Dinadan Palmer (sonoftheatom) wrote in dc_nextgen,
@ 2013-10-09 02:18:00

Entry tags:

The Story Starts When Your Protagonist...
Dinadan sinks down in his seat, pulling his phone out of his pocket and firing off a text. It's only after he hits 'send' that he realizes that he hadn't selected his girlfriend's name out of his contact list:

To: Jai
I introduced myself as "Dr. Palmer's kid". People still think I have jaundice. Ugh.

He and Jai had mostly been okay after that talk they'd had in the library. No one had failed to graduate from high school and fled into the jungle or thought that they were making someone flee into the jungle, so it was a win all around. They still hadn't talked quite as much as they'd used to, but they'd both also been pretty busy.

Still, it could have been a worse wrong number. And while he'd meant to whine at Petra, there's no reason he can't whine at Jai and see if he gets anything entertaining back. Dinadan fires off another text:

To: Jai
Legitimately considering hitch-hiking home in a huff.

To: Jai
You have five minutes to entertain me, start planning a rescue, or to ignore this message before I move on down the list.

(Post a new comment)

fastasyoucan
2013-10-09 09:48 pm UTC (link)

The replies comes soon after, it's not surprising that Jai is a fast texter and this is more interesting than the math assignment he's working on.

To: Din
Disappearing mysteriously from your seat, walking to the door in a huff then disappearing, or wait until you're out of sight?

To: Din
Non-flash fact: Most stores don't sell sugarcane juice.

To: Din
Don't they know some guys have friends with jaundice?

To: Din
The only reason this might take close to five minutes is the woman in line in front of me. Who pays all in coins?

To: Din
Seriously, the express line isn't what it's supposed to be.

To: Din
You've got a minute to decide how you want to make your grand or non-grand exit.

To: Din
Aaaand now she dropped half the coins.

To: Din
If I was Irey I'd have already run off to search another city.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

sonoftheatom
2013-10-16 04:26 am UTC (link)

Dinadan muffled a laugh into his hand, getting up and heading for the door so that there wouldn't be any confusion among the other attendees when Dinadan literally vanished from sight.

"Hey," he said, catching the sleeve of a passing physicist. "Could you tell Dr. Palmer that his son's heading out? Thanks."

He slipped out the door and leaned against it, firing off another text.

To: Jai
Waiting for you outside now.

To: Jai
I didn't think you were allowed to pay in all coins in the express lane.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

fastasyoucan
2013-10-16 04:39 am UTC (link)

To: Din
Apparently 11 items is crossing a serious line but there are no rules for all in coins.

To: Din
I take that back. Turns out she has 12 items.

A (very sigh worthy) minute later, and a gust a wind signalled Jai's arrival. He pushed a juice box of sugarcane juice at Din right after screeching to a stop. "For your unfortunate affliction, nobody can say we're not working on it," he grinned before holding up a paper pastry bag. "It's not even close to your baking but they were fresh and baked snacks are never bad. Cheese breadstick?"

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	sonoftheatom 2013-10-18 07:50 am UTC (link)
	Dinadan accepted the juice box with an attempt to elbow Jai in the ribs. "Ha ha, you're a barrel of laughs. Ooh, delicious carbs, I forgive you instantly." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	fastasyoucan 2013-10-18 03:22 pm UTC (link)
	Jai laughed as he was elbowed in the ribs. "I'm lucky you're predictable then. I'm starving, so we're eating these now, but want to get out of here and find something more interesting to do? Don't think what I'm rescuing you from is particularly engaging stuff." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

sonoftheatom
2013-11-05 08:15 am UTC (link)

"Itth plenty interethting," Dinadan said around a mouthful of cheese breadstick. He swallowed before he continued, "but I'm the youngest person here by at least a decade, and the only reason I can even half-follow the science is because I was babysat by some of the most advanced minds in the field. Plus, people keep staring at me because, I don't know, I'm non-human and not wearing spandex." He flapped a hand. "I'm getting off-topic. I absolutely want to get out of here and find something else to do. Please please please take me with you."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	fastasyoucan 2013-11-16 01:48 am UTC (link)
	"Alright, I'll take your word for it man," he laughed before taking another bite of his breadstick. "Video games? My place? It's like 30 seconds away tops. Actually, make that a minute because we'll stop by Titans tower to swipe some snacks, I think we're out at home. Any preferences?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sonoftheatom 2013-11-21 07:03 am UTC (link)
	"Video games at your place sound great," Dinadan says. "And you know me, if it's some form of baked goods, I'm happy. If you wanted to swing by JLI headquarters, I've got stuff for making pizza, and I'm almost sure that there's no hidden surveillance equipment at this point." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

fastasyoucan
2013-11-22 05:15 am UTC (link)

