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WHO: Jaime Reyes or Blue Beetle and YOU!
WHERE: Various locations around Heropa
WHEN: Before the summer camp, after the shuttle!
WHAT: Jaime whiles away the rest of his lazy summer days, and heads out to do his Blue Beetle thing at night.
WARNINGS: None for now!

[a ; hoverboards and the streets of heropa]

[Jaime may be relatively content interning at the dentist's office while school's in session, but when he has this much time to burn and pockets as light as his own, what he's looking for is more cash. It hadn't taken too much poking around to catch the interest of one of the local garages once they learned that his father owned a garage back home, and they had eventually agreed to take him on part-time, just for the summer.

It's hot work, and it's not what he'd call glamorous work, mostly tidying up and doing all the chores that nobody else wants to do, but Jaime likes it. Even if their cars back home don't exactly fly, not as much has changed as he would have initially anticipated, and it's a comfortingly familiar way to spend his days and get a little extra cash to line his pockets with. Today, however, he's been gifted one extra perk: a hoverboard. They had dug out a broken one to see what he could do, and once it had been fixed up, they decided he could keep it; it was a ratty old thing to their eyes, but it was nothing of the kind to Jaime's.

He looks like a slob as he exits the garage, loose, comfortable clothing spotted with motor oil, but he doesn't appear to care, not so long as he's got the hoverboard tucked neatly underneath his arm. His stomach's rumbling, and he really ought to get home for dinner and a change of clothing, but he can't quite resist the temptation to test it out. He sets the hoverboard on the ground and flicks the switch, a satisfied smile spreading across his face as it rises into the air.]

[b ; a park just by the library]

[Reading anything other than some pulpy novel during the summer isn't Jaime's idea of a good time, but he's bound and determined to learn more about this world, particularly after the unforgivable fiasco of the failing space shuttle. He had made his way to the library with high hopes, and after taking out a small stack, planted his butt in a nearby park, accompanied by some sort of frozen coffee drink he gathers is more sugar than actual coffee. as high as his hopes were, he soon finds that reading about this place's history is a long, laborious process. He ends up reading over the same complicatedly written sentence five times over, each time spending more time boggling over the length of the sentence rather than its content before tilting his head back with a groan.]

Who can read this stuff? [He says aloud, still staring up at the brilliant blue sky above him.]

[c ; Blue Beetle, around Heropa (evening/night)]

[As day slips into night, Jaime suits up and hits the streets and skies, intervening wherever he sees fit and otherwise checking out what Heropa - and its associated areas - have to offer in the way of emergencies, be it a robbery or a housefire. Sometimes he flies out of Heropa entirely, to one of the cities that has no hero to watch its back, but he's got to check out his home turf every now and then too.

But by now, Heropa's famous for its heroes, which means all of two things: criminals are extra cautious as they go about their way, and a few silly, desperate people commit stupid crimes in the hopes of garnering the heroes' attention. Jaime actually looks like a superhero, yellow lenses flashing in the dark and bright blue armour just otherworldly enough to catch anyone's attention, even if he's a little shorter than your usual hero, which means that he's a prime target for anyone who wants a little attention.

Tonight's a night of attention seekers, it seems, and anyone passing by might be able to catch the tail-end of their conversation as the would-be criminal slinks off.]

--man, again? Seriously, knock it off, I know you left money for that on the counter before you left. You're gonna run into someone who's just gonna hurt you for this one day, you know that, right? [He heaves a quiet sigh.] Go on, get outta here. Don't let me catch you at this again!

[d ; Blue Beetle, the skies (evening/night)]

[There's a lot of things to be said in the bugsuit's favour when you really get down to it. Its myriad of skills are more cool than gross most of the time, and when he's not completely freaked out by it, Jaime's still in awe of it. No matter what it comes up with, however, nothing can beat the wings.

