1046/Picnicking at Unsafe Speeds

Picnicking at Unsafe Speeds
Date of Scene:	19 June 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Dragonfly (Arazello), Vector

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Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    It's one of those rare perfect days. Blue skies with just enough puffy clouds to be interesting. Temperature hitting the bingo point between chill and hot. The kind of day where people should be outside, enjoying the sunlight and the light breeze, maybe flying a kite or something, instead of being trapped inside a lab.
    Nancy, having spent the morning in the lab, staring out the window and wishing she were elsewhere, smells opportunity when the drive prototype they're testing suddenly explodes, taking with it pretty much all of the lab's power supply and much of its computing equipment from the power surge.
    "How long is it going to be out of commission?" she asks the emergency repair crew. "Four hours? OK, I've got important business to attend to elsewhere. Call me on the secure line when the experiment can be restarted."
    She makes a beeline for the park, for the Great Lawn, grabbing a couple of sloppy reuben sandwiches in a bag for consumption while sitting on the grass.

Vector has posed:
    Liz's trip to the park is less eventful in one sense. When the explosion goes off she is working on a chemistry experiment in one of the laboratories. Precisely what she is doing no one can say; she has a habit of writing entire encyclopedias of notes in unintelligible shorthand and leaving her workstations a decided mess as well. This girl isn't usual LexCorp material. She only manages composure when she isn't moving. Still, there is word that Liz is part of some secret project and people tend to leave it at that.
    As soon as the cacophony began Elizabeth exploded from the lab in a flurry of lost papers and disturbed experiments. A couple of flasks fall from a counter but they don't hit the ground; beneftos f being a speedsster. Tearing accross the grounds at something greater than the speed of sound she heads right for the smoking generator as rolling blackouts hit the facility.
    From there Liz runs into the burning electrical room and rescues one of the technicians, running in a circle a couple fo times through the exhaust. "Owowow..." Of course, burning can't actually happen fast enough to harm her at that temperature. It's just discomfort. The technician, it turns out, is perfectly fine and protests being carried away. She drops him rathr abruptly at that point aas he is also 6'4" and probably twice the Latina speedster's weight. "Sorry! I thought- nevermind."
    Shaking her head Liz instead took off for the building to change out of her lab clothing and into a more normal black dress that is about knee length, decorated with little red flowers. While there the young woman takes a moment to pop a small handful of pills. She is combing her fingers through her hair as she emerges, looking around. There's Nancy, taking off for the park as emergency crews assure her that the fire has the generator down for the count. Liz shrugs and quietly follows.
    There's an approaching, very slender dark-haired young woman now. She lifts a hand to wave at Nancy, the other holding a couple of glass bottles. "Don't worry," Liz calls. "S'root beer. WOuld you like a drink for your lunch? They're pretty good." A smile follows that, sweet enough to offset slightly dilated pupils.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Do I know yo..." Nancy starts asking, eyes narrowed a little, before her face brightens. "Oh, right. You're the quick one in chemistry. You gave us a pretty energy-dense fuel for one of our experiments." She closes her eyes a moment, holding her fingers poised before suddenly snapping said fingers. "Liz, right?"
    She accepts one of the proffered bottles. "Honestly I wouldn't have turned it down if it were real beer," she confides, conspiratorily hunching forward and making a show of looking for listeners-in. "I've got four hours; plenty of time for alcohol to be metabolized."
    She rustles around inside her bag and pulls out one of the two transparent containers. "Here," she offers, pushing the sandwich toward Liz. "Reuben. From Rahul's deli over on seventh. It's one of my vices."

Vector has posed:
    "I haven't been to that deli but I think I am going to start. That smells amazing," Liz enthuses, nodding her head as she reaches out to take the sandwich in exchange for the rootbeer she'd been offered. The brunette hunches forward sligthly as well, joining in the conspiratorial whisper.
    "Next time I'll bring you something better then." The rootbeer is apparently from a local brewery, only sold in the Metropolis area if the label means what it appears to. "And guilty as charged. Liz, from R&D. And you're ...Nancy, right? Don't tell me I remembered the wrong person." That sly grin brightens and Liz gestures with her bottle to emphasize her point.
    The sandwich is unwrapped a second later. "Mmmm, oh my god that's so good," Liz offers. Her mouth is already clear of the first bite. Speedsters. "I owe you.. Seriously." A deep breath is taken then.
    "Well. You have four hours, building is a little singed, no one is looking for us. Good thing it's a nice day out,right? Mind if I join you...?"

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Feel free," Nancy says with a grin at the speed the food vanishes. "And yes, you remembered the name right. Nancy Arazello. Sudden head of advanced propulsions. Supervisor of explosions."
    Her eyes stray to the Lexcorp facility.
    "That's going to be a doozy of a report to write. Especially since I'm not sure why it exploded yet; we have quite a bit of post-mortem to do."
    She leans over, curling her legs to one side in the grass, propping herself up on one arm as she expertly prepares the sandwich for one-handed consumption. She's had quite a bit of practice with these sandwiches apparently.
    "I should feel guilty about the four hour break, but ... dammit, I'm not. I've put in enough overtime in the past month." She looks up at the sky, chewing on the first bite of her sandwich slowly. Swallows. "And it's a perfect day today for that break."

Vector has posed:
    Liz nods and then she sits down on the grass beside Nancy for now. Blue eyes turn up toward the sky overhead as she takes another couple bites of the sandwich in rapid succession.
    "I can help you go through the wreckage. Just in case a secondary explosion comes by that is bigger than the first one it'd be good to have someone else on hand..." Following Nancy's lead Liz moves her sandwich to one hand and adjusts her grip carefully. She shifts slightly to the left then, wind catching in the skirt of her black dress, sweeping it against her legs.
    "You've earned the break. Enjoy it," Liz observes in a quiet voice. "Especially since with the hours we work we probably never see the sun at all otherwise." Nancy is flashed a brief grin and then grey eyes wander upward to study the sky overhead. "Those cloud formations... Huh. They're not really common shapes," she observes quietly. "Good omen. Probably."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "I see the sun a lot ... when flying," Nancy says heedlessly, her head in the clouds. She snaps back down to the ground. "I do a lot of personal flying," she explains cagily. "I've been interested in aeronautics since I was a child. I still like to keep my hand on the stick." The smile is pasted on to cover something else. "Of course," she adds with a more honest grin, "the work I'm doing now will take everything I learned and make it obsolete when it's ready. We're only five major lab explosions away from a breakthrough! I can feel it in my bones!"
    Another bite. Another chew. Another swallow.
    "Mr. Luthor supplied a good lab, though. Nobody hurt in the explosion and everything is so modular that I can actually get back to work today. They're just snapping in the replacement pieces. That fancy force field I was so skeptical of did the trick."

