The Universe's Mixer

The dinner had been strange, but a little bit fun too. The more Dinah got to know Zoe, the more she liked the woman. And the more curious she was about her as well. There was more to her, Dinah was sure. Though that was a mystery to be solved another time.

Things were still a shade on the awkward side with Dean, but she supposed that was to be expected. She was ready to work on getting back to normal, which meant that she tried to keep up a steady stream of chitchat on the way out. It wasn’t perfect, but she was trying. She stopped once they got out to their vehicles.

“Thank you for coming along tonight,” she said, putting a hand on his arm.

She hadn’t really gone out of her way to touch him over the past few days. It wasn’t that she was angry, but she just didn’t want to seem like she was trying to push things. Of course, they usually did hug and touch, so her lack of touching might have seemed strange. Or he might have been oblivious or relieved. She had no idea, really.

“It would have been a lot more awkward to be the third wheel,” she said with a small smile.

( Read more... )

Jesse did the inviting. He was the only one - that Dinah and Dean knew of - who knew everyone who was to be involved in this. The invite also only really went out to Dinah directly. It felt awkward trying to contact Dean to ask him to come along. But he suggested to Dinah that she might want to bring him, since he was right there anyway.

Not knowing, of course, what had happened with the apartment.

He had not gone out to do any do-gooding, and made sure to be rested. Mostly because he didn't want to disappoint Zoe again, and partly because he really did believe that the three of them would draw on him if he fell asleep at the table. He didn't think that Dean would be nice about it, either. There would be no mostaches and goatees from Dean. It would be dicks pointed at his mouth and bad words scrawled across his forehead, and he wasn't sure that Zoe wouldn't be unamused enough to stop it.

They had cooked together, him and Zoe, for the dinner, and it was so easy with the give and take between them that everything was ready in no time. Like clockwork.

Now, all they had to do was wait.

After spending the full day in the garage attached to the Sherwood Florist, Dinah was tired, covered in grease, and she just wanted to take a hot shower and go to sleep. She’d thrown herself into upgrading her motorcycle. There was a desire to just build a new one from scratch. She’d done it before and she had a lot more time on her hands and a need to be distracted. However, the man claiming to be the embodiment of the City had said something about how she didn’t appreciate what she’d been given and there was a part of her that was afraid that Jake had been taken away because of that. Even if he’d said that he wasn’t responsible for people leaving the City, he had threatened to take away everyone and everything she loved because she hadn’t been grateful.

If she’d known that she would lose people-that she’d lose Jake, she would have stuck with whatever the City had given her. From the apartment above the shop-she could have slept on the couch and let Jake have the bedroom-to the bike the City had given her to... anything, really. She would have done anything if it would have meant that Jake wasn’t sent home to die.

The City was back to normal and in fine form as the streets shifted around her. Due to the shifting streets, Dinah had driven around for about three hours looking for her townhouse. She still wasn’t sure if the City was just being particularly cruel, but she couldn’t find it anywhere. She was sure she’d been through every inch of the City and hadn’t found it.

Instead, she kept finding herself back on the street with the Sherwood Florist. She supposed it was reassuring that at least that was still there. She sighed and directed her bike into the garage for lack of anywhere else to go. She looked at the keyring in her hand after she turned off the ignition. It had felt lighter somehow, and now she knew why. She still had the key to the apartment above the shop (she was the landlady, after all) but she was missing the key to her townhouse. That... didn’t bode well for her.

She debated calling Jensen to see if he could locate her house with the computer at the Clock Tower. She was pretty sure that was a selfish use of the computers, especially since she wasn’t even a member of the League anymore.

( The Will of the City? )

The City Hall was chosen because it held a room within it that was big enough to accommodate the droves of people that were sure to come. Plus, being inside space, there were no worries over weather that couldn't be controlled. The people could sit and listen and not have to try to hear past traffic or wind.