There's no real tactical reason for Jaime to stick to the rooftops and the skies, but he does it anyway for one simple reason: it's fun. He loves flying, and he loves the look of the city at night, quiet and dark as if nobody down there has a care in the world. From way up here, he can pretend that he's back in his own world, and that after just a quick flight, he can easily swoop back to El Paso, back home.

He doesn't really believe it, but it's a nice way to spend his time anyway.]

[e ; wildcard! Want a thread starter or something else? Drop me a line and I'd be more than happy to set something up!]

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[ It's rare for Peej to be out in the nighttime since that tends to be a Bat or vigilante schtick, but here she is, floating with her legs crossed as if she's seated on an invisible chair. Her chin is tucked under her palms and she's muttering darkly to herself, brows furrowed and quite possibly a vein about to burst from under that steely skin of hers. ]

If I ever see that smug, conniving, little ―

[ That's when she gets the sense she's not alone. She cracks on eye open at first and as soon as she realizes who it is, both blue eyes open to stare in mild surprise at Beetle. ]

Blue Beetle?

Um, hey, Power Girl, [Jaime says, stopping to hover in midair, giving her a little wave. He hadn't really managed to get a proper introduction in, back in that whole shuttle mess. He had something all planned out when they finally met in costume - to introduce himself, to acknowledge that she had (like everyone else) worked with Ted, and to say that he hoped they could work okay together too.

At least it's been proven that they can and do work well together, even if that's not the sort of introduction he had wanted. When did he ever meet other superheroes if not in the midst of some crisis or another, though?]

Is something wrong?

[ She uncrosses her legs, moving as if she's stepping on solid ground rather than air as she stands upright. Her arms fall to her sides, her fists curled dangerously tight. There's a scowl on her face and she can't help baring her teeth, hissing through them as she answers him. ]

Remind me if Maxwell Lord ever shows his damn face to punch it right in. If I don't leave him in a body cast first.

[ She's angry and she doesn't care about tempering herself. Not after what Max did to her. What he had been doing to her for all these months. ]

[Wow, okay, call that a second bad time to properly introduce himself. Power Girl looks downright pissed, and he can't help but feel relieved that he's - hopefully - never going to be on the business-end of those fists.

Still, it's her words rather than her demeanor that really gets his attention.]

Wait - Max Lord? He's here?

[The instant reaction of but he's dead is quickly quieted with the understanding that people come here from the past, possibly more often than they come from his present.]

Not anymore.

[ Finally, some of that anger coming off her in waves dies down, but her fists remain clenched. Her gaze falls to the air below their feet and she takes a deep breath, trying to collect herself in the face of all this.

She has never liked having her mind tampered with, especially when it comes to her memories. For a long, long time she spent believing she was someone else, made for something, only to be let down horribly when she began to recover those memories.

And it's not just that that angers her, but knowing she hadn't gotten justice for Ted and believed Ted had just been an unfortunate victim like Max. Ted was unfortunate, but it was because of that bastard. ]

I've looked everywhere. Can't even pick up his heartbeat.

Oh.

[The fact that he had been around in the first place is an unsettling thought, particularly since Jaime had had no clue that the guy had even been around in the first place. Anyone could be here, really - how were they to know, unless they were public about it?]

I guess he got Ported out then. What did he do? [He pauses, a little hesitant to address the big blue elephant in the room. He's not resentful of the way that Ted lingers in every conversation he has with any hero who had known him, but he's always aware that it's there. How could it not be? Ted was their friend.] I mean... what else did he do?

He...

[ She exhales loudly, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away. Anyone would be this dramatic if they had realized nearly a year later their memories had been tampered with, but she hates being so and especially in front of another hero she doesn't know. Not exactly the impression she wants to leave. ]

What do you know about Max Lord, Beetle?

Just what I've been told. I've been, uh, a little out of the loop.

[It seems like all the really weird stuff happened once he was already trapped in space. He's just been playing catch-up since then, though he's learned more about Max Lord than anything else; it had seemed particularly pertinent at the time.]

