"Oh you suck so hard!" Tumbler huffs as she follows along the rooftops of Bay City. She's struggling mostly because there's not much magnetic metal around she can use to push herself and give her a boost of speed. So she has to use her new pouch of steel nickels to drop one on a surface, push off of it and then land on the other roof before repeating. She's annoyed because this is probably going to cost more than the bus fare!
Le Bistrot appears to be closed for the night, despite the early hour. However, Tumbler can see candlelight flickering through the slats of the blinds pulled down over the windows.
After realizing that Daphne has reserved the whole place most likely, panic starts creep up on her. She texts Arcanum. How long until you get here?
Tumbler finally sees Wesley's convertible pulling up. He looks slightly different from a distance, and before he gets close he pulls up a hood over his head so his face is obscured.
He floats up and out of his car, cloak still hiding his features. From within the folds, Tumbler sees him reach inside and make a sharp twisting motion. Then with his left hand, passes a clockwork prosthetic right hand to her. "Have a good time tonight," he rasps hoarsely.
He immediately turns around and floats back to his car.
"Woah, hold on there, that is not what I asked for," She protests as the prosthetic is handed over to her. It is certainly fancier than anything she's seen for its purpose. She walks right up behind him. "And this cloak and dagger routine is really weird for coming to a four star restaurant. I expected you in a decent suit at least..." She tell him.
"Anyways, I don't even know if this will work on me, so at least wait to see if it does," She argues with him.
"I'm not joining you on this date!" he exclaims in a voice way too feminine to be his.
"Dammit. Hold on," he(?) says softly, then the cloaked figure trembles for a moment. Then he turns around and throws back the hood, revealing regular Wesley. "Fine. Try it on. But I told you it wouldn't be just an illusion. I'm not going to sit three tables away and puppet it for you," he grouses.
"It's not-" She pauses, sighs, and pulls her coat off. She would look stunning in her little black dress - if not for the hideous scarring down along her arm from the shoulder to the stump.
"I can eat with one hand. But she is going to take one look at this and make an excuse to leave. She's a shallow prima donna, she won't want to play with a half-melted Barbie," She says.
"Also, this arm is...kind of big. And I'm more than a little worried I won't be able to take it off when I put it on," Tumbler adds, holding it out.
"It's a girl's arm, so just put it on!"
"Fine, but if this starts turning me into some clockwork music box ballerina, we're going to have some words," She warns as she affixed the arm over her stump, trying to line it up properly. "...Okay, so, do I flip a switch now or will- OW!"
She yells as it suddenly latches into place, looking very worried suddenly. "Oh this is going to hurt, isn't it?"
Wesley takes a step back, frustration evident on his face. "It shouldn't hurt. It'll last the night, at least. Just... please. Have a good time. Enjoy your date. Okay?"
"Ah, Cinderella effect? I turn into a pumpkin at midnight?" She asks with amusement. "...but really, thank you, Wes," Tumbler tells him as she puts her coat back on. She flexes the next fingers in amazement as she struts back towards the bistro.
When she gets to the front door, she also activates Magpie's device, disguised as a hairpin, to give her the look under her coat as she was before her betrayal by Spinneret.
Wesley steps back, wanting nothing more than to shift into something like an egret or condor and fly away. But he couldn't leave his car behind, so he gets in the driver's seat. He starts up the engine and drives away, back to his home.
Inside the bistro, all is dark save for a lone table lit by several candles. Daphne Hatrix sits there, but she rising to greet Carmen as she enters. Daphne is dressed in a dazzling silver gown with matching earrings, the crown still perched in her coiffed hair. ”Well, hello there, Miss Locke. You do clean up nicely.”
Tumbler smiles as she slips her coat off, showing off herself in her little black dress. "Miss Hatrix, the pleasure is all mine. You really didn't need to go through the trouble of reserving the whole restaurant though. You make a girl real nervous," She says, assessing her surroundings in case this is a trap.