Vector has posed:
    "The forcefields are good but they do get a little tetchy if you overstress them so I'd still be careful," Lizinforms in a firm tone. "...Not that I've ever done that," she addssoemwht hastily. A soft laugh follows and then Liz is actually laying onto the grass as well. She doesn't intrude upon Nancy's space but she doesn't seem to mind the implied closeness. Chew. Chew. Swallow.
    "I haven't gotten to do much flying before. I've always wanted to," Liz offers quietly, shrugging her shoulders rather gently as she does. "Five explosions, though? That's practically just a hop,skip, and a KABOOM away." She nods her head quickly- a little too quickly, if anything.
    "That's great, though," Liz continues. "I' m glad your work is going so well. ... Mmm." Liz twitches slightly and quickly relaxes. "Sounds like the explosion today was good for a couple of reasons. If there's a countdown and *everything*..."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "You've never flown? Or you've never piloted?" Nancy asks. "I mean the second I can understand, but the first? I'm always surprised when I meet people who've never been in an airplane," Nancy teases. "How can you work for a global outfit like LexCorp and not have been in an airplane?" she asks rhetorically.
    Another bite is quickly (by her standards) consumed and washed down by the root beer. "And now, of course, my stupid guilt takes over. I *should* just be out in the park relaxing for four hours, but ... I think I should *do* something, not just laze around." She laughs. "But what is there to do in *Manhattan*--of all places!--in the middle of the day? Everybody knows Manhattan is a dead town, right?"
    She giggles. "Wanna do some shopping?" she asks. "Any kind. I just want to see something that's not on a computer screen for a change."

Vector has posed:
    "Shopping sounds fun," Liz agrees, nodding her head as she does. The girl then springs to her feet in am otion thaat would resemble a blur. Afterward she is offering Nancy a hand up, her smile somewhat sheepish.
    "Well," the young Latina begins, rounding on the earlier question. "I was picked up for a college scholarship and then given lab accesss after i helped design one of the recent major projects. The job hasn't sent me anywhere yet because technically I'm supposed to still be in school. Sort of? It's complicated. But no, I've- never actually been in a plane."
    "But yep. Manhattan is totally dead. Nothing to do here aat all. We're in trouble..." Liz looks around slowly. "But I'll accompany you anyway. Shopping, hm... Any kind?" Briefly there is an evil look in Liz's eyes but then she shrugs. "I'm easy. What do you want to look at? First thing, though, to just move our feet."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Your reputation is 100% accurate," Nancy comments dryly, albeit in good humour. "You really do move quite quickly. I can't imagine how much like a slug I must look to your eyes." Something in her facial expression is calculating. "But yes, you're right. Shopping in Manhattan is a hard thing to pull off. There's like nobody here, right? What to buy...? Well, or at least look at."
    A short pause. Well, by Nancy's standards. Liz probably lives about fifteen lifetimes.
    "Music," she finally says. "Let's find some music. Something off the beaten track. So far off the track that even college radio would look at it and say, 'Dude!'."

Vector has posed:
    "Okay. Well. That doesn't sound like a shopping trip. If you really want music like that..." Elizabeth keeps her hand extended toward Nancy as she takes a deep breath and holds it for a beat, then two. "You'll have to trust me, though. And hold on tight."
    The brunette watches Nancy's expression for now, lightly biting her bottom lip while she waits a response. She continues somewhat more seriously, "It isn't your fault you moe so slowly. But it does mean I'm dying inside waiting to hear what you say." She winks.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Ooh! I always hate it when people say 'trust me'," Nancy says with a giggle. "Last time someone did that I had something utterly repulsive shoved in my mouth. 'But it's the best part!' You know, that goopy crap in the middle of a lobster. Best part my ass!"
    Still, that aside, Nancy extends her hand and holds on to Liz's. "Ooh, I just KNOW I'm going to regret this!"

Vector has posed:
    The world becomes a dazzling array of swiftly speeding lights and colours. Liz is actually pressed quite close, Nancy would realize. She's warm to touch but not as soft as one might hope. She's very thin, after all. Still, it's not unpleasant in its own way. With one hand on nancy's the other gently supports the woman's head so that it doesn't whip around during their high speed New York City. Out of Manhattan and into Brooklyn, down through a neighborhood of reddish-brown apartment buildings and houses, out into an entirely other area of businesses and shops, down the stairs to an underground club...
    It's definitely a liberal arts sort of place. the llights are relatively low and the people range from hipster casual to punk rock in their mode of dress. The staage at the back is an oldwooden affair that dominates the room. It was probably here long before they started playing music.
    Unbelievably, it's some sort of intense, soulful jazz withrich yrics. Not rock music at all. Judging a book by its cover can be hard. Now that they've slowed down Nancy is, in all reality, more or less in Liz's arms, tipped slightly back. Elizabeth is breathing heavily, soft and slow. "Does this work? Checked a couple. This looks nice."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Nancy is left reeling from the sudden speedy travel. Reeling but ... not as much as one might have guessed. Make no mistake she's disoriented and surprised, but she recovers a lot more quickly than most people really should from such an experience.
    "Uh..." She says. She blinks owlishly at the sudden change in light, trying to work out where she is. "I'm not so sure I'm dressed for this venue," she finally says. And she's got a point. Red, severe business suit, and hair done up so tight it's under tension like a suspension bridge holding up a convoy of tanks. "The music's cool, though. Not at all what I'd have expected."

Vector has posed:
    "No one cares what you're dressed like here, don't worry," Liz responds in a rather chipper voice. "Anyway... It's kind of nice, right?" That soft, not too emotive voice is contrasted heavily in expectation by Elizabeth's rapid fire delivery, biting off consonants and shooting them out like machine gun bullets. It's a distinctive staccato but wholly intelligible.
    Now Liz sways, just a little. Nancy is reeling and so the smaller woman continues to gently hold her, keeping those small hands polite but still protectively keeping her new friend close. At least for the moment. "It's great music.... Good for dancing, I think." She takes a deep breath. "So far so good on the 'trust me' thing?"

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "The dizziness and breathlessness aside, yeah, sure," Nancy says with a laugh. "They way you were going on I was expecting latex prosthetics, flames spewing, and some guy screaming profanities at an audience too busy pounding each other into a pulp to hear." She looks over the place approvingly. "This is the kind of place I'd have hung out in as a student for sure. I feel a bit ... corporately out of place right now, but the music is definitely nice."
    She smiles pleasantly at a nearby kid kitted out in the full punk regalia, looking almost transplanted from the '70s. What goes around comes around. "I had a boyfriend who dressed exactly like that once," she whispers to Liz. "It was a retro dance in my freshman year."

Vector has posed:
    "College student, remember?" Liz responds playfully, thoughsh's also nodding. "And yeah. It took awhile to figure out how not to set the world on fire but the Ink Spots were pretty insistent it was theway to go, so..." Elizabeth shrugs her slender shoulders, still smiling at Nancy.
     It's more like their proximity has been forgotten at this point. The black haired twenty-something is still standing close by virtue of not having moved but her eyes are daritng in everywhere to take in all of thir surroundings. "I don't have the ridiculously cool sixty-year-old outfit but, you know. Places like this always have the most interesting music. Never hear it on a radio or see it in a store, but..." She shrugs her shoulders slowly.
    "There's another club down the road that's completely different.. We can hit that next if you want a change of scenery. Although..." Liz takes a slow breath, leaning backward slightly. "But if it reminds you of a dance- well, you know. There's room."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Nancy raises an eyebrow and regards Liz. "Are you ... hitting on me, Liz?" she asks curiously. "Because if you are, and believe me, it's nice to be noticed," she pauses a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. A moment to her. Approximately half the age of the universe to Liz, undoubtedly.
    "I'm in mourning," she finally says. "I mean I know I hide it well, but it's been only a couple of months since I lost my fiance. And the loss wasn't what you'd call the kind of loss you get over quickly." She breathes in, releases. Her face trying and failing to disguise pain.
    "Of course, I'm also a bit stupid at times," she adds, her voice artificially light-hearted. "So I may be misreading this entirely and if I am, feel free to point and laugh. I'm used to that."

