11276/Gremlins: This Little Light of Mine

Gremlins: This Little Light of Mine
Date of Scene:	31 March 2020
Location:	Club Evolution, Mutant Town
Synopsis:	A Talent Show turns to Chaos when Gremlins once again Attack!
Cast of Characters:	Pixie, Nightingale, Superman, Jessica Jones, Volt, Shadowcat, Ivory, Superboy
Tinyplot:	Gremlins!

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Pixie has posed:
It's early evening by the time the Talent Show begins, and people are already starting to mill in to the club. Evolution has been decked out in colorful paper lanterns, streamers and strobe lights, a large banner in front of the stage stating 'First Annual Evolution Talent Show!' As the crowds begin to settle down, the Emcee, a young man with thick dark hair, glasses and a winning smile steps up to the microphone onstage and clears his throat.

"Good evening friends and welcome to our first annual talent show! Tonight we celebrate the many talents of our young and new performers, and we try to remember that there are no losers tonight! So, we now present our first group, let's put our hands together for the Limp Lizards!"

There is a small round of applause for the first group of the night and three teenaged girls step up to the stage, dressed in green scaly outfits. They look really green in every sense of the word, one testing her guitar, the other sporting a key tar& as the third steps to the microphone, swaying slightly to the beat. It's a catchy song but nothing that great:

~ My life is a garbage heap
My life's full of choking gas
Since you left, my world's like

Broken glass roken glass roken glasss!!!

Nightingale has posed:
     Normally, one would find a familiar winged teen busy amongst the tables, serving patrons non-alcoholic drinks and good food. But today finds her instead at the bar, with an odd thing--a hot cup of tea, with a twist of lemon. Dressed in a wine-colored turtleneck, dark blue jeans, and caramel-colored suede boots, her hair long and loose save for one single pale blue braid on the left side of her face with three silver beads, she's perched on a barstool sipping slowly at the steaming cup.

     The band on stage wasn't too terrible, she mused. They certainly had more courage than she did. She'd not dared to sing publically since the memorial for the Man of Steel.

     With a soft snort to herself, she shakes her head and has a bit more of her tea. Perhaps by the time her turn came around, folks would be deafened enough by the volume to not really care how she sounded.

     What would the Man of Steel think of this place, she wondered to herself. Somewhere that even being just a little bit different didn't matter, that one could find a bit of acceptance?

     Perhaps that in of itself could be a song one day....

Superman has posed:
It was a strange sensation he felt himself in. Since his encounter with the Valkyries of Asgard, Thor himself, and Lois in her attempt to bring him home, Kal El has been drawn to mystical events, almost like a phantom. Or a ghostly stranger. A spectre of ghostly visions and ephereal consciousness. Tonight though, he felt drawn to this place. Drawn ot the magic and the music and the laughter and the darkness.

As is was, for now, he was in a dark place. Or was that his body. Fading in and out of consciousness was hard. He was there...then, suddenly he was here. It was a time for him to try and reason how the magic of Asgard had affected him, or was it? For now, he could just wander through the area as an ghost, and remain in the dark shadows, watching carefully.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica Jones isn't here for the show, just the booze. Sometimes she goes to the mutant clubs cause it's easier to blend, even if she isn't technically a mutant herself. Never understood why anybody gave a damn how somebody got powers to begin with. Didn't make 'em any more or less superhuman.

She felt pretty superhuman herself at the moment, but she was on her third Jack and Coke, which probably helped. She's wearing her usual black leather jacket over a white tee, jeans and boots, dark hair half-covering her face as she leans her elbows on the bar.

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley is perhaps better known as Volt to these locals; a throwback to before he became an 'official' superhero, and was only the vagrant protector of Mutant Town in a hoodie. Many don't recognize him now, all cleaned up and looking spiffy. He's fine with that. It's meant to be a secret identity, after all. It was perhaps a lack of forethought, not taking on a newer name when he became a Titan. There are a few knowing smiles he receives as he moves through the club. They're returned, along with a couple meaningful nods. People learn to watch each others' backs in a marginalized, less-than-stellar area like this.

Tonight, Drake has come to see a very particular act. Much has happened in the interim, but he's hoping he's still welcome! Naturally, his focus is drawn to the stage, featuring some.. well, let's just say music that's not his style. Obviously not the ones he came out to see! But in a crowded club like this, it's hard to spot them. So out comes his cellphone, tapping a quick message before hitting send.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty's here. Well, 'here' sorta in a dark corner having made her own entrance. I.e. phasing through walls. Or in this case, phasing through into the club. It's not she hasn't got a ticket. It's more, she's not wanting to deal with crowds. Plus Lockheed's here, in his cat guise.

