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[b][color=28b0f3]Metropolis - Ace ‘o’ Clubs[/color][/b]
[color=darkgray]Christmas Eve[/color]
[sub]Tags: [@King Kindred] [@Azure Bubbles] [@Cyrania][/sub]


By the time Zach arrived at the Ace’O’Clubs, the whole night felt like a dream. Evil Santa, Magic, a Thunder God, (or a guy claiming to be a Thunder God) aliens. Somehow through all of this, he had not died! That was definitely worth celebrating.
The place looked like it had seen better days. Christmas lights had been draped around the front windows in a way that was either festive or a fire hazard. Maybe both.

Zach pushed the door open and stepped inside. The whole place smelled like hot chocolate, and cinnamon. Christmas lights were strung lazily around the bar, a little uneven, like someone had decorated quickly and then gotten distracted. There was tinsel draped over framed photos and a little plastic Santa near the register. Music was playing lightly in the background. Mariah Carey, of course.

Zach took it all in. It was the first quiet moment he had all night. [color=darkviolet]“Okay,”[/color] he muttered under his breath. [color=darkviolet]“This is either the beginning of a lifelong superhero tradition or the setup for me to have the weirdest panic attack of all time.”[/color]

[color=green]”I would hope that this wouldn’t cause you a panic attack.”[/color] Green Guy suddenly appeared behind him, smirking with mirth.

Zach jumped and yelped when he heard the green guy speak. [color=darkviolet]“Well maybe not, but apparently a heart attack is possible!”[/color] Zach sighed and pressed a hand to his chest like he needed to confirm his heart was still doing its job. [color=darkviolet] “Do you have to do that?”[/color] He added, turning on the stool to face him.

[color=green]”Not really.”[/color] He then sat on the stool next to Zach, still smirking. [color=green]”The occasion was merely too perfect to refrain from it.” [/color] Then his brow furrowed. [color=green]”You are not seriously hurt, are you?” [/color] 

[color=darkviolet]“No no, I’m good.”[/color] He said, waving it off. [color=darkviolet]“I’m just not used to seeing green people materialize out of nowhere. But… I suppose at this point, I should get used to weird things…”[/color]

His smile returned. [color=green]”There is certainly plenty that is new and strange on your Earth…I have never seen an illusionist that works as you do before. Are you bending the light or are you sending the mental illusions directly into the minds of those that watch?” [/color]

[color=darkviolet]“Magic…”[/color] Zach replied matter of factly. [color=darkviolet]“I say something backwards and it happens. I don’t know how it works, and I gotta be honest, I didn’t even know I could do that until today.”[/color]

[color=green]”Really…”[/color] But J’onn could well feel the truth of that. [color=green]”Your work is quite impressive for not having done anything like it before.”[/color] 

[color=darkviolet]“T-thanks… I’ve just been making this up as I go.”[/color] He shifted in his seat, and looked at the Green Guy more closely. [color=darkviolet] “Anyway… what about you? You said ‘your earth’ which raises a lot of questions. Are you an interdimensional traveler? Alien? Some secret third thing?”[/color] Zach said, trying to change the subject away from his inexperience.

Now it was J’onn’s turn to shift a little uncomfortably. What was the safest way to answer…? [color=green]”I…truly am not a native of this world. I am still seeking to get used to the ways the Earth differs from where I come from. For instance…”[/color] His eyes darted about the club, wondering where their other two companions were while also wracking his mind for a good example to use. [color=green]”A bar like this…doesn’t exist where I am from. Frankly, this is my first time in one.” [/color]

Zach nodded. [color=darkviolet]“Well, if it makes you feel better, it’s my first time in a bar too… For uh… different reasons, obviously.”[/color] He glanced around the room again. [color=darkviolet]“Honestly, not what I was expecting. I was expecting something cooler, but I suppose the festive atmosphere is nice.”[/color]

[color=green]”Indeed. Though with such a celebration as Christmas, I see little reason to not partake of the atmosphere, whatever sort of establishment it is.”[/color]

When Koriand’r entered the bar third, she was glad to see she wasn’t the first. She’d fallen prey to the classic anxiety after the excitement of the night died down and had to swing back by her apartment to make sure she’d turned off the oven in her haste to get out into the field. 