Vector has posed:
    "Oh, I'm... Sorry. I didn't mean to-" Liz trails off then gives her head a brief shake before flashing a quick smile. "No, I wasn't... Okay, I am a bad liar. I was absolutely hitting on you. But that's okay. Did I tank the afternoon or should we go find out what they're serving for snacks right now? Drinks too, I think..."
    Liz's expression goes from discombobulated to apologetic to vaguely rueful in short order. At least her genuine sympathy is earnest and also not crammed down Nancy's throat verbally. She does squeeze the other woman's hand gently in her own before breathing a soft sigh.
    "We can also keep exploring. Night's yours." Liz then adds in a sly tone, "And nothing says two friends can't dance."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "It's OK, Liz," Nancy says gently. "I don't exactly go around wearing black, a veil, and screaming histrionically. There's no way you could have known short of either reading my mind or watching me at creepy levels of detail for a while. But yeah, I'm still recovering." She grins weakly. "I mean I had a famous model over at my place for dinner and we ate food. I really am pathetic right now."
    Yeah, just drop that little bombshell into the conversation.
    "But sure, friends can dance. I just ... don't want to be that person too scared to bring up things and leading a friend on as a result, know what I mean? I had to be sure you understood first."
    She looks around the club a bit. "Let's chill here for a bit. A drink or ten sounds fine. And a dance if you're still up to it, though I'm not sure how to dance to light jazz to be honest. And then we can check out the other club you mentioned."

Vector has posed:
    "No, not leading me on is good. I'd've been totally into you the whole night and had no idea what went wrong tomorrow. I'd be pathetic. Like the puppy you play with at the pet store then put back because you came foro a fish." There's a quiet grin forming on Liz's lips as her response to all of this is jut to nod.
    "Cool. Okay. Ten drinks it is. And then, well..." The smaller woman's expression becomes one of wry amusement as Nancy asks her question about dancing. "Badly," is her reply. "We can actually dance if we hit up another club later on. Let's not frighten off the other folks here. So. What would you like to drink?"
    With orders placed (or not) Elizabeth will proceed to zip off and acquire drinks for them both.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Red wine is my usual poison with a meal, or beer without. Since I finished my sandwich, beer it is," Nancy says. "Something with a bit of a hops bite to it, if this is the kind of place that can answer that question."
    She looks around, counting quietly, the number incrementing on each hipster. "Yes, they'll be able to answer that," she decides with a laugh. "So a more hopsy beer."
    While waiting for Liz, she settles in and listens to the music. So, not for very long, really.

Vector has posed:
    After a minor disruption as Liz inadverdently shoves aside a couple of people on her quest for drinks the speedster soon returns. She is bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet as she presents a bottle of some local IPA. She also found herself a platter of snacks. While offering over the drink Liz is also scarfing finger foods. She actually does this weird dance with her left hand where she sets a beer bottle down on nothing and then snatches it up again after putting food into her mouth, catching the bottle almost before it has a chance to realize it's falling.
    "Okay, so..." Liz inclines her head toward a nearby two person table after she's gotten rid of the extra beer. She walks in that direciton, still bobbing left to right as she walk with careful steps. That frenetic energy about her is increasing, tension like she might vibrate in all directions again. "Right right. Let's grab a seat. I need to, um, use the facilities. Be right back." Tray and beer are set down and Liz- disappears. That was far faster than Nancy has seen her move so far.
    The bathroom door, as subtle as it is in the corner, is still rattling.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Nancy watches Liz' performance with eyes a little wide, impressed by the speed being shown. While Liz is in the bathroom she snags one of the snacks and chews on it slowly, washing it down in bits and pieces with the IPA, whose bottle she eyes appreciatively, taking note of the brewer for later reference. To one of the bearded beanpoles at a nearby table eyeing her hopefully she smiles and just mouths, "I would snap you in two if we tried." She then pointedly looks away and to the band, eyes straying to the bathroom door if there appears to be a delay.

Vector has posed:
    It takes a few minutes but Liz stumbles out of the bathroom after a moment, walking toward the table where she'd left Nancy with a slow, careful strides. She takes a few deep breaths and then exhales slowly, blinking her too wide eyes as hse goes. It's subtle. A bit of sweat on forehead. Pupils slightly dilated. She's probably in a little bit of distress, really. But Liz has a lazy smile as she moves up to the table at a very normal human speed. A deep breath follows and then she snags her drink from the table. "Sorry I took so long," Liz offers as she moves to sip on her beer. The guys eyeing Nancy don't spare more than a glance for Liz. Not enough curve, probably.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Nancy eyes Liz concernedly. "Are you OK?" she asks. "You seem ... subdued." She shrugs, "I mean length of time doesn't matter. I scared off a hipster half my age looking for his mother to cougar him or something." She takes another appreciative sip, raising her eyebrow and looking at it again. "Well, OK, not half my age, nor could I be his mother, but dammit, I feel old. Too much stuff crammed into so little time."
    She stops. Looks at Liz. Bursts out in giggles. "Man, listen to me complain about time to you of all people!" she says. "Here you are wondering when I'm going to get to the next word and I'm complaining about too little time."

Vector has posed:
    "It's true, people complaining about time ARE among the most eyeroll worthy when it comes to how I see things," Liz responds sagely. There's that smile again. Some things don't change. "Subuded? Yeah. I feel fine. Took a deep breath. Can't keep go go going like that all the time, right?" The frenetic pop to her words is slower and far less punctual. She isn't bouncing anymore, instead punctuating words with light shrugs or small gestures. Normal gestures. Liz isn't about to vibrate right through the floor, at least.
    The brunette grins. "It's okayl you're allowed. I mean, you all are like... turtles. Or something. Hwo could you possibly understand what it's like?"
    Liz's attention is fully on Nancy now. Finally. "And it's okay. Waiting for the next word from you is usually worth it."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Oh, now you're just flattering," Nancy says with a grin, setting down the now-empty beer and snagging another one of the snacks, nibbling at it idly. "But don't worry," she adds with a wink. "It's not unwelcome. I'm vain."
    Her eyes are still looking at Liz with some disguised concern. Then she just bluntly asks. "So what do you use? To slow down, I mean? Opiods of some kind, I'm guessing? Prescription or ... uh ... under the table?"

Vector has posed:
    "My medical condition doesn't actually exist. No prescriptions here." Liz makes a face at that. The tension snaps like a knife and then she is looking down toward the floor, chin lowered lightly. "Honestly, the stuff that's legal to prescribe isn't usually strong enough without making my brain turn to swiss cheese.
    "Not by itself at least." Liz sucks in a deep breath and then picks up her beer bottle to take another long sip. "Since you're asking. I'm not going to confirm that I'm on anything. You know, to keep you from being accessory after the fact." A beat. "Because if I was I'd probably be needing to take enough to get busted for dealing across state lines. High metabolic rate."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Nancy nods sympathetically.
    "You're not the first meta I've encountered," she says. The level of irony in her statement is not revealed. For obvious reasons. "You're not even the strangest. By ... about ... five dimensions at least. Maybe more." She develops a brief fascination with the snack and nibbles a bit more from it before continuing. "And, well, if what little I know about metas is right, I don't think it's possible to even make a coherent set of laws that doesn't screw one or the other of them up somehow."
    Another nibble.
    "Have you considered, though," she continues, pursing her lips thoughtfully, "joining 'team spandex' openly and doing the hero act? There's groups of spandex out there that can offer support in ways that you can't easily get without breaking laws yourself."
    She sets down the food and looks at Liz.
    "I wish I could help you with this, but ... you're way out of my league. There are people who can help though; go to them."

