"Noxville? Hey, that's not too far from my place in Malicetown" Jamie responded, before he gulped and quickly clarified "Um, I'm no bad guy or anything, I just room there 'cause the mortgage's cheap".
"Wait, you actually own a place here?" Corinne's bright blue eyes widened "Sorry, that was rude of me, it's just that you said you were having money troubles-"
"Yeah, but the law in Mod City's like, sup dudes, no landlords allowed. Cool huh?" Jamie went right back to a grin, though he had to admit "Ugh, 'cept in Herowood I've heard, but like the movie biz is in charge of that place as much as the Founder Four are, Skycity don't pay for itself".
"Oh man, tell me about it" a third voice spoke up as a young black man, curly hair in a short tail and a goatee barely growing, walked up.
"Right, forgot! Corey, this here's Hector Halliday, real cool guy I've met up in Mod City" Jamie announced as he put his arm around Herb's shoulder, making Herb twitch a little "Hect here's trying to make it big in Herowood as a- er, you're in a
Flashdance remake or somethin'?".
"What? Oh no, not at all, I'm what they call a 'flash-dancer'. It's like a tap-dancer but more complex, very acrobatic, lotta splits involved. I'm also taking violin lessons on the side," Hector explained, tossing his blue scarf back over his coat, before he sighed "Not much success so far though, I'm stuck waiting restaurants for the foreseeable future.
Eh, I'm rambling. Anyway, you'd be Corrine Cohn, correct? Jamie's told me quite a bit about you" Hector extended a hand to Corinne.
"It's a pleasure" Corinne smiled and nodded back.
"Man I'm hungry, let's eat!" Jamie suddenly changed the subject "Hey Cory, you seriously gotta try the food up here, it's outta this world! Er, metaphorically, well sometimes literally".
At Jamie's insistence, the three went to a Dogs'n'Donuts booth close by, a chain owned by the Chicago hero
The Delectable Dog Dare (and his sidekick Sprinkles Spitz), as the store's logo was quick to remind customers.
"Um, no offence Jamie, but I don't think an airport fast food joint will make the best first impression of a city's cuisine" Hector had to mutter.
"No, I'm fine" Corinne said, clutching her head and stumbling slightly "With the jetlag I've got, I'm not that fussy right now".
"Huh, what's that?" Jamie looked up and said back "Couldn't hear ya, I'm playin'
Spider Swing on my phone while this queue's around. Game actually gets real hard on the later levels".
When it came time for them to order, Corinne asked "I'll take a dog with mustard (hold the ketchup) and a black coffee".
"Yeah, can I get a Duperdog with ketchup, bacon, pickles, mustard, onions, gravy and cheese-whiz and a Glazed Malt Honey-Choc Shake Supreme with fries?!" came Jamie.
"Just a double-order of Vienna cappuccinos for me thanks, gonna be up late tonight" Hector put simply.
While sitting a 50s diner-style table for their food to arrive, Corinne's eyes were drawn to an overhead TV, displaying the picture of a snake-masked quadriplegic man in a green lab coat:
"
Super Spotlight Special! Today's costumed cavalier is Ophiuchus, originally a mild-mannered Texan doctor who lost his limbs, he strove to find a medical formula to reverse his amputation. While he hasn't quite gotten his limbs back, the formula he prepared gave him super-stretching powers, able to warp around his foes with his elongated neck and torso, and swallow crime whole in his ballooning jaws! Also packing a pile of toxins, for what cures can poison in large doses, he is a shining member of the Slithering Serpenteam! Great Snakes! Formula available at the following retailers-" the spotlight played on, as the three began to chow down.
* * *
As you'd expect, this wasn't the last ad Corinne would come across that day. The three would then leave the airport to hail down a taxi, Jamie still shoving his meal into his gaping mouth, where after a few seconds they were met by a flying vehicle that swooped down despite not appearing to have anyone in the driver's seat.
"You, youse lookin' for a ride?" a computerised voice vibrated out from the hovering taxi "
Looks like ya've got -bzzt- quite the luggage load, missy. Alright -beep-, who's payin' up?".
"That'll be me" Corinne said "It's my luggage after all, and Jamie hasn't got anything on him after all. Plus Hector was nice enough to pay for our late lunch".
"I mean, I did really need those coffees" Hector spoke up.
"
Hop aboard then, people. Let's get movin' here" the AI cabbie whirred and crackled. The three of them together hauling Corinne's luggage up into the boot, her teacher's baton sticking out of a briefcase till caught her eye.
Boarding the cab, Corinne almost jumped back as the seatbelts fastened themselves, and a pair of mechanical arms came down from out of the ceiling and started touching a glowing blue dashboard, making the cab lift itself up and move. It was then quite a rocky ride as the flying taxi sped and swerved it way past Goldenguise's sun-challenging skyscrapers, a series of floating lights being the only indication that it was still on some sort of airy freeway.
And a crowded freeway too, it turned out. As the taxi hit a spot of traffic, The (English) Beat's "Save It For Later" stopped playing on the radio and an ad break came crackling on, one that caught Corinne's attention more than the last:
"
New in town? Why not do as the fine people of Skyline Moderne do, and try out being a superhero? With all the thrills, skills and daring-do that details, as what better way is there to contribute to the community then by saving a fair citizen's life? Dont have powers? Don't need them, as many a costumed vigilante of old will tell you! remember, it's the Hero that counts, not simply the Super! AuthorisedbytheFoundationalFourGovernmentofGoldenguise,SkylineModerne.
Godspeed!".