As she looked around at the festive decorations and took in the smell of what had to be the drinks of the season - no doubt spiked since it was a bar - she visibly relaxed. Kori had tried a couple of times to engage in the social scene of alcohol consumption, but the results had been less than ideal. Getting hit on wasn’t exactly the most comfortable encounter and she had yet to develop a taste for Earth’s alcoholic beverages. Still, she wasn’t going to turn down the social opportunity with her comrades. The place was a dive bar in every sense of the phrase, but her friends were there and that made it seem much more inviting.

Zach and the Green Man were clearly making their acquaintances as she walked up to join them, [color=F5276C]”I am glad it seems I haven’t missed much yet, though it seems like you two have had plenty of time to start getting to know each other.” [/color] She paused to look around, realising it was still just the three of them, [color=F5276C] “Thor must have had to go a long way to find Santa.” [/color]

[color=green]”Undoubtably, Miss, Starfire, correct?”[/color] The Green Man turned towards her, offering his hand. [color=green]”It is a delight to make your acquaintance.”[/color] 

[color=F5276C]”Just Starfire,”[/color] she smiled warmly, taking the proffered hand to shake, [color=F5276C]”I have been told that heroes do not share their real names often. Are you truly sure ‘Green Man’ is an acceptable name to call you?”[/color] 

He swallowed somewhat abashedly. [color=green]”’Green Man’ is acceptable for now. I, had not considered what I would be called in this form before now…”[/color] Mostly because he’d never intended to publicly reveal himself like this at all while on Earth, but that ship had long since sailed. [color=green]”Perhaps you two and Thor could aid me in discovering what I should be called as a, hero.” [/color]

Zach looked between the two of them as if they had just assigned him homework. [color=darkviolet]“Oh wow, naming a superhero. No pressure or anything.”[/color] He leaned back in his stool and studied. [color=darkviolet]“Green Man sounds like an environmental superhero trying to save the rainforest. It doesn’t give what you’re giving… Uh… What about Martian Man? Or is that deeply offensive?”[/color] 

[color=green]”It…wouldn’t be offensive, but that is not quite the name for me…Should we try to get drinks?[/color]

Kori had to stifle a laugh at Zach's suggestions not because they weren’t funny, but because she noticed the Green Man seemed somewhat uncomfortable with the suggestion. If not offensive, perhaps there was something else associated with the name that made it unsuitable. The quick subject change to drinks was clearly an attempt at avoiding further suggestions (or questioning him further).

[color=F5276C]”Yes, let’s!”[/color] Kori agreed, perfectly happy to steer the conversation away from the Green Man if that was his preference. [color=F5276C]”Admittedly I still have not quite gained an appreciation for Earth’s alcoholic beverages, so perhaps something festive but tame for me. I thought I smelled chocolate when I walked in, and I [i]do[/i] have a taste for that.”[/color]

[color=darkviolet]“Yes, drinks. A topic I am much more qualified for.”[/color] Zach turned back toward the bar and lifted a hand to flag down whoever was working. [color=darkviolet]“Hi! Yes, uh can we get 3 hot chocolates?”[/color] He looked back at Starfire and the Green Man. [color=darkviolet]“Thor did say this place had the best hot chocolate in the city, and I am choosing to take his word for it.”[/color]

A large man wearing a Thor hoodie and a sailor flat cap approached the trio. He carried three spiked hot chocolates on a small platter and placed a cup in front of each of them. “These ‘re on the house. I recognize the lass from the news. Any friend o’ Thor's is a friend of mine. Where's the young lad? Out saving Christmas from the imposter, I bet.”

Kori smiled sheepishly as she took her drink. She was easily recognisable, but so far that hadn’t proved to be too much of an issue. 