"So who is playing tonight?" she asks and isn't thinking much of the band on stage. Limp Lizards, hmm? Instead of costumes, work on music, she thinks.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn is here, along with her entourage of similarly colourful haired girls, all dressed in fancy costumes hidden under long Grey cloaks. Dramatic much? She smiles brightly as she steps in, a bit breathless and glances towards the stage. She does recognize a Drake and smiles and waves to him, "Hii Drake! How's it going? Good to see you again!" her friends peer at him and giggle, "Ooh are you here to see Shannon? I think she's over there!"

And Megan herself heads towards Shannon and the bar, waving and smiling at Kitty on the way, "Hiii Kitty! where'd you come from? You're totally here to watch us kick ass right?" Shannon is also given a smile and hug, "Heey Shannon, are you ready for the big show? Looks like I'm next and then you..."

She pauses a moment, frowning and shivering, peering around at an empty spot on the ground, "Phew, weird...Could have sworn someone was watching me there for a second.." she hugs her arms, laughing nervously.

The Limp Lizards continue to sing, or screech on stage: ~Broken glass, broken glaaaaassssss!~

Theyre not BAD really, just....Rusty perhaps? But hey aren't people here to break out and perform for the first time? People seem to be having fun all the same, laughing and dancing to the catchy beat.

Superman has posed:
Floating in the background, the ghost of Kal El, Superman, closes his "eyes" and listens. The cadence was unmistakable, like a thrum, thrum, thrum. Was that sound here? Or there? In an Argus bunker...or was that something else more ominous? Opening his "eyes" Superman takes a moment or two to take everything in.

Megan's instincts were correct. She senses Superman close by. Not wanting to be discovered, he hovers back into the darkness. This was a dream anyway, wasn't it?

Fancy costumes, fun night, music and laughter. The Man of Steel allows himself a smile inside what he thought was a dream. Incredible. This was the reason he did what he did, as he struggles to wake....somewhere else.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just lifts her cup of tea to Megan and smiles, nodding. She's not in a bright and colorful costume, nor is she wearing a grey cloak. "Ready as you guys are. I'm just backup vocals for the band on this. You guys got this, no problem."

     Just then her phone does its little buzzing dance in her pocket. Setting down her tea, she slips her phone from her pocket, and the blush on her face tells all as to who the message is from. There's a quickly-tapped reply. <<Over by the bar. Red turtleneck, jeans, big feathery wings.>> With the message sent into the aether, she just smiles back at Pixie. "I've seen some pretty impossible things so far. Shoes and ships and sealing wax, cabbages, gods, and kings. And more of the last two than anything else." She seems to mull something over for a moment, letting out a little sigh. "If they were here at the moment, the one I'd be asking about that odd feeling you're describing is Dani. But I haven't seen her around since oh... a little while before the holidays." Who better to ask than a Valkyrie?

     Kitty gets a smile and a salute with her teacup. "Hey there! Heh, sorry I fed Lockheed that Rocky Road the other day... phew, no more dairy for him!" Giggling, she wrinkles her nose in memory. "Thanks for coming out to support all these performers. Some of them are actually pretty darn good." More specifically, she's motioning to Megan.

Ivory has posed:
Ivory is late for the show, slipping into the club from the doorway, blinking a little to get acquainted with the dim light. Talent show, huh? Maybe they would show off a little magic trick, i they wanted... or just watch, taking a few drinks... The non alcoholic kind. They work themselves to the bar, ordering a Virgin Colada before turning to gaze over to the stage.

"I wonder what I need to get on stage..."

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley catches Megan's gaze, and he lifts a hand to greet her! The cellphone is re-pocketed to focus more on the pink-haired gal before him. When she asks him quite bluntly if he's here to see Shannon, his own cheeks rouge a tint. "W- uh- no! I mean, not specifically! I came to see you guys! Support! And all that. Remember?" Hand in the cookie jar. Man alive. He scratches at the back of his neck and turns, despite his protests, in the direction Megan indicates. Just then, his cell goes off. It's retrieved, and her directions are confirmed. As it happens, Meg' is heading that way, herself.

"Yeah, whatever happened to the costumes?," asks Drake as he emerges near Shannon's side, teasing smirk on his face. "See, I had these /really/ high expectations, and now I'm seeing ya look all normal."

