Dblade26

Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

Sorry it's going to take me at least a day or two more before I can do anything I think. My body's a bit broken down atm and school's been kicking my butt.

Maximum Comics: Dawn of Justice | REBRANDING - PLEASE STAY TUNED

Danny Rand leaned his forehead against the cool metal wall of the elevator taking him up to the penthouse apartment he shared with Joy Meachum. He...well to put it simply he was incredibly tired. It had been nearly two full weeks since his last encounter with the Cult of Khan and he was still aching from the results. It was somewhat to be expected he supposed, that much qi based healing would tire out a specialist even with the Qi of Shou-Lao to draw upon and Danny was barely a dabbler in the art at best. His encounter with the fanatical cult of a dark and ancient god was nothing compared to adjusting to life as an American High School Student, though. At least as a student in The Thunderer's martial arts academy he knew if someone considered him an enemy, because their fists would usually be flying towards his face. At school all he got were mysterious mutterings and odd looks from those around him though as of yet no outright attempt to bully him physically had been made. He wasn't sure how he'd handle it if one occurred. The few so far who had attempted to approach him seemed mainly interested in his money, or else in one of the dozens of strange rumors that were swirling around about him. He supposed he shouldn't blame them, after all he was just as much an outsider here as he had been in K'un-L'un, maybe even stranger given that the heir to one of America's wealthiest families didn't normally show up out of the blue after ten years. Still, trying to navigate the social pitfalls of high school was far more exhausting than just winning over his fellow students with Kung Fu prowess.

His life as Iron Fist was hardly going better. After that night they'd fought together he'd been inspired by White Tiger to turn more to the vigilante side of things rather than just using Chinatown's thugs to blow off steam and he had to admit it felt good at first. On the other hand, things had been escalating because of his efforts and the men Chiantang was rolling out seemed to get better and better trained and have increasingly dangerous equipment. Because of him, the streets were becoming more dangerous instead of less, or at least that's what it felt like. Besides that, he'd hardly put much of a dent in the Black Dragon's criminal empire yet, and the fact that it brought him no closer to his revenge after it had already eluded him wasn't really helping things.

But tonight wasn't a night for thinking about any of that! Tonight Joy Meachum was back from some big business meeting in Star City and they were finally going to re-establish the often thwarted 'tradition' of family dinner. Well...Guardian-Ward dinner or something at least, although Danny supposed Joy really was one of the closest things he had left to family, but the point was tonight there would be no superhero-ing, no Kung Fu, no drama! Just Danny, Joy, a nice meal and-

*DING!*

"Daniel!~ Oh it's been forever!~ You're just in time to join us, I brought some lovely tea!~"

and one of the most cunning enemies he had ever faced.

Fa Lo Sui: The Cursed Lotus, Daughter of Darkness, Princess of the Golden Daggers...

and his first love.

Danny was so dumbstruck by her unexpected appearance that he didn't even realize he'd seated himself at the table across from her as Joy busied herself in their kitchenette. The conversation shot back and forth across the apartment in a way that was already slightly beyond his comprehension and he felt like a man drowning and grasping at driftwood as he tried to keep up.

"Danny, you remember Zheng Bao Yu! She's Zheng Zu's daughter, you know from Oriental Expediters!? Apparently she and her father are in town and I guess she thought she'd go to all the trouble of coming by to see us on his behalf as sort of a goodwill gesture between business partners! Isn't that nice!"

"Uh-huh..." Now that she mentioned it, Danny had briefly been dragged to a meeting where a girl who looked something like Fa Lo Sui had passed him in the waiting room but he thought he'd been imagining things then and they'd hardly said two words to each other...

"It was no trouble Ms.Meachum! After all both Father and I agree that our relationship to yourself and the Rand family is very important to us! Plus, I get along so well with Daniel!~"

The way Fa Lo Sui watched him, intently with a big smile and half-lidded eyes as she said it reminded Danny of a snake watching a cowering mouse before it struck, or maybe a cat toying with its' prey. She looked like a schoolgirl, dressed up in some uniform with a modest skirt, white knee-socks, a badge on the front he didn't know, her long black hair pinned aside with what she probably assumed was a 'cutesy' yin-yang barrette. The wholesome everygirl look was a sham and he knew it but even so he was having trouble believing it was the same Fa Lo Sui. Still, her voice was unmistakable and that combined with just how convincing her bubbly innocence was confirmed his suspicions. No one was a better actor than the Cursed Lotus.

He glared at her from across the table and whispered while Joy cooked on obliviously just out of sight, trusting that she'd be too oblivious to hear.

"What are you doing here!? This is not K'un-L'un, or anywhere within the scope of the jianghu! My home and Joy Meachum are outside the bounds of the code of the martial arts underworld and I'm not going to tolerate another one of your tricks!"

Her laughter was high, pure and sweet, the wind blowing through chimes on a spring day.

"I have no idea what you mean! I'm here to share dinner and tea and discuss the relationship between our two families! Nothing else!"

Danny wasn't about to buy that even if she brought all the tea in China along with it, but he was stopped by Joy's emergence from the kitchen with a big smile and a steaming bowl of noodles.