[color=green]”Indeed.”[/color] J’onn took one of the mugs and took a sip. [color=green]”He should be joining us as soon as he is finished though.” [/color] He took another sip, savoring it. [color=green]”Your hot chocolate is delicious!”[/color] 

Zach reached for his mug, and was about to take a sip. He smelled chocolate, cinnamon, and… something stronger under it. He looked at the mug, then at the man who served it, then back at the mug. [color=darkviolet]“Is… this spiked? Um… I should probably mention, I’m eighteen… After everything I’ve been through, I don’t need to add underage drinker to my résumé…”[/color] He offered a sheepish smile, and set the mug back down. [color=darkviolet] “If I could get the exact same thing without the alcohol, that would be great.”[/color] He then added with a tired laugh, [color=darkviolet]“Also, yes. Thor is in fact out returning Santa’s reindeer. Which is a sentence I never thought I’d say.[/color]

Bibbo brought his hand to the tip of his hat and tilted it at J'onn to acknowledge how delicious his drinks were. He then turned to Zach and was surprised by his response. He almost fought him back on it, but his mind was clearly already made up his mind to get a virgin hot chocolate. He always found America's laws strange. The rest of the world allowed drinking at eighteen and some even younger, but America allowed eighteen year olds to smoke and sign up for war, but not drink. It was backwards.

He sighed and went to get another hot chocolate before bringing it back to Zach. He placed it down next to the spiked one and picked the latter up and started drinking it himself. “Yer missin’ out, but I don't pressure ‘nyone. And that sounds like Thor alright. I met him here three years ago stopping some punks from trashin’ the place. Kid's got a heart of gold. He's been comin’ here ever since.”

Nodding at Bibbo’s explanation of their past, Kori took another sip from her drink. Seemed it was always the same story with Thor and his big heart. [color=F5276C]”My story is much the same,”[/color] she recalled, the images of the news broadcasts replaying her arrival for days after still fresh in her mind. [color=F5276C]”Thor was my first call when I heard the news about Toyman posing as Santa. These two got unceremoniously roped into the battle, but I can’t say I wasn’t glad for the help.”[/color] 

[color=darkviolet]“Unceremoniously pulled in is right. I was streaming, discovered I had magic, saw the whole Santa situation on TV, and stepped in…[/color] He took a sip of hot chocolate. [color=darkviolet]“Which sounds suspiciously like a superhero origin story… But, that’s just how my life is now apparently. Glad it happened though. Otherwise I’d be sitting in my room freaking out wondering what is going on.”[/color] He lifted his mug slightly in a toast. [color=darkviolet]“So, here’s to being introduced to heroism I guess.”[/color]

J’onn raised his own mug. [color=green]”May your future heroic endeavors be as successful as this one.”[/color] Then he took another sip. It really was good. He’d never allowed himself any human alcohol before, but this was a night for firsts. So far, it didn’t seem to be killing him, so that was a good sign. [color=green]”Both of you have skills and powers that are quite formidable.”[/color] 

Koriand’r raised her mug, mirroring the others and gave Zach a firm hand on his shoulder, [color=F5276C]”If tonight is any indicator, you have the makings of greatness.”[/color] She glanced toward the door, sorry that Thor was missing this moment of camaraderie between new allies. Shrugging it off, she turned back to the Green Man, [color=F5276C]”I believe you have earned your own toast, Green Man. For your heroism tonight and to whatever your future endeavours may be, be they heroic or not.”[/color] Kori raised her mug again and nodded toward him. [color=F5276C]”At the very least, you helped save Christmas.”[/color]

J’onn lowered his head. [color=green]”...Thank you.”[/color] Then took another sip.

A portal opened up in the middle of the bar as the three tapped their mugs. Wind blew throughout the bar and a few startled patrons jumped from their seats so that they could leave before whatever was on the other side abducted them. Thor flew into the bar like a gentle breeze before the portal closed behind him. The frightened patrons slowly returned to their seats and continued drinking.

Thor scanned the room until his eyes landed on his quartet of friends. “Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas!” He called out in glee before landing on the ground and making his way over. [color=17dbcc]“Hey, Bibbo! Get me one too, will ya?”[/color]

“You got it, kid.” Bibbo replied as he went to pour another spiked hot chocolate. “Yer friends just told me about your big adventure. Who'd o’thought Ol’ Nick was real?”