Vector has posed:
    "I've talked to- a few," Liz responds slowly. "For the most part I guess I just confuse them. I dont know. There are more people to try, maybe even just someone who can make better drugs, I just..."
    Liz shakes her head slowly and sucks in a couple deep breaths. She is shifting her weight from left to right once more, those pale eyes intense as they search everything before coming to rest on Nancy again.
    "I mean- spandex is okay, I guess. I'd look pretty awful in it, but- um. I mean... It's not like... I can stop. taking the drugs, I mean..." Liz swallows, hard. "Just enough to keep me under control, though. With my metabolism there're barely any side effects." A couple more breaths follow.
    "You're the only person who knows other than a few doctors and biochemists who were trying to helpme findsomething. Sofar the results've been, um. Bad." Liz shrugs finally and reaches out to take a snack of her own from the tray. "I'm okay right now."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Nancy reaches across to hold Liz's hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "I'm not judging. I won't. I can't. It's ridiculous for me to. But ... there's a lot of metas out there. Maybe one of them makes as a side effect something that can help you? Maybe one of them makes a DEVICE that lets you live at your natural speed, but lets you interact with reality with some time trickery. Don't give up hope."
    She giggles.
    "And spandex is metaphorical here. I'd look terrible in spandex too." Something about her demeanour is evasive on this. "It would show all the ugly bits off. You have to be a pretty different body type than I am to pull of spandex."

Vector has posed:
    "Okay," there's a beat as Liz considers this for a moment. Ten moments. A thousand moments. She returns that hand squeeze but she is looking past Nancy for asecond while she listenss to the woman giggle. FInally Liz sucks i na sharp breath and tilts her head slightly to the left.
    "So," Elizabeth begins quietly. "What did you need to get help for?" She calls Nancy out as if it were the most natural thing in the world for her to do.She's had plenty of 'time' to examine the responses, probably. "And- you're right. There might be something... Somewhere." A brief pause. "I'll keep looking..."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Help?" Nancy blinks, confused a moment, the gapes for a moment before closing her mouth, teeth audibly clacking.
    "Oh, you think I...?" She laughs. Not very convincingly. "Oh, I'm not a meta," she says with confidence. "I'm as normal a person as anybody in this ba..." She looks around at the collection of bearded beanpoles, jocks, punks, and others. "OK, so maybe THIS bar is a bad choice," she says, "but I'm as normal as any person you'd pick off the street. If you don't believe me, take me to any of the medical research facilities at the office and have them do a deep probe. I'm human, unaltered, down to the lowest genetic level."
    She's very confident in what she says, yet also comes across as somehow evasive.
    "One of the metas I met is a neighbour, sort of. Hard to explain. He's ... well, he's gone now. Another is someone I met semi-professionally when that spaceship landed out in the park and I did the thing that got me my gig as head of advanced propulsion. Weird guy. Lots of cat puns. That kind of stuff."

Vector has posed:
    "Okay," Liz responds slowly. She notes the evasion and her expression makes it plain what she thinks. Shifting from attentive to somewhere between rather hurt and a little guarded the younger woman responds by crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back against the table. "Right. Silly of me. But- thank you for caring..."
    A deep breath is taken and Elizabeth tilts her head slightly to the left as she twitches slightly to the left. The tics are still there if one observes carefully. They're just subdued. Other than looking vaguely strung out Liz is able to move normally now. Finally she hops back to her feet.
    "Want another beer?" The young woman asks, tilting her head slightlly to the left as she does. "I could use another beer." She flashes another of those quiet grins.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Yeah, another beer would be nice," Nancy says. There's something apologetic in her expression, but she's not expressing it vocally. "Then wasn't there another club you wanted to show me?" she asks. "Something with music more suited to dancing?"
    The tics are noted and quietly winced over. "I'm guessing," she adds with a small smile, "that you don't get drunk easily. Sadly... I do get drunk, so after this beer we're going to at the very least need to get some air."

Vector has posed:
    Liz nods quickly.. She lifts her left hand and snaps a couple times, each on the heels of the last, before making a quick sweeping gesture. "Okay. Another beer here, though. And- um. You mentioned not being in the right clothes. And you're right, dancing in your suit is probably going to be a problem... Um." The woman she runs in a circle and zips toward the bar in a blaze of speed that sends up a small breeze behind her.
    Then Elizabeth is back, drinks in hand, and holding one out to Nancy. "We can get some air. And then- I mean. We should probably do the dancing thing the right way. At a place that is supposed to have dancing. We'd have to wait for the sun to start going down for that though? Or, hell. We can do whatever we want! Up to you."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Well, the original plan was shopping, right?" Nancy asks brightly. "So, for outfit ... I can just buy something better for dancing. That will take some time, of course, so by the time I find something, the dance clubs will be opened and going, right?"

Vector has posed:
    "Sold," Liz agrees, nodding as she does. She sips on her latest beer and glances toward he door, shifting her weight gently from left to right. More sips follow, and then she lightly raps the fingers of her free hand on the table in front of her. "Would you like me to take you the fast way again?" Liz asks in a surprisingly sweet tone. "We can go slower if it made you uncomfortable."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Well, the fast way was a bit unexpected the first time, but pretty exhilirating. Let's use that..." She raises her finger warningly. "...AFTER I get a decent outfit. I don't want to zip around like that from boutique to boutique."
    And with that Nancy downs her beer with professional levels of chugging. The kind of levels that make the beanpole that was fishing earlier rethink whether he actually wanted to be in arm's reach at any point or not.
    "OK, let's go."
    Long story short: after many a crawl through small, ethnic boutiques, Nancy finds a "basic black" that she supplements with a versatile little thing she got from a small shop whose owner--an enormous African (Gambian) woman, thick on the accent--hand-made and hand-dyed herself. As sold by the enthusiastic owner, the item is usable as a belt, a scarf, a tunic, or for the truly brave (which Nancy is not, although she did try it own in that mode) as a microdress that would make a streetwalker look and say, "honey, now THAT is going too far!". So a "basic black" with a vividly, almost riotously coloured broad belt tied around her waist is what she finally chooses to wear, posing in it for Liz, then grinning and saying, "Let's go. Missiles away!"

