all the buckles, her wings fanning hard to bring her and the fastener pieces to the buggy.

Ozzy smiled and said, "I will. We're gonna go see her today, after we're done here. She needs to know, yeah? I kinda got kicked out 'cause my "dad" is anti-para. But what are you gonna do, yeah? Life goes on."

He then nodded and said, "No prob, dude. We can use all the help we can get!"

He then stuffed the bolts he'd chosen into the cart and gave Clarissa a kiss, before saying, "All right, babe. Where's the elastic stuff?"

  She pointed over to where the spandex fabrics were, and said "Those would actually work better.  Lycra-spandex lets your body breathe and is still stretchy.  Then you get to play pack-beastie, love.  At least you don't mind!!"  She padded over toward the spandex.  He saw her hand slide over the silks, and she gave it a longing smile, but didn't snag any.  He knew she had a thing for aqua, teal, amethyst, rose and amber, like Crystal Rose's colors.  Who came soaring over to land on his shoulder, and flattened herself there on his skin.

  The ladies nodded, and one said "Maybe we should have a word with your father, if you tell us who to discuss it with?"

Ozzy smiled and said, "You ladies don't have to go to all that trouble. If you're insistent, though, his name's Michael Gysbourne. But, like I said, you don't have to worry about it. I don't think he'll listen to reason, anyway."

Seeing Clarissa brush her hand against the silk, he 'snuck' some silks in her favorite colors into the buggy, grinning at her. If she was going to be making clothes, he'd be damned if he wasn't gonna let her make some for herself.

"Let's get these too, love. I know you like them. You can make yourself something too, after all. Not like I don't have the money, with my job." he said with a smile.

  She smiled, and tugged him down for a kiss, telling him softly "You are so sweet to me, love.  And your horns DO make good handles."  Clearly teasing, as she held one to hold him in that kiss.  Then she headed them to the cashier's, swaying her hips at him sassily.

Ozzy grinned and said, "Well, you spoil me, love. Only fair that I spoil you back occasionally."

And he was indeed transfixed by those swaying hips, so much so that he forgot to duck for a sign and smacked his face on it. He backed up, shaking his head to recover before making sure the sign was steady and saying, "Ow! Sorry, sorry. Gotta remember to watch the ceiling. I didn't break it, did I?"

  The sign was okay, it was a solid plastic, but he sure had Clarissa giggling.  She told him "I'm sorry, but I can't help it.  I never imagined I was that bewitching, love!  Don't tell me you'd walk into doors watching me walk too, would you?"  As she giggled, still looking amused and apologetic at the same time, the cashier was ringing it all up.

Ozzy grinned sheepishly and said, "Maaaybe. You're awfully beautiful and bewitching, love. I can't help but stare at you sometimes! I'm only a man, after all."

He smiled at the cashier, hoping he wasn't freaking them out too much. So far, his easygoing demeanor was defusing things nicely. Maybe the anti-para people were just a REALLY vocal minority?

  She giggled, and shook her head.  Then she fished his wallet out of her purse and offered it to him.

  The cashier, a girl, said "Okay, any guy who gets all wrapped up in his girlfriend until he bashes himself in the face is just too cute.  You are adorable.  HUGE, but adorable!"  She gave him the total, bagging the items as she spoke, still snickering.

Ozzy smiled, rubbing the quickly fading bump on his head as he got his debit card out, saying, "Heh. Better huge and adorable than huge and scary. I don't want to scare people. I'ma Jolly Green Giant. Just without the veggies. I like 'em fine, I just don't sell 'em."

  Clarissa giggled, and once the cashier gave him back the receipt, she said "Ready to be a packbeastie, love?  I'll have to walk real slow so you can watch for more signs!"  He could hear the gentle tease in her tone, and she turned, taking a couple steps with a sassy sashay of her hips just to tease.

Ozzy chuckled as he handed Clarissa his wallet and the receipt, staring at Clarissa for a bit before following slightly hurriedly, nearly walking into another sign. He carried the bags with ease, now, and briefly thought about hanging them from his horns. Still, he was enjoying himself, and Clarissa seemed to, too.

  She giggled, and turned, walking backward to blow kisses at him, pausing in the doorway to the store.  The crowds had gotten good and thick by now, and the swirl of moving people was going to be a push.