[color=17dbcc]“Definitely the craziest end to a year yet.”[/color] Thor answered back as he approached the heroic trio. [color=17dbcc]“I hope I didn't make you all wait long.”[/color] He said as he sat down next to Kori.

Thor certainly made an entrance, but his cheerful attitude was a good sign that things had gone well wherever he had ended up in his search to return the sleigh to Santa. Kori raised her mug to him in greetings, [color=F5276C]”I take it you were successful and found Santa unharmed?”[/color]

Thor nodded as he reached to grab his own mug from Bibbo. He tapped Kori's before taking a sip and answering. [color=17dbcc]“I was. He was locked in a cage made out of some unique metal. Apparently one of them is what Mjolnir is made of. He's back on his route delivering gifts to all the good little boys and girls waiting up to see if Santa is okay.”[/color]

[color=darkviolet]“Welcome back, good to know Christmas isn’t ruined.”[/color] Zach replied. [color=darkviolet]“Btw, your number one fan over there was right. This hot chocolate is amazing!”[/color]

J’onn chuckled. [color=green]”I quite agree with the young lad. This is delicious.”[/color] Then he tilted his head, looking over Thor up and down carefully. [color=green]”It is good to see you hale and hearty, Thor.”[/color] Much better than seeing him as a corpse on the ground…

Bibbo smiled as he listened to the praise of his hot chocolate, even the one without alcohol in it. “I'm glad youse guys like it.”

Kori had been trying not to think about how Toyman had been able to drop Thor with a single shot. Weapons that powerful were dangerous in the hands of those who would use them for crime and personal gain. It did raise the question of how Toyman got ahold of such a thing in the first place, but that was a concern for tomorrow. They were busy celebrating; there was no need to bring up darker things. 

[color=F5276C]”Agreed. I am grateful you are unharmed, also,” [/color] she gave a relieved sigh. [color=F5276C]”I think I speak for all of us when I say you had us worried. Your constitution is stronger than I realised!”[/color]

Thor rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment from everyone's concerns about him. He understood but it was also new for him. Well, sort of. He's accepted that some things could prove difficult for him ever since his first fight against Toyman's armor. [color=17dbcc]“I guess when you're a god it comes with the skill set. Though, it is a bit weird adjusting to the idea of me being one. My whole life I thought I was just a suped up mutant. Learning this opens up a whole new world. But it does put some things into perspective.”[/color]

J’onn frowned. [color=green]”In what ways has it brought perspective?”[/color] There were certainly ways that finding out one was, more powerful than they before imagined, would be useful to reflect on. Even in the cheery atmosphere though, it was hard to not reflect on all the sort of things that usefully happened when one thought he was a god…The fingers not holding his mug absently traced over his wrist. The scars had nearly faded now at least, leaving golden etchings in their wake. Still though, his fingers could follow every etching.

[color=17dbcc]“The day I received Mjolnir and my armor. I heard someone calling me son telling me to call upon Mjolnir. I thought I was just imagining things before. Also the armor that Toyman was using to fight me. It was able to hurt me when nothing or no one else did before. That and the metal he made his weapon out of… I think a god has been helping him.”[/color] Thor said as he looked at his hot chocolate. He took a sip trying to calm the thoughts trying to race around his mind. Why would a god be sending others to go after him? Maybe it wasn't a god necessarily but still someone connected to Norse mythology. If his memory of the past was anything to go off of it could be Laufey. But why strike now?

J’onn frowned deeply [color=green]”Helping Toyman?  For what purpose? To slay you? To test your mettle? Or…”[/color] J’onn’s eyes widened, then he quickly took another sip of the hot chocolate. Toyman did seem the type to fully focus on what he sought and ignore everything else. But surely he wasn’t meant to [i]capture[/i] Thor for whoever his benefactor was. Thor was-No. No one could be seeking to force him into that sort of life!... Right? [color=green]”...Have you had, anyone come to you seeking to recruit you?”[/color]

Thor shrugged. He couldn't fathom the intention of Toyman's helper. He just knew that Toyman had a personal vendetta against him because he stopped his initial revenge plot. [color=17dbcc]“No. No one tried to recruit me, but this did all start when my dad told me to get a job, but I'm sure that's just a coincidence. But maybe this secret enemy's trying to study me like prey to see how easy or difficult it'd be to kill me.”[/color]

Kori turned to the Green Man, puzzled, [color=F5276C]”Speak plainly - what is it that concerns you?”[/color] Some experience in his past clearly must have felt analogous in some way to what Thor was now going through. If it was unpleasant and avoidable, she would gladly play whatever part required to prevent it. 