”I didn’t need to go to the trouble, no, but I thought it prudent. Given that both of us have something of a reputation in the city, I figured we could do without the gossipers and gawkers.”
A waiter emerges from the shadows to help both ladies into their seats and take their orders.
"The Mahi tuna, please," Tumbler requests. "And pair it with some white wine, house choice." She looks at Daphne. "You have some connections already with the city. I'm surprised a good girl like you would leverage them for her own benefit."
”And who said I was a good girl?” Daphne asks with a sly smile.”Are people really that simple that you can categorize them as either ‘good’ or ‘bad?’”
"Oh, the press, the Hatrix family, anyone you've already saved, the criminals who have a pool about who will be the one to beat you first," She says, sipping her water with her right hand. "Not they would have a chance."
"So, a couple years ago, there was this simpering sidekick to Inque, going by Sketch. Cute boy, I loved how his brow furrowed right before I would sweep his feet out from under him," Tumbler says as she tells a story. "He started to take a liking to me, and I was only happy enough to have his attention. I promised that I'd be good from now on, that he could trust me. He brought me home where he and Inque lived. And after he woke up from a very restful evening, I had cleared out every original painting from their home. Never saw either of them again."
She leans forward. "I was a very bad girl. I've robbed and helped rob countless people. Technically speaking I should be behind bars right now. Can you say you're remotely as bad as I am?"
”You’ve done bad things, yes, but that doesn’t make you a bad person, necessarily,” Daphne says. When the waiter returns with two glasses of white wine, she narrows her eyes. Icy blue beams shoot forth, chilling the glasses to the perfect temperature.
”I cannot say that I have done bad things like you. But bad things have happened because of me.” She frowns and sips her wine.
"I'm sure it wasn't your fault," Tumbler says, picking up the chilled wine and sipping it slowly. "I have my own regrets for certain. Never did any of those on purpose."
Daphne’s eyes become distant, as if she is looking into the past. ”It was the first time I came up against the Hatrix’s archenemy. The Harrowing Haberdasher. Mother warned me to be careful, but I was overconfident. I’m all but invulnerable. I didn’t think he could hurt me.
“During our battle, a news helicopter got too close. One of his shadow arrows hit it right in the engine, sending it into a tailspin right on top of me. I walked away without a scratch. The people in the helicopter... They weren’t so lucky. Turns out I could get hurt, after all.”
Daphne sighs and looks back at Tumbler. ”Sorry. I didn’t mean to get so dark. You wanted to hear gossip about Wendy, right?”
"That wasn't your fault at all," Tumbler assures her. She reaches with her left hand to place it on top of Daphne's. "Sometimes bad things happen that aren't your fault. You should be upset with the Haberdasher, not yourself." She settles back in her seat, withdrawing her hand. "I mean, I don't mind some gossip. On her and some of the other heroes around Bay City."
Daphne puts her other hand on top of Carmen’s. ”Thank you.”
The food arrives, and Daphne pauses to savor a few delicious morsels. "Mmm. Alright, let's see, embarrassing secrets about Wendy... She still plays with Barbies, you know! And she really doesn't have any friends... I suppose she has you and your teammates now, if that counts. Oh, and she's adopted, of course."
"...what's so embarrassing about being adopted? It means that someone actually wanted her," Tumbler points out. She savors her tuna, using her right hand to fork each bite. "Nothing wrong with playing with dolls either." She pauses, looking at Daphne curiously. "Sounds like you might not know her as well as you think."
Daphne shrugs. "Quite likely. She's got her thing going on, and I've got mine. We rarely work together, even though we both are the heirs apparent to the Hatrix family legacy."
She takes a bite of her own meal before leaning forward. "Alright, it's your turn to talk. Tell me more about Carmen. The girl behind the mask. What made you want to switch sides?"
"It's really simple," Tumbler tells her as she sips her wine. "Since White Rabbit got locked up, I've been drifting and henching for quite a few others, and their brand of crimes are just distasteful. Too many who want power or to destroy society. I like society. And Spinneret was the last straw for bad choices on my part."