  Maggie spotted Clarissa and Ozzy, and she poked the boys she had with her into action.  They all snagged someone's purse or bag, and ran for the store where Ozzy and Clarissa were, creating a rush of people that promptly squished Clarissa to one side, at the corner of the doorway.  Someone yelled "Purse snatchers!  HELP!!"  And the 'swirling crowd' dissolved into a mess of chaos and confusion.

As he saw the crowd start to get chaotic, Ozzy summoned his Painter armor and bellowed, "EVERYBODY FREEZE!" as he flared his wings, hoping that those who WEREN'T snatching purses would stop, giving him a better idea of what to do.

  Maggie moved through the swirl, and he caught a glimpse of her blonde curls at one corner of the doorway.  The rest of the crowd sort of held still, aside from several young men taking off in a sudden reversal of directions, and a lot of people looking at him in shock.

  And he noticed Maggie's arm move in a hard, shoving motion.

Ozzy fired paintballs at the runners, hoping to capture them before they could get away. Once he'd shot at as many of them as he could, he turned to see what the HECK Maggie was doing, wondering what the hell was going on.

  Clarissa gasped when Maggie came up behind her in the crowd, and when they were slammed into the doorway, she was too stunned to make a sound as the first needle slammed into her spine, threading between the vertebrae to punch into the spine itself, making her freeze in shock.  Maggie shoved the plunger of the syringe down, then grabbed the second one, and jammed it into her back as well.  She missed the nerves with it, but the pinkish colored mutagen was injected directly into her cerebro-spinal fluid.  Then Maggie stepped away, and Clarissa slowly slid down the wall, beginning to tremble as she whispered "Oh shit."

Ozzy's eyes went wide with anger as he fired another paintball straight at Maggie before bending down to gingerly pluck the needles from Clarissa's back, then cradle her to him as he said, "Ohnoohnoohno... Oh God, Babe, don't die on me. Talk to me!"

   She had her eyes closed hard, and he could feel the trembles getting worse.  She snagged one hand around his horns, even as her skin began to fade from peachy-pink to a stark white, and she arched, a cry of pain escaping her as he heard skin ripping.  A familiar sound, as often as he'd heard Andy change, but not one he'd EVER expected to hear HER make.  He could see her nails sharpening, becoming hooked claws rather like a cat's, almost, except tipping her fingers, and could feel a sleek, velvety covering forming on her skin.  Like velvet fuzz on steroids, except starkly white.  Her hair didn't change, but it got longer, the ponytail now almost to her knees.  She was still shaking violently, and he felt her go limp, although still breathing and trembling, in his arms.  Not dead, but fainted or passed out for the moment.

  Maggie had managed to dodge the paint-net, but not all of her associates had.

Ozzy gently wrapped her in paint on his back, like a papoose, before he turned towards Maggie and fired another net at her, roaring, "I SAW YOU PUT THE SYRINGES IN HER!!! HOW DARE YOU!?"

He was DEFINITELY not happy right now.

  Maggie's expression turned to alarm, and she ran, dodging into the crowd as some folks took one look at his pissed expression, and scattered.  Afraid of him.  She was thinking perhaps she should have screened her actions behind a bit more crowd . . . .

Ozzy took to the air, chasing after Maggie and grabbing at her with his massive green hands. He didn't care if people were scared right now. He wanted to catch Maggie, and make sure she got hers. Even if it didn't come directly from him.

  She twitched, the trembles beginning to die down, and he heard, her voice not coming through his ears {{Oh gods that hurt.  Ozzy?  I feel funny.  What did she . . . do to me?}}

  Maggie was dodging this way and that, trying to zig-zag away from him and get to the doors.  But he was gaining.

As Maggie dodged, Ozzy grinned. Yeah, that's right, head outside, where he could REALLY move. He'd have the advantage, then. He decided to quit shooting paint-balls at her, not wanting to hit anyone accidentally.

[[You all right, love? She stuck you with TWO syringes of the stuff that turned me. You're about the same size you were, but now you have wings and... well, you're more or less a catgirl, now.]]

  She opened her eyes, and blinked.  Then she said {{I can see the mana with my eyes open.  It shimmers on everything.  Gods, I feel like I'm . . . I don't know, like there's pressure?}}  He felt her wriggle, trying not to interfere with his wings, as he had them both aloft, and he felt her claw-tipped hand lay on his shoulder.  She was almost glowing with mana.  And her velvety-fur was like silk against his skin.  She dipped her head, and he felt her tongue, still hot and wet, but now very faintly sandpapery, rasp gently over the nape of his neck.