Vector has posed:
    "That looks perfect. I mean, the mini-micro was nice but this isn't really the kind of rave where you wear your ID on a lanyard around your neck and get completely wasted, so... Maybe not tonight?" Liz has been an enthusiastic and helpful dress crawling companion throughout the evening, her gaze both appreciative and relaatively polite.
    Now, however, the smaller woman has a hand gently on the back of Nancy's head, about the level of her neck, and another against her thighs. "Best thing to do, since I'm not surprising you this time, is exhale first... Okay.. And here we go." ZOOM! On her way out of the shop Liz somehow finds herself with enough time and free hands to rearrange all the outfits on all the manikins.
    Liz, for her part, found her way into a slinky red number that does its best to flatter her extremely slender form. She does have a bit of curve to her, however thin she's managed to be. They actually make a striking pair as they stand off to the side of the club, watching from streetside as a line of people makes their way inside. Some are turned away. The thump of the bass is audible even from this far away.
    "Okay, so. I don't feel like dealing with the losers at the front." Liz has not, for the record, released Nancy. They're going to get used to being pressed fairly close. "So... Yeah. Fuck this." And then the girl chooses a new vector. They'll make it into the club, alright. So what if the asshole bouncer is bowled over in the process while he tears into a girl for having pimples. It was an accident, right?!
    On the far side it's a different world made of flashing colours and dimmed lights. This- THIS- is a dance club.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Wow!" Nancy says, blinking at the sudden change in sound and light. "I haven't been in one of these places since college!" She peers around happily, trying to get a feel for the place, the music, the people: the scene, in short. "And damn, I feel old now! Is there anybody in here aside from you who's even within ten years of me!? I swear they're all underage!"
    She's probably fooled by the lollipops and baby bottles. Silly kids and their silly fashions.
    "Music's nice, though," she admits as the pulse of the base practically drives itself deep inside the pair to vibrate in all their hollow spaces. "I think I could be high as all Hell and still dance to this." She looks over at Liz. "And don't look all shocked! I was in college. Of course I got high!"

Vector has posed:
    "Oh, yeah. I'm totally straight edge," Liz responds drily to Nancy's admonishment. She peers around as well, leaning lightly into her clubbing partner asthey move through the club. Lizzy picks up the beat naturally, her body shifting and boppng lightly along with the thumping of the bass as everything, everything rattles along.
    "Okay, okay. We already had a bunch of beers but would you like one more drink before we hit the floor? Keep the nerves calm." There's laughter as this is offered and Liz teasingly holds up two fingers. "And then we hit the dance floor together."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "If I weren't such an over-responsible prude I'd be going for something stronger, but yeah I'll definitely have another drink. A classic zombie, maybe, if the bartender knows it."
    Nancy herself gets into the groove. As a dancer she makes a fine research project administrator. And maybe a bit better than that. But not by much. So she blends in well with the crowd: so average a dancer she doesn't stand out.
    "Man, it's been a while," she mutters.

Vector has posed:
    "I mean, a zombie'll still lay you out if you're not careful," Liz responds with a soft laugh. "Okay. Just a sec." Elizabeth disappears into the crowd. People are bumped back and forth, but in these confines that's expected and no one really catcheso n at first. Soon enough she is presenting Nancy with the drink in question.
    It isn't long before they are dancing together. Liz hip checks a guy out of the way and moves into place with Nancy to dance with her. She offers her left hand, smiling as her hips sway and feet begin to move. Her steps are quick but smooth and she betrays the movements of skilled dancer in how she sways and bobs while staying close to her new friend.
    "Best thing to do is just let yourself go, chica!" Liz calls, laughing. Then she gives Nancy a broad winkl
    "Follow me the best you can. I'll do the rest."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "That's what the zombie is for," Nancy says, grinning as she sips her fruit-alcohol bomb. "To let go." She takes a serious gulp from the glass and then starts to dance.
    Still average, but now not as "tight".
    "My college years are behind me," she laughs. "And you know, I was never really a good dancer. I'm a better engineer."

Vector has posed:
    "All you have to do is stop giving a fuck what anyone thinks of you," Liz responds, laughing. She joins in the dancing then, still keeping Nancy's free hand.
    When the taller woman starts to relax Liz starts to dance faster. She also moves closer, enough to share body heat. It's a dancefloor; not too much room for being apart and still "together" but now they are almost pressed into one another in these little dresses. They do bump occasionally, but it's all part of the dance. Of course, they've already been this close when Liz escorts Nancy from place to place.
    As the dancing intensifies Nancy will have to really loosen herself to keep up. Liz is restraining her sheer energy but but this is past the bumping, grinding, and swaying of most club intensity. throws her arms up asnd twists, shouts, tosses her hair...
    If that skirt were any shorter there might even be something to see. Sweat pours down Liz's face, soaking her dark tresses and causing her skin to gleam in the myriad flashing lights.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Nancy gives it an honest try, and the lubrication of the three shots of rum in her zombie helps, but in the end she can't keep up with Liz. Both literally (naturally!) and metaphorically. Liz's lead makes her step out of her comfort zone and move with more abandon than usual, but in the end she can only watch her newfound friend and marvel.
    "Yeah, someday," she shouts across during a lull in the dance, "I'll be that uninhibited. Until then, I'm drinking zombies!"
    She downs the last drops of her drink, sets down the glass, and gets back to her relatively far more restrained dancing.

Vector has posed:
    "I'll get you a second one then. We just have to practice!" Laughing Liz disappears into the crowd.. Zoom. there's another drink. She must be pouring them herself again.. How is anyone going to stop her?
    Then it's back to dancing.. Liz is drinking quite freely herself. She restrains the dancing just enough for Nancy to keep up and look good doing it, even if she's still moving with an alacrity that makes it impossible for the less experienced reveller to actually match her move for move.
    Liz, at least, is laughing, fist pumping, bobbing, and dancing like she is having the time of her life. Once or twice someone tries to cut in. Elizabeth will dance with them a bit but she's here with Nancy and that's how things will stay. It's easy to pass time like this.. Minutes become hours in no time at all.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Minutes become hours. Cocktails become shooters. Nancy becomes drunk. Her coordination suffers as a result, but her reserve slowly falls. This has interesting impact on her dancing. Eventually, however, she stops, leaning against Liz, panting and barely able to stand. "I need a breather," she says, laughing for no particular reason. "I'm waaaaaaay out of shape for this!"
    She makes her way unsteadily toward anything that looks like a seat. "Or maybe," she decides half-way, "I need fresh air." Her course corrects and starts moving toward the door. "I have no idea where I'm going!" she exclaims, bursting into giggles.

Vector has posed:
    "Fresh air. Sounds good.. H-hey. Careful..." Liz gently guides Nancy through the crowd and to the door, protecting her from trampling or simply tripping and faceplanting into one of the other clubgoers. While the Latina is by no means visibly drunk she's mellowed out after drinking far, far more alcohol than any normal person should imbibe in a week.
    Liz eventually takesNancy's handand pressestheir way outside and past the bouncers. Slow, careful stride.s She's conquered the worst of those ticks and actually looks around like a nromal person as she steps out into the night. Early morning. Whatever.
    "Okay," Liz calls quietly. "Look at the stars This is kind of nice.... I mean, there are two of them visible up there through the light pollution." She walks with careful steps, offering a slow smile as she does.
    "Starting to feel like you're done for the night?"

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Laughter bubbles out of Nancy. Laughter that is part mirth, part mindlessness, and a little tinge of something darker. Something seeking release.
    "Done?!" she asks incredulously. "I'm only getting started!" She lurches forward, away from the club, whooping with laughter and barely-restrained inhibition shedding. "I need to walk a bit, though. Clear my head."
    This she does, stepping into an alley without so much as a second glance, as if used to just walking down them without concern. As if not used to being in seedier sides of town. Straight into the chest of a wiry, shady looking guy with an unpleasant glint in his eye.