Superman has posed:
The music, the sounds, the laughter, the fun, this was so far a strange dream. Hovering towards the Limp Lizards, Superman claps his ghostly hands, not making a sound here. However, elsewhere, deep underground, the container that Superman was being kept in cracks at the power of a simple clapping of hands, sending Argus technicians scrambling...wasn't this body...dead?

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn giggles, simply nodding to Drake, "Thanks for coming!" oh yea she totally caught that redness in his cheeks, "Don't worry, I'm sure Shannon's happy to see you, right Shan?" she grins at winks at the latter, totally not embarrassing them. "Heey Kitty are you performing tonight too? Ooh and there's Ivory! Hii!" she waves and beckons her to join. The odd feeling she got a moment ago causes her to peer more intently at that spot, but now it's suddenly gone and she shrugs, "Ahh guess it was nothing.."

And suddenly the Lizards are finished and Megan swallows, pulse quickening as she starts to feel nervous, "Well that's my cue, wish me luck!" and she hurries off.

The Lizards bow and leave the stage, and moments later four girls step to the stage dressed in colorful fairy costumes. There's a smaller girl with long silvery white hair and an ethereal baby blue dress and crystalline wings. "Nellie!" she strikes a pose. The next girl who steps forward is a girl with short blue hair and a pretty green dress and golden fairy wings. "Shellie!", the third is a girl with a bright red bob, "Kellie! And...." Megan steps forward and bows, "Maggie!" she strikes a pose, her pale pink fairy dress and natural wings glittering luminescent green and blue tonight, "We are the Tinx girls!"

While the first and second and third girls settle back on guitar, drums and keyboard, Megan steps up to the microphone, drawing a deep breath and swaying to the soft music that starts to play:

~Do you still remember how we used to be?
Feeling together, believing whatever
My love has said to me
Both of us were dreamers
Young love in the sun
Felt like my savior, my spirit I gave you
We'd only just begun
Hasta manana, always be mine..~

A soft glitter surrounds the girls and for such sensitive to it, they might sense the faintest of magic in the air perhaps..

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon smiles and sets her tea down, joining the Tinx girls on stage, with a little wink to Drake. She's there to lend her backup vocals as promised, but she has no costume for her own reasons. She's the normal girl--well, as normal as one can be with big white angel wings--caught up amongst all the magic and the fairies. And somehow, it seems okay. She's there, blending her silky alto voice with Megan's, while somehow not upstaging her, seeming to fade into the background, and letting the other girl shine.

     Megan was going to take /so/ much teasing when they got home. Never again was she going to tolerate the pink-haired girl putting down her musical gifts.

Superboy has posed:
Conner is kind of late. Which is typical of him, actually. But this time he did warn Friday evenings are busy for him. College is not just classes, you know? He is in... social groups. Lets call them that.

But anyway, he managed to arrive just as Megan's group began singing. So maybe he is actually in time. Sometimes it happens! And since Megan is busy, he goes to greet people he knows. Like the winged girl... that just also got into the stage. Oh well, he will just listen for a bit.

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley politely claps for the odd introductory act, but he's not really feeling it. He comes from California. There are /plenty/ of garage band-style acts out there, and it was never really his scene. Clubs aren't even really his scene. But supporting friends certainly is. And in an instant, the group is on stage! Man, that was fast! Having been essentially abandoned at the bar, Drake just takes Shannon's stool and reclines against the counter. A bright smile is worn, though there's a /little/ disappointment that Shannon elected to present herself in drab manner. But their music is better than the previous act, by his estimation. Maybe he's biased. Megan's a beautiful singer, though. Shannon's.. a little hard to differentiate. So it's hard to tell other than just an acknowledgment that she's doing her job well.

Of course, it means he'll have to bug her about singing for him another time. His smile turns a little devious.

Aside to Kitty, he greets, "Nice seein' ya again!"

Ivory has posed:
Ivory leans against the bar, listening, even smiling, at times taking a little sip from the straw of their Virgin Colada. The answer to their question about stage time was never given, so they shrug it off after some time. Instead, they just seem to revel in the music for the moment.

Pixie has posed:
Megan's band continues to play and dance on stage, joined by the Nightungale whose own angelic appearance and beautiful yet soft voice merges well with Megan'a honey sweet vocals:

~ Viva forever, I'll be waiting
Everlasting, like the sun
Live forever, for the moment
Ever searching for the one...~

The song continues for a few more rounds, soft and gentle and sweet and it's enough to bring tears to some people's eyes as it finally winds down..There is a brief period of silence, before a round of heartfelt applause is given. The girls giggle and bow, grasping each other's hands and Shannon'a as well although she does stand out in her comparatively plain attire. Although her beautiful voice and angelic wings make her an honorary Tinx all the same.