Ozzy blinked and said, "Oh, wow. You're glowing! You may wanna push some into me, or make some crystals, love. I'mma see if I can't catch this bitch and take her to jail!"

He continued to follow after Maggie, and though the anger in his eyes was starting to fade, he still REALLY didn't like her, at all. She needed to be punished, in his opinion.

  She licked the nape of his neck again, and he felt her other hand rest on his other shoulder, just before she pushed.  It felt like she'd just given him a SUPERCHARGE.  The glow of her hands faded, but she was still starkly white, except for the mane of her chocolate hair.  She then pointed, and he heard {{That one!  She drives THAT car.  She'll get away if she gets into it!}}

  Maggie was zig-zagging through the parking lot toward her car now, full out running.

Ozzy grinned, {{I can fix that, love.}}

He waited until Maggie was just getting into the car, before she'd had time to put the keys in, and landed right in front of the car and brought his hands down in a double-fisted overhand blow on the engine, putting every last ounce of his untested might into the strike.

  Maggie screamed as the hood smashed, her windshield shattered, and the back end of the car bounced five feet in the air.  The engine was FLAT.  Maggie was stunned, she hadn't had her seat belt on and had knocked the top of her head on the roof.

  Clarissa wrapped her arms around him, and said softly from behind him {{I hope I don't look horrible to you now.}}

[[You look like a catgirl with angel wings. I'm an anime nerd. Do the math, love.]]

He pulled Maggie from the wreckage and checked to see if she was bleeding or anything from hitting her head. He'd meant to stop the car, not HURT her. Hopefully she didn't end up like Rodger had. He was pretty sure she wouldn't 'get better'.

  Maggie was dazed, but seemed otherwise unharmed.  She seemed to be recollecting her wits when she realized he was looking at her, and let out a yelp and began to try and get away.

  Clarissa leaned her cheek against his throat, and he felt more than heard a soft purr.  {{Anime nerd, that means you find catgirls sexy?}}  Her pupils had changed from round to cat-slid, and he could feel, very clearly, that she had no top on.  Her poor halter top was shot.

Ozzy grinned as she started to try to get away, and tried to wrap her up in paint while she was close, almost like a spider catching its prey.

{{And you especially, love. Me-ow! Hehe. So does your voice still work? 'cause I'm hearing you like I hear a mindwork, not like I hear sound.}} he said with a grin, loving the feel of her purring on his back.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:05, Sun 24 June 2012.

  She cuddled, and he heard her cough slightly, then she finally spoke outloud.  Her voice had shifted, to a smoky, almost furry tone.  "How bad do I sound?  I have . . . fangs."

Ozzy grinned as he stood, sticking Maggie to her car as he said, "You sound delightful, love. Very smoky and sultry. Definitely sexy."

He picked up the totaled car, with Maggie stuck to the top, and set it down near the entrance of the Mall where the cops could get to it easy. He then went inside, rounded up all the purse-snatchers he'd caught in paint, and stuck them to the top of her car, too. He also made sure to grab the syringes Maggie had used, if they could be found, for evidence, being careful to not touch the plungers. He then grinned and said, "There. Now we have a nice little bundle of joy for the cops when they arrive. Should we wait here, love? Or do you think the others will be a witness to what happened?"

  She kissed his throat, and said "Ozzy, love, I'm shirtless.  Unless you want the cops interviewing me half nude, we have to do something about this."

  Several of the other folks who had seen what happened told him "We'll tell them!  Besides, it was all on the mall security cameras!"

Ozzy nodded, "Awesome. Thanks guys. Yeah, let's go, love. I mean, I can 'make' you a shirt, but an interview with the cops... yeaaah, I'm not up for that today, myself. Let's fly!"

With that, he got their purchases and took off again, crowing, "Up, up, and away!"

He then said, "Where to, love? Home? Or you want me to make you a shirt, and we can go visit Grandpa? He definitely needs to hear about... well, a lot of stuff."

  She kissed his shoulder, and said "Let's get all our running around done.  I forgot the gift card and the teddy bear, do you think your grandpa would mind helping us out on that?"

Ozzy grinned and flew towards his Grandpa's house, saying, "I'm sure he would, love. Let's go!"

--> To Gysbourne Manor! -->

>>>>>>>>>>>From Versuezzi's>>>>>>>>>>

Victoria rode alongside as they arrived.

"You sure the ten boys aren't going to be oogling me too much?" she asked teasingly, winking.

  Andy's amused rumble was clear, and he said "Do you really think anyone getting a good, solid look at your fiancee will WANT to mess with you, my love?"