Even with the late notice, everything was done well before the scheduled start time, which Thomas was proud of. He was glad that the ones who were born here weren't entirely useless without him around. They were keeping their heads together, doing what needed to be done. Of course, it also could have been the fact that they believed Thomas was who he claimed to be, and with his presence there with them, they felt better about the situation they were currently in.

Thomas looked at the stage. That's where he would be standing, talking to the people he had brought here. He had no doubts that they would be the ones with the questions, the ones who demanded answers. He was ready. He could do this.

He sat in a seat hidden by a curtain, where he could still see the stage and the rows of chairs beyond, and waited.

Dean sighed softly as he drove through the City's streets. Something didn't sound right in his baby, and he was having a hard time figuring out what it was. He'd recently changed the oil, the spark plugs, and a few belts. He could probably flush the system, but he didn't think that could be it. Most people would believe the car was just fine, yet something about the way the engine sounded was off. He knew the Impala from the ground up, and he'd rebuilt it a time or two. So, when he thought that there was a problem, there was more than likely a problem.

"I'm sorry, baby. I'm listening. Just keep talking to me. I'll figure it out." He finally slowed down and let the car idle, as if it would actually give him some answers. He needed to go back to the garage that Dinah was so nicely letting him use. He let the car run a little longer before shutting off the engine. He'd pulled up outside an auto parts store to pick up a few items. He was going to head back definitely.

"I'll get you better, don't worry." Dean's hand brushed along the hood of the car as if he were trying to comfort the black beauty. As if the car could understand anything he said. He cared about the car. He headed into the store to get what he thought might help. He'd make sure his baby would fire on all cylinders, so to speak, soon enough. He wouldn't let her down.

Jennifer had known previous to her talk with Charlie that she needed to talk to Dean about what was going on, but hearing her partner say those words propelled her forward in her actions. She'd finally been able to talk about what had happened with Simon, admit it to herself, really, and now she thought was the best time to get the truth out to Dean, too.

She was really not looking forward to it. To what he might say and how he might react. She really should have told him when they started, or very soon after. She had no idea what his feelings toward her were.

Not considering her actions when she decided to ask him to meet her in a public place, and what that might mean if it were in reverse, Jennifer sat in the coffee shop and stared at her phone. She wasn't used to things not moving, and being able to give exact directions to where she was. It was part of the reason why she'd been hesitating so long.

Finally, she sent off the text.

Hey, was wondering if you'd meet me. I'm in the coffee shop on fifth. It hasn't moved in twenty minutes.

Once Dinah had had the chance to talk to Zee about everything, she called the Justice League together for a meeting. They needed the chance to pull together as a team now because they had all been going in opposite directions since that first fight with King Kong, and that was her fault more than anyone's as well. A good leader brought people together and didn't get bogged down in her own personal issues, letting the team possibly fall apart as she did.

She didn't know if the rest of them would still want her as a leader, but she knew that they would want to discuss what could be done about the vampire that could walk in the daylight. They could also take the meeting to discuss whether or not Dinah should remain as leader.

Fred was specifically left out of the meeting because of her sympathies for Eric. It was safer that way. Jen was left out as well, but that was simply because Dinah knew that she needed to talk to Jen privately about whether or not the CBI agent wanted to continue to risk her career by associating with the League. She had told everyone that she'd been able to talk to about the meeting that Dean would be there. It was a courtesy, since he wasn't officially a part of the team. But he had information that could help them and he had as much a right as anyone to help take down the vampire.

Not to mention that Dinah trusted him as much as she did any of her teammates.

She waited outside the Clocktower for Dean. She would let him in rather than give him his own code. Because while she trusted him, it wasn't fair to everyone else to give him access without the team clearing it. She was also waiting because she wanted to have the chance to make sure that he would be able to work with Zatanna. She thought that he was capable of it, but she didn't want there to be any personality clashes once they got into the meeting.

She was in her full costume with fishnets, leotard, jacket and all. She paced outside the tower in an attempt to keep warm because the weather was still a little bit too chilly to be comfortable.

