Log:Miracle on Beach Street

2008/12/11 	 Dark Horse|Al Lightray Mystique Teflon Diamond|Olivia Wildstar|Jason Santa Claus(?) 1

''Scene: Boardwalk Mall. Olivia and Joseph are talking.''

Olivia nods, "Yes, not really anyone else to get one for, was thinking of just hosting a small party for friends, not really close enough to anyone for gifts."

Joseph nods slightly as he listens. "Well, I am terribly afraid I cannot let you buy a gift for yourself. Quite against the spirit of the season." After a beat he adds, "So, I must buy it for you and have it delivered. Spirit of the season as I said."

Olivia blinks a little and looks at him for a moment, curiously, the look as if she never expected such a thing.

Al walks into the mall, and looks around for the directory. He heads over to it, loosening his trenchcoat belt as he walks over.

Joseph laughs quietly as he remarks, "I have an odd streak of misplaced chivalry. It expresses itself in odd ways like this every once and while. If you will allow me to gift this dress to you, it will make me quite happy."

"Alright," the teen says and then shakes her head a bit, "Maybe I can get you something in return." she says and shakes her head a bit, still surprised is Olivia.

The mall is very busy today, even considering that it's so close to Christmas, and it seems it's hard to walk about with getting jostled, at least on the ground floor. No doubt part of the reason for this is that Santa Claus is making an appearance today. The mall seems to have pulled out all the stops this year - in the parking lots there's even a sleigh complete with reindeer!

Al lets his coat fall open as he looks through the list of stores. Finding what he needed, he starts to head through the mall, looking for the electronics supply store.

Joseph nods. "That would be quite fine. I seldom receive gifts myself." He glances around at the crowds. "Quite busy today, isn't it?"

"Santa" is positioned in about as central a location as he can be given the layout of the mall, with a line - well, in theory, but more a press - of mostly-little kids waiting to see him.

Al has to head beyond where Santa is to the shop he's going to on the ground floor. He grimaces as he notices this, but starts to move around the area, keeping to the right side.

Olivia turns and looks around a bit, "It usually is, though I have to admit, it never used to be like this." she shakes her head a bit, "Only in the last couple hundred years."

Joseph looks over at you. "You have kept your looks well over the years. But I agree, crowds were less even a hundred years ago."

Other shoppers pass by heavy-laden with bags and heavier laden still, it seems, with exhaustion. In one store people look about to come to blows over the few remaining Gamestation XXIs. The endlessly played Christmas songs don't seem to be doing much to soothe tempers.

Al reaches the electronics store...the one were the people are about to come to blows. He mutters to himself, "Great...all I wanted was some wiring and a couple capacitors."

Jason has a few packages that he is carrying, evidently having been shopping today.

It doesn't look like Al's even going to manage to get into that store. Meanwhile the parents with little kids are getting frustrated, as "Santa" takes a break and makes a bee-line for the washroom.

Olivia shrugs a bit, "Well, being immortal does that." she says and shakes her head a bit. She glances around, "I hate the holidays sometimes, it reminds me of reasons I went into seclusion."

A bit of live music is played while Santa is gone, but it's clear that neither the parents nor the kids consider this much of a substitute.

Al rubs his left temple, "I guess I'll have to order the parts online, or something."

Joseph nods as he watches the crowd. "Oh I am not burdened by immortality, but life certainly changes. People don't seem to though."

Jason heads towards the food court. o O (hungry.) O o.

Olivia nods, "They do, trust me, I have watched them change." she says and shakes her head a bit, "Like I would never have been tolerated in the past."

Al sighs a bit, and gets out of the way, looking around to try to assess his options. "I'll never get in there."

Joseph shakes his head. "For instance, those youths down there have just taken an enchanted bag from someone." He heads towards the youth he indicates.

Jason looks around, brow furrowed, but then continues towards the food court. o O (Pizza!) O o.

Olivia cocks her head to the side, "Enchanted bag?" she asks but she does follow after him, a bit curiously.

The lad with the sack is now talking excitedly with his friends, and showing them something in it, it seems. They look pretty amazed. The worried-looking one looks even more nervous. Another one seems to laugh at him.

Al narrows his eyes as he sees the teenagers. He starts to move his way through the crowds toward them.