"No, I suppose not," she replied amusingly. "Let's go find the theatre."

  Andy chuckled, and headed off along the mall concourse.

Victoria walked along with him, staying close as they soon arrived at the theatre.

  Andy paused to kiss her, and asked softly "Do you want a diamond ring, my love, or would you like a different stone?"

Victoria looked, shocked.

"Um...diamond? I didn't know there were options."

  Andy nodded, and said "Love, it's YOUR engagement ring, if you told me you wanted fossilized dinosaur poop, I'd get you a ring with that.  It's up to you."

She leaned against him, and told him "Diamond would be awesome..."

  Andy smiled, and said softly "Then I will get you a diamond.  Do you want to pick it out?"

"I trust your judgement, Andy. Just like trust you with my life," Victoria said, her face full of excitement.

  He smiled, and paid for their movie tickets, then kissed her beneath one ear as he whispered "And I am yours, my love.  Lock, stock, and barrel, but this will make it legal to all mortal officials too."

"Ah legality..." Victoria said, sighing. She smiled again as they were about to go into the theatre.

"I'm looking forward to this movie. The trailer was amazing."

  He rumbled with amusement, and said "It has it's benefits, love.  Not the least of them making your family happy with me."

"My family is more than happy with you....though my sister can be a bit annoying," Victoria said, now looking around where they might find a seat.

  He led her unerringly to a set of good seats, his nightvision far superior to what it had once been, and said "I can't imagine they will find you being lawfully wedded to your chosen man a bad thing."

"No they wouldn't, as this was the last thing they expected ever since I set out on my journey," Victoria said.

"I can't help but wonder if Adri is lurking....watching us..."

  He said "I think that was her plan all along, love."

"Probably was...." Victoria said. "I wonder what previews they're going to have? I hope they're good ones..."

In reply to Victoria Castillo (msg # 230):

  He held her hand as he said "That's half the fun of the grab bag of previews."

Victoria smiled as she clasped his hand, then waited for the previews to come on.

Andy cuddled her close as they watched.

The first preview was for X-Men: Days Of Future Past, which Victoria watched intently still holding Andy's hand.

The second was a small snippet for "Godzilla."

The third was for the new Hercules movie.

"Looks like we might have to go to the movies more often..."

  He laughed, and said "Yeah, when we can."

Victoria leaned on Andy, smiling, as the movie began to commence.

  He kept his arm wrapped around her for the whole movie, and when it was over, he nuzzled her neck as he rumbled "Ready to watch the Legacy movie?"

"Yes I am....though I am intrigued as to how they are going to portray them," Victoria said. "I admit, I know very little about the Legacy's early exploits."

  Andy chuckled, and said "Well, if we want to know the TRUTH, we ask one of them.  This, we watch to see how much they got wrong."

"I'm sure they'll make a feasible attempt," Victoria said as they waited for the Legacy movie to start.

  Andy hugged her, and asked, a soft rumble in her ear "Want to sit in my lap for this one?"

"Sure..." Victoria said, grinning as she went into his lap.

  He wrapped both arms around her, and kissed the top of her head happily.

Victoria leaned on Andy, clearly enjoying the closeness as the epic Legacy movie began.

  He hugged her, and leaned against her as she sat in his lap, enjoying the chance to watch a movie and relax with the woman he loved.

The epic movie played out, intense in its action, until....the credits came on. It didn't seem like it had been that long but it was.

"You and I know the real Dragon Fist....he's a lot taller....AND he's not Chinese," she said with a chuckle. "I wish I had known Friday a bit better though....that girl was tough as nails."

  Andy nodded, and said "I would have liked to know them all, but we only have Hunter, DragonFist, and Nokomis still around.  And these guys totally missed Nokomis."

"I guess we all go through changes," Victoria replied. "They all saved the world in one way or the other."

  Andy kissed her temple, and said softly "The New Age Defenders owe a tremendous amount to the Legacy, and in some ways, most people will never understand HOW MUCH it is.  I know I owe a great deal to them . . . and that without my friends, I would still be in Hell."

"They...both the Defenders and the Legacy....have been there more times than we can count. I shudder to think of a world without them...all of them," Victoria said, clinging to Andy as they walked.

  He smiled, and said "I'm still a Defender, love.  Even though they usually don't call me in when we have our longjohn parties any more.  You ready to go home for dessert?"

"Two movies and dinner? Yeah, I think I'm ready for dessert,' she said, smiling as they walked along.