"Right. I heard about your falling out. How is your arm, by the way?" Daphne asks curiously. (edited)
"Oh, hardly an issue," Tumbler says, waving off her concern with her right hand. "Hospital fixed me right up. Didn't even have to stay there long."
"Glad to hear it," Daphne replies with a smile.
After another hour or so of pleasant small talk and a tasty chocolate dessert, the evening comes to an end. Daphne walks out beside Carmen. "This was fun, Carmen. Thanks for coming out with me." She reaches out and gently strokes Tumbler's cheek. "I don't kiss on the first date. But perhaps you'd be interested in a second one some time?"
Tumbler thinks about it for a moment. "Don't get me wrong here, this was very nice. You're beautiful and give good conversation. But I think that we would be better off friends," She tells her. "I just joined your cousin's team. I need to prove that I'm staying on the straight and narrow, and I don't want to have any conflicts with her about you."
Daphne nods. "Of course. How...admirable of you." She brushes some hair back out of Carmen's face. "Friends, then."
"Thank you again for the lovely night out," She tells Daphne, leaning in for a light, chaste hug. "I should head home now. I'll talk to you later!"
"Good night, Carmen," Daphne says, returning the hug.
Tumbler walks away, but doesn't head home. Instead she double backs and heads to a motel, opening up her rented room for the night and locks the door. She opens the laptop there, before taking out the USB audio recorder from her clutch, plugging it in and going over the audio. She scrubs the unimportant parts, focusing on Daphne's reveal of how civilians died under her watch. She compacts the file, attaches it to an e-mail, and sends it off with the message favor returned.
”What’s up, Locke? Been a while. Hope that last bit of info I gave you worked out. You know the drill, though. I scratch your back, you scratch mine.
”Heard you’ve been hanging out with that Derby chick. Info on the Hatrix family is a hot commodity. Especially about the littlest one, the Crass Crown. Dig up some dirt on her, Will ya? Strengths, weaknesses, whatever you can get. Drop it off at the usual spot.
”You’re a doll, Locke! Don’t let me down!”
"...Yeah. I'm a doll."
Crimson Tide was built for a lot of things, but land speed was pretty far down the list. She could outrun city traffic, as long as the sidewalk was clear of people and things she shouldn't 'jostle', but keeping up with someone like Chrome required a good bit more than that.
Even Four-Appendage-Drive couldn't corner as well as humanish feet, so Crimson'd thought she'd just be able to cut into Chrome's lead more and more with each turn, but... Damn! She's fast! Well, I'd been meaning to try this in a practice session.
At the next corner, Crimson Tide bounds up above the traffic on the streets and sidewalk, grabs hold of the corner of a nearby building and with a tremendous yank, flings herself through the air at a breakneck pace that was leaving even her arms burning.
"Ha! The Tide has turned!"
"You could always just hook onto my back if you're having trouble keeping up, Derbs!"
The girl from the beach gives Diego a dubious look as he comes up to her. "Oh! There you are! What happened? I thought we were going to go see that pink beach!"
***
Besides Diego's distractions and Tumbler's struggles, the rest of you manage to keep up well with Chrome as she revs her way through the city streets. With Ziss and Arcanum close on her wheels, Chrome activates her internal combustion apparatus. Flames shoot out of her exhaust pipe at the pair of heroes!
Diego runs a hand through his hair. ”Well, got roped into more hero work. It went longer than I expected, and by the time I was free, you were already gone!” he leans on the table the girl is sitting at and adds ”But, if you are ready, and still got a bikini with you, we can head there now!”
The unexpected burst of flame singes Arcanum's cloak, setting the fringes on fire. He yelps in sudden pain, but he feels more perturbed at a certain member of his team. "Dammit, Dervish! You're a teleporter! You should be on this chase, not chasing tail!!"
He keeps flying after the shiny villain.
