Video; In which cold weather is clearly the best!

[bludhavenknight]

[Everyone gets to see two familiar faces this time, with a couple of twists. Dick (the elder) is sitting down in the chair, wearing a bright red coat with white trim, a hat of the same color, and of course, a beard to match the whole thing. It’s pulled down, though, so you can see his face. And his wonderful assistant, Zatanna, is standing behind him, dressed up like the most beautiful elf there is. They’re both looking pretty happy about this.]

It’s getting cold out! And what does cold mean? Holiday fun, of course. So I, and my amazing elf assistant here, have decided that Santa Claus needs to come to the turtle. [See what he did there? See it? Okay, good.]

And so it is with pleasure that we let everyone know-- [He gets cut off as Zatanna leans forward, and he looks up at her.]

[The fifteen-year-old elf bends down until she's level with his ear, covering her mouth so she could whisper something secretively to him.]

Really?

[She nods, and offers a playful wink.] Trust me. I know a guy who knows the guy personally.

[Dick looks back at the screen, and his voice drops into a perfect, heavy Russian accent.] Is this better?

[She practically has to bite her tongue to keep from bursting out laughing. Impressive. She should've known.] It'll do.

[Dick grins.] I’d like to invite everyone to come over to the Wood sector, where we have a little holiday party going on.

[He stops, laughing and shaking his head. He has to drop the Russian accent.] Okay, I can’t keep that one up, but I tried! Anyway, we’ve got a small thing going on in a café in the Wood sector, with some cakes and gingerbread-ish things, and some hot drinks. And what would Santa be without his...

[He holds up a huge, red velvet-like bag.] Bag, yes! And it is filled with little odds and ends, so there are presents for all!

[Dick sets the bag down, and pulls the beard back up with a grin.] And to all, a good... day? Yeah, that still works. To all, a good day! Remember, café in the Wood sector, we’ll be here awhile!

[ooc: Action is absolutely welcome.]

Comments

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[laylaknowsstuff]

[Layla needed to get out more. Not sorry, Monet. But what better way to do that then by attending a Christmas celebration and stuffing her face with all sorts of gingerbread men. She obviously started by eating their limbs.

Omnomnom delicious.]

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[backwordscompatible]

[Now, that's no way to eat a gingerbread man. Everyone knows you bite the head off first.]

We have some milk on hand, too, if you like. Can't have christmas cookies without milk.

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[laylaknowsstuff]

[No way, torture it slowly, so you can hear it scream it's little gingerbread man screams.

...if they were able to scream, obviously.]

I'd love some milk, [She manages to say through a mouth filled with crumbs. Somewhere along the lines, Layla probably never actually learned manners.] These cookies are good! [She swallows.] Didja make 'em yourself?

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[backwordscompatible]

[That's...mildly disturbing.]

Most of them, yeah.

We might have cheated and bought a few extra dozen or so at the bakery, but only because I only have one oven and this was sort of a spur-of-the-moment thing.

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[laylaknowsstuff]

[IF. Key word being IF.]

I don't blame you. It's a great decision, though. [She extends a hand.] Layla Miller.

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[backwordscompatible]

[That's why it's only mildly disturbing.]

Zatanna Zatara. [She accepts the hand, and shakes it with a firm grip for her size.] Although I guess, here, I'm better known as Santa's not-so-little Helper.

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[laylaknowsstuff]

[Go team.]

[Zatanna Zatara... She'd heard that name before. If she realized the Santa was Dick Grayson, then everything would fall together, because DC is a thing that exists in the Marvel Universe, but for now? She'll just raise an eyebrow and nod.] Nice to meet you, Zatanna.

Not-So-Little-Helper's a mouthful. I'll stick with Zatanna.

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[backwordscompatible]

[Give it time. And then the complicated explanations and multiverse-induced headaches could begin.]

You too.

If you like. Some of my friends seem to have trouble with even that much. They call me Zee.

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[laylaknowsstuff]

[Sounds like a day in the life.]

Zee. Snappy. I like it. [She bit off another limb.]

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[backwordscompatible]

[Pretty much.]

Yeah. So do I.

So...you knew around here, or just really good at hiding?

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[laylaknowsstuff]

Both. I'm a master of disguise. [She gestures to the M above her eye, because that is really hard to cover-up, okay?]

Just got in a week or so ago.

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[backwordscompatible]

[Well, she wasn't going to say anything about the "M", but since Layla brought it up....]

What's the tattoo for, anyway? [Assuming it was a tattoo]

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[laylaknowsstuff]

Mutant. [It is. One that had been forced on her. But she'd known going in she was going to get it. The future's answer to identification numbers.]

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[bludhavenknight]

[Definitely the best way to get out more is to go somewhere that you can eat as much food as you want. This is an idea Dick knows so well. He watches for a second before coming over with a grin.]

Now, do you eat the buttons with the body, or do they get picked off first, and then the rest?

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[laylaknowsstuff]

[Layla looks him up and down for a moment before she responds.]

