It's Now 4am and Things Have Gotten Weird

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

First, Frank Gorshin as the Riddler and sound effects, now this.


Well, to be fair, "first," was the part where on the way to the grocery store to resupply Clan Arrow, Tara somehow managed to pick up a cute Green Lantern without knowing it. Here, she was ready to write off the evening with the nice guy visiting down as a nice walk with no future. The good news is that unless there are some sort of internal superhero politics she's unaware of, having him visit the Brownstone probably won't be a big deal.

And now for the bad news. Travis attempt to dispel the bug zapper he used on the goons doesn't seem to be working. Tara notices the tension as the store clerks and the scattered shoppers applaud. She runs over to Travis - assuming that's his real name. "I don't think we're done yet." he says. "And we need to get away from the civilians. You good to travel, get some fresh air?"

"Sure, Lantern." She replies. There's a slightly amused accent to her voice.

That's when the bug-zapper had grown eyes and spindly legs. And a voice. "Daddy?" it questions the Lantern.

Travis groans, moving over to Tara. "Oh Mxyzptlk." he mutters like a swear word.

"What?" she replies, notching another arrow.

Comments

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

"Daddy!" the bug-zapper insists, scampering over to him.

[blind-will.livejournal.com]

Travis frowns at the bug zapper. "You're officially disowned, unless a certain imp wants to claim you." he mutters, trying to pierce the veil between dimensions. There's a few mischevious villains out there, but this really only suits the style of a couple.
"So why us?" he asks the empty air.

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"Mitzi-what?" She swears she heard the name wrong.

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

The construct gives the distict impression of it's lower lip quivering. "But...But...Daddy..don't you love me?!"

[blind-will.livejournal.com]

Travis sighs, answering Tara, not bothering to even acknowledge the construct. "An imp from some other dimension who's of no use to anyone, and shows up every now and then to pester Superman and pull uncreative, entirely derivitive pranks."

[5d-imp.livejournal.com]

"Excuse me?! I'm sorry, but of no use to anyone? I don't know who you've been talkin' to, ya jerk, but Superman and me, we're buddies!"

Mxy is there, rather suddenly, sitting atop the head of a cashier. The cashier seems oblivious.

[blind-will.livejournal.com]

The Green Lantern shrugs dismissively. "Suuure you are. People are always talking about how much he looks forward to your visits. He even calls it 'his time of the month', with about the same enthusiasm usually reserved for that statement."

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

She eyes the imp and then Travis. She has noticed that pride appears to be a weak spot, let's see if talking like he's not there will help. "He's not one the family said anything about. Is he normally one of the Corps problems?"

[5d-imp.livejournal.com]

"Hey, you deaf, or are you just dumb?" He hops up from the cashier's head and begins stalking towards her in mid-air "I said I'm buddies with the Superdrip. You want me to attach it to a trick arrow or something for you to get it?"

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

She looks at him blankly. "What was your name agian? Mister..."

[5d-imp.livejournal.com]

"Mxyzptlk," he says proudly, bowing. The cashiers are now looking at both Travis and Tara confusedly... they clearly don't see this strange little imp.

He turns to Travis. "And before you say anything, or laugh at your superior wisdom by getting me to say my name, that is not how to get rid of me this time. Not is it to say my name backwards! I can say Kltpzyxm as much as I want! Ha!"

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"Oooookay," she replies. "So why do you need to rob a store and make interesting sound effects to get attention? New York has Coney Island for that problem."

[blind-will.livejournal.com]

Travis' attention turns fully to Tara now, ignoring the imp for the moment. "Nah, I mean, the Earth Lanterns have beaten him a couple of times, but normally he shows up in Metropolis and bugs Superman for the five to ten minutes it takes Superman to outsmart him."

[5d-imp.livejournal.com]

"That moron doesn't outsmart me!" Mxy fumes. "I'm just giving his poor addled brain a rest this time. I'm sharing the Mxy love!"

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"On the junior achievement class? 'Cause I admit, that's us. Didn't you want to go higher in the food chain?"

[5d-imp.livejournal.com]

"Luck of the draw, actually. I like bugging you capes... you're so much more fun than the ordinary schmucks of this world. So if it wasn't Superman, then who? Random chance. Pure luck." As he speaks, he shuffles and deals all three of them cards, then he grins and slaps his five aces on the table. The cards vanish before Travis or Tara can even reach for them.

The cashier is now eyeing both Travis and Tara very carefully.