As the girls exit stage, Megan giggles and gives Shannon a hug before joining the others, "Thanks sooo much for backing me up! I was seriously nervous up there! " As she heads off stage, she grins and waves to Kitty, Ivory and Drake, "Heey How'd we do?" she lights up seeing that Conner made it too and waves him over. "Hiiii! glad you could make it! Hope you're having fun so far.."

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have one last act tonight. Please welcome Shannon Lance, she will be performing her very own solo act tonight!""

Superman has posed:
The sound was nice to hear and to feel. It was almost like he was alive once more. Superman admires the talent of all present, including Megan and now Shannon, it was like he was getting to know them better through their music. Floating in a dream, Superman enjoys this "festival" and truly smiles. All of this was helping him. Helping him to awake.

Getting slowly better as Kal El heals from his near death experience. All of this was helping him come back to life from his Kryptonian Coma. The magic was in the air. Who would have thought that music and magic would help heal him?

Kal's ghostly vision stares out at the crowd. Kitty. Drake. Ivory. Jessica. Even Conner. Conner...he reaches out, wishing he could speak to him. Strange he would see this people in his dream...

Superboy has posed:
Conner waves when Megan leaves the stage, and at hearing her, he replies with a grin, "I got here a few minutes ago. And I guess it was right in time. Too bad you could only sing one song."

The club is crowded, and Conner tries to ignore the excessive input of his enhanced senses. He is still learning to filter. But when Kal (the super-ghost!) tries to reach him, he tenses, and looks around, confused for a second.

It would be a good moment to really try to use those senses. But he has Megan to distract his attention. "Are you getting a table with your friends or may I steal you for a few?" He asks, smiling again.

Somewhere in Gotham Tim Drake might be feeling the urge of facepalm without knowing why.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon hugs Megan and smiles. "Hey. The magic was with you. We were just here to back you up. Don't you /ever/ let me hear you putting your voice down again, got it?" With that, it was her turn to take the stage. It's just her, a stool for her to perch on, and a mic. She gives a little up-nod to someone in the rafters, and the signal is passed along to whoever is working the sound equipment that evening.

     There is some light percussion, a light base line, and rhythmic guitar part to bring the listeners into the very indie-sounding song. But when it picks up with a little bit of keyboard and extra percussion and bass, the angel-winged girl begins her song, her strong, silky alto voice ringing out and barely needing the mic at all.

"Maybe my story's not like some
Livin' my life under the gun
But it's mine
And that's just fine

I've seen sorrow, I've seen pain
I'm learning to dance in the rain
Look at me
Now I'm free...."

     The refrain picks up with some strings and warm synth, as if the singer is somehow, somewhere in their heart, finally learning to fly on their own.

"I'm going to touch the sky
Don't know how, don't know why
But now I'm gonna fly
And you can't stop me,
No, you can't stop me

I'm going to reach the sun
Hold my hand up, touch the stars
The sky is mine
And I'm just fine
I'm going to touch the sky...."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty joins in the clapping and cheers, okay fine most of it is just playing along, but...but...

She's got a sleepy Lockheed on her lap, too. Which to all eyes (well unless they can see through the holo emitter) looks like a cat. Kitty's not going anywhere, yet.

She is though, excited for Pixie's performance, however.

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley is among those genuinely applauding Megan and her pixie-band - and Shannon, naturally. He still can't get over how very normal she looks up there compared to everyone else. Could she really be that shy and self-conscious?

The group is departing the stage, only - Shannon is still up there? Drake spares a quick, "/Great/ job, gorgeous singing," to Megan. She deserved it! But he's quickly back to peering towards the stage.

When the announcement is made that she'll be doing her own song, his eyebrows raise. Well, there you go. Now he will get to hear her. Leaning forward on the stool, he props his elbows to his knees and just listens, soaking it in.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn giggles at Shannon, "Thanks! Now it's your time to shine, good luck!" she gives her shoulder a squeeze before joining the others. As Conner approaches, she smiles brightly at him, "Glad you liked it!" she glances at Kitty, Drake and Ivory, waving to them, "Nah it's okay, you wanna dance for a bit? This music's great!" she does pause, smile fading, following his gaze to a shadowy corner, "Huh..,You okay? I thought I was the only one who sensed something, but..l" she shivers, shaking her head, "Ahh it's probably nothing..Shall we?" she offers him her hand..