Zach looked at the whole situation puzzled. [color=darkviolet]“So, just to make sure I’m following. Toyman got his hands on anti-magic metal, used it to kidnap Santa, nearly took out Thor, and now we’re suspecting someone else from Norse Mythology might be involved? Cool, superhero drama. Love that.”[/color] He took a sip of hot chocolate, even though the mug was nearly empty by now. [color=darkviolet] “This feels like a lot for my first time with… all of this… I got into magic for the aesthetic, the family history, maybe a cool trick. I was not expecting mythology politics.”[/color] He sighed and put his mug down. [color=darkviolet] So, what do we do now? Do we investigate?  Do we wait for whoever’s behind this to make the next move? Do we all start carrying around anti-anti-magic backup plans? I feel like there's a guidebook I didn’t get.”[/color]

And then Zach’s phone pinged. [color=darkviolet]“Don’t tell me…[/color] He pulled his phone out to check the message.
[quote=Unknown Number][color=3F00FF]Clearly, no one explained the family business to you. We’re fixing that.
Finish your drink. We’re meeting tonight.
-Z[/color][/quote]

[color=darkviolet]“Ok cool… My cousin has decided I’m getting an emergency orientation…”[/color]

[color=17dbcc]“Does your cousin have ears everywhere?”[/color] Thor asked before answering Zach's other questions and concerns.
 
[color=17dbcc]“This does sound pretty heavy for your first time, but I don't want to drag any of you into my mess. If Toyman's gun was enough to put me down for even a moment I'd hate to see what it could do to you all.”[/color] He hoped that didn't come off as cocky or braggadocious. It was truly out of a place of concern.

Bibbo listened to their conversation intently. The kid being a god made sense. He was already calling himself one, but it was still a crazy revelation. Now he started to wonder what this meant for other religions and gods. The world was starting to feel a whole lot bigger.

J’onn meanwhile swallowed, focused on his own thoughts. Then he sent a message into her mind. [color=green][i]”I can’t talk about it out in the open. It could only be my judgement’s clouded. Just, be on guard for Thor’s sake if anyone seems, too keenly interested in his powers.”[/i][/color]

The touch of the Green Man’s mind was unfamiliar but not something she was wholly unaccustomed to. While the universe wasn’t crawling with telepaths, there were those with special abilities and even a few species for whom telepathy was simply another sense. The High Evolutionary himself had several in his employ, and Kori had been trained to both defend her mind and open it. 
Her head tilted imperceptibly as she heard his words, but gave no other outward sign of the silent conversation, [color=F5276C][i]”I can empathise with your wariness. Thor is my friend and you have my word I will do anything I can to protect him from whatever nefarious forces conspire against him.”[/i][/color]

J’onn gave a slow nod in response.

[color=darkviolet]“I don’t know about everywhere, but maybe just on me…”[/color] Zach laughed nervously. [color=darkviolet]“And unfortunately I got dragged into shenanigans anyway, and am being summoned by my cousin for remedial magic lessons. It's a little late to keep us out of danger now. We’re involved like it or not.”[/color]

Tuning back into the conversation Kori pointed out, [color=F5276C]”Perhaps a remedial lesson will be fruitful. It took a great toll on you to do what you did in battle. Perhaps your cousin’s guidance will help you grow into this new skill and become a greater hero for it. My powers are not entirely innate; it took years of training to develop the skills I have now. And if you are right that by proximity there may be some danger to Thor’s allies, strength and skill will be your best protection against whatever forces seek to bring him down.”[/color]

Thor took another sip of his hot chocolate. “Star's right. If being a friend or ally of mine puts you in danger, you'll definitely need training. I have a feeling that things won't end here. When does your cousin want you to start?”

