[OPEN] BABES IN TOYLAND

[speakveryclearly]

Date & Time: December 20th, 2013
Location: New York City!!!
Characters: HOLIDAY SHOPPERS. Please note that with mod approval, any character is allowed to have joined the mob in front of the transporter, regardless of whether they responded to the network post advertising this event.
Summary: In a bid to conserve energy, over a dozen transports do all of their Christmas shopping at once. I hope you brought money!
Warnings: None for now!

All the transports are dropped into New York at 6:00, simultaneously but scattered. Coding the drop points for this mission was hell.

It turns out that the weather is actually fairly mild on this date; there is snow neither in the air nor in the ground. That isn't to say there's nothing of visual interest: All the lights of the city are on at this hour.



The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree was lit back on December 4th.



Shop until you drop, Transports.

Comments

[khajidont]

Where you're from, you call girls ghouls. [It's more of a disbelieving statement than a question, but it honestly doesn't take Jaime that long to shrug and accept it with a philosophically said:] Well, you learn something new every day.

[He pauses, readjusting a couple of the bags he's got hanging off of the crook of his arm.] So, do they have Christmas where you're from, or are you just taking advantage of the shopping trip?

[exconned]

[ Suppressing her emotions, Dahlia looks at the setting before them for another moment before turning her attention to him. She gives a wry smile. ]

Diamonds, huh?

[controlledvariable]

That's the problem with having bright red in your suit.

[There's a reason that Robin's cape was black, because while the bright colours served a purpose, sometimes secrecy was more important.]

Well, I could make you a normal utility belt, but you'd have to weaponize it. That's why mine's the way it is.

[controlledvariable]

Got lost, huh?

[She's not surprised, Steph had to ask another shopper for directions not that long ago, because she doesn't have a whole lot of experience in New York.

As for his question:]

Vanozza Borgia is having a Christmas party, I don't think "jeans and a t-shirt" are gonna be acceptable.

[Even her normal style of dresses probably aren't acceptable.]

[mallarkey]

[ He matches her smile, though his soon turns into a grin, mischievous but sincere. He wiggles his ring finger. ]

You heard me, baby. You ever wanted one of those buffer engagement rings?

We're just Dick and Jane Anybody here in the real world. What do we do with people we'll never see again?

[ Con. ]

[mallarkey]

[ He shakes his head a little apologetically -- no, he doesn't know -- but this is one time he's not preoccupied with learning everything that's possible to find out; it's too nice to be on Earth and not freezing to worry about "future evil stuff." At least, Wayne would like to think so. ]

Wouldn't miss it -- this is great. It's funny... never actually thought I'd like New York, but I always wanted to see it at least once. Like a bucket list sorta thing. [ He exhales and rubs his hands together, as if warming them. ] Is it a lot different than what you remember?

[unmasking]

It's home. [There's no hesitating over that fact, because it's true: it's home. And that's something that Peter can't get over, no matter how many people he passes. He still wishes it was his home, but he's still grappling with how to approach all of that, but it's close enough.

He crosses the distance between them, because if he's right, most people here aren't familiar with New York. Some people seemed keen on it, and he understands that, but he wonders how they're all getting around without GPS. At least there are cross streets and easy numbers to follow.

New York's always been good for that.]

If you need help—I'm a trained and ready tour guide. [He gives a tiny bow.] At your service. Peter 'Comfortable in New York City' Parker. That's me.

[inhumanity]

It's called a credit card. Marvellous, isn't it? [With a knife-thrower's flick of the wrist, he tosses one to Facilier.] By using it, you promise to pay back however much you charge to the card. It draws it all from some account or another, no idea how. My friends inside seemed to consider these ones particularly valuable. They're what I'll be using to buy gifts.

[revelation]

[ the entire ordeal is a little overwhelming for Madoka.

she's used to crowds, sure. back home, it wasn't much different from this when Christmas came around but that's almost been two years now and she's grown used to the lack of controlled (and not so controlled) chaos of the crowds back in the city before or on the moonbase.

still, she doesn't miss Heath or the look on his face. she knows he's a transport from the network and smiles, pausing beside him with a tired smile. ]

It's hard to believe people can do this for hours at a time, huh? And the amount of bags some people are carrying...

[unmasking]

The secret is that I didn't design the suit. [He shrugs uselessly. In hindsight, he knows he could come up with something newer and sharper, but he likes the design; he likes what it means to him. Plus, he kind of wants that version of the suit but it being one that can't be easily destroyed.]

... And what if my suit is my weapon?

[unmasking]

The movies don't get it right. Hard to tell if you'd like it, right? [It's a typical thing for a New Yorker to notice. Sure, they insert the skyline and some of the buildings, but a lot of those movies take place in Toronto. Not that Peter's ever been to Toronto, but it's a fact he learned when he was younger.

Plus, as a pop culture joking teenager, he has to know these insignificant facts.

And then there's the fact that New York is always so unpleasant in movies. He pauses to think about it before shrugging it off.]