The teens seem to be hurrying now, heading for the main exit.

Joseph shakes his head. "Think I should shout out 'Stop thief!'? I nv er thought it would do much good really." He heads to cut off the teens.

Olivia follows Joseph since she doesn't see whom he was indicating.

Jason diverts towards the teenagers.

Al had been trying to be patient about it, but he hurries a bit more, trying to break free of the main crowd so he can actually run.

Jason thinks. o O (I wonder what they're up to?)

Joseph sighs as looks at the crowds. "Oh, bugger this." He stops for a moment, then in a flash of sunlight, Lightray is standing where Joseph was. He then flaps his wings and rises in the air as he says in a stentorian voice, pinting towards the teens. "Stop thief!"

Jason reacts instantly, reaching out with a free hand, he attempts to bar the teenagers' way with a shield of telekinetic force in their way.

Olivia blinks and stands there, for a moment at what Joseph, or Lightray does. She cocks her head to the side and was thinking about just pushing her way through the crowd, after all few are as strong as she is, but then he goes and does that and it stuns her for a moment.

Mystique in the mall. Despite the crowds and jostling and shoving there's an unusual expression on her face. A smile. She has a little girl of about nine by the hand as they work their way from child's clothes shop to toy shop with the food court firmly on the list of objectives.

Clearly, such is the ennui of the shoppers from the endless attempts to get them to buy things that Lightray just seems to be one more thing to ignore. He turns a few heads near him, but little more. Mystique notices him, though.

Mystique frowns as she sees and hears Lightray. Unless he is moonlighting for Mall security it's probably not a common shoplifter that's the cause of the disturbance. Handing little Julia a twenty dollar note she tells her to go straight to the food court and stay there until Mystique gets back.

Al continues running after the teenagers, realizing he's probably been noticed chasing them at this point.

Jason misjudges his barrier and it's erected behind the exiting youths - but in front of Al. The youths make it outside.

Jason turns off the force wall as soon as inhumanly possible and silently berates himself for his mistake.

Al growls, "Damnit...what the heck? They have a meta helping them?" He glances back toward Lightray, but then tries to vault and clear the barrier to continue chasing the teenagers.

Lightray looks down at Olivia. "Would you like a lift?"

Or...Al starts to get ready to vault it, when it disappears.

Olivia looks up at Lightray, "which way are they leaving?" she calls up to him, still not really having seen them. She nods to Lightray, that would work.

Lightray dips down to Olivia and picks her up. He smiles slightly as hen says, "Hold on." HE then tries to fly over the crowds to the exit the teens took.

Donald runs into the mall, hoping that there are still Gamestations left. As soon as he's inside, he skids to a stop, his mouth gaping open as he starts to watch the scene unfolding inside the mall. o O ( It's a mad house... I've got no chance to get a Gamestation now... if only I didn't have to go to my sister's stupid recital... )

Al just continues running full tilt toward the exit. . o 0 (Perhaps the kids didn't actually notice me yet. I don't want to fight a meta in here, though.)

Donald watches the scene in the mall with despair as he walks in, not really paying attention to his surroundings. He strays right into Al's path and collides with him!

Donald falls onto his back, landing with a grunt. He sits up on one elbow and squints at Al. "What the...?"

Lightray carries Olivia over the head of the crowd towards the exit. HIs wings pass through solid objects as he wings his way toawrds the amin exit.

Al bumps into Donald, going sprawling himself. He gets to his feet and says, "Sorry sir...just trying to stop a couple thieves. Excuse me." He offers a hand to Donald to help him up.

Olivia cocks her head to the side and finds flying interesting, definitely different from when she is leaping through the air, but not by too much.

Donald accepts the hand up from Al. "What did they take?" he asks. Once on his feet, he rubs his shoulder and turns to look at the front entrance in the direction of the escaping teens.

Mystique frowns. "That is _bad_ news." she mutters to herself. Then she turns to mist, flows through the crowds and reforms outside the main entrance above the ground. From which point she falls not having any means to fly.

Donald steps outside, presumably following Al, to see what's happening.

Jason runs outside after the fleeing teens, still clutching his shopping bigs in his left arm.

Al says to Donald as he moves toward the door, "Santa's bag. No idea what's in it, and it's probably a stupid prank, but still...they need to be held accountable."

