For the sake of the children... (cont.)

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

The auction is heating up. Some of the items have fetched handsome prices from anonymous bidders via cellphone proxies or the organization's website. The next item due on the auction block is a limited-run Flamebird figure (Bette might recognize it - she got a box of them for her birthday earlier this year).

But this is San Francisco, and it's almost Christmas, and when the Titans are around, something is almost guaranteed to go wrong.

And it does; quickly, suddenly, and loudly, in the form of a huge Santa sleigh, replete with animatronic reindeer, crashing through an adjoining wall from the set of a movie being filmed just outside.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Flamebird knows that she can't move the wheelchairs fast enough, so she's scooping them out of their chairs as she goes. One is easy. Two is hard. Three is extremely challenging but she has three, the first swung onto her back with a "Hold on tight for a few seconds."

Hopefully it won't need to be more than a few seconds.

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

The reindeer are fortunately not real -- but it means debris and parts are raining down over the attendees and staff alike. The sleigh, which was airborne when it veered off course, is headed straight for the staging area.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Flamebird stops, carefully putting the kids down.

"You all okay?"

She'll try to save merchandise later. Right now? Kids

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

The kids seem more surprised than frightened, trying to make sense of the chaos erupting all around. One of them nods up at her. The boy on her back wraps his arms more tightly around her neck, reluctant to let go.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"S'okay, sweetie. You're fine now. You're just fine."

Flamebird smiles at them, keeping contact with them. "Bet you never thought you'd see that, huh?"

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

A mute shaking of heads. A mushroom cloud of plaster dust rises lazily into the air. It's hard to tell if there's someone on the sleigh.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"You guys going to be okay? I need to see if there is anyone on the sleigh, okay?" Flamebird can bring them with her but she'd really rather not bring them over into a possibly dangerous situation.

"If you need me, yell, okay?"

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

Finally, the boy lets go of her, though his fingers trail the edge of her cape as he's set down. "'kay."

There's a sizeable hole in the wall, which is allowing the colder San Francisco air into the building. The animatronic reindeer sputter and twitch in the wreckage.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Flamebird grins at them and takes a few steps befre vaulting toward the sleigh. It'll be a strange landing but she'll be able to handle it. It isn't like she's trying to do a quadruple flip between here and there or anything.

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

A figure in red is slumped over in the safety harness on the sleigh, covered with dust.