[blind-will.livejournal.com]

Travis continues speaking to Tara directly, "He shows up somewhere or other, usually Metropolis, but I'm guessing he figured he just couldn't hack Superman any more, so he's trying to embarass us by appearing to no one except us in a grocery store at 3 AM. He calls it luck, I figure he's just admitting he can't handle the big kids anymore, but isn't quite so desparate as to go tease Krypto. That'll be next time."

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

The bug zapper has begun bawling now. Liquid is pouring in streams from the top corners of it, arcing down to the ground.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaddy! Daaaaaaaaaddy!"

One of the cashiers approaches Travis. "Um... Mr. Green Lantern? We appreciate you helping with that... um... guy... but can you please remove the green screaming insect zapper?"

[blind-will.livejournal.com]

Travis shrugs. "Nope. It'll disappear when the guy who summoned the other people realizes its boring and overdone."
He turns to Tara, offering a hand. "Shall we get that fresh air?"

[5d-imp.livejournal.com]

"Haw! Leaving the thing there to cry and flood the store." He tsks and shakes its head. "What do you suppose will happen to the people of the store when the tears flood up past the lip, to the core of the zapper?"

[blind-will.livejournal.com]

"I don't know. The construct I created got dispelled, and can't create water anyway. If you've gone from mildly obnoxious but mostly staid pranks to mass electrocution, I'm sure the League and whoever is back in your home dimension would love to hear it."

[5d-imp.livejournal.com]

"I know you're blind, but you don't have to be stupid, too. You didn't dispell it. It's yours. Congratulations, you're a daddy! Want a cigar?"

He offers a case of cigars to Travis.

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"The rings constructs aren't sentient without help, mommy" Tara notes pointedly.

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

::Looks at the bug zapper.::

"So that isn't going away because of Beetlejuice over there?"

[5d-imp.livejournal.com]

"For Vkzpktl's sake! The name's Mxyzptlk. Are you really as stupid as Stuperman?"

[blind-will.livejournal.com]

Travis nods to Tara, "Yup, apparently he couldn't come up with anything better on his own, so he just copied my construct. And he calls us stupid?"

[5d-imp.livejournal.com]

Mxyzptlk grins. "Stupid, am I? And just which of us hasn't even figured out the rules for sending me home yet? I'll give you a hint who hasn't... two people, not me!"

[blind-will.livejournal.com]

Travis yawns. "Because we haven't asked. I'm also mildly curious why I should bother. I'm not sure you're worth our time. Go call Superman, maybe he'll care."

[5d-imp.livejournal.com]

"As long as I'm here, you won't be able to dispel any of the ring's creations. And they'll all gain sentience."

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

"DAAAAAAAADDY!" the sentient bug-zapper weeps, skuttling after Travis.

[5d-imp.livejournal.com]

"Case in point," Mxy grins.

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

Tara is full into the game now. Arrows and brute strength are not going to help here. Ignoring the idiot might. "I'll bet Mitzi plays a mean game of charades," she remarks taking Travis's arm.

[5d-imp.livejournal.com]

"Mitzi? Mitzi?! Listen, toots, it might be better if you just shut your mouth. You'll stop looking quite as stupid. Not much, but at least a litle."

[blind-will.livejournal.com]

Gathering up Tara and the bug zapper when she offers her hand, Travis heads into low-orbit, carefully creating nothing of real note. Flying and life support work fine without. The zapper he just kind of distributes into orbit. It'll go away eventually.
Then, he says to no one in particular, figuring the imp will follow them if he's going to keep up the game.
"Ok.... Mitzi, it kind of suits you, honestly... since you're obviously going to hang around, and we have a breakfast to get to, how, in theory, would we go about getting rid of you? If its too much trouble, I can go find Green Arrow and see if he cares."

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"As long as I'm here, you won't be able to dispel any of the ring's creations. And they'll all gain sentience."

She chucks a thumb at the bug zapper. "So what do we do about you and mommy-pit-lick's custody problems, GL?"

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

"Daddy! I just want your love!"

[green-shield.livejournal.com]

"Common problem across America, kid," Tara notes with mock grimness.

[5d-imp.livejournal.com]

Mxy chuckles. "You'll never figure out the rules this time, you moron. If you can get me to tell you the rules, then you win! But I'm never going to..."

His voice begins to drop off.

[5d-imp.livejournal.com]

"...oops?"

And Mxy pops out of existence.

The bug-zapper weeps, then is gone as well.