After that came an ad for some fruit-flavoured pastry, and then the music came back when some 60s jazz started playing. "Dude, this is my jam!" Jamie exclaimed "Although I could never be a superhero myself, takes
way to much effort for me. Nope, I'm cool just sitting on the sidelines"
"Plus, I doubt
The Scintillating Slacker Boy would sell past the first Issue" Corinne couldn't help but giggle.
Or The Dynamic
Dropout, she thought, though she firmly chose to not say that out loud for obvious reasons.
Corinne may have been joking around, but inside her thoughts still kept returning to Miss Acorn's parting gift to her.
Is... that what my teacher was trying to tell me, that she wanted her top student to take on the mantle of 'Miss Education'? No, I mean I'd hate to disappoint her, but I'm no superhero, I've already got a career path and everything! Besides, why couldn't she just tell me that outright, if that's the case?
"Hey Corinne, we're here at your place!" Hector called out, trying to get her back to reality.
"
Yo lady, -bzzt- I ain't got all day!" the taxi AI fizzled.
Snapping out of her cloud of thoughts, Corinne brushed her long, reddish-brown hair to the side and slowly stumbled out of the hover-cab, having paid up beforehand.
Her blue eyes widened at her first sight of Noxville, with any sign of the gleaming pillars of Goldenguise long gone. Dank cobblestone streets, twisting alleys, angular, arching buildings and skies shrouded by dark, smoke-like clouds surrounded her. Least it wasn't raining, though still quite misty. Even the dark purple apartment block before her looked imposing.
The taxi then sped off without a word, leaving Corinne's eyes to almost fall out of their sockets as her luggage spilled out all over the pavement. As you can imagine, it took quite the while for the three of them to lift everything all the way up the stairs to her new apartment, since the rickety elevator was currently undergoing repairs.
Shortly after entering her new room, Corinne collapsed on a mattress serving as a makeshift bed, her not having bought any proper beds or couches yet.
"Er, so Corinne, how do you like your new place?" Hector spoke up.
Corinne did slowly rise to her feet to take a proper look around her apartment. For a city of superheroes, her new place was quite normal surprisingly, if a bit too dark with its surprisingly hefty curtains. It had the basics, a loungeroom that doubled as a bedroom, a small alcove for a kitchen, and one cramped bathroom to the side.
"Well, at least I can't fault this place for false advertising" Corinne mumbled.
"Cool, glad that's over," Jamie let out a long sigh as he caressed his aching arms "Well, wish I could stay, but y'know I gotta be getting home myself, lucky that Malicetown's pretty close by".
"Same here," Hector admitted "Herowood's quite the distance, not sure if I'll make it back before midnight".
"Hey, no problem, Hect. You can crash at my place for the night!" Jamie gave him both thumbs up "Your tap practice's A-OK with me!".
"Thanks Jamie, but... well it's just that your home is kinda-" Hector hesitated "No, you're right, beggars can't be choosers, your home'll have to do tonight".
As the two boys waved goodbye, Jamie said one last thing to Corinne "By the way Cory, I packed you a little somethin' for dinner, it being your first day up here in the clouds and all. Well, catch ya later!".
"Goodnight, and thanks for the help!" Corinne smiled and waved, though only after the two had gone did she finally, slowly looked at just what dinner exactly Jamie had packed for her. It... seemed to be a whole bag of icing-slathered brownies, which was at least a step up from the grease-slathered slop Corinne had been expecting.
She tried rearranging her possessions, books, spare clothes, lab equipment, laptop, coffee mugs, and so on into something resembling neat order. All the while though, her thoughts kept coming back to 'Miss Education'.
Honestly, I doubt a teacher superhero is honestly the best image to strike fear and awe with, unless maybe with villains who got bad grades, Corinne thought to herself, something Miss Acorn never seemed to consider, no offence. Delivering a few practice stabs and swings with the baton at the empty air, memories of the school fencing club coming back to her, Corinne would finaly give into temptation.
Well okay, I guess
I can try out some superheroics for just this night, it's not like I've got anything else to do, plus it'll probably keep nagging at me if I don't, that thought buzzed through her head
One condition though, if I'm taking on the mantle of 'Miss Education', I get to change the name to something a bit more... suiting, it's my hero identity now after all:
[ ] Substitute.
[ ] Headmistress.
[ ] Schoolmistress
[ ] Bellgrade.
[ ] Delinqueen.
[ ] Detentionette.
[ ] Class Crown.
[ ] Expelsior.
[ ] Expellent.
[ ] Dark Academia.
[ ] Lady Library.
[ ] Libraria.
[ ] Library Bell.
[ ] Saviour Belle.
[ ] Write-in.
Oh wait, I'll need to sketch up a costume too. My family's a whole stratosphere away, but I don't want people targeting Jamie and now Hector...
[ ] A white, button-up shirt with ruffled necktie over black tights, complete with domino mask.
[ ] An unbuttoned, pinstripe business shirt over greenish-black tights with white, chalk-like lines, and eye-obscuring glasses.
[ ] Just greenish-black spandex, covering everything except the hair, with chalk-like white lines crisscrossing.
[ ] A grey pinstripe waistcoat over a black latex suit.
[ ] Black shirt and black leggings, a checkered blouse being the only splash of colours. Also eye-hiding glasses.
[ ] Grey tights with a button-up white collar and long, lighter grey boots and gloves.
[ ] Write-in.
(
QM's Note: Wow, this post ended up longer than expected. Also thought up '
School Belle' and '
Detentionaire' for hero names, but it turns out those are taken.)
More importantly, where do volcanoes get their lava from in a flying city? Do people occasionally have to dump a truck load of gravel to refill it?