I know that he was involved with Brother Eye, and the OMACs, and that Wonder Woman ended up killing him. [Jaime fidgets a little, hands in front of him, body language more teenage boy than it is superhero. He acted the part during the whole shuttle crisis considering the magnitude of what they were up against, but all bets are off the rest of the time.]

And of course I know that he killed Ted Kord.

[ Peej's gaze finally draws back to him and her lips twist downward. The whole Max Lord fiasco left a mark on the superhero community still recovering from Sue Dibny's death. Tensions had been at an all-time high and Peej remembers standing at Sue's grave, pouring over why that had happened to her and then not too long later, standing at the grave of another friend.

If she had believed him, maybe he still would have been alive. ]

That all happened. Max's body is with the JLA, last I heard.

But this place can bring people in, whether they're dead or not. I don't know if Max was already dead when he was brought in or he was lying to me. He'd been lying to me the whole time.

[Jaime's bright enough to put two and two together. He doesn't know this history as well as he should, but he knows that Max had started out as an ally of the Justice League - a friend, even, before everything went to hell.]

So... he got you convinced that he came in before he did all that, somehow, so he could get out scott free? Is that what's going on?

He did something to my head. Made me believe that Ted Kord wasn't killed by his hands purposely.

[ Now she wonders if Booster had been right about the supposed global mind wipe she had heard from him. There's no way to apologize for disbelieving him.

She feels like an idiot. Nobody is allowed to get away with that.

But Max Lord did. ]

So if he ever shows his mug around here I'm knocking it into the next universe.

Oh.

[Jaime doesn't have a whole lot he can say to that beyond the obvious fact that that's an awful thing to do to somebody. You can't just mess with people's heads like that, but then again, Max Lord doesn't seem to be the sort that's overly concerned with doing the right thing. Nobody in their right mind would want Power Girl after them.

Unfortunately, that also means that he has the power to actually screw with people like that.]

And it's just wearing off now 'cause he's gone?

It must be.

I don't know if it's recent or only now I noticed that he had done something. It had to have been him. He acted like he was some victim himself!

[ She drags a hand down her face before her shoulders fall and she tosses Beetle a vaguely apologetic look. ]

... This was not the hello I intended.

Nobody'd expect you to just say 'hello' if you only just now learned all of... [He waves one hand demonstrably, as if trying to say Max Lord being the asshole everyone knows he is and messing with your mind over the course of months by virtue of body language alone. Evidently being a bit broad with one's gestures is a Blue Beetle trait, through and through.]

I know it doesn't make much of a difference, but I'm sorry he put you through all that. If you were looking for some privacy up here, just say the word.

[You don't usually take to the skies looking for company, after all. How does someone like Power Girl vent righteous anger? He wonders. Maybe she punches boulders or something. That would probably be pretty cathartic.]

No, no, it's fine.

[ She does appreciate the fact he can respect boundaries, but being alone is probably the worst thing she can do to herself right now. It's tempting to sulk somewhere alone, so she resists the urge to stay put in her spot, regarding Beetle warmly.

Besides, she says yes or flies away, he'll worry. The last thing she wants is for anyone to and she regrets blurting all that out. ]

Actually... what are you doing up here, Blue Beetle? Patrol?

Uh - kind of?

[He already did his patrol, technically, which was mostly lecturing guys trying to steal things to get the imPorts' attention. He worries about them, sometimes, but that doesn't really count as doing his job. There's not as much to do here as he's used to, if he's completely honest about it, and though he keeps an eye open as flies over the city, the truth of the matter is, he likes it. His time would probably be better spent getting some shut-eye before work as it is.]

Like, half and half. [He shrugs.] Honestly, I really like flying.

[He certainly looks a lot happier in the air than the last time they had met. Being in space just makes him frown about as much as he figures Batman does, and he knows it just makes him stiffen right up. Here, he can stay loose and languid, nice and safe in oxygen-laden skies.]