The audience for the most part is even more mesmerized by Shannon's incredible voice and it's not just a catchy tune but a song that sings from the heart, a beautiful touching song, made all the better with her rich silky voice. But there's something more to it too..For a moment it seems like her whole body is aglow in a strange ethereal light, and there's a strange, almost magical feeling of true inspiration that seems to envelope many members of the audience too..

But something else is Astir here tonight too, as the door opens suddenly and about twenty people dressed in long dark robes mill in. They seem kinda tiny, no more than 4' or so in height and they seem to cackle loudly as they pass through, sending nervous shivers through the audience..

Superboy has posed:
"I did," admits Conner, "but it was something familiar, like deja vu? Or something," he shrugs. Megan request to dance makes him smile. It was what he had in mind. So, he takes the girl's hand to get to the dance floor.

"Your friend there is really good," he comments pausing a second to listen to Shannon. "Sharon, right?" Yes, he is bad at names. Also, he met a lot of people during Megan's birthday.

Just as they start to dance the twenty short robed guys appear. Then again, it is Mutant Town... except mutants are supposed to be unique, right? Twenty midgets at once is not normal even there.

Nightingale has posed:
     The driving drumbeat continues, the second verse almost plaintive in its tone, its words telling the tale of a soul that sometimes gives too much of itself, yet cannot do otherwise. However, as the verse continues, the lyrics and the voice beneath it take on an almost preternatural quality of awareness and warning, as the singer takes a good look around the room. Something was amiss. There was... a fairly strong presence here, yes. But, there was something else as well. Something more sinister. It would have to make itself known. For now, the show must go on, let her words draw out whatever had to be.

"I've taken chances some won't take
Bendin' till my back would break
Crying, please
Oh, God, help me please

Prayers whispered in the night
Answered, now my heart takes flight
Never alone again,
No, never alone again...."

     The refrain picks up once more, strong and pure, as whatever it was within Shannon that was lending itself to her music now keeps her in the loop as to what's going on. Anybody who knew her, who had seen her in action, knew that this was not the easygoing, relaxed Shannon.

     Oh, no.

     This was the Nightingale.

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley isn't gonna be letting this go. The grin on his face should tell that. Shannon can sing! Like, really! Should she cast a glance in his direction, she'll be met with an unabashedly goofy grin, manifest in a mix of surprise and complete delight. Something does seem to shift with her, though, and that lessens the grin into a more sincere, inquisitive look. His head even tilts faintly to the side.

But! Drake does not do magic. He doesn't sense magic. And his focus is purely on the singer on stage. He's just an enrapt patron.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn smiles happily, resting a hand in Conner's shoulder as they dance slowly, "Thanks for coming! I hope my friends aren't too strange.." she giggles nodding to Shannon, "she really is quite talented when she lets her light really shine, but she can be too modest too.." she shrugs, "But this is nice.."

Megan's eyes do sweep over the area, still not seeing Super,an but definitely sensing...Something, "Dejavu? Really? hmmm strange. But hey do you believe in..Ghosts? I mean...So stumps I can sense stuff like that. Maybe.."

And then those short hooded creatures catch her eye and she frowns, "Huh something's not quite right..." and then as if on cue, they pull off their cloaks, hideous, twisted little furry creatures out if some nightmare..The gremlins cackle, rushing into the crowds, but most of them are focused on particular people, specifically the four girls dressed like fairies in the Tinx club..The girls scream as the gremlins attack at them with claws and teeth, a few even attempt to drag a surprised Megan away from Conner...While a group of four leap onto the stage, attempting to lash out at Shannon with claws and teeth...Oh they seem especially interested in her.."Fairy!" they snarl, "Hand her over!"

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica Jones has been in the bathroom for a while? How long? None of your ****ing business.

She has no idea what's going on, but, on the other hand, she probably wouldn't have been paying attention even if she had been around. She's only interested in what other people are doing when she's paid to be. Most of the rest of the time, she tries to pretend you don't exist.

Barring a bar-room brawl or some sort of obvious interruption, she's going to the bar to continue getting properly sloshed.

And then there are screaming little creatures and girls squealing and Jessica gives a low, grumbling swear, "Mother..." she says, heading towards the nearest cluster of creatures and giving the first one she sees a proper punt.

Superboy has posed:
Conner has not a drop of magic in him. In fact one could say he is allergic to raw magic. Although ironically some of his best friends are demi-gods and ghosts. "I have met a few ghosts, they are okay people. Hey, I have lots of strange friends... but say, those short guys seem to be up to..."