It had been a while since Joker revealed himself - Zoe hated thinking about it in that way, but it was apt. Zoe had added wherever Dinah was living with Jake to the patrol route. When the man who was a less connected and possibly just as odd Mr. Universe sent out the memo about Jake's disappearance, Zoe continued to check on Dinah; grief made people do crazy things.

Thankfully Dinah moved to the Wayne Manor which made checking on her much easier. Zoe didn't feel that she always had to see the woman for herself, just trust Alfred when he reported. Plus, it was easier to explain why the Bat could be seen skulking, not that Zoe would ever say she was skulking, about the Manor.

( On one of the nights the Bat was definitely not skulking... )

Dean was damn glad the hospital wasn't sticking him with the bill for whatever they'd done to him. Of course, he had a few credit cards with someone else's name on them to cover if he'd needed to pay for anything. It seemed that the City had gone quiet, or at least still, and the hunter knew when things went still it was usually just the calm before all Hell broke loose.

As he walked home, the Impala was back near the apartment, Dean realized that not only was the City not moving, but it was getting colder. The chill in the air was a little disturbing. The whole time he'd been in this damned place the weather had been mostly comfortable, but now it was turning into a real winter.

By the time he got back to his apartment, he was ready to beat the hell out of the City for going dark. He was glad that it hadn't gone literally dark, but damn if it didn't find a way to screw the people in it over. He approached the shop and paused; the front glass was missing, and it looked like the inside had been redone somewhat. Something was wrong. Looked like someone had some trouble, and when he glanced across the street to see that Fred's place was there....

"Son of a bitch."

The older Winchester had yet to tell anyone he was in the hospital. He didn't want to worry anyone. He also didn't want people messing with his phone. It was bad enough that they'd taken his gun, knives, multiple ids, and the phone to pack away where he couldn't get them. It wasn't that he could use them, which wasn't the point. They were packed away from him.

He rested on the hospital bed. He had a few other problems, not just the ruined hands, that had come from being thrown into a wall. He shifted on the bed, groaning to himself. He couldn't even press the button very well to ease the pain with a little chemical help. It was slight misery.

The hunter stared up at the ceiling. He was useless here, and he was going to be lucky to get for mobility back in his fingers the way they'd been crushed. He couldn't even protect himself much less help anyone else. These were the moments Dean hated himself the most; he hated that he pitied himself and that he could do nothing. He was just some poor slob who couldn't lift a finger, in this case literally, to even wipe the drool off his own jaw.

Well, there was one thing he could do in the past, but he didn't want to go that route here. He didn't even know if it was possible. He hadn't seen his own personal angel in days, weeks. The only other type he knew of who could hear prayers, maybe...

"So, look, this is probably as uncomfortable for me as it is you, but if you could see your way into giving a hand here." He shook his head at his own slip of the tongue. "I need help. Not asking you to prove yourself, just asking you to help." He looked at his hands, what he could see of them under the bandages anyway.

"I can't believe I may actually be praying to a guy who smokes and knows Batman." He just shook his head, giving a soft laugh at just how bad it had gotten. Dean knew he was going to have to get some flowers or something for Lois Lane; he laughed again thinking of how she'd probably just throw them out.

Dean had been thrown by creatures much stronger than him before. He had felt that stomach dropping rush of flying through the air, and he'd done it while experiencing a great deal of pain. So, his latest bit of monster assisted flight was not new. What was new possibly was the way his hands were injured and how public it had all been. He had caused the damn thing pain, which had felt good for more reasons than the hunter wanted to think about, and he had gotten away, by luck more than anything. Only, Dean Winchester wasn't in any good way.

He hit the wall and crumpled; his Colt had made the trip and thankfully not gone off upon impact. One hand crushed, maybe beyond repair. The other twisted and turned. It was humiliating. He could hear Bobby and Sam both telling him he'd been stupid to take on the vampire alone, but he'd been alone in the street. The damn thing had been out in broad daylight. He could also hear a few others asking why he hadn't admitted that he needed help with this one. Hell, he didn't want to admit the damn thing really existed.

