Star Harbor Nights

The heroes spent the better part of another day fruitlessly combing the warehouses in the shipping district. Even with the telepathic sensitivity of Allison and the acute hunting senses of the Hex Kittens adding to the speedsters' efforts, they were able to turn up no sign of the villains or their operation.

They did, however, stop a few petty crimes and interrupt a drug deal. Amy got more than her own share of the excitement when her dockside patrol brought her once more against her mysterious tentacled foe. This time, the beast... its body now the size of a car... put up more of a fight before it vanished in a veritable sea of inky darkness, leaving her exhausted and bedraggled. Instead of rising effortlessly on top of the waves, she had to climb her way up on the beach and call for Allison to pick her up as Mindfyre.

"Let's head back," Allison said, once they'd all met up together.

"Back to where?" Amy asked. "I'd love nothing more than to get home and relax, and we're going to need to think about feeding this group, anyway... but we can't exactly take everyone to the beach house."

"Um, on that subject, my sisters kind of have some unique dietary needs," Dandy said.

“Yeah, Willow can’t eat anything that’s nailed down,” Lily said.

“Can, so,” Willow sniffed.

"Well," Allison said to Amy, "you're clearly too worn out to have to deal with this kind of a crowd, and you shouldn't have to, since you're not at... work. Wait, I think I have an idea."

"What?" Amy said. "Oh... we can't go there."

"Come on, we did before," Allison said. "And where else can we take this many superheroes out to dinner?"

"We're technically not superheroes," Dandy said. "And we'd kind of like to stay that way, officially."

"That's okay, you'll be there as celebrities," Allison said. "That's what makes this perfect. And nobody'll even have to change."

 Within the hour, the party of nine found themselves seated within the dining room of Valentine's, the city's most famous dining spot. Val's was where the crème de la crème of the super elite came to eat, both heroes and a few fashionably reformed villains. It was not uncommon to spot rock stars and actors rubbing elbows with the crowd, which allowed the Hex Kittens to be seen in the company of costumed heroes without blowing their cover.

That's not to say that they didn't attract some attention. Mindfyre and Amphitrite had both put in an appearance before, but it was the first time for the Hex Kittens and the Nebula City heroes. Even if that wasn't enough to turn heads, there are few sights in nature as awe-inspiring as that of the Binder sisters ordering food.

"Um, under the steaks," Lily began, sounding quite a bit more self-conscious than anyone was used to hearing her, "it says they're seasoned..."

"...with a unique blend of spices, yep," the waitress said. "It's really good, without being too overwhelming, you know?"

"I can't really handle a lot of spicy food," Lily said. "Could I possibly get the New York strip steak unseasoned, and very rare?"

"Okay, and do you want the baked potato, the loaded baked potato, the garlic..."

"I actually don't want any sides or vegetables," Lily said. "Just the steak, and a beer. Is that okay?"

"Uh, sure."

"And, um..."

"Did you want something else in place of the vegetables?" the server asked.

"Well, kind of," Lily said. "Could I... could I just have six of them?"

"Of what?"

"Of the steaks," Lily said. "Eight. Make it eight."

"Okay, so that's eight twelve ounce New York strip steaks... you know, that's six pounds of meat."

"Is it?" Lily said. "Um, make it ten."

"I take back the anorexic crack," Echo said under her breath. She stuck a finger in her mouth.

Lily shot her a furious glare.

"I don't eat a lot of carbohydrates, okay?" she said.

"That's fine," the waitress said, a little wide-eyed but sounding as soothing as she could. "We cater to a variety of, uh, non-standard metabolisms. Um, and you?" she asked Willow.

"Do you have cheesecake?" Willow asked.

"The best cheesecake in the city, seven years in a row," the waitress said.

"I'll take two, and a Cornish game hen," Willow said.

"Two slices of cheesecake, and a Cornish game hen. Do you want me to bring it..."

"No!" Willow said. "Two cheesecakes and a Cornish game hen."

"Willow," Dandy said warningly.

"Fine," Willow said. "Two cheesecakes and two Cornish game hens. Have them put the capers on the side. I like to throw them at people."

"Remember what we said about impulse control?" Dandy said.