Thus began one of the most awkward, strained and pleasant dinners of Daniel Rand-Kai's young life.

The conversation was so polite and pleasant that Danny had to wonder if they'd somehow scripted it out beforehand and the Cursed Lotus was clearly winning Joy over with every word as if she hadn't interrupted a family night to discuss business, or worse as if she was practically family herself. Danny would have never suspect there was any blend of Chinese tea that paired well with Italian food, but Fa Lo Sui had apparently done the impossible by finding one. Worse yet there was no obvious trap, no assassins bursting out from behind the curtains, no demons being summoned forth from the Daughter of Darkness' school bag, just his legal guardian, a girl he'd liked and a lingering taste of pesto and paranoia.

By the time the meal was more or less over even Danny was wondering if he wasn't being a little too suspicious. Maybe it was possible that 'Zheng Bao Yu' wasn't here to cause trouble after all. If nothing else maybe she was just keeping up appearances as the sixteen year old daughter of a highly successful international businessman. Once he and Joy got up to clear the dishes he half expected the Cursed Lotus to offer to help clean them.

"Well, this was unexpected but you've been a real pleasure to have over! Just give us a minute to straighten up and-"

By the time he noticed Joy was falling Danny barely had time to catch her amid the sounds of shattering plates. She'd fainted dead away mid-sentence, her eyes closed and moving rapidly in their sockets as if she'd suddenly fell into a vivid nightmare. Fa Lo Sui looked on and adjusted herself in her seat with that same pleased, predatory smile on her face once again.

"Well, that certainly took long enough, although on the other hand it was quite a lovely dinner. Do you happen to know where Joy learned to cook?"

Danny gritted his teeth hard enough that he thought they would break, and only the need to check on Joy's vitals and ensure she was lowered safely onto the ground prevented him from flying at the girl in a rage.

"What. Did. You. Do?!"

"Why, exactly what I told you I was doing. I shared dinner and tea. It's not my fault she's the only one at the table who hasn't trained her body to slow and eliminate the effects of toxins. I swear Xiaolong, you're always so touchy about these things."

The use of his other name, the one from K'un-Lun, only made Danny angrier.

"Of course this was all another one of your schemes, but like I said before I'm not playing around! Now give me the antidote or I swear by the Heart of the Dragon I'll throw you out the nearest window!"

The Cursed Lotus didn't bother to rise from her seat despite the threat, only shifting slightly, a change in posture maybe, a rustle of cloth, nothing truly definable. Yet suddenly Danny was reminded that Fa Lo Sui was the master of The Path of One Hundred and Eight Earthly Temptations and it took every ounce of mental discipline he had to hold onto his rage in the face of her abruptly very...distracting...presence.

"Oh Xiaolong, is that any way to talk to your betrothed? Whatever happened to our love?"

"We are NOT betrothed and I never loved you, so-"

"That's not what you said that night in the Garden of Heaven, with the fireflies flickering around us when you leaned in close and gave me-"

"The Scrolls of Wulin? The ones that almost got me banished from K'un-L'un?"

"Well yes, among...other things. You said you were willing to risk it for me, the choice was entirely yours."

"We were fourteen and more than foolish! Well, I have no idea how old you actually are but at least I was only fourteen-"

"Yes and now you're sixteen and still equally blind! If you would become my consort I offer you anything you can dream of! Power, respect, revenge...the world as your own...anything."

For a moment Danny had to fight not only the...particular charms...of Fa Lo Sui but the fantasy of all that she offered. Resources enough at his command to shape the world as he willed, hunt down the Cult Of Khan with ease, ensure that all of the crime he witnessed day in and day out came to an end, all of it if he only did as she wished...

and then his sense of discipline was back, willed down over his heart and mind like a wall of iron. Sensual wiles were not the only aspect of the borderline hypnotic Path of One Hundred and Eight Temptations Fa Lo Sui had at her command. He would have to remember that, always.

"No. Now give me the antidote and you can go in peace. I won't offer again."

the Cursed Lotus smiled and held up her empty hands.

"That's part of what I like about you, Xiaolong. You're so much more of a challenge to manipulate compared to the bores I normally have to surround myself with. But sadly I don't have the antidote on me. The Death of Seven Dreams isn't so easy to counteract in any case. Luckily, it should also give you a fairly long period of time until she perishes. So, if you want to save your dear Joy Meachum you really are going to have to do what I say."

Danny tried to keep his own anger and frustration under control, knowing it would only give the Princess of the Golden Daggers an avenue to control him.

"So...what is it I have to do?"

Fa Lo Sui laughed again, although this time there was a cutting, jagged edge to her laughter.

"You'll be coming with me. We're going on a date!~"

Maximum Comics: Dawn of Justice | REBRANDING - PLEASE STAY TUNED

Right, have come up with a solo Iron Fist arc to establish him a little more along with a feel for his universe, hope by the end of it my style with him and his world gets pretty clear and likeable.

Maximum Comics: Dawn of Justice | REBRANDING - PLEASE STAY TUNED

So now I'm moving forward with Danny, I do wonder where he should go to school anyways since he's supposed to be doing it for 'normalizing'/semi-therapeutic reasons...