Olivia is going as she is being carried.

Outside, it turns out that the 5 teens have climbed into Santa's sleigh for some reason. One of them is pulling things out of the bag like mad. One seems to be trying to work out how to get reindeer to move.

Al raises a brow. "Where'd that come from?"

Al blinks. "Damnit. They have guns. At least I think they're real." He moves closer to the sleigh, trying to get within an arm's reach of it. "Hey kids...put the guns down."

"Shit - there are some metas after us!" one of the kids shouts.

Jason runs forward, trying to get on (or in) the sleigh with the teens.

Donald freezes for a moment. o O ( Are those guns...? ) He looks to Al. "Look out -- they're armed!" He scrambles off to try and find a place to change.

"There's nothing in the sleigh!" complains one of the teens.

"Oh yeah?" says the one with the bag? "How about you leave us alone?" He pulls some high-tech ray-gun-looking thing from the bag.

Mystique frowns again at the sight of guns in the hands of children. She summons a mist from the air around the misbehaving children and thickens it into a binding restraining fog. Unfortunately it's likely to catch others in the area.

Lightray sets Olivia down on the ground. As he does so, he creates a field of sunlight tight around himself.

Jason jumps into the sleigh, "OK boys, give up whatever you took..."

Al is held fast by the mist, as it billows and rolls over the area. He gasps as he realizes what's happening.

The youths in the sleigh are held by the mist. It looks like this might be over rather quickly!

Jason struggles to get out of the binding mist, but watches carefully to make sure that *his* breaking free wouldn't free the youths.

Lightray flies towards the sleigh. As he closes, he says, "Someone take the bag from him! Its enchanted."

Olivia cocks her head and at the guns, she shimmers and assumes her diamond form. She then heads to leap at the sleigh to get closer.

Al glances around, seeing true metas appear. o O (Time to fade into the background. I'm in my civvies. Maybe I'll just wait until I'm rescued.)

Donald ducks into a photo booth just inside the entrance of the mall. He draws the curtain shut and he begins to change inside. Hopefully the commotion of the scene will help hide is switcheroo.

While most of the lads in the sleigh are panicking, finding themselves immobile, one has an inspiration. He shouts out, "Now Dasher, Now Dancer! Now Prancer and Vixen! On Comet, On Cupid..." - and the reindeer pull the sleigh, out of the restraining fog - and into the air!

Mystique frowns.

Jason shakes his head, "You're just making things worse for yourselves."

Lightray watches the sleigh take off and runs a hand over his eyes. He then begin to fly after it.

Jason shrugs himself out of the restraining mist, "C'mon guys. Give this up before it gets any worse than it already is."

Al wriggles to try to escape the mist that's holding him. o O( This was magic, wasn't it? I'm stuck, I bet.)

Al starts to pull himself free, but he's still stuck for the moment.

Diamond cocks her head to the side and leaps forward to catch up to the sled and make a grab to keep it from going further and drag it back to the ground.

Diamond leaps and manages to get a hold onto the Sleigh. For the moment she just holds on and keeps an eye out for something passing that she might be able to grab on to and enable her to ground the sleigh.

Mystique turns into mist and flows up to the sleigh. She reforms in the back of it quite unaffected by the remaining binding mist.

The kids looks scared as the sleigh lurches as Olivia grabs it - and then a witch appears next to them!

Jason stands up in the sleigh and appeals to the kids, "You guys are already in a heap of trouble, lets just end this quietly before it gets any worse, kay?"

Jason fails even to attract attention as the lads all stare at the witch!

Al tries to break free again, seeing the sleigh move away. o O (Bah. I guess I'm leaving it to them.)

The kids struggle against the binding mist. One of them shouts out instructions to try to throw off puruit: "Turn Dasher! Dive Prancer....." The sleigh starts moving extremely erratically...

The kids are glued in place by the mist, and aren't thrown out of the sleigh - clever strategem!

Jason is thrown from the sleigh as it bucks around erratically. He reaches out and grabs the edge of it, clinging to the side by his left hand. The packages he has been holding go tumbling from his grip.

Jason glowers at the five teens, "Okay, that's about enough of that!" he yells, "Dasher! Dancer! Land on the mall roof!"

Jason vaults back over the side, so he is back in the sleigh.