So, he stayed were he was for the moment, trying to figure out how to get up. He also was trying to decide how he was going to make this better, how he could work this, how he could survive with his hands mangled the way they were. It wasn't exactly a pity party for one, but it wasn't a laugh and a gas either. He knew he'd have to get the knife; the idea of attaching the damn thing with some sort of tether coming to mind was not helping his attitude.

"Just get up, you stupid son of a bitch." He mumbled to himself as his eyes started to open.

Dean was feeling pretty damn good. Life wasn't becoming any less strange in the City, but he was getting the good ole slap and tickle slowly going on regular from a very nice Federal agent, which wasn't something he'd ever expect to happen. So, he was feeling comfortable after a very good night with one Jennifer Government; she'd made it possible to forget all the things he'd been dealing with in the City lately. Forget for a little while anyway.

He stepped out onto the street, knowing that there weren't many problems that would bother people during the day. Ghosts, demons, and then some may be out in the daylight, but he didnt' know of any at the time. Other than Crowley. He didn't even know of any angels around; they might have been, but he hadn't seen them in some time. Even Jimmy was missing. As he started thinking about how good his life was getting, he started realizing how very good it wasn't.

It was too early for a drink of alcohol; he'd been trying to get a handle on that. It wasn't working as well as some might like, but it was better than what it used to be, maybe. Coffee and pie was the second best option for the time. So, he started out across the street for the small shop. Pie and coffee would be just the thing. Then he'd deal with Sam, Jo, Crowley, Castiel, Gabriel, Jennifer, Dinah, Murphy...the list was damn long if he actually let himself think about it.

Jo had put off talking to Dean for a little bit. She hadn't meant to, but things had gotten busy. And then she'd happened to pass by a restaurant with large windows around the waiting area. Which meant she got the nice full view of Dean kissing his date-some gorgeous brunette in a little black dress. She'd seethed about that for awhile, though really it wasn't like he'd exactly led her on on New Years' Eve, unless one counted him going on about how important that midnight kiss was and then kissing her on the forehead.

Yeah, because nothing says 'I like you' like a nice sexy kiss on the forehead.

She knew she was being silly, but that didn't make her any less annoyed that he hadn't bothered to mention that he was dating someone. It just would have been nice to not feel out of the loop.

But none of that really mattered and that wasn't the reason she'd stopped by his place. She'd really wanted to make sure that she talked to him about taking jobs from Fred before Fred let it slip and got the business end of whatever chauvinist scolding he was going to give about how Jo apparently couldn't do the job.

When she found the building that had been listed under Dean's address, she'd had to double check it a few times to be sure.

A flower shop?

Dean Winchester was no longer living in a motel, but in an apartment over a flower shop?

She supposed it was fitting that the mayor was apparently from Wonderland, because 'curiouser and curiouser' was pretty damn fitting right about now.

Jo knocked on the door, hoping that she'd at least catch him at home.

Warning: Gets unexpectedly naughty.

Dean sat in his borrowed kitchen and stared at his phone. There was a couple of new numbers init that led to memories he wasnt sure he wanted. Actually he knew he didn't want them, but had anyway. Not without some kind of intervention would he be rid of them. His fingers drummed for a moment by the phone with those oddly comforting yet still discomforting numbers.

He had said that he would show her around, that he would introduce her to some people. He had said that. He had respected her, even limiting the New Year's kiss to a chaste one on the forehead. He cared about Jo in some way, but to name the way the hunter would have to let feelings and thoughts stew. He wasn't in the mood for stewing, not without a hell of a lot of alcohol. Oddly he really didn't want to get drunk, or more he did but didn't want to give into that destructive instinct quite yet.

His lunch with Dinah, as accidental or perhaps fortuitous, had been nice, and he knew of at least one woman he really needed to have a meal with. Maybe two. He wasn't sure if he should call either woman, so he hesitated, spinning the damned phone with all its strange ties to past, present, and possible futures. He groaned at himself as he realized he was giving into a brooding better suited to the Sasquatch.