And then, gremlin attack!

Of course, Conner's first reaction (all hero like) is grabbing Megan and put himself on the way of the first attacking Gremlin. He doesn't bother to dodge, because he is invulnerable, and of course the claws of a supernatural being pretty much ignore his invulnerability. "Yowch!" He grunts, taking a nasty gash across the chest.

Then he kicks the goblin-like thing across the room. "I guess they are not mutants, are they? And your friends need help!"

Ivory has posed:
Ivory pushes off the bar finally, putting their glass to the counter before slinking to the door. A good night out? kinda.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon mutters to herself, "Sam's gonna kill me for this...." She stomps on the cord of the mic she had just been singing into, and yanks upwards on the stand, breaking the connection with an ear-piercing squeal through the sound systems. Though her spin is a bit less than practiced, she nevertheless manages a creditable bo staff style spin with the microphone, dropping into a fighting stance. "I don't think so," she hisses softly. Her next swing catches two of the gremlins, one of them smack on the side of the head, and the other goes flying as the base of the mic stand sweeps right into its midsection.

     "Nice try."

Volt has posed:
Wait. What's going on now? This isn't part of the show. Little creatures have emerged from the crowd! Ech! Goblins! I don't like'em!

Drake is immediately on his feet, his focus not leaving the stage yet. After all, some of them are lunging right at Shannon. His hand starts to raise, but she's already whacked the critters away. Both of them. Nevermind that, she clearly doesn't need saving. So his powers get to remain a secret! His focus switches to the other pixie-girls, and he dashes forward. "Why is it," he begins as he pushes past a couple panicking patrons, "things that are so small," he clears the crowd and his target is right ahead, "never know how puntable they are!?" And with so little ado, the teen aims to punt a grabby-gremlin away from the yellow-clad pixie-girl!

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica Jones grabs gremlins one by one and gives them some serious punching. Like, the kind that makes blood splort out your nose. She may toss a few at the ceiling and, of course, there's always kicking. So much kicking. Oodles and oodles of kicking.

"Somebody find the hole these things crawled out of so I can shove them back in headfirst. And flush it," she snarls. "This is supposed to be a nice *punch* quiet *punch* night to get *punch punch punch* drunk!"

Pixie has posed:
Gremlins, gremlins everywhere! They're not specifically strong but there are lots of them, like...A LOT. Kinda like an army of ants. And their claws are pretty darn sharp, and they are pretty dang fast! People start screaming and fleeing for the exit although they continue to focus their assault on the girls dressed like fairies and especially focusing their attacks in Pixie and Shannon for some reason.

Fortunately Drake manages to bat some away from the Tinx and the google at him, thanking him and staying close to him and Jessica as they tackle the troubling little critters.

Megan shrieks as a couple drag her away, "Not these guys again!' and they're pretty strong for they're size, at least as strong as a fully grown, athletic man but with claws and more numerous. Conner manages to damage some but their supernatural claws seem to harm him in return..

And while Shannon manages to bat a few away, still more focus their attacks on her, more than anyone else in the club, about four more leaping towards her, latching in with powerful claws and teeth, "It's her, it's got to be...Grab her!"

Nightingale has posed:
     For every gremlin Shannon manages to smack away, two more seem to jump on her. Claws and fangs soon get through her defenses, and there's a pained cry. She's got one hanging on each arm, one on each ankle, and for a moment it looks as if she might be in a bit of trouble. A few drops of her blood drip onto the stage from cuts on her arms from the gremlins.

     "You..."

     She shakes her arms, trying to use the mic and stand to help dislodge the gremlins.

     "Will..."

     Damn, these were persistent little boogers! If she didn't get some help soon, the rest would soon converge and she could be in deep kimchee!

     "NOT have her!"

Superboy has posed:
Conner fends of the Gremlins with his Tactile Telekinesis, which works at keeping those claws away. This allows him to smack down a couple of the critters, as he moves forward to try to protect the winged girl on stage.

But then he hears Megan cry and turns back, reaching for her. He extends his forcefield over the girl, forcing the gremlins to release her. "You know these critters? What are they doing here? No wait... how do we convince them to leave?"

He kicks another gremlin away. Seeing the crowd fleeing. That is very human. Somehow, he expected some mutants would fight back with superpowers. Sometimes he forgets not all the people with superpowers wants to be awesome and fight evil.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica Jones has moved on from just using her fists and now is wielding a chair that she'd picked up, like a professional wrestler, just whacking at gremlins with superhuman strength, swatting them into the walls.