Nothing quite like it.

[ She understands the sentiment. Having at one period in her life nearly losing her powers, there had been a fear she would never be able to take off skyward again and see the sun rise from a vantage point than any skyscraper has to offer. Being in a plane wasn't as fun either; when she has to rely on them, she feels a bit trapped.

And she's grown to be quite conscious of the environment's issues over the past few years. Why take a plane and burn jet fuel when you can speed yourself over to your ideal vacation resort?

She shifts closer to him, her hand extending to reach his shoulder. She pats the armor appreciatively. ]

And thanks for back then, Beetle. You handled the situation well.

Thanks! [Jaime says with a pleased smile despite himself, despite the fact that Power Girl is clearly dealing with bigger things right now. No matter how many times it happens - and it doesn't happen all that often - receiving a compliment from another hero is always a great moment, particularly when they had worked with his predecessor.]

You too. I mean, thanks to you too, [he quickly amends, figuring that Power Girl of all people doesn't need to be told that she did a good job handling a crisis by a rookie.] I'd actually been meaning to introduce myself before you got Ported out back then, but meeting that way works too. [He shrugs.] Don't think I've ever met another superhero unless something big was going down.

[ She offers a smile, amused by how quickly he tries to play it cool.

Peej pulls her arm back to lower it for a handshake. ]

It's good to meet you properly.

And yeah, I know. We've seriously got to get back into the habit of holiday dinners. Best way to gather everyone.

[Jaime returns Peej's handshake, mouth still curved in a small smile.]

Did you guys seriously used to get together for holiday dinners?

[He's clearly trying to imagine Justice League meals now. Would they cook? Would they just grab take-out? Would it be potluck? Would Batman bring potato salad? Someone always brings potato salad.

It sounds sort of fun, actually, if not a little difficult to arrange; the Titans are relatively small-time, but they seem to rarely manage to pile into the same room for meetings, let alone meals.]

[ She makes vague motions with her hands as she talks. ]

The JLA and JSA would have Thanksgiving together. One time we had to order twenty-one boxes of pizza because some magical supervillains thought they could catch us off guard and ruined the turkey.

[ And the whole dinner.

She rolls her shoulders, but chuckles anyway recalling their faces as they realized the number of heroes in the Brownstone had doubled that day. ]

Our lives have gotten more hectic in the past couple of years. We have a Crisis every five years or so, I swear.

Edited 2014-07-29 08:47 (UTC)

I'm surprised you didn't have to order more.

[He's seen Wally eat. If all heroes with a superpowered metabolism eat the way he does, they need a fully stocked kitchen and a personal chef at all times.]

Doing those dinners together, though, that sounds nice. I actually had a barbecue with a few people who used to be on the League before I got Ported outta here. It was... loud.

[He says it with a laugh, because there's one reason for the volume, and that reason's name is Guy Gardner. It had been a nice sort of loud, though, even for someone as relatively quiet as Jaime.]

We were supposed to get bread sticks, but I think Terrific and Batman forgot.

[ Or they didn't care, but terrible either way. You can't have pizza without bread sticks! The memory gets another grin from her and she shakes her head at the mess the Brownstone had been in after those two magical morons burst in on them. ]

Oh, yeah? [ She cants her head. ] Like who?

Shame on them.

[It's nice seeing Power Girl with a smile instead of a frown - it's best to talk about lighter things for now, he thinks.]

Booster, Guy, Fire and Ice all came on down.

[And Peacemaker, but he had never been Justice League material, not with those guns.] It was a thank you thing - they all came to help with the whole Reach thing.

[ She can't help a small frown at the mention of Guy Gardner. Wally had been a pain in the neck for years, but he's outgrown his immaturity. Having Linda... a family, seems to have grounded him over the years.

Guy only seems at his best with Ice and even then... ]

You actually pal around with Guy? That Guy?

( d / the skies )

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