The girl at the table gives Diego a smile and opens her purse to reveal the purple bikini inside. "Never leave home without it!" she giggles.
Arcanum's words fall on deaf ears as Diego is thoroughly entranced by the pretty girl. It's too bad that Arcanum isn't a pretty girl himself... Well, he might be one day soon...
"Arc, she's going to turn left at the intersection!" Tumbler calls out a warning to her teammate through their ear buddies from behind, hoping he hears her as he seems to be about to fly off course!
She hustles as well, leaping from rooftop to rooftop - wait, that building ahead of her had a glass roof? Uh-oh...
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The Derby hears Crimson. “Hooking up! Great idea—like Marty McFly!”
She kicks out her Toe Cable at Chrome!
She manages to balance on one skate about three seconds longer than onlookers may have expected.
What happens next might witnesses wonder which Bay Watchwoman is ‘Tumbler.’
The Darling Derby is dragged fifty yards, then spins and flops as her Toe Cable mercifully snaps before a bone does! Her perfectly toned limbs are scraped raw and bloody, a gear-shaped button is missing from her overall shorts, and her glasses are slightly askew.
Fast and furiously, DD remains in hot pursuit!
She calls to Tumbler, “Tempered glass! Step along the panes to be safe!”
”Hey, Arcanum. You guys got this. Besides, I was rude to this young lady the other day. It would be wrong of me not to make amends!” he says as he activates the comm device in his ear before switching it off. He then smiles at the girl and says ”Well, shall we?” as he offers her his hand.
Ziss flips in the air with little effort, landing on the side of the buildings and continuing to pursue Chrome, even if from a different angle!
"Huh. Dervish was so nice when he was showing me that beach..." She shrugs, and as she does so notices that the cable dangling from her back no longer has DD on it. Her eyes roll back in her head and she sniffs for Derby's blood, backtracking till she finds her struggling to keep up. With horrible speed, she grabs hold of Derby and stashes her beneath one arm as she resumes brachiating through the concrete jungle. "Sorry you won't look as cool this way," she lies, "but at least you'll keep up!"
You continue to close the distance to Chrome. She shoots forth a huge cloud of steam to obscure her location!
DD’s spectral specs have no trouble following. She calls out directions as needed!
DD dangles in Crimson Tide’s mighty arm. “Hey, how about a little hurl power to our girl power?”
The Derby means to throw her Hatarang, but if Crimson Tide gets close and throws DD, she’ll use her remaining Toe Cable to board Chrome!
Sharks weren't much for stalking their prey over long chases, so whatever predatory urge spread Crimson Tide's jaws wide was all her.
"Oh no. Water in the air. How will my puny eyes ever sea through that."
Switching tacks, she began king-konging her way up a building to get Derby some height, still moving quickly, but now having to carefully avoid surfaces that wouldn't hold her weight. "You got a hot air balloon or a zeppelin, or an aerial screw to pull out of your butt-flap this time, bro? 'Cause otherwise she's gonna get away."
Tumbler manages to avoid falling through glass, thankfully due to Derby's advice as she proceeds forward. She manages to make it to the street Chrome is on, grinning as she reaches for her next nickel...
...and coming up empty. She's out. "Crap! I'm going down to the streets, I can't follow further!" She apologizes over the ear buddies, heading down a drain pipe to the street.
The cloud of steam obscures the getaway villain, but Arcanum catches sight of the Darling Derby's signature hat. He flies in that direction and is soon clear of the steam, still in hot pursuit.
White Fox gets back on the ground, since she was nearing a corner, but with Wendy's help she was able to navigate and keep the chase. Anticipating a confrontation with Chrome, she even speeds up past the criminal, turning around and pointing her palm at them. "STOP! Dis is as far as you go!"
Finally caught up to Chrome, Arcanum charges up his magical powers -- the frustration of the last day, plus the annoyance of the chase has him ready to unleash his full might. He floats above Chrome as bluish energy surrounds him and replaces his eyes with bright light.