Vector has posed:
    Liz is.... Different. She isn't moving half so quickly and even lets Nancy get ahead of her. She takes a deep breath as Nancy is taking off ahead of her. She adds a bit of pep to her step, nodding her head. "Just started? Alright! That's what I like to hear. I'm with you, babe. I mean, I don't have anything I need to get up to tomorrow... I guess you might regret this then." Liz shrugs. It isn't her decision.
    When Nancy turns down the alley Elizabeth follows- at a normal speed. "Hey. Nancy? Where are you going...?" Liz fidgets a little bit from left to right as she moves to the mouth of the alley, not too far behind Nancy.R    Nothing happens immediately.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Hey, what's up ladies!" the man with the glint asks, teeth bared in a rictus grin. It's not a friendly smile. "You lost little girls?" he adds. "Maybe we can help you find your way."
    We?
    And sure enough, almost like ghosts, more shadows come out of the dark, stepping into the scant light. None of them pleasant, girls and guys both. A knife flicks out.

Vector has posed:
    Liz, perhaps surprisingly- doesn't. Nancy might expect her to explode into a sudden rush of motion but instead she is looking around and taking a dep breath.
    "Nancy, get back. I'll..." The smaller woman swallows hard, counting the peple in front of her. "Hey. Yeah, a little loss... We've gone the wrong way so we're going to turn around, okay?" Liz takes steps forward despite her words. Get aas close to Nancy as possible.
    Meanwhile a small hand roots around in her bag and comes up with a syringe maarked with a blue tag.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Stand back girlfriend," Nancy burbles happily. "I've got this." She shoves--hard--Liz out of the way, without much regard for whether Liz winds up on the ground or not.
    The alleyway floods with light. A wave of heat pulses through it. A thunderclap resounds through it, bringing with it the smell of ozone. A nearby fire escape, rusted to well below fire code standards, gives way under the sound pressure, its ladder falling into a dumpster beneath it. Bricks dislodge from the surrounding walls.
    In the aftermath of the sudden explosion of light and sound, barely visible to those who accidentally viewed the event, is a tall, statuesque, platinum blonde woman in a form-fitting black outfit, her eyes concealed by ... sunglasses? At night?
    "Oooh, Nancy! What have you done!?" she asks, pinching the bridge of her nose. Then, in a voice that tries to be authoritative, but largely comes across as pleading, "Alright, guys, gals, playtime's over. Time to go home for the night."

Vector has posed:
    Liz hits the ground, hard. She wasn't expecting to be shoved- and she's extremely light, even for her fairly diminutive height. There's a yelp as she collides with pavement and slides across it a couple of feet, and then she's scrambling to find the syringe, digging through scattered newspaper and other refuse.
    Then there's the cacophony that erupts when Nancy shifts form. Liz is thankfully looking away when tit happens but it's obvious by how she cupts her ears that it was deafening. The girl was point blank to Dragonfly when the blonde appeared, after all.
    Now Elizabeth is staring and- ow. She looks down at her hand where she's cut herself on the shattered remnants of her syringe.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Oh, God, Liz, I'm so sorry. Nancy was drunk. She gets clumsy when she's drunk. I guess everybody does." Dragonfly steps over to Liz to crouch next to her. "Are you alright? Do you need some help?" The thugs in the alley, half of which seem to have fled at the appearance of Team Spandex, are ignored.
    The original interlocuter, miffed at his control being lost, tries to regain it the direct way: stepping up behind Dragonfly and stabbing her with the knife that almost materializes in his hand. Dragonfly pays it no mind as it rises for a quick plunge into her back.

Vector has posed:
    "There's a- um- knife! ... He's going to.... Oh, whatever." Liz responds shakily to Dragonfly. Initially she does so by staring, looking up at the woman from her position half curled onto her back. Then she is shifting her weight on the ground. She relaxes almost immediately, though in reality Liz probably spend a couple internal hours getting used to what is going on here.
    The petite woman takes a deep breath and gives a slow nod. "I can't- I mean... Aaah, my ears are ringing." If Dragongfly is going to ignore the knife then Liz is going to trust her, at least for the most part.
    Banged up, drugged, deafened, and bleeding Liz isn't going to resist any help she's being offered. he evnetually just trails off into silence.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    The knife meets Dragonfly's back. And is turned away. This obviously unexpected turn of events takes the thug by surprise and puts him off balance.
    "That wasn't nice," Dragonfly says sweetly as she stands and faces him.
    "Oh yeah!? Whatcha gonna do about it, ..." He inserts a very vulgar term referring to feminine anatomy here. Ah yes, bravado. Surely it is the best of all approaches when dealing with someone who just ignored a knife stab. What could possibly go wrong?
    Dragonfly's hand lashes out in a slap. Just a slap. A very fast slap, mind you. A normal person would see a blur. Even Liz is probably momentarily taken aback. The impact sends the guy reeling sideways into the wall with a sickening crunch where his shoulder impacts.
    "That wasn't very nice to say," Dragonfly says evenly to the man, cutting through his sudden scream of pain with her sarcastic tone. "I think you and your friends should go home now, though. I'm not angry yet.
    A dumpster--the very one that caught the fire escape ladder--deep in the alley flies into the air to land with a loud clang several metres further beyond.
    "Yet."
    "Are you OK to go, Liz?" Dragonfly asks. "Do you need to see a doctor?"

Vector has posed:
    "What? I'm not sue I caught all of that," Liz responds a little blankly. She looks between Dragonfly and the alley way, her expresson one of careufl consideraton, before turning her gaze upward to rest on the blonde's face.
    "I'll be okay," Liz confirms quietly, wide eyes blinking while she considers the new form of her friends with a certian level of careful thought. "You're- not Nancy?" Liz asks then, having apparently made the connection from Dragofly's mode of speech.
    "Can I talk to her? She's okay, right...?" The speedster shakes her head slowly. "How does this work from here?" She wiggles her fingers a few times. "Lay it on me slow. Ears're still ringing."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Dragonfly sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose again. The thugs flee in the ensuing down time. "This is going to take some time to explain," she says, speaking slowly and distinctly to help cut through the disorientation and shock. "If you're not in need of medical attention, how about you just grab on tight and I'll take us somewhere out of the way where we can talk?"
    She extends a hand to Liz to help her up and to give her something to hold on to.

Vector has posed:
    "Okay... Sure. Like I did for Nancy." Liz takes a second to warily scan Dragonfly and her usrroundings before shrugging and stepping up to take Dragonfly's hand. After a second she apparently thinks better of this becausse she steps closser and wraps her arms around the woman's waist. If one wishes to grab on tight, after all...
"Alright. Let's go," the speedster calls, her expression thoughtful while she does.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Slowly Dragonfly rises into the night sky, then with increasing speed, checking for Liz's comfort and security, her own arm snaking around Liz's shoulders to assist, she rockets into the night.
    "First time flying?" she quips, recalling conversation earlier in the day. "You picked a Hell of a way to start!"
    Up in the air she pauses and looks around, choosing the massive antenna of one of the nearby skyscrapers as a good place to have a private conversation. She flies across and lands, gently depositing Liz away from the edge, close to something she can cling to while sitting, she herself then standing by the edge, her back to the sky.
    "My name," she says, "is Dragonfly. And I am Nancy. Just remember that because the rest of this shit gets really complicated."