"I think they're after that chick!" she says, pointing up on the stage, "Hey, chick! The fuck's up with these things?"

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley has managed to keep his involvement down to 'concerned citizen do-gooder' level insofar, even if those patrons who recognized him know better. It's a ruse he's having to adapt for the sake of his secret identity - an odd compromise. But one he'll hopefully be able to keep!

But hearing the pained cry from the stage really changes that. He'd been happy to interpose himself between the pixie-girl and her diminutive assailants, but a quick glance reveals Shannon is dealing with a lot more than first appeared. That's unacceptable. He looks back to the girl he'd been tending to and cants his head. "Step back."

And from there, he's barreling forward. The club-goers largely evacuating has given him a much clearer path to the stage than before, and it's a darn good thing. After the third jaunting step forward, the air surrounding him comes alive in a sheen of brilliant blue. The atmosphere becomes more charged somehow, likely sensed with a tingling sensation on the fine hairs of the back of one's neck. But visually, there's nothing subtle about this. By the fourth step, a full wreath of shimmering electricity has surrounded him as he charges, igniting and flash-frying any woe-begotten gremlin with the misfortune of straying anywhere within four feet of him and his moving deathball.

Drake crouches, then lunges into the air before the stage. At the apex of his leap, the electrified aura vanishes to reveal his arms outspread, hands angled down at the squirmy mass of gremlins crowding in on the angelic singer. Thick, ropey cords of raw ionic energy surge from his limbs, rapidly flashing from point to point, igniting those first on the ground to clear his landing on the stage - followed by a much less electrically charged series of backhands, grabs, and tosses to try and clear the clingers off of her.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn flinches as more Gremlins slash at her..And honestly she's not that tough..Fortunately Conner steps in to intercept their attacks, making quick work of them "Thanks!" she smiles and nods to him, "I'm gonna try something, think you can keep em distracted a bit longer?"

And while he's hopefully fending off the worst off the attack along with Jessica who makes quick work of the buggers (Gremlin jam anyone?), and Drake successfully zaps a good number of gremlins silly as they seem to converge mostly upon Shannon, who does a great job at fending off gremlins with her own make shift weapon, Megan gets to work on her spell..

Eyes closed, hands clenched as she focuses inward, Megan's eyes glow a dangerous red for just a second. "I've had just about enough of you freaks....Leave my friends alone....Sihal Novarum....Chinoth!" a glowing pink portal appears before her, focused on the largest cluster of gremlins, but she will likely need help rounding the rest up.

"Foul fiends! Go back from wence you came from!" gremlins screech as they begin to get sucked up into the glowing pink portal..

Nightingale has posed:
     The next few moments are a whirlwind of crackling blue lightning, a writhing, screaming mass of gremlins, and glowing pink portals out of the heart and will of one very angry Pixie. Shannon's managing to keep a few of the gremlins off of herself, but the ball of lightning on legs barreling towards the stage to her rescue has her dropping the mic and stand immediately. The less metal she had on her person right now, the better! Who was this, and where had they come fr...

     No way.

     It couldn't be.

     Her eyebrows shoot straight upwards, and she actually grins for a moment. It was! But she wasn't going to say anything, not out loud.

     Plenty of time to talk later.

     "Hey... thanks, I needed a hand there!" The sleeves of her turtleneck are cut up and pretty much in ruins, with lacerations and bites of varying depths all up and down her arms from the swarm of gremlins, and a few good sized marks on her legs, too.

     "Is everyone else safe?"

Superboy has posed:
"Whoa, I had no idea you could do that," comments Conner, glancing to the portal. Then he grabs a gremlin and tosses him inside. And another, and another. Since the club is mostly empty he can use a bit of speed to gather the critters without being in danger of trampling anyone.

"Cool jacket," he mentions to Jess. Because leather jackets are the best thing around. Then he is close enough to Shannon to start grabbing 'her' gremlins.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica Jones shakes her hands off of any goblin goo that may have gotten on them, "Gee, you think you could've done that a little earlier?" she says flatly to Pixie, watching as Conner shuttles around a bit and then stomping one last one into the ground.

"I don't know what the hell that was. I'm not sure I want to know what the hell that was. The only thing I want to know is how to avoid it so it never happens to me again and, maybe, just maybe, punch whoever's responsible in the mouth until they figure out how long it takes for their teeth to digest."

"I'm getting a bottle of whiskey. On the house."

Volt has posed:
With the gremlins no longer physically attached to Shannon, Drake spares a moment to lift a palm to touch her cheek. A quick, boyish half-smile. No words. And then that moment passes, and it's right back to unleashing Hell on earth.