"You're DONE!!"
Though Tumbler falls behind, the rest of you close the distance to Chrome. She heads for the train tracks, hoping to cross just ahead of an oncoming train to cut off your pursuit, but Ziss and Arcanum cut off her escape route! She curses and stops short, standing up. The tires transform back into arms and legs and she raises her hands. "Alright, you got me! I surrender."
Still dangling from Crimson Tide’s arm an leaking mini-crimson streams from her own limbs, the Darling Derby says, “Pose for our selfie and come quietly, with your front wheels up where I can see ‘em, and I’ll put in a good word that you cooperated upon initial surrender.”
Maybe Chrome heard what happened to the one guy who fake-surrendered.
Arcanum conjures up a set of psychic handcuffs and clamps them on Chrome's wrists. Then a shimmering cage appears around the speedster. "We'll just wait here until a containment van arrives," he says, not releasing the energy he's built up. Part of him wants to quip, to say something clever involving "highway robbery" and "making license plates" but he's too frustrated to even try.
His glower in the selfie is rather epic -- enhanced by the glowing corona of bluish energy surrounding him.
He takes the girls hand and pulls her close, wrapping an arm around her waist. He gives an onlooker a wink before the pair vanish in a flash of crimson.
They then appear on the same secluded beach Diego had taken Meg.
"Oh, wow! It's actually pink!" the girl gushes.
”Told ya, chica! The Dervish is no liar!” he replies as he has a seat on a rock.
She ducks behind a large boulder to change into her purple bikini. "This is beyond cool! Did we really just teleport? That's insane!"
Diego purposely doesn’t try to sneak any peek as she changes. ”Sure did. We are on an Italian island now. You ever been to Italy?” he asked, making idle banter.
"I've never been outside California!" she exclaims. After a moment, she blushes and looks back at Diego. "Oops, I never even told you my name! Heh, I'm Rosa."
He smiles and vanishes in a flash. He then returns a moment later, a dozen crimson roses in his arms, clearly freshly picked. ”Rosa,” he says as he offers her the flowers, ”The news calls me Dervish. You can call me Diego.”
Rosa smiles and takes a deep whiff of the flowers' scent. "Beautiful..."
”Just like you,” he says before he takes off his own shirt. He tosses it on the sand and says ”Wait there,” before jogging over behind a particular rock. He digs a few seconds and comes back with a small duffel bag. He opens it and retrieves a large blanket, as well as a few other beach supplies like sunscreen, tanning oil, towels, etc. He then spreads the blanket out and has a seat on it. ”Pays to have a few stashes in your favorite places when you can be anywhere like I can!”
"Ah," Rosa says. She quirks an eyebrow. "You take a lot of girls here, then, do you?"
”Just the special ones,” he says with a wink. ”But seriously, most of the time I travel alone. Unless I’m rollin’ with a crew.”
"Mmhmm," Rosa remarks, but she still sits beside Diego. "So, do you mind if I ask how you got your superpowers?"
Diego shrugs. ”You can, but I can’t answer because I don’t know. One day, I was just chillin’ with my boys, and the next thing I know, I can do all this,” he comments. ”Never worried about wondering’ how or why. Just enjoyin’ it, ya know?”
"Oh. I wish I could have superpowers. That would be amazing!"
She turns her back to Diego so he can apply sunscreen and oil to her body.
Diego does so, with a grin. He takes his time, combining the application with a gentle massage.
Rosa lets out a soft moan as Diego massages her. "Mmm, feels good..."
Diego smiles as he spends probably a bit longer than was necessary, before stretching out on the blanket himself.
Rosa lays out beside him. "So, besides this beach, what are the other favorite places you've been?"
Diego folds his arms behind his head as he looks up at the darkening sky as sunset approaches. ”Been a bit of everywhere. But I like warm places. Caribbean is nice.”
DD waits for Tumbler, then says, “Everybody say ‘where the f~$# is Diego’ and smile! Uh, cheese.”