The kid keeps shouting contrary instructions, resulting in very confused reindeer, it seems.

The reindeer pull out of their dive and head back toward the mall - which means at the moment they're heading right at a maglev line!

The sleigh is pushed downwards. The good news is it won't crash into the maglev line itself now, though it might hit one of its supports.

The most nervous kid is screaming now as the maglev line looms near.

Mystique casts a spell. Curling wisps of mist, moving shadows at the edge of vision, creaks and groans seemingly coming from nowhere, and the taint of corruption in a victim's nostrils. These effects backed up by psychotropic drug pollution in the mist she creates in the area of the sleigh. Then she smiles at the kids. "This is a new land to me. They tell me you have freedom of choice in this country. So I'm giving you all a free choice. Cease this foolishness and yield... or spend the rest of your lives sitting on a lily leaf in a pond going 'ribbit ribbit'."

The kids are certainly shocked enough that they're no longer giving the reindeer directions. The cowardly one says, "donthurtusdonthurtus..."

Teflon races back out of the mall and does his best to catch up with the others.

Jason braces his feet on the bottom of the sleigh, and both hands on the sides, and attempts to ground the sleigh somewhat safely away from supports, maglev, people, etc.

Diamond just hangs there for the moment on the bottom of the sled.

Jason slows the sleigh considerably, but it's still being pulled forward.

Diamond nods, then will try to use my strength and stop the sled.

Al pulls out his PDA, and starts to take some pictures of the careening sleigh. He looks to a neighboring onlooker, and says, "Just in case it's the last Christmas. For posterity."

Al spots Santa, still in the mall. He look like he's not feeling well, from the way he's rubbing his head.

Olivia pulls the sleigh to a complete halt, though the reindeer are still trying to pull forward.

Al heads inside to find Santa. "Excuse me sir. I think you need to...umm...call your sleigh back."

Teflon skates to a stop and the heroes stop the sleigh. He looks over at the maglev tracks and breathes a sigh of relief.

Lightray watches Diamond pull the sleigh to a stop with a smile on his face.

The kids look in disbelief as still another meta arrives. "Ok ok we give up!"

Jason noticing that someone is taking pictures, pulls his shirt off (despite the cold) and wraps it around his head.

Diamond smiles and keeps it held, not wanting the reindeer to pull it away, "Whoa Dasher, whoa, dancer, Whoa Prancer and vixen, Whoa comet whoa cupid, donner and blitzen." she calls out trying to get them to stop pulling, worth a shot.

Santa thanks Al and comes outside, and instructs the reindeer to come to a halt, all in rhyme.

But Diamond beats him to it!

Al watches Santa, raising a brow, clearly in at least a little disbelief.

"Hm." Teflon eyes the sleigh, debating whether on not he should try giving it a command.

Lightray seems to be having trouble not laughing. He actually begins to chuckle as he flies back down to the ground next to the sleigh.

Anastrophe frowns, rubbing his head again. Then he pulls out a long piece of paper and write "very" in front of the "naughty" next to 5 names.

Santa frowns, rubbing his head again. Then he pulls out a long piece of paper and write "very" in front of the "naughty" next to 5 names.

Diamond lets go of the sled now and looks around with the others watching Santa too.

Teflon says, "Looks like someone's getting coal this year."

Jason asks, "This all uner control?" his voice muffled a bit by his tank wrapped around his face.

Anastrophe goes over to the sleigh, looks at all the weapons and such and starts stuffing them all back into his bag.

Al looks up at the sleigh, and nods as Santa writes. "So, what do kids get nowadays for being naughty?"

Santa goes over to the sleigh, looks at all the weapons and such and starts stuffing them all back into his bag.

Al chuckles, "And who's getting a raygun this year?"

Mystique nods to Santa, one magical being to another.

Lightray nods politely to Santa. "Are you well, Pere Noel?"

"Depends on how naughty," he says. "And I don't think anyone's getting that. Thank you, all of you!" He adds some "nice" entries to his list.

Diamond just stands there for moment and watches him. She shakes her head, curious, wanting to ask questions, but she doesn't.

Jason, seeing that things are indeed wrapped up here, takes off to go find his dropped packages.

Al takes another photo of the scene, looking slightly melancholy. He smiles slightly as he looks at the digital image on the screen of his PDA.

says, "I'm sure I'll be fine - I didn't realise just how naughty these ones were, though!"