Also where a good place to start is in terms of time passed...

Maximum Comics: Dawn of Justice | REBRANDING - PLEASE STAY TUNED

Well okay then, but I need to wait for Lex to get approved before I go on some kind of Metropolis side-mission right? and probably plan things out a bit with the Metropolis bunch?

Although actually I was also planning on doing some stuff with Sam's Wildcat and I'd be super hyped for interactions with Spider-Man and/or any other folks who think they might have fun/a story with Danny not to mention my own stuff but it all depends on who feels like working with me...

So that said, anyone up for some mystical kung fu action!?

Or having a mystical kung fu action hero show up in your decidedly non-mystical kung fu life? Either works.

Character Crossover Crisis City (C4 Reboot)

Damian Wayne

Damian repressed the urge to sigh in frustration as the weird woman had the nerve or lack of brain cells to decide that he had somehow given her an open invitation to travel along with him despite his own admission that he already had no idea where they were. Worse yet, she was apparently foolish enough to suggest peaceful negotiating. With what was likely a being that was completely insane by all the boundaries and standards of their own realities! Clearly there was something seriously wrong in her head that the Boy Wonder was less than equipped or willing to deal with if that was her opinion. Still, she seemed to know how to use that rifle she was carrying, so perhaps she would not be a complete burden after all...

"I'm fairly certain that once we track them down I'll do much more than 'punch them in the dick' metaphorically or otherwise-" He paused for a moment as if struck by inspiration "-though admittedly that may prove to be a good place to start. But if you're going to insist on coming along then let's at least not waste any more time and start tracking leads. You can fly so at least be useful and go up higher than I can to look for others who might know more than us." He gestured up dismissively and then got to work.

Specifically Damian pulled a grappling hook pistol from his utility belt and fired it so that the hook and cables latched onto a nearby tree-branch before yanking him up into the leafy, snack-filled canopy. Once he hit the first branch Damian grabbed onto it and swung himself to a slightly higher one, then jumped further up off of that one and so on, occasionally switching trees and dodging what appeared to be meat hanging like fruit until his head poked up over the treetops. From there he began scanning through his mask's different visual modes looking for signs of not just other intelligent beings but any traces of strange energy that might indicate the kind of being he was hunting. Without the Bat-Computer it would be impossible to really analyze such signals but he hadn't considered how cut off he really was until he began looking regardless.

He did in fact find some very strange energy signatures. Too many in fact, to the point where without the computer to sort it out he couldn't quite visually distinguish what all of them were. This close it was at least obvious that floating woman seemed to have some sort of solar radiation effect around her he'd never seen before, maybe she was some sort of alternate universe Kryptonian. More importantly it seemed like two human-looking figures were sitting in one of the bento trees further off and lower down. Damian waved for long enough to try and get Jade's attention, then gestured in the direction of the two and took off. Without bothering to wait and see if Jade would catch up he started leaping from branch to branch and occasionally using a grapple-line to swing.

As he came closer to the occupied bento tree he saw the pair more clearly, dressed in a fashion that seemed part modern and part traditional Asian clothing. Not wanting to take any chances by nature but obviously needing to introduce himself in the proper fashion for one of Batman's proteges, Damian leaped from the highest branch of his own tree and applied the electric-pulse from his gauntlets to his cape so that it snapped out in a bird-wing shape, letting him glide silently above the top of the tree. When he reached a position that was roughly above and behind the two he folded the glider cape and dropped down in a dive, purposefully hooking his feet on a smaller branch so he would drop down hanging upside down directly behind and above the two of them. He hoped it would be a bizarre, unexpected and disconcerting entrance and would put him in a position to take the two of them out quickly if he had to.

"So, I want some answers. Are you two working with the being that kidnapped me and brought me here or not?"

He tried to imitate Batman's patented grim, intimidating scowl but didn't quite realize the full extent of differences that occurred on a face as small and young as his or when he was upside down.

Maximum Comics: Dawn of Justice | REBRANDING - PLEASE STAY TUNED

I can't because I was interacting with @Gowi and he's left me completely high and dry for...16 days now. Unless I do like a skip-forward in time but then I'd have to either eventually come back to that when @Gowi is free which could be awkward or abort the White Tiger arc which would be less than fun for both of us.

Maximum Comics: Dawn of Justice | REBRANDING - PLEASE STAY TUNED

Dammit now I wanna be free to post again so I can eventually have Danny tag along on a Rand Inc. business meeting with Lex as an excuse to 'reappropriate' a K'un-L'unan artifact from a Metropolis Museum before his enemies can! Preferably powerful, magical enemies.

I really want to interact with Henry's Luthor, he seems so cool.

Plus Danny might be a fan of either him or Superman or both.

Maximum Comics: Dawn of Justice | REBRANDING - PLEASE STAY TUNED

Green Arrow looks decent if a bit lengthy.

Anyone have plans for Doc Strange?

Maximum Comics: Dawn of Justice | REBRANDING - PLEASE STAY TUNED

Reminds me, what are the eventual plans for a Steve Rogers return if any? I'm actually really interested.