  He chuckled, and said "Well, the question then becomes, do you want me to drive us home, or teleport us to where I park the bike, and then walk up to the apartment?"

"Teleporting would be cheating," Victoria replied. "Why not drive us in this night air back to the apartment?"

  He laughed, and said "My pleasure to take you home whichever way you like, my love."

"Let's ride then," Victoria said, looking forward to a ride with her Demon Knight.

  He grinned, and picked her up, setting her in front of him, sidesaddle on the Harley, as he straddled it, his big, warm form right against her back as he kissed the top of her head, then took hold of the handlebars to start the big bike.  It rumbled to life like a growly Demon itself, and he rumbled in her ear "The long way, or the short way?  If you want to tool around, I don't mind, love."

"Long and scenic is good," Victoria said, leaning on Andy.

  He smiled, and  she felt his tail snake around her waist, holding her close as he rolled the bike out of the parking space, and then into motion.  "Up and apast the cliffs and around the bay then, my lovely Victoria.  And I will enjoy every moment of it." Which was true, he would.  And he headed them out toward the cliff road to take in the scenery.

_------------->> streets of Weston

>>>To The Streets>>>

Third time's the charm. There was no escape this time. At least, that was the plan.

Truth was, Liron had bungled his last two job interviews with a mix of stammering and fidgeting. He didn't feel confident about this one either, but he needed the money: after making a list of everything he'd need as peltast, he had realised he was miles over budget. Anyway, experience was useful to have as it seemed just about any job above a cashier required a mound of experience.

He adjusted his tie for the fifth time, and fretted over his suit. Was he overdressed? Would the interviewer expect more from him? Could he sell himself without stumbling over his words. Liron sighed, and gave an exasperated laugh. It was a cashier job - how was he getting worked up over this? Swallowing his fear, he walked into what would hopefully be his new workplace, stopping at the desk and announcing: "Here for the job. Do I wait anywhere? Go anywhere? What do I do?" already, he was rubbing his hand nervously, face locked into an awkward smile.

  The person behind the counter directed him to the manager's office for his job interview, the fellow in question not much different than Liron, really, being maybe 24 and probably in college, and wearing a rather rumpled suit and a tie that had definitely seen better days.  He said "I will be honest, we are in bad need of a cashier who isn't going to be terrified every time a parahuman walks into this store.  Tell me you can do basic addition, subtraction, and you won't shit your pants when some of the local parahumans come in, and you'll be hired on the spot."

Liron opened his mouth to greet his interviewer, and promptly shut it as the situation was explained to him. Were parahumans coming in for groceries that common? He hid a smile as he imagined someone like dragon fist coming in to pick up some milk an eggs. Snapping back, he replied: "I can do sums fine,
and I should be able to handle any parahumans"

Anyways, he thought to himself, I doubt anyone would expect the damn cashier to start launching spears at people. He let himself grin a little, and asked "So, is there any paperwork I need to do? Anything I've got to sign?"

  The manager handed him the standard forms that one filled out, with all the lovely tax information and such to keep  the IRS from hunting him for not paying taxes, and said "Fill those out, and you can start tomorrow at nine AM sharp."

  The electronics store on the ground floor of the mall had an exterior access point for deliveries.  Some electronics didn't like traveling any further than needed, after all.  The alarms went off at twenty to five in the morning, and indicated the loading doors were forcibly opened, breaking the latches.  The alert reached the Weston police and dispatch called for a unit to respond to the security breach.  B and E was more than simple mall security should be handling, after all.

4:40 am is ENTIRELY too early in the morning for Mittens to be out and about.  Much less near a mall.  Nevertheless, a combination of waking from an epic nightmare, subsequent insomnia, and resulting boredom has the neophile cat bouncing around the city, and the sound of the alarm draws her closer.

Mittens double-takes at the mall security guy.  "Matt?!  Holy cow!  Haven't seen you in a coon's age!  You're a rarer sight than Nessie!  Don't suppose you're free Saturday nights for D&D with the guys?  Voice chat, of course.  Everyone lives in separate towns, now."

Mits posts to the D&D chat, "I found Matt!"
This message was last edited by the player at 02:34, Tue 20 July 2021.

Insomnia bloody sucked. She may have quit drinking which means she wasn't drinking herself to sleep every night but that didn't mean she was sleeping which is why the fiery form of Seraph was flying high over the city, lighting up the night sky around her, casting eerie shadows and shapes in the clouds and on the ground.