"I haven't murdered you in your sleep yet, so I think I'm doing pretty good," Willow said. "And a lobster tail, and a pitcher of milk."

"Fine, whatever," Dandy said. "I swear, I can't take you guys anywhere... would it kill you to act like human beings every now and then? Um, is the turkey club sandwich a double decker?"

"Yes, Miss," the waitress said.

"Okay," Dandy said. "I'll just have three of those, no mayo, and a diet cola."

"Hey, make the lobster tail two whole lobsters, and make them fight for my amusement first," Willow said.

"I hope to God we're doing separate checks," Echo said.

"Don't worry, Will'll pick it up," Dandy said.

"Why am I picking it up?" Willow asked.

"Because you're awesome," Lily told her.

"Oh, right. I am."

The rest of the ordering proceeded more or less uneventfully. The conversation was very general as they waited for their food, and fell along lines of familiarity. Amy and Allison talked to each other about Amy's bizarre undersea enemy, the Binders skirmished over Willow's claiming of an entire basket of bread, and the group from Nebula City traded stories about people they knew. Echo mostly sat back and watched, though both Allison and Dandy did their best to engage her in their discussions.

"Um... so... you seem to have settled into the whole leadership thing pretty well," Lily said to Allison after she'd finished thirty percent of her meal.

"Thanks," Allison said, though she had the distinct feeling it wasn't entirely meant as a compliment.

"It's just, you know, a little weird," Lily said. "I mean, I didn't exactly know the thunder guys' names, but they've been on the news, and everybody knows who Minerva is... plus I've, uh, met her sister... and Echo... blind and deaf dead people buried under a rock in the middle of Africa know all about Echo."

"Thank you, Ms. Tact," Echo said.

"You know Athena?" Minerva asked. "She never mentioned that."

"Kind of," Lily said. "She used to come to the S... well, um, this club I go to."

"I know about the club," Minerva said. "Athena used to go, but I never did. I know that technically my powers came to me through... you know." She twitched her nose from side to side. "But it doesn't really feel like my scene."

"Well, anyway," Lily said, turning back towards Allison. "I guess my point is... you're the only person at this table that I haven't ever heard of before."

"You know, I've found myself thinking..."

"We who are about to die salute you!" interrupted Willow, holding a boiled lobster in each hand and brandishing them at each other. She'd been frustrated in her attempts to arrange a crustacean mortal combat, and her request to be allowed to play with her lobsters before they were consigned with the pot had fallen on deaf ears as well. She'd sulked for as long as it took her food to arrive, when she began enacting the imagined battle royale with the red-shelled creatures.

"I've found myself thinking the same thing," Allison said, deciding to just talk over the ensuing barrage of sound effects. "I guess I have my own reasons for stepping up here, but what it really comes down to isn't why I'm leading, so much as why everybody else is following."

"That's a silly question," Amy said. "You are my friend, and I know in my heart that you've got what it takes."

"Thanks, Amy," Allison said. "But that's just it... you are my friend. The others here don't know me, so I can't really speak for why anybody feels comfortable following my lead. I don't know if it's just the fact that I'm local, or that the Pantheon's backing me, or what, but it's not like I stood up and said 'It's my way or the highway.'"

"Well, I like to make up my own mind," Ford said. "But I'm used to deferring to Storm Siren or Athena during team-ups."

"Yeah, we're not really big on strategizing," Beau said. "We mostly just sort of zoom in and hit where they tell us to hit."

"Okay, I have to say, if Athena was here, I'd back whatever she wanted to do, one hundred percent," Minerva said. "But she's not, and you are, and until the universal wisdom tells me you're talking out of your ass, I'm willing to go with the flow."

"I told you that all I really wanted was to be in the middle of a team," Echo said. "So maybe I do have more ambition than that. I want to lead some day, but one thing at a time, you know? Besides, I'm a little bit distracted worrying about... you know, all the people Geppetto's got. I'd hate to see anything happen to h... to them."

"Aw, does Echo have a widdle boyfriend?" Lily said. "Oh, that's right, she does... she was caught in a closet with him on national TV."

"Lily," Dandy said sternly.