"Well for a given definition of 'baked'. I mean there's mini muffins that someone bought, which you could bake better in your sleep. Of course I'm not counting that relatively new fad of baked chips," he smiled lightly. "We'll move fast, they won't even see the pizza stuff gone," he said before taking the last bite of his breadstick. "We'll stop at your HQ first. Ready?"

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sonoftheatom 2014-01-01 08:06 pm UTC (link)
	"Sounds like a plan." Dinadan stuffs the rest of his breadstick in his mouth and taps his belt to shrink down to his natural size for easier transport. "And thanks for taking me seriously about the surveillance equipment, most of my team thinks I'm being paranoid." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

fastasyoucan
2014-01-31 01:59 pm UTC (link)

Jai picks up his now smaller friend and grins. "No problem, and if I've learnt anything over the years, it's that your cautiousness isn't without basis. They'll figure it out soon enough I'm sure."

The run to the JLI HQ takes seconds really, and Din is placed back on solid ground so he can grow to his less-natural size again. "So who've you got on this team, especially considering they think that thinking an organization that has to deal with an international rep and multiple governments might monitor you is paranoid?"

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

sonoftheatom
2014-02-04 04:31 am UTC (link)

Dinadan flicks the switch that makes him grow, then starts ticking teammates off on his fingers. "My girlfriend, my cousin, Little Miss Chainsaw of Compassion, and Nightingale you know, Jack O'Lantern from New Zealand, August General in Irons from China, and the Green Lantern from space. Who may be holding a grudge about the time I suggested we scan his cat for surveillance equipment, but you know how I get when there are unexpected predators in my living space."

He shakes his head. "I think they think I'd have found the bugs already if there were any to find. I just think that they're craftier than expected."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

fastasyoucan
2014-02-05 02:25 pm UTC (link)

"I was going to offer a speed search if you wanted but sounds like that wouldn't give you anything new," he says. "And come on, unexpected predators at your size, what's he expect? But sounds like I've met most of them. Eclectic bunch there, do the handlers try to present you as 'superhero' or 'crown prince'? Figuring the latter if they're trying to go for international prestige points. But you never know."

As he speaks he goes over to check the fridge. "Got a list of things you want us to grab here?"

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

sonoftheatom
2014-02-23 06:20 am UTC (link)

"Much appreciated, but I've been here long enough that I've been able to get a decent look around. I'll let you know if I can think of an alternative way to use that, though."

Dinadan huffed in annoyance. "I know, right? Cats especially, they seem to think my terrified fleeing will make me extra tasty. And 'superhero', mostly. I think they just don't want to get into 'tiny aliens in the jungle', at least until New Morlaidh has hammered out territory rights with Brazil."

He followed Jai over to the fridge. "Dough, sauce, and cheese are musts. Then I figured whatever else is in here that doesn't have a name on it. Have you tried leftover Indian on pizza? Surprisingly good."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

fastasyoucan
2014-02-24 11:15 pm UTC (link)

"No problem, it's only a few seconds of my time anyway."

"Not to mention they like to play with their food, it's just a recipe for disaster. Though fair enough on the superhero bit, until territory rights are hammered out they can quietly sell it as a progressive move on their part, including representation of smaller nations, the whole thing. You don't put together an international superhero team without intending to use it as a political statement."