And it's different enough. There are a bunch of superheroes in my world, and some of them are business conglomerates. So you notice the changes.

[exconned]

[ Slowly, she matches his grin. ]

You tryin' to get on my good side, Wayne?

[controlledvariable]

I didn't design mine, either. [Babs made it for her, which was a nice gesture, and it's not like Steph doesn't like her suit. Still.] You could always make yourself a new one.

[And then he says that, so she adds:]

Or try to get it to evolve into something a little more stealthy. As for the utility belt, mine's part of my suit which is my weapon, so I guess it'd depend if you could convince your suit that the belt counts.

[Did that even make sense......]

shows up ten minutes late with starbucks

[controlledvariable]

It's the argument that draws her attention; she's got an ingrained sort of instinct for that type of thing these days, and she's heading over to check it out before she realizes who's involved.

She quickens her pace when she realizes it's Kanaya, catching snippets of the conversation and noting the money in Kanaya's hand by the time she's standing beside both the girl and the vendor.

"Kanaya, hey, hold on a sec," Without even pausing, she fishes her wallet from her pocket and hands over enough bills to cover the cost of the scarf, addressing the vendor with the most charming smile she can muster, "Sorry about that, she's from out of town, hasn't had a chance to have her money exchanged yet."

[changeitroundsome]

[Facilier catches it with an almost absent minded deftness. He turns the thing between his fingers, frowning at it. Seems the world finds more and more ways to get people to spend money they do not have]

How about that. Ain't nothing like progress.

[hotdate]

Well, monsters do, anyway. Normies don't.

[He nods] Yeah, of course we have Christmas, and a bunch of other holidays too. I'm just...really bad at finding the right thing.

[hotdate]

[He flashes her a grin]

I know right? I almost miss it when the ghouls went shopping and just took Cleo's servants with them to do all the carrying.

[Or him and the rest of the guys. Not much difference, really]

[khajidont]

Yup. I got most of my presents anyway, so I mean. [He waves one hand in an exaggerated motions of panic.] Oh no, I'm lost in New York at Christmas time.

[He honestly wouldn't mind being lost here for a couple more days, but there are enough Transports falling on this place like a pack of hungry sharks as it is. His only plan remaining is to raid some of the obnoxiously fancy hotels' washrooms for those little portable containers of toiletries, and he can call it a day.]

You really think they're gonna care all that much about the dress code?

[controlledvariable]

[That makes her laugh]

Truly a fate worse than death.

[Steph wouldnt mind a few more days either; the idea of a vacation is a tempting one, but there's things to do in Exsilim, unfortuantely.]

They're the old fashioned type, I'm pretty sure I'll get in trouble if I don't curtsey to the right people.

[nobles, ugh.

(also she does kind of just like wearing nice dresses but that's a secret)]

[khajidont]

Man. It's so weird going back home.

[He's clearly speaking out of experience here - one of his private trips was back to his hometown, and though it had been nice, it had also been bizarre. It's too easy to look at where things are just that much different, unfamiliar names on the family stores and franchises that were off by just a couple detail.

It's nice, though. He can't dispute that.]

And, you know, I'd accept the help if not for the fact that I have no clue where I'm even trying to get to. I've just been winging it.

[inhumanity]

Not even a society can resist evolution, and all the corpses of its failed mutations. Oh, but I heard that the police can track this sort of thing, so . . . best be careful with the use of them. Can't shop with the cops at your heels!

[khajidont]

Uh huh.

[He's... just going to accept that one at face value. As far as Jaime's concerned, it sounds like it might just be the meta-nonmeta divide (or as it is in Nathan's world, the mutant-nonmutant divide) seeing as it's something that's been popping up repeatedly over the past few months.]

Honestly, we've got so little where we are that you probably can't go wrong. What kinda person are you shopping for?

[unmasking]

Yeah, I'm trying to ignore my mental checklist on all the weird stuff. [And there are so many weird things, he's not able to avoid it.

He stretches and looks around. Time Square is out, but there are other areas that aren't bad. Central Park is probably safe, and Washington Square Park is definitely safe. He knows all of those are still there, at least, even if his walking hasn't carried him there yet.]

Pick between Central Park and Washington Square. Central is oddly safer, though. [Not that Peter's worried about keeping them safe, but some people have that as a preference here.]

[unmasking]

[Fortunately, Peter is a scientist and a superhero who thrives on quick talking and banter. He manages to make it out of what Stephanie says with full comprehension.]

I'd have to make the belt important to me somehow. Some way to be a better Peter Parker. [He pauses, considering that.] So some kind of ... engineering device. For mechanical things, ready to still jump into a fight at a moment's notice. Probably way more effective than what I've been doing.

[controlledvariable]

More of a toolbelt, then?

[She grins, but she does mean that suggestion a little bit. Although after a second she gives him a look up and down.]

Spider-man's meant to be pretty streamlined, right? Would a belt break that up too much?

[There's a thoughtful look on her face that could either mean awesome or terrible things will happen.]