Get picked off first. Head goes last so you can hear 'em scream.

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[bludhavenknight]

[Crazy vibes? Check on that one, slightly. At least she doesn't seem super happy crazy like Harley, so thank god for small favors.]

I have never actually heard a cookie scream? Unless it telepathically screams as it hits your mouth... but I've never heard that, either.

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[laylaknowsstuff]

[She'd a small blonde with blue eyes, fond of pigtails, and has a complicated relationship with a man who likes the color green with a name that starts with a J.

If Jamie ever comes back to life, that would actually be a killer couple costume.

...No pun intended.]

The day cookies start screaming telepathically is the day we've got a real problem on our hands. [Then again...] But I've also heard of a guy who could turn himself into ice cream, and tried to kill the X-Men. So that day could be upon us shortly.

Until then... [She takes another bite of the cookie.]

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[bludhavenknight]

[Shit. Let's definitely not go there, then. Nope nope nope nope nope.

Still, cookies screaming could be a problem. Dick laughs.]

True, true... if that happens here, maybe they'll put out a bulletin on the radio. Make sure no one is caught with their hand in the cookie jar. [It felt awesome to use that one. But whoa, wait. What.]

I've heard of the X-Men, but I have not of the ice cream man, is there more of a story there? I will find you a whole gingerbread house, full of gingerbread people, to hear about this one.

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[laylaknowsstuff]

[Relax, you're good, Dick.]

[She chuckles.] Badumpt-tsch! I heard a radio show about something like that once...

Yeah, I don't know- I never asked about it. It came up once, Ruby Summers mentioned it over dinner, and Cyclops just kind of shrugged it off before I could ask more. If I find anything out, I'm taking you up on it.

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[bludhavenknight]

I've probably heard it, too, but I never pass up the chance to make a terrible joke or pun. [Oh good, and hey, she's pretty okay with the terrible joke, so yes. Very good. He pretty much beams at her.]

I'm going to hold you to that. Not every day you hear about an ice cream villain, though you should see this one guy that those superheroes in Gotham are always fighting. I've lost an apartment to that guy, once!

[Buuuuut speaking of super villains...] So does that make you a superhero of some kind?

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[laylaknowsstuff]

And you shouldn't pass them up, either. They're always worth it. You know you've made a good one if people groan.

[She likes this conversation. This guy is pretty cool. And then he mentions Gotham and superheroes and villains and she practically chokes on her cookie. Congrats, Dick, you caught her off guard.] Wait, wait- you're from Gotham? Gotham City?

I prefer the term 'detective', but I guess you could call me that. I've got a uniform, superpowers and a code-name.

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[bludhavenknight]

Yes! Exactly! Why don't more people understand that one? True comedians who don't try to be comedians always know the best way to joke around.

[Anyone who enjoys a terrible joke is a good person. Dick decides to like her, no questions asked for right now. Plus, good looking tends to work in someone's favor. Just to say.]

Yup! Gotham City, which I'm going to guess you know it? [He grins, though his expression turns inquisitive.] As in a real detective kind of deal, or just a superhero that is so good at investigation that people call them a 'good detective'?

[Because it's a valid inquiry.] ...So what's your codename?

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[laylaknowsstuff]

You're right about that one.

[Terrible jokes are awesome. And good, yes, do like Layla. Because she is fabulous. But also very taken. By a guy who is currently dead.

But those are details.]

Yeah, I know it. [Holy fuck.] Real detective kind of deal. Though, my partner was once told that he was the world's greatest detective. But we all know who that really is. [The god-damned Batman.]

Butterfly. But most people just call me Layla Miller.

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[bludhavenknight]

]Blondes aren't his thing. Okay, no, who is he kidding, anyone is his thing. Blonde hair just happens to take a backseat to red hair if it comes down to it.]

You should go visit it sometime. Just in the fall or spring. Summer and winter in Gotham is not something you want to experience. [Dick brightens considerably.] That's awesome. I used to be a cop, I have a lot of respect for detectives. But you know, I do know who the world's greatest detective, it's nice to know other people do, too. [Tim Drake, of course.]

Butterfly. ]Okay. Not a bad one, so does she fly, or... what else do butterflies do?] I think I'm going to go with Layla, I like that name.

[He holds his hand out.] I'm Dick Grayson. Nice to meet you, Layla Miller.

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[laylaknowsstuff]

I'd love to, believe me. And I'll make a note of it. Fall would probably be best, but whenever it happens, it happens. [She'd seen all the seasons from the comfort of a couch.]

Thanks. I'm kinda partial to it myself. Hell, most people call me Layla. I don't have a lot of the formal training that most people with a history in the X-Men have, so the codename never really became much of a thing. Only when I'm in the field, and even then it's a rarity. [Cyclops and Ruby, that whole gang during the Summers' Rebellion were the ones who used it the most.]

[And then- Woah. Woah woah woah. Layla, play it cool. Cooler than cool. Ice cold. She takes his hand, smirking.] Nice t'meetcha, Dick.