In a breeze and a blur everything not exclusively labelled is set out on the kitchen counter, with the dough, sauce and cheese being juggled in his arms. "Pick away, no name is fair game in a communal fridge as they say." He thought briefly on the topic of leftover indian on pizza. "Okay, I've tried a lot on pizza but that's one of those things I haven't actually thought of...but would be totally for."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sonoftheatom 2014-02-25 06:06 am UTC (link)
	"I'm pretty sure they're mostly banking on me keeping this crowd from going absolutely nutbar in a politically disastrous way." Dinadan shakes his head. "I love 'em, but the team as a whole isn't big on thinking things through." "Indian pizza it is then." Dinadan held up two cartons. "Butter chicken or Saag Paneer?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

fastasyoucan
2014-02-25 11:10 am UTC (link)

"Gotta say, as far as superhero teams sanctioned by an international organization...you'd have thought they would've picked and chosen the thinking things through types. I mean, if you're going to throw your money and name behind a team might not want one that'll potentially set off every political mine there is. But I guess the 'group came together' type thing at least might be sold as them trying to avoid making statements by actually picking the full roster. Lucky they have you on there."

Jai shakes his head at his friend. "Come on Din, what kind of question is that to ask a speedster? Both."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

sonoftheatom
2014-03-02 12:38 am UTC (link)

"My arguments exactly!" Dinadan says, almost throwing the two cartons into the air in excitement. Finally, someone who gets it! "We were the ones who ended up fighting Kobra that time, but you don't just hand funding and headquarters and official sanctions to people without good reason. We've had a couple people join up since, but no one even in flirting range of thirty."

He grins at Jai and sets both cartons back down on the counter. "Hey, I've been busy, you could have declared war on all spinach dishes at some point since we last hung out."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

fastasyoucan
2014-03-02 01:37 pm UTC (link)

Jai nearly laughed at the enthusiasm there. "Okay, so you've got a young, inexperienced on the national stage, team, with a good chunk of them missing some common sense, and people somehow don't agree with you on the issues of that? Wow," he half-laughed in disbelief. "Gotta say man, rather glad I'm not dealing with that mess. Because someone's gonna end up having to keep them in line and lead them, and we all know who that's going to fall on." He pointed the chunk of cheese at Din with a 'good luck with that one bud' apologetic shrug.

"Well actually I did. But limited my scope to the ones in our house. Naturally, I won that war, and now our fridges are emptied of the stuff. Speedster and war on food. Let's not insult our math skills by bothering to do the math, we know how it turns out," he grinned.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sonoftheatom 2014-03-05 02:42 am UTC (link)
	"I am going to be bald by the time I'm twenty-five," Dinadan agrees matter-of-factually. "You wanna just grab this stuff and take it to your place so we can start the video games while it bakes?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	fastasyoucan 2014-03-05 01:27 pm UTC (link)
	"Easily solved, just hope you can rock a toupee." There's a brief moment where Jai is just a blur and a breeze indicates he's gone. In no time he's back, arms empty and all the ingredients that had been spread out are gone. The stuff they're not using has been put back in the fridge. "Ready to hop on man?" He holds out his hand for Din if he's ready to head off. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sonoftheatom 2014-03-12 03:33 am UTC (link)
	"Once my hair starts going, I think I'll just shave it all off," Dinadan says. He waits until the blur returns and solidifies back into his friend, then flicks a switch on his belt and continues: "I don't even want to know what could nest in a toupee in the rain forest." He clambers up into Jai's hand. "Let's go." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	fastasyoucan 2014-03-12 07:31 am UTC (link)
	"Hmm hard to imagine you bald at the moment," he told his tiny friend in his hand. "But the potential for a superhero with a toupee-based colony of things makes a fun image," he grinned before they were off on the run. A short one though, his place wasn't too far from here. In speedster terms that is. Jai set Din carefully down on the floor upon arrival. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sonoftheatom 2014-03-17 12:31 am UTC (link)
	Dinadan finishes shuddering in horror at his theoretical toupee colony of things around the time Jai sets him down. "Your parents or your sister here, or do we have the place to ourselves for the afternoon?" he asks, growing back to human size. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	fastasyoucan 2014-03-17 07:10 am UTC (link)
	"Pretty free. Dad and Iris are out, but given transportation in our family, if they want to pop in for something they always might. Mom's tracking down a story, said she'll be late anyway and to make dinner for myself." He grinned over at Din. "Of course my definition of 'make dinner for myself' and yours are very different. Totally going to go with yours for the day." (Reply to this)(Parent)

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