Vector has posed:
    "Whoohoo!" Liz is more than happy to be dragged through the air, even at intense speeds. Of course, nothing is goingto feel "fast". Not to Ellizabeth. She pretty much has the market cornered. So she handlles lflying with surprising ease, hugging Dragonfly tightly against her.
    Eventually the girl is deposited on an antenna and she quickly ssettles in whiel lisstening ot the mandatory speech.. "Okay," Liz agrees. She smooths her pants and wraps an araround the antenna to brace herself. Those dark eyes are thoughtful as they look the Dragonfly over from head to toe. A deep breath is taken, then a second.
    "You're Dragonfly, and also Nancy," Liz starts, confirming what she is told. She reaches up with her free hand and tugs on a stray lock of her own hair, then wrpas it around her finer. Once one way, then once int he other direciton. twice this time. Then four. Eight... She is going to get pretty far into the Fibonacci sequence in moments.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "OK." Dragonfly sighs in frustration, punching her own hand. "Nancy ... I ... was drunk or we wouldn't find ourselves talking like this. She ... I ... am usually more careful. And because I'm not prepared this isn't going to be very coherent."
    She takes a deep breath, noisily exhaling.
    "So, Dragonfly and Nancy are separate bodies. Separate everything. Dragonfly is beautiful, strong, fast, impervious, ... generally everything I ... Nancy ... wishes she were. Nancy is frumpy, weak, slow, and ... well, a normal person with all the stupid baggage that brings. The bodies are different, but ... it's still me. Same spirit. Same mind. We share memories and experiences. The body ... well, Nancy-body disappears in that fire you may have caught and Dragonfly-body takes her place to hold my ... soul? For want of a better word?"
    She turns around shaking her head, looking down the giddying heights. "Damn, I'm explaining this badly. Nancy, you're an idiot!"
    She turns around to face Liz again. "And when I switch back, Dragonfly-body disappears in the same outburst and Nancy-body comes back. But me, I'm still here. I'm still Nancy. And I'm Dragonfly. I don't actually know where my bodies go to when they switch out.
    She pauses, helplessly at a loss for words. "Is any of this making any kind of sense to you?"

Vector has posed:
    "Sure. Your mind is able to transplant between these two bodies- or your body transforms? I have no idea- and otherwise it's all still you. So why do you refer to Nancy in the third person then?" Liz's curious gae is studying Dragonfly's features intently at this point. Eventually, however, she gives a light shrug.
    "If you have the same mind and all of that.Because as near as I can tell you have two beautiful, intelligent women. Who are actually one person. And she just sees herself as pathetic and weak and ugly unless she's- transformed." Liz blinks as she adds conversationally, "I've had a long time to think all of this through.
    "Anyway, I get it. I think. So you aren't drunk in this-" Liz gestures vaguely to Dragonfly before concluding, "Form? Will other you still be?"

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "I will be significantly less drunk when I get back to being Nancy," Dragonfly says. "I'm not sure why. I don't know a lot of what happens to my bodies when they're ... wherever they go. The longer I talk here the less drunk Nancy will be when I go back."
    Another body-wracking sigh.
    "And I talk in the third person of my other half in each form because I don't really like being this way. I ... wasn't supposed to be Dragonfly. And my life turned to absolute shit when Dragonfly showed up. So I try to keep Dragonfly separate from me in my thoughts. This leaks into Nancy's speech sometimes."
    She crouches before Liz. "You'll probably want to brace yourself a bit," she says, then removes her sunglasses. Multifaceted insect eyes stare at Liz blankly. "I'm not entirely human," she adds in a conversational tone of voice. "My ... erm ... patron, so to speak, adds a few touches of his own. But yeah, I do think of Nancy as ugly and weak. And pathetic. See, my patron gave me the eyes. And the snazzy logo on the outfit. And the decorative wings. And the powers, naturally." Her face, with the exception of the expressionless eyes, winces. "But the rest is on me. Apparently the form I take is my subconscious image of the perfect woman." She spreads her arms and gestures down at her form. "Nancy thinks an effing Barbie doll is the perfect woman. That's how pathetic she is. I am."

Vector has posed:
    "Oh no, Nancy thinks perfecton precludes having blemishes, scars, stretch marks, and bloat," Liz responds, rolling her eyes when she does. "You're so awful. That's why barbies don't sell and supermodels have trouble getting dates."
    Liz is staring into thosse multifaceted eyes, blinking and watching her reflection respond in kind multitudinous ties. She seems almost entranced by it in her own way. She'd been bracing herself so at least there's no freakout as a result of what she is being shown.
    "What wouldn't be pathetic? If you though the perfect woman was a 6'8" supermuscular body builder?" There's a pause as Liz adds, "I don't see why thinking anyone is the perfect woman or not would make you weak or fake. Sounds like you're just letting people slut shame kind of muscular, curvy girls."
    The Liz frowns,squinting as she looks Dragonfly over from head to toe. "I dunno, I think you look fin." A beat. "I till like Nancy though. Sorry.." She shrugs.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "How about ME!?" Dragonfly says, angrily. "How about if my subconscious were comfortable enough that Dragonfly looked like me instead of a whitewashed ... thing? Look at my perfect white skin. So much better than looking like my roots with its tell-tale olive, right? And platinum blonde! Utter perfection, not like that stupid black thing I have going on when I'm my pathetic me."
    She paces the tiny platform as she continues her rant. "I mean, OK, I can see tightening up the muscles, making little adjustments here and there, but ... this? Dragonfly isn't me. Nancy is so ... PATHETIC ... she can't even imagine herself as a heroine. She makes up this stupid ... doll!"
    She pauses, straightening out, visibly forcing herself to relax.
    "Sorry. You don't ... you're not the one I'm angry with. You shouldn't be taking the brunt of it."
    Then a weak smile. "And thank you. For liking Nancy. Ken ..." Her voice chokes off. Then stabilizes. "Dragonfly got in the way of my fiance and me. In the end, Ken liked Dragonfly better."

Vector has posed:
    "I just... Don't see a relevant difference," Liz admits earnestly. She did retreat about a quarter inch when the ranting began to grow louder but other than that the girl just holds her ground otherwise. She takes a deep breath. "I could go blah blah blah media blah blah blah... You do know you llive in a country full of white people, right? That might have something to do with it too.. Lot more examples of white chicks than people our colour, just saying."
    After this Liz takes a deep breath and then shakes her head, watching as Nancy pacces. The tics are back. Vibrating muscles, wiggling fingers, that slight twitch in her brow when she regard something as odd. Elizabeth really looks most like a tweaker when she ISN'T on drugs.
    "I..." There's actual hesitation when the subject turns toKen and then Liz just nods her head slowly. "I like you. You're smart, funny- adventurous? Friendly." A beat. "Just remember that. The important part of you hasn't changed."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Dragonfly practically deflates. She slumps, then crouches, then sits on the platform, leaning against a strut.
    "Thanks," she says. "And thanks for listening to me rant without freaking out. There's ... nobody I can let go like this with. It bottles up and worries at my mind until I'm driven crazy by it." She chuckles, a bit bitterly. "At least when I say it out loud it sounds like me whining instead of being the crippling problem it shapes itself in my mind. I feel a lot better about things now."
    She slips the sunglasses back on, covering up the alien eyes before regarding Liz.
    "I wasn't supposed to be the one," she adds. "Ken was. He did the research. He did the work. He did the ritual. HE was supposed to be Dragonfly. It's why she got between us. I ... accidentally interfered in the final ritual and the powers came to me instead of him. Took him months to forgive me."
    Then a quiet voice.
    "And then he died. And I was left with the thing that almost broke us up."