DD beams with pride at her bloody limbs and clothing. She should probably go to a hospital.
“Seriously, how the f&*~ does a teleporter get lost? It’s not possible for him to teleport into a tree and permanently merge with it or something, right? Should I be concerned?”
Wesley scowls as he's reminded of Diego. "Where do you think he's at? He found himself a little 'chica' and ditched us!"
His blue energy flares a little brighter in his anger as he continues to rant. "Was he concerned that Chrome here could have caused a massive traffic accident? People could have gotten hurt -- hell, they did get hurt! Look at you!" he gestures at the wounds all over Derby.
"But no, all it takes is a cute little beach body in some tight shorts, and he's gone."
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The Derby deflates a little.
“Wow. I mean, we ain’t Halcyon City where every teen superhero and her alien roommate are dirty-dancing ten minutes into an intel mission.
“We exercise self-con…” She raises a bloody, scraped hand apologetically. “I know, I know… save the speech for the one guy who needs to hear it.”
She texts Deigo to meet later. She gives a time and notes the Pacific time zone.
"Oh that's where Diego went." Tumbler says after the selfie. She is sweaty and a little disappointed that she didn't contribute much to the chase. "Wait. Where are the jewels she nabbed?" She asks, looking over Chrome.
The bag of stolen jewels is strapped around Chrome’s waist. You are able to recover them—everything that was taken seems to be there.
With a flick of his finger, Arcanum yanks the bag from Chrome and catches it. "Here," he passes it to Derby.
He meets Tumbler's eyes briefly and looks like he's about to ask her something, but he quickly turns away.
The Derby catches the bag. ”Aaaaaaaaa, fuuuuuck, my hands!”
She drops the bag. She does not bend down to pick it up.
"Oh!" Wesley exclaims when he sees that Derby is really hurt. He rushes up to her. "Do you want me to, you know, try to heal you?"
Crimson Tide throws up a West Side sign and gives a giant toothy grin for the selfie.
"You really shouldn't run into walls and things if you can't take it. Well, while you rest and track Diego down, I'll bring the diamonds and stuff back to the jeweler. " She pauses, "You used to be a jewel thief, right Tumbles? Anything else we need to do with 'em before bringing 'em back? This is pretty much only a land crime."
DD smiles. “Oh… not like…” She shakes her head. Looks at her team.
“Girls, could you watch Chrome until the police arrive and return the jewels—together please. The more of us making face time, the better.
“Arcanum, can you… fly me to the nearest hospital?” She will gladly leap into his arms.
Tumbler steps towards Derby along with Arcanum, picking up the bag and handing it over to Crimson Tide. "You look a little beat up there...you didn't break anything, did you? She asks.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Derby! Please be okay," Tumbler tells her, concerned that she'll be okay.
Wesley catches her, using his telekinesis to keep her cradled and avoid putting pressure on any of her exposed wounds. "Sure." He quickly orients himself and takes off.
Once they're well into the air, he repeats himself. "It's fine... I tried a trick to help Tumbler last night, so... I can try something to help you out, too."
DD bends her fingers and assures Tumbler, “They all work. That’s a good sign. Don’t worry about me. Respect and communication are a two-way street, but worry can be a one-way street.”
* * *
She hears Arcanum. Her reply: “And miss out on this? No way. I didn’t get this good at skating without taking spills. It’s really not as bad as it looks.
“Who was the girl on the beach? Would you fly her like this? It’s amazing… and kinda really fun!”
"The girl? Oh. Ashley Mills. She goes to my school." He gets quiet for a moment. "You-- you think she'd like this? I don't know, she likes Arcanum, not me. ... Wait. You're in the biz, is it ethical to date someone who only likes your superhero persona? It's not, right?"
The Darling Derby replies, “I was pissed at my cousin for dating Tumbler, but… honestly, there was absolutely nothing wrong with that.
“You and Ashley? I don’t see why not. Flying a girl in your arms… taking her into your lamp? Don’t waste these experiences on just me.”