Diamond nods, "Have a nice day." she says and shifts back so she is looking like she always does.

Teflon says, "Hey, were those weapons for real, or just toys?"

"Oh, don't worry about that, I've put them back where they belong. Now - what would you good people like for Christmas?"

Mystique politely asks for the list that Santa has. If he hands it over she scrolls through to find Julia Kuruka's name and writes in 'extremely good and well behaved - small pony'. before returning it.

Olivia shrugs a bit and smiles, "I am content." she says and dips her head and starts to turn to go. She wouldn't come right out and ask.

Lightray smiles wistfully at Santa, but shakes his head. "Merry Christmas, Santa." He then moves over towards Diamond.

Santa seems amused by Mystique's action. He even laughs - yes, "ho ho ho."

Al smiles a bit wistfully, "Honestly? I'd like something you're unable to provide. But thank you anyway. If you think I've been nice enough to warrant a gift, I'll happily be surprised with whatever you provide, sir."

Teflon asks the teens. "Hey, you guys belong to the Spitfires, right?"

Santa says, "Well - thank you all again for your help, and a merry Christmas to all! I'd better get back to the little ones...."

The youths glance at each other and don't answer. Maybe not such a proud moment for the gang at the moment.

Al pulls his trenchcoat closed, and nods. "Yeah. Merry Christmas." He lowers his head a bit as he walks over toward the parking lot, realizing how cold he is now that the adrenaline has worn off.

Olivia raises a brow and nods and looks at the boys for a moment, "Well, and you all?" she seems to be thinking.

Lightray looks over at the youths then back to Olivia.

Santa heads back into the mall, with a moment of slight reluctance, suggesting perhaps more a tired department-store Santa than Christmas incarnate, at least for a instant.

Teflon shivers a bit too. He starts rubbing his hands together to warm them. His hand glow, and give off a little smoke too.

One of kids says "huh?"

Olivia nods, "What do you think?" she asks Lightray.

The kids glance at each other, wondering what now.

Mystique suddenly hurries after Santa/ "A moment of your time if you will." she says.

Lightray looks at the youths. "Well, Santa seems have left matters in our hands."

Santa pauses and turns back. "What can I do for you?"

Mystique says, "The gifts you hand out from your sack. Where do they come from?"

Olivia nods, "Community service might be good, not sure."

Lightray nods slowly and smiles slightly. "Soup kitchen?"

Santa hesitates a long moment, and then says, professional to professional, "Not from anyone who deserves them. When I can, from worlds where no one will ever need them again." The sadness in his voice is evident.

Olivia nods, "Sounds good. Be my guest." she says and smiles sweetly.

There's some grumbling from the kids. But they keep it low.

Lightray looks over at the youths. He says in a quiet voice, "Do you think you deserve another chance?" He focusses his attention on the youth who seemed bothered by what the gang was doing.

Mystique nods and rests a hand briefly on his shoulder. "Mortals, like deities, are limited. You can only strive to do as mush as is possible. To do less is to fail yourself. To do more is impossible. Feel sadness at what you cannot control but do not feel guilt or shame."

The kid glances at the others before he gives his answer, nodding.

Lightray then says in a hearty voice. "Well then. Time to get going then." He heads over to the sleigh and breaks the youths free one at a time. "I know just the soup kitchen. Run by a nice lady who always needs help. And its a good ting I never have to sleep that way I can keep an eye on you." His voice is full of good cheer.

He nods. "It is the burden of such as you and I to know about these things. But at least I can bring some happiness out of the ruins." And at that he puts on his jolly smile again. "Was there anything else?"

Olivia waves to Lightray and glances back towards Santa and Mystique, knowing that she can't get the one thing she truly would want. She sighs softly.

Mystique smiles, "No. Return to your post. There are children waiting. I will be bringing one to see you myself shortly."

Lightray looks over at Olivia. "You are welcome to come along if you wish. The more the merrier when it comes to such things."

"Merry Christmas!" he says again, and heads inside.

Olivia shakes her head, "No, I should be getting home."

Lightray nods to Olivia and smiles broadly. "Have a Merry Christmas then, my dear. Be well."

On Christmas, Julia gets a pony!