"What? If she didn't want to be made fun of everywhere she went, she shouldn't have gone on the show," Lily said. "I mean, when you get right down to it, is there anything inherently funnier or sadder than a former reality show contestant?"

"How about a reality show viewer?" Echo countered.

"Touché," Lily said. "Shutting up now."

"So," Ford said. "How 'bout that subject change?"

"It's too bad Claire couldn't've come with us," Beau said. "We flew all the way back to Nebula, and I barely got to see her. In person, I mean."

"You think I love the idea of leaving her on her own another day?" Minerva said. "I had to give Caridad combat pay and a stun gun before she'd agree to watch her again. But Claire's not supposed to leave the state of Kansas... still, I'm surprised that she didn't try to sneak aboard the Argos, or something. That would be just... um, I'll be right back."

She was gone in the blink of an eye, leaving stunned silence and the sound of Willow going "Oh, God, my arm, my arm!" in a high-pitched voice while wrenching open one of the lobsters' claws with her bare hands.

Minerva was back in her seat as quickly as she'd left.

"Sorry about that," she said. "I just had to check... oh, wait a minute."

She vanished again.

"This must be like the superpowered equivalent of a new mom calling the babysitter every thirty seconds," Dandy said.

"I'm not Claire's mom," Minerva said as she re-appeared. "It's just... Athena'd be absolutely destroyed if something happened to Claire, or if the state took her away."

"Well, she turns eighteen in December right?" Beau said. "So you can stop worrying about her soon."

"And start worrying about Athena," Minerva said, sighing. "You know, never mind. Let's talk about something else."

"Well, not that this isn't all interesting," Ford said. "But how about our next move? To be honest, I don't think we're going to just stumble across the bad guys the way we've been going."

"I've got Thoth following up on the leads Rhyme gave me," Allison said, feeling slightly full of herself as she said "I've got Thoth," but not caring. "Along with some other information that... uh... " She hesitated, then decided to just come out with it. She was psychic, after all. "...sort of came to me in a dream the other night. I saw this weird living doll-girl who called herself 'Molly', and fitting in with the general theme we've got so far... Drosselmeier, Geppetto... a living doll seemed like too big a coincidence."

"What's 'Drosselmeier'?" Beau asked. "I thought it was just a guy's name."

"It's from The Nutcracker," Dandy said. "The toymaker who presents Clara with the nutcracker."

"Are we supposed to know this stuff?" Beau asked his brother.

"Don't look at me," Lily said. "I don't know the first thing about opera."

"The first thing being how to tell it from ballet," Echo said. "Apparently."

"Well, anyway," Allison said. "It might have just been a dream, but Thoth ran it through ISIS, anyway. It turns there's no official record of a mutant named Molly or fitting that description... but... there is a registry entry in the 4B database for a 'Miss Molly Dolly,' with no file. Somebody deleted it, and an ordinary computer search wouldn't have turned up even a trace."

"More astonishing coincidences," Amy said. "So, what are we doing about it?"

"Thoth said he's got a way of retrieving the original," Allison said. "He said it would take a while, but he'll probably be done by morning. He was not forthcoming with the details, but it's just more computer stuff, I'd imagine."

"The bottom line is that we won't know our next move until tomorrow, then?" Echo asked.

"Thank every god you can imagine for that," Amy said. "I don't think I have enough strength to manipulate a rain drop at this point."

"Hon, you've got to watch yourself," Allison said. "Should fighting Squidworth really be taking that much out of you?"

"I don't know about should, but it is," Amy said. "Nothing a good night's sleep wouldn't fix... but now we're back to the same question we had before dinner. Where do we go?"

"I'd assume the Pantheon would put us up if we asked," Allison said a little hesitantly. "That would let us stay together, and you can be sure our toymakers wouldn't be able to strike at us if they wanted to."

"I'm... torn," Echo said. "I like the idea of being included in something involving the Pantheon of Heroes, but I'd rather it be something where I'm standing beside them, not hiding behind them."

"I like how you think," Allison said. "You're right, I don't want to get too dependent on their support... but even if we had enough room to sleep nine people, there's no way we could take the whole group back to our place without attracting attention."