"Right." Dean nodded to himself, grabbed the phone, and scrolled through the contacts list. He sent off a quick text.

Not romantic to text but want to grab a bite? He debated whether or not to send one those damn smileys. He decided against it. If yes meet me at Eddies Lil Italy by the library. 7:30 pm. Pressing send, Dean got cleaned up, and might have put on something nicer than the usual tee and jeans. He may have put on the shirt and tie that he knew he hadn't had before.

At 7:15 pm, the hunter waited just inside for his...date? Now would Secret Agent Goodbody show?

The first outing for the City's Justice League hadn't gone as smoothly as she'd hoped for it. It had been a close call regarding Lois' life, but besides that Dinah thought her team had done well. She didn't think that the statement issued by the Mayor's office that had come down on them for acting without government approval had been rather harsh.

All the same, the attack on her team stung. She was feeling overprotective of them, and she felt as though any heat regarding their actions should have been directed at her. She had been the one calling the shots. They had all just done what she'd asked and done it damn well if anyone asked her.

She set down her copy of the day's City Voice on her office desk. She needed to get her mind off the Mayor's statement. After all, Lois' article had been complimentary except for the part regarding the official statement.

It was time for lunch anyway. It had been a slow day at the Sherwood Florist, though she'd kept herself busy in making sure they had enough stock ordered for Valentine's Day. It was a month early, but this was the best time to plan to make sure there were no snafus on the biggest day for business of the year.

Dinah used her left hand to let herself out of the shop. Her right wrist was still in a cast, which was going to make any more crimefighting difficult until she healed. She wasn't happy about it, but she'd gotten the best medical care she could have asked for thanks to Hank. And she would just have to take it easy until she was needed.

Once outside, she gave a quick glance to the stairs leading to the apartment above the shop. She hadn't actually talked to Dean in months. She missed him, but he was the one who'd been avoiding her. She'd tried to talk things out at the victory party for Jack, so as far as she was concerned the ball was in his court.

Jo had started to explore the City about since her arrival, though she'd spent just as much time in the Roadhouse. Having it here was incredibly surreal, but it was a comfort. It gave her a home base, and something familiar. That was good, considering that she was as lost as ever in this City.

She still hadn't decided whether or not she was dead. No other theory made sense, but this wasn't like any kind of Heaven or Hell she'd ever heard of.

In the days leading up to New Year's Eve, she'd started to notice signs and flyers everywhere she went. It was lucky that she noticed these, because they were advertising drink specials and New Year's Eve entertainment at the Roadhouse. All Ages Accepted, bracelets for those over 21 to drink.

She knew she hadn't planned that. Hell, she hadn't even really been aware of what time of year it was when she got here. She didn't exactly know who to talk to or how to undo the advertising that had be done.

So New Year's Eve found her in the bar, which had been mysteriously decorated and was currently filled with the sounds of a live band. Which was really odd, because there had never been anything more than a jukebox in the Roadhouse, and Jo most certainly had not hired a live band.

All the same, she couldn't exactly complain about the flood of business (she was thankful for the employees that had apparently come with the place, who were fielding drink orders alongside her) or about the tips that she was raking in at the moment. And at least she wasn't spending New Year's Eve alone in some bizarre alternate dimension, so she supposed that was good. Assuming, of course, that she had time to think as she bustled around filling drink orders.


OOC: feel free to throw your character in for a little bit of New Year's Eve fun. Don't worry about taking turns, and feel free to branch off into random interactions threads or whathaveyou.

Dean was tired. He hadn't seen the angel in a while, nor Jimmy. He'd also been out of touch with not only his brother, but also a few other people. It wasn't that he was trying to avoid anyone, or maybe it was. Honestly, there was only one person in the City he was actively avoiding. Fred was actually doing him a favor by keeping him busy, not that she gave him many jobs. She did give him some of the more physically demanding ones, which worked in his favor. Usually meant he was too tired to get a drink, well, maybe more than one drink, two drinks, the bottle. He didn't drink a whole damn bottle of something.

