[color=fff200][center][i][b][h3]Lantern Jack[/h3][/b][/i][/center][/color]

[b][i]Earlier today...[/i][/b]

It was a quiet morning on the outskirts of Serstol. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming, kids were playing. The scent of baked goods exuded from a local bakery. Everything around these corners was peaceful, downright idyllic. The various overseers and capes were busy elsewhere - for the most part.

"Excuse me, Sir?"

One cape was around. He was currently busy brandishing his cane like a scepter, making a show of slowly turning towards the person who had addressed him. His name was Lantern Jack, a (currently) smalltime mercenary. His costume was basic, but clearly a costume - Suit and tie under a trenchcoat and Domino mask, with a top hat to round out his appearance. 

[color=fff200]"Hello, my child. Are you lost?"[/color]

The child shook his head. 

"Please go die." The kid turned around and ran away on short wobbly legs, leaving Lantern Jack behind.

Lantern Jack watched the child and saw it duck behind an adult. An overweight woman of the same hair color, quite likely his mother. She was clutching her handbag and eyeing him the same way someone might eye the aged turd of a dog.

"Freak! Stay away from my child!"

Lantern Jack swapped into his Breaker state, causing the pair to recoil. The kid tried to hide, while the mother hurled her bag at Jack. A handbag, made from snakeskin. It flew right through, impacting the ground behind him. Jack shifted back a few seconds after. Meanwhile, the woman caught herself, getting busy cursing him out.

[color=fff200]"[i]Butthole,[/i]"[/color] he muttered in German whilst moving towards the impromptu projectile. He grabbed the handbag and looked at the woman. After a few seconds of consideration (and insults of him being a thief and a villain), he hurled it further away. [color=fff200]"You look like you could use some exercise! Both in body and mind,"[/color] he shouted. The woman was still hauling insults at him.




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[b][i]Now...[/i][/b]

[color=fff200]"[i]And then she sent her kid to get the bag,[/i]"[/color] Manfred finished his recollection.[color=fff200]"Fucking Paraphobes."[/color]

Liz had nodded along to her brother's rant, only paying slight attention to it. She had more important things to do, being on the clock, working her office job as a middling importance interdimensional diplomat. She was currently busy contacting some corner world under the thumb of a random wannabe mastermind Supervillain to negotiate about opening up the other dimension for Samekh-based tourism. Apparently, some obscure mammal going by the name 'Palaeoloxodon namadicus' wasn't extinct on that world, which led to a ludicrous amount of scientists trying to enter it illegally. If everything went well on Liz' end, they would soon use official channels alongside their less reckless colleagues.

"That sucks. Hey, I got another client for you."

Manfred rolled his eyes, annoyed at being ignored. [color=fff200]"Neat. Who's it, what's it, where's it?"[/color]

"Another one of my colleagues. Needs a bodyguard. The usual building."

[color=fff200]"[i]How's the money?[/i]"[/color]

Liz took a deep breath. "Ridiculous. Twice as much as the last job."

[color=fff200]"That's not a lot. I made ten times this much as Irrlicht on a bad day,"[/color] Manfred complained. He planted himself on a chair next to his sister. The chairs scraping noise briefly startled her, making her shoot him a short indignant glare.

"You should take more risky jobs, in other dimensions. Cathy called-"

Bringing Cathy up had been a mistake. [color=fff200]"[i]Fuck[/i] Cathy,"[/color] Manfred cursed, interrupting his sister, [color=fff200]"[i]that backstabbing bitch[/i]-"[/color]

"[i]Yes, I know,[/i]" Liz interrupted him, "[i]but she...[/i]"

[color=fff200]"I don't care. When is this job?"[/color]

A deep breath left Liz's mouth. "Very short term. You have two hours."

[color=fff200]"Alright. I'll be home once it's done."[/color] Manfred didn't bother standing up, shifting into his Breaker state. The dim ball of black light clipped into the chair. Liz groaned in frustration. [i]How many times had she asked her idiot brother to stop being so blasé about his cape identity?[/i]

"Ask for a 'Jeremy King'. Don't come into my room after you're done, get takeout on your way back if you don't want to starve," she ground out. She knew Manfred, he wouldn't respond while being a ball. She wasn't sure if he could even talk right now.

The ball floated up and down, as if to convey a nod. When Liz didn't say anything else, Lantern Jack turned around and flew right through the floor, onwards to the governor building. Once he was out of earshot, Liz slammed her head into the keyboard.