Wesley is quiet until the hospital is in sight. "Okay. Maybe... um, could I borrow your phone? My phone's still in Wesley's name. Or, you could text her and let her know I'll meet her..." He scans the area for nearby landmarks. "How about Barret Park? It's got some nice wilderness trails, and I could fly her along the shoreline."
Ziss remains silent after Chrome surrenders and during the whole arresting and photo thing. She doesn't make a special pose, not feeling it, and her mask keeps her gloomy face hidden.
She sits on her hoverboard as they wait for the authorities to arrive and pick up Chrome. Noticing an ice cream shop nearby, she brightens a bite, turning to Carmen and Megan. "I want ice cream... do you want some?"
"Sure, as soon as we get this one picked up. Sorry to see you go Chrome. It's business, you understand," She tells the caged culprit. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be out in a month or so! Just be sure to plan out your next caper to coincide with some other Bay City crisis," She advises.
Tumbler is happy to bring the others to her favorite place for ice cream, Giorgio's Gelato. "Sure, you can get regular ice cream, but gelato is just smoother and more flavorful," She tells Megan and Ziss. "My treat. I recommended their Banana Pie Gelato."
Ziss goes with Tumbler's recommendation. She had already tasted a couple of flavors, but not yet 'banana pie'. "It is very good. I really like ice cream... dey do not have dis in Razzara, but to be honest, why would dey, when de whole place is already a big fridge?" She says, working on some small talk.
"Just discovered somefing very cool oder day... you have a group? Or culture? Dat is called Japanese, right? Well, as it happens, de people of Razzara, a completely different world, speaks basically de same language! Isn't it interesting? How is it possible? Dey even use de same symbols and have fin eyes..." She says, squinting her eyes and turning to show the two her kimono-jacket, which is basically a classic kimono, but sturdier and with a hood. There are some drawings of a creature that resembles a mixture between a mighty stag and a turtle. She shows the cloth's label, which do seem to have Japanese kanji.
Wesley is quiet until the hospital is in sight. "Okay. Maybe... um, could I borrow your phone? My phone's still in Wesley's name. Or, you could text her and let her know I'll meet her..." He scans the area for nearby landmarks. "How about Barret Park? It's got some nice wilderness trails, and I could fly her along the shoreline."
The Derby will absolutely not hand off her phone, but happily asks for Ashley Mills contact info.
“Texting… too boring.”
She grins as her finger casually taps the video call app.
“You’re having a date. I’m not. Using my phone means I get to have a little fun.”
She aims her phone’s camera only at herself.
After a few rings, Ashley’s face appears. ”Hello? Who is—oh my God, the Darling Derby? How did you get my number? Are you... flying?!?”
“Heyyyy, Ashley. I am flying. Being flown, in fact. I just posted a team selfie, and if you get a chance to look, you’ll see I’m a bloody mess.” Her face is unscathed, fortunately. “Upside, I have a gentleman on my team who flies and has very strong arms.
“One guess who that might be. Hint: you gave him your number. Bonus hint: his hands are full, so that’s why I’m making the call.”
Panic is evident in Arcanum's voice. "Wait! Stop! Don't-- I will drop you!"
DD give the one-moment-please gesture off-camera.
”Arcanum! You’re with Arcanum!” Ashley squeals with glee. ”Does he, uh, does he want to see me?”
“It’s not my place to say. I just called to let you know he’s getting the rest of the day off. How about I put him on?”
As DD says that, her free hand has five fingers up, four, three…
She says ‘on’ as the last finger drops, then turns the camera to Arcanum (provided that look of panic is replaced with a more appealing expression).
Wesley grinds his teeth but forces a more pleasant expression onto his face when the phone is tilted in his direction. "Um, hi! I... just got done thwarting another villain and couldn't help notice you weren't in danger this time... so... how are you?" S%+~ s~@$ s~%+! I am so bad at this!!!