The alarm reached her keen ears which made her pour on the speed as she dove for the ground, sword already out and ready. She was going to talk to the security guard when she saw one of the last people she expected to see up and about at this hour.

"Mittens?!"

A ghostly form emerges from the shadows as the reverse-echo voice of Wraith says, "I understand people wanting to roam at night... but I did not expect to see either of you. Stay on guard. The villains may still be close."

He stays near the corner he emerged from, though, anticipating he just might need to dive for cover.

  The loading dock was still standing wide open, so the heroes could easily enter and examine  the scene if they wished, or examine it from a small distance as the police were en route with a unit to examine.  It didn't sound like anyone was still there, and looking at it, the latches looked to have been forced open from the inside and not the reverse.  So how did whomever get in there, when did they get in there, and what was missing?

Huge smile!  "Eee!  Seraph!"

Gasp at sudden creepy person appearance!  "Aaah!  Wraith!"

Mits reaches out with the cosmic energy to telekinetically stop the alarm from beeping.

"Ah.  Better.  So nice to see you guys!  Sheesh you're up late... early... whatever.  Mittens is aware that she is too.  Sue me.

"Police radio scanner says there was vehicle recently stolen from the impound.  Connection, perhaps?  Shall we have a look-see for anything conspicuously missing from here?  Anyone else find it strange the latch was forced from the inside?"

Seraph smiled at Mittens. "I couldn't sleep so I decided to do something useful and stop evil people from doing evil things."

She turned as she sensed the other presence there and saw how excited Mittens was (not that her friend was anything but wired and buzzing like a rat-dog on speed). She nodded to Wraith.

"Old trick, particularly in malls and banks: hide, usually in the acoustic tiles, wait for the place to close and use the time you've spent learning where the cameras are and when the guards make their rounds to avoid them."

Wraith nods to Mittens and waves a skeletal hand at her.

Wraith headtilts at Seraph. "...acoustic tiles? Sorry, not familiar. Point us the right direction? Maybe we can pick up their stench..."

Mits grins at Seraph's hero speech.

"Mittens tried the ceiling hiding place thing once.  Didn't work out so well.  Turns out, her school's ceilings weren't rated for holding the weight of a truant teenager.  It got a laugh outta the class when I fell through, at least.  Teacher covered in ceiling dust and tile bits, notsomuch."

Mits shines a flashlight up at the ceiling tiles to see if any look recently lurked behind.

"If it were you, what would be worth the trouble?"

    None of the ceiling tiles looked disturbed, although the back room with the loading dock access was all that they could see without venturing further into the mall and store.

"They're also called drop ceilings. The tile-type ceilings that cover duct-work, electrical cables. Things like that. You'll see them in stores, schools - places with a lot of ceiling because they are rather cheap."

Seraph stepped inside and let her light shine more brightly. "If you don't weigh too much you can sit or kneel on the bracework they use to keep them in place. Wait for whatever building you're in to close then slide one back and drop down. Quiet entry."

She looked around before kneeling down and checking the floor for recent prints. "Of course you need to watch out for motion detectors but those can be bypassed by someone clever enough."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:48, Tue 03 Aug 2021.

  Upon inspection, Seraph (and anone else looking closer) found that the normal 'entry chime' had been cut, and that most of the security system in the  store (internal motion sensors and cameras) had been sabotaged.  Wires unplugged or cut, and the small janitorial closet's ceiling had four tiles slid aside.If they peeked up above that drop ceiling, there was also an open air vent that the grating had literally been sliced away.

Wraith asks, "Do we know what is missing? That can give us some clues. See if you can't find out quickly, Miss Adventure..."

He then heads up into the ceiling to look around for any clues left behind. A piece of cloth, a hair, anything..

Before entering the premises, Mits radioed the incoming police.  "Interpol Trial Elite Member Codenamed: 'Miss Adventure' entering crime scene with assistance from two Civilian Paras, Codename: Seraph, and Codename: Wraith."

Formalities and all that.

She looks perplexed after inspecting the cut grate.  "This is heist-level work.  For a mall.  Seems rather overkill, don'cha think?  Maybe this store is a front for something much more lucrative than your usual retail stuff.  Lessee if we can find anything else out of place."

Mits does a quick once-over of the inventory expecting to find a few expensive things missing as a red herring, but also listens carefully for any tugs from the universe guiding her to a hidden panel to where the real merch was kept.  Also ye olde, 'if I were a shady business dealing in illegal merch, where would I hide it all?' thinking is employed.