To make amends, not that he was on any number step program because he didn't need to be, he thought about stopping by Dinah's shop to see if she was in. Unfortunately, he couldn't bring himself to go in. He wasn't mad that she had gotten back with Harry; he really wasn't even mad that he hadn't known about it. He was just tired of not knowing what was going on. See? Tired.

So, he stood at the door that led to the stairs that led to his apartment. He should have gone in, either up the stairs or the shop, but he couldn't make himself do either. He hated apologizing, and he wasn't even sure why he should apologize. He hated not knowing what to do, which did happen a lot though not as often as some might think.

The hunter finally took a depth breath, sucked it up, manned up, found his balls, whatever. He started for the door to the shop. Hopefully, he was not walking into a drama trap.

Dean wasn't sure how to take this woman. Actually he could think of many ways to take the woman, but he had a feeling Dinah would probably be very upset. It wasn't that he did everything Dinah liked; he did occasionally still see Agent Goodbody and the Holy Knight. Not as much as he used to, well, lately not at all, but he didn't think taking the hot(head) mystic back to the apartment was a good idea. Plus, he still had a reporter out for him, maybe. Unless she had a back up to her notes...

The hunter wasn't much for dancing, even if it was slow, which wasn't dancing so much as swaying to something like a rhythm. Instead he suggested walking the injured mystic home, or giving her a ride. He was being rather well behaved for the moment. He stood on the sidewalk and looked across the street to where his baby was actually waiting for him. He glanced at the woman who really knew how to wear a dress, and a bandage.

"So, ride or walk?" He motioned to his car. It really was a pretty bit of metal and rubber, with some leather and whatnot thrown in.

The votes were in and the announcement had been made. Jack's campaign manager had already made arrangements for a victory party, just in case. This was a new concept to him. Back home, when his mother had been dethroned, the citizens had celebrated in the streets. But there hadn't been a party to celebrate his victory. Of course, that was because it really wasn't his victory at all. He'd worked behind the scenes to set things up, but in the end it had been Alice that had made it possible for them take back Wonderland and free the Oysters (and the general populace from the addiction to the false emotions bottled in tea form that had been generated from the Oysters).

All the same, Jack was just a little bit uncomfortable with being treated as though he'd had a great accomplishment by winning the election. Becoming the leader of a place wasn't a prize to be won. It was a duty, and for sure an honor that he'd won. But an achievement? No. Making things better for those who lived here would be an achievement, if he could accomplish it.

So while he didn't feel that he 'deserved' a party, he was here nonetheless. His campaign manager had insisted that it was a good way to get to know those who had voted for him, and to start earning their trust as leader.

Jack straightened his tie and surveyed the reception hall. Waiters in tuxedos milled around with trays of champagne and h'ors d'oeurves while a few security guards watched the perimeter. A band struck up the first few chords of a song and a few people in formalwear had started to arrive,

Unfortunately, Jack thought that if the boy with the vividly colored spiky hair decided to crash, the security force wouldn't be able to keep him out. But since the last rally, no one had complained about him wearing his sword wherever he went.

OOC: any characters are welcome, and feel free to socialize amongst yourselves as well as giving your character the chance to meet and greet the new mayor.

Lois wasn’t feeling any more at home in the City, though it definitely seemed to have crazy to rival that she’d found in Smallville and Metropolis. There were now three mysterious deaths due to... well, ‘wild dog attack’ was the official story. But Lois knew better than that. There were too many coincidences tying the deaths together, and Lois didn’t believe in coincidences.

So she’d started looking into it, and followed the trail of bread crumbs to a house belonging to a man by the name of Norman Roberts. Norman was tied to all of the victims in some way. It was enough to at least consider him a person of interest.

Lois knocked first, press credentials ready. But when she heard barking inside and no one came to the door, she decided to look around the back, and then decided to ‘let’ herself in by picking the lock on the back door.

( Sniffing out the truth )