[color=darkviolet]“She said we’re meeting tonight. Not sometime this week, or whenever you’re free, tonight.[/color] He said dryly.

J’onn let out a chuckle. [color=green]”That means she’s truly serious in her desire to see you well trained. Perhaps your cousin will give you answers on how your magic actually functions. I can imagine some things would go smoother if you, say, knew whether your illusions were light projections, or if they were only mental projections and so an ordinary security camera would not be fooled by the ruse.”[/color]

Koriand’r nodded along with the Green Man’s insight, taking another sip from her mug. While it was likely inconvenient to be literally [i]summoned[/i], the results would be worth the inconvenience. Zach still had so much to learn about his own powers and that put him in danger as a hero, and just in general if he could possibly misfire his own magic. The latter also put those around him in danger, and he had a responsibility to ensure that didn’t happen due to negligence.

[color=17dbcc]“I guess that means we'll have to call it a night early.”[/color] Thor said before finishing the last of his hot chocolate. [color=17dbcc]“But let's commemorate the night we saved Christmas. Bibbo, mind taking a picture for us?”[/color] Thor was about to pull out his cell phone but Bibbo stopped him and pulled a Polaroid Camera from underneath the bar.

Bibbo waited for everyone to line up for the picture and took five photos, one after the other. Each time one was printed he placed it in front of each hero before the fifth one he took for himself. “This is goin’ on the wall. Not every day heroes come to ya bar after saving Christmas.”

[color=darkviolet]“Oh my god,”[/color] Zach said, a laugh escaping before he could stop it. [color=darkviolet]“An actual Polaroid! That is so retro.”[/color] He went to line up with the others, and posed differently for all five of them. [color=darkviolet]“It’s a good thing I’ll have proof this really happened. Or I might have written this off as a fever dream.”[/color] He grinned as he looked at the photo, and put it in his coat pocket. [color=darkviolet]“Seriously, though. Thanks. For tonight. For not letting me die, for the teamwork, for the cocoa, and for the incredibly dramatic Christmas photo shoot.”[/color] Then, he turned towards the exit. [color=darkviolet]“Now, I have to meet up with my cousin for a magical tutoring session. I’ll let you know how it goes.”[/color]

While pictures weren’t foreign to Kori, Polaroids were. She didn’t know what exactly made them “retro” but she went with it and put on her brightest smile. They all came out a little different, but as she picked one up for herself she knew she would put it up on her fridge as a reminder of the night and the friends she’d made. 

J’onn allowed the others to choose their’s, then choose one for himself. [color=green]”Thank you.”[/color] Once chosen, he looked down at it, tilting it every which way. Truly a primitive thing compared to the holographic photos of Mars, where innate psychic powers helped imbed the entire memory to the page to be read by someone else. But still, it was a sign that perhaps, he could find a life here after all. One as the Green Man, helping with the more, unusual problems that Earth faced…He couldn’t display this picture anywhere prominently, but there were some safe places he could treasure it.

Downing the last of her hot chocolate, she placed the mug back on the bar, [color=F5276C]”Thank you, Bibbo. I’m sure we will meet again.”[/color] Then turning to Zach, [color=F5276C]”Good luck tonight. And thank you again for your help - you did well for a novice. It would be my honour to fight by your side again.”[/color]

J’onn then blinked. They were all leaving so soon. But if felt like they’d all just arrived! He bit his lip though to hold his tongue. Zach had his lesson to head to, Thor and Kori had their own lives to live…, and he had a shift in the morning. Even such a moment could not last forever. Reluctantly, he drank down the last of his hot chocolate and set the mug down. [color=green]”Thank you indeed for the wondrous beverage, Mr. Bibbo. May your bar know nought of anything other than mirth and prosperity. And may the moons guide you safely home, Starfire.”[/color] Then he turned to Zach. [color=green]”Take care to listen and follow your cousin’s instructions, young one. You may even find yourself enjoying the lessons.” [/color]