The Universe's Mixer

Elizabeth was glad that all the snow was gone. Not just because then they could leave the jail, but because her clothes just weren't meant for snow. It was nice to walk outside and feel warmer than you had inside. She squinted at the small bit of sunshine and waited for Book to catch up with her. Both of them had agreed to head off for some coffee to warm them both up. Better than alcohol, she was done with alcohol for now.

Well, for a little while at least.

( Who was she kidding? For today. )

"Speed, honestly, if you'd look at where you were aiming instead of--"

Hulkling rounded the corner, fully expecting his teammates to be on his heels and Central Park to be clearly visible to the north. Instead, he'd come out on an empty square. He turned, looking for the others, only to find that no one was lined up in the alley behind him. "Patriot? Wiccan?"

No one. Hulkling frowned and rubbed at a rapidly-healing gash on his arm - some debris from one of Speed's explosions had slashed him across the bicep. Where was he? "Hello?" He called. No one answered; he could see some people in a deli across the street, but there were no pedestrians out and about. It was dark - dark enough to be nearing midnight - and the 'Open' sign blinking cheerfully in the deli window seemed the best bet. Hulkling took a breath and started out into the square. He'd find out where he was, and he'd regroup and go in search of the rest of his team.

( Cut to a new panel: A sunny outdoor shot, with a figure in a hooded sweatshirt exiting onto the street. )

After that insane time in the snow, Elle had just been trying to map her surroundings. Only, everything kept changing. She never starved or got so lost that she couldn't get back to her apartment, but it was infuriating. More than once she'd shocked the hell out of a street sign because they weren't the same as they should have been. What the hell was with this city? Everything changed, nothing stayed the same. When she ate everything in her apartment more food was there. When she thought she was out of money, more would be waiting in her pocket. It made her head hurt at times, and Elle didn't like that.

Now she was lost. More lost than she wanted to be. It was getting dark really quickly. Did she remember this street? Down it she went, only to come face to face with a park. A park of all things. She'd never seen the park before, and instead of turning around (which normally just got her more lost) she headed into it. It seemed pretty deserted. Maybe cut across and find her apartment on the other side. Yeah.

( That sounded about right. )

Harley had, since beginning her new life after meeting the Joker, lived by the motto of “drive it like you stole it.” Which was not hard to accomplish since, most often, the vehicle she was in actually was stolen. However the blonde sidekick had expanded the scope of that motto and pretty much applied it to anything with wheels. Including the bright red Radio Flyer wagon with the odd baby buggy hood she’d attached (causing it to look a bit like a Conestoga crossing the prairie) that she was currently pulling down the street at breakneck speeds.

( Not so coincidentally, it too was stolen. )

Tiffany lamps were very lovely things. Jeannie had always thought so, ever since she’d had first seen one in the home of her former master darling’s friend, Dr. Bellows. Mrs. Bellows had been very proud of it, and Jeannie had understood why immediately. Someone had taken the idea of a stained-glass window and made it into a lamp that could be taken home. It was very clever.

But then, Jeannie had always had a fondness for lamps in general, she reflected as she looked at the beautiful Tiffany lamp in the display window before her. Lifting her fingers to the glass store front, she leaned a bit closer and wondered if that affinity had anything to do with so many of her kind being bound to lamps. Oh, not this sort of lamp, obviously. That was just silly. Where would a djinn reside in a modern lamp? The light bulb? That would be terribly bright, not to mention hot, and really, there was no way to open and close a bulb. Very silly indeed.

( So maybe she simply liked lamps because they were pretty. )