Drake pivots to interpose himself between Shannon and the remainder of her attackers. No, everyone isn't safe yet. There's still clearance to do.

Getting too close to the stage right now might be an incredible risk, be ye warned! The teen drops to a kneel and plants a palm against the flat stage. Veins of near-white spread out in a half-circle radius, blanketing the stage in crackling electricity - powerful enough to launch the remaining gremlins backwards and ideally towards the pink vortex. Any that withstand may find themselves rapidly seized and cooked in the electrical torrent. But anything behind him remains unscathed.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn spreads her arms out, trying to maintain the spell for as long as she can. But it sure takes a lot of focus and concentration to keep it open long enough for most of the gremlins to get sucked in..Fortunately there are heroes here who are willing to help save the day, and they do an impressive show of it at that.

Still, it's hard work, and Megan flinches a bit as a few gremlins try to scratch her or latch onto her on their way out..With any luck those will get sucked into the nearby portal or otherwise shaken off as best she can, and now that the club is nearly empty (Sure, there are many mutants here, but fewer who would risk their lives playing hero).

"Just a...Little longer..." she grits her teeth as Jessica, Drake, Conner and Shannon manage to dispose of the majority of gremlins, hurling them back into the portal. Those that remain are quickly dispatched and with an exhausted cry, Megan can no longer keep the portal open any longer and it snaps shut with a crackle and pop, leaving...Well, probably a slightly trashed night club in its wake..

"Phew...". Egan sinks to the floor, exhausted.

Nightingale has posed:
     One look around the club has Shannon biting back a little groan. "Oh man. Sam's gonna be pissed." She grimaces, shaking her head slightly and looking down at herself. Damn it! That was going to take some explaining when she got back home, and she'd be lucky if there wasn't a bit of hell to pay somewhere down the road! Her severe expression softens, however, as she glances over at Drake, dipping her head by way of thanks. And... is that a bit of rose in her cheeks? Oh, my, my.

     Yeah. This was going to be an interesting night, between medical matters and one hell of an AAR to make.

Superboy has posed:
"Nicely done," says Conner, flying back to Megan to help her stand. "Too bad they ruined the concert, I was looking forward to dance with you." He smiles, looking at the others and frowning at Shannon injuries. "Is everyone alright? Should I call for help? I am sure the police will be here soon."

Well, not soon in Mutant Town, but eventually they will arrive.

Volt has posed:
The remainder of the gremlins seem to've cleared the stage, been cooked into blackened lawn gnome-esque fixtures, or likely swept away by Conner. All of these are acceptable. The electrical currents cease, the sound only filled with more pedestrian, less super-charged ambiance. Drake takes a couple breaths, then lifts smoothly to his full height. He catches Shannon looking at him, and that half-smile makes a return.

"We should probably talk," he submits. Just how much he'll be able to tell her, he isn't sure yet. His mind is still in 'threat assessment' mode, despite a chill demeanor.

"We're good!," he calls to Conner.

Drake hops down from the stage and turns, offering his arms up to Shannon to ease her down to the ground level as well. "Might need an explanation on that, though," he adds over his shoulder.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica Jones hears discussion of an explanation, "Nope! Don't care! Getting drunk!" she says. She slides over the bar and grabs a bottle for herself, "Anybody else want anything, come get it. If you fought a little imp thing, you deserve a drink. If you ran like a pussy, congrats, you get nothing."

She unscrews the top of a bottle of Black Label and chugs more than is likely healthy.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon allows herself to be helped down off the stage and... yeah. Let's hope Drake isn't squeamish. "I'd... better go home and get this taken care of, stat." She smiles some, reluctant for a moment or two to move away. "We'll talk. It'll be okay." For a moment, she rests her forehead against Drake's, and just smiles. "Maybe over a picnic or something. But I'd better go home for now."

     Reluctantly, Shannon pulls away, looking around the club.

     Yeah, there were going to be some explanations to be made.

     This was going to be interesting.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn smiles softly at Conner, grasping his hand, climbing to her feet, still a bit shakily, "Thanks, Conner, you sure kicked ass out there.." she giggles and blushes, "Well maybe we can finish another time, huh?" she glances around at the others, "Is everyone else okay?" she sighs tiredly, clearly wiped out from the ordeal, though she catches Shannon's eye briefly. They were focused primarily on her oddly enough. She'll need to talk with her later, "Awwe the club's a mess..,Sam sure is gonna be pissed.." she sighs.