Vector has posed:
    "No problem. Rant at me any time. I'm chill, promise." Liz moves to the strut where Dragonfly has perched herself and then she sts down next to her on it, stretching her legs out toward certain doom without any hesitation. The smaller woman wrapsan arm around Dragonfly then and leans into her gently, staring down at the ground beneath them.
    "I can't say anything that would make that easier," Liz finally replies, slowly shaking her head. "I wish I could. I'm so sorry you lost him. That this happened to you. All I can really do is be here if you want me to be. And I'm pretty good at keeping a secret too." Liz nudges Dragonfly gently with her elbow.
    "So stop worrying. I drive myself crazy the same way. After the first couple hundred years I finally straightened it out. S'probably easier if you have someone to help." Liz takes a deep breath, closing her eyes as a breeze washes over them both, cooler this far from the ground than it was on the street.
    "Still want to go back to partying once we're done up here?"

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Dragonfly chuckles. "Nancy kind of spoiled the mood with her invoking me," she teases, her mouth shaped like her eyes would be twinkling if they were visible. And were, like, human. "When I bring her back she'll be stone cold sober. And she'll be pretty embarrassed as well. She's usually better at keeping secrets than this; booze is ... not a good thing for her to be taking in such quantities it turns out."
    She turns to face Liz, grasping one of the speedster's hands in her own. And despite having the strength to shatter bone, the grasp is as tender as any could possibly be. "Thank you," she says. "For liberating this, though. For giving me a chance to work through some of my ... issues. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm still uncomfortable with this." Her free hand gestures down her body. "But ... I'm a little less uncomfortable. Baby steps."
    Pause. Then a mischievous grin splits her face. "You've got a home, right? 'Cause usually people I see as strung out as you are live in shelters or on the street." She holds up her free hand defensively, mock-cringing in attitude. "Joking!" Then, more seriously, but only just, "If you've got a place, though, why don't I just drop you off there instead of making you figure out how to get down from here by yourself?"

Vector has posed:
    "I'm a high functioning addict," Liz responds wrily and without a trace of real humour. "We're the most insidious kind because you can't tell quite what's wrong with us until we implode." Liz returns the squeeze and offers a quiet smile, nodding.
    "Anyhow, yeah.. Taking me home sounds like a good idea since our plan got ruined. Besides, club isn't open more than an hour or two after this anyway." The small woman shrugs, her smile widening slightly as she twists a little bit more on the support to better face Dragonfly.
    "Okay. So... I'll give you the address then and you can carry me home." Liz scoots in a little closer. "Maybe Nancy'll stay long enough to have a coffee with me and work out the post-hangover jitters before she goes."

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    Dragonfly's lips compress into a supressed smile. "Are you hitting on me ... Nancy ... again?" she asks. "Tsk, tsk!"
    With that she scoops Liz up, one arm behind her back, the other under her knees and smoothly takes of into the air. "Let's take a bit of a detour," she suggests as she rockets skyward at just below the speed of sound, then, when she reaches a safe altitude, picks up speed until reaching a respectable (for a non-speedster) speed of approximately Mach 4.
    "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screams into the wind that mysteriously barely touches the pair. "THIS IS THE GOOD PART OF BEING DRAGONFLY!"
    A short time later, the pair plummet from the sky according to Liz' directions, landing on the ground near her home.
    "I need to find a ... safe place ... to change," she says. "Be back in a jiffy."
    Into the air she vanishes. A distinctive sound of thunder and a paired flash of lightning shatter the air in an alley a couple of blocks away. The sound of a terrified cat wails away into the distance, paired with a ghostly, "Sorry..." in Nancy's voice. Nancy then steps out into the light, still in her clubbing outfit, waving at Liz.

Vector has posed:
    "No, that time I wasn't hitting on you. Sometimes a cup of coffee is just a way to keep you from having a splitting headache when you get up for work in a few hours," Liz replies, shaking her head briefly. She's smiling, however. Liz is incredibly light for her height and scooping her up into a princess carry is utterly effortless. She loops her arms around Dragonfly's neck and curls fairly close as they shoot into the air.
    "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWW!" comes Liz's scream, which is half-panicked then becomes a cheer and fnally ends in breathless laughter. Then they plummet from the sky outside the small apartment complex on Staten Island that Liz apparently stays in. She takes a deep breath and arches her back, stretching carefully.
    The alley for changing in is helpfully indicated by Liz herself, who patiently shifts her weight from left to right while she stands near the entrance to her apartment. No need to go into a large building. They're fairly large units, too. It's too far to commmute to Manhattan for work without the ferry and this is the far side of the island, so rent is cheaper. Fring benefits of raw speed.
    When Nancy and her clubbing outfit reappear from the the alley the generally reserved Liz called, "Looking good, beautiful!" She even gives a wolf whistle. Then the woman adds in a droll tone, "Now I'm hitting on you again."
    A half second later Liz is right there, looking over toward her apartment from beside her fellow clubgoer with just a hint of space between them. She just smiles at her and takes a deep breath.

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Thanks," Nancy says, looking a little embarrassed. "And sorry for spoiling the evening. And thanks for listening to her ra... me rant. And for not being freaked out." Deep breath. "So just thanks."
    She casts a critical eye down at herself, as if looking for the flaws that differentiate her from Dragonfly. Then she looks at Liz. "And thank you oh so much for preferring this to that flying Barbie," she adds with a sly grin. "That's a first."

Vector has posed:
    "I didn't say THAT," Liz notes, winking when she does. "I just said that I didn't see why she was so much better." There is a pause as Liz admits, "What I prefer is mostly that you seem a lot happier. And... More comfortable."
    "Anyhow. You didn't ruin anything. I got to fucking FLY!" The girl just starts laughing at that, watching her building from her place beside Nancy. SHe shrugs slowly, still grinning as the laughter pauses.
    "I'm cool. I told you it was your night. Apparently your thing is wandering into dark alleyways and getting attacked by a bunch of fucking morons then scooping girls into your arms and fllying away them." Liz shrugs. "You're cool. I don't judge."
    Fidgeting slightly Liz slowly calms down somewhat, turning her gaze slowly to Nancy once more. "Still, seriously. Coffee? Or should I take you home?"

Dragonfly (Arazello) has posed:
    "Coffee's fine," Nancy says with a laugh. "And no worries about the trip home. I've got that covered. It's not as fast as yours, to be fair, but for that I can do barrel rolls. And another fun thing I've found to do: just fall from the sky and hit the ground."
    She winks in turn, leaving open the question of whether she's joking about that last item or not.
    "A shot of brandy in the coffee wouldn't hurt," she adds as the pair start toward the apartment complex door.