She didn't mention the prospect of finding herself in another eerie linked dreamscape, with four extra minds. She'd been too tired to dream when they got back to California the night before, but this was a whole other night. She hadn't seen Bast to give her the blocking circlet back yet... maybe she'd wear it to bed.

"We still have our hotel suite," Dandy said. "I extended it for an indefinite stay. I'm pretty sure the couches fold out. That gives us room for two more, without any doubling up."

"I'll take the boys," Willow purred.

"I... uh..." Beau stammered.

"Claire," Ford reminded him.

"No offense, but you guys are pretty non-descript, out of uniform," Allison said to the brothers LeChamp. "I don't think you'd be in any danger of being recognized if you changed back to your civilian threads."

"And even if Mrs. Juszczyk sees two young men entering or leaving our place, she won't think any worse of us than she already does," Amy added. "Not that she has any reason, the nosy old bitch."

"Whereas if the celebrity guests are spotted with us, it'll just be another item for the gossip columns," Dandy said, following the thought. "Two groups instead of one... that's still better odds than if we all split up."

"I'm not crazy about being the only mutant in my group," Echo said. "I don't mean that to be racist, but without powers to absorb, I wouldn't be that useful in a fight. But we're probably being overly cautious... we don't know that the bad guys are still interested in us."

"A sleepover... this could be fun," Minerva said. To Lily, she said, "Did you know that you have the most intense green eyes?"

"Yeah, um, flattered but spoken for," she said. "Anyway, that would just be weird."

"Okay, maybe some other time," Minerva said.

"Some other time I'll still be spoken for," Lily said.

"Lil's pretty sure she's met 'the one'," Dandy said. "Of course, she thinks that about everybody she meets... but here's hoping. This one's not a druggie or a pyro or anything."

Well, congrats," Minerva said. "Not that I'm sure I believe in the whole 'the one' thing... though I've almost been convinced lately to give it a try."

"Talking about 'the one,' Allison... look who's coming over," Amy said, adding an extra sing-song inflection to the last four words. She nodded her head in the direction of a handsome-bordering-on-beautiful man in an expertly tailored Italian suit who was approaching the table.

"Who's he?" Lily asked.

"That would be Valentine. You guys can pay for the food," Allison said. "But I've got to pay for the table."

"What do you mean?" Dandy asked.

"On the subject of amazing coincidences, what did you think of getting a table for nine on zero notice in the hottest restaurant in town?" Allison asked. "I mean, yeah, Minerva and Amphitrite are definitely A-list, and you guys are pretty hot right now, too, but in a town like this, the A-list is pretty long, you know?"

She started to rise to greet the man, but he waved her back.

"Oh, do not get up," he said. He stooped to kiss her hand. "Truly, Mindfyre, you light up every room that you enter."

"Not since I learned to control my powers," Allison said with a nervous chuckle.

"Have you given any more thought to my request?" he asked her.

"I'm... kind of... in the middle of something," she said. "Super business, you know?"

"Say no more," Valentine said. "But, when it's concluded, I would consider it a signal honor if you would consent to grace me with your company for at least one evening?"

"I... what did you have in mind?" Allison asked.

"Absolutely nothing in particular, my dear... you would be the event," the restaurateur said. "So, may I consider it a date?"

Allison tried to answer, but couldn't get her throat to work properly and wasn't sure what she was even trying to say. She noticed Minerva looking at her, trying to catch her eye. Minerva raised an eyebrow questioningly. Allison caught her thought, clearly broadcast: gonna practice what you preach. Alli?

"Yes," she said, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Yes, you may. I will."

"Excellent!" he exclaimed. "In the mean time, you may consider this meal to be on the house. My gift, to a lovely lady and her charming friends. And may I add, Amphitrite," he said, nodding to the woman who, in her other identity, was one of his best chefs, "that it is always a pleasure to see you in my dining room."

"Smooth," Ford said, once Valentine had took his leave. "Very smooth."

"See, Will, you lucked out," Dandy said, turning to her sister, who was making the intact body of a third lobster dance over the decimated shells of the other two. "Hey, where the hell did you get that?"

Willow gave her a look of exasperation bordering on disgust.

"Why do you persist in asking questions you already know the answer to?"