The Universe's Mixer

Jo wasn't usually the type to wear a dress, except for when she was going undercover for something or other. In fact, she very rarely wore anything other than jeans. Which was why she was a little frustrated with the City (or whomever might have broken into her apartment and left clothes in her closet) for filling her closet with dresses and dressy pants and shirts.

Not that she would have shown up for dinner in jeans and a ratty flannel shirt, but she resented that the choice was being taken out of her hands. She finally grudgingly settled on a flowered sundress that was cute but not overly formal.

She didn't really know what to make of her dinner plans for the night. Ted was sweet, if not her normal type in many ways. All the same, there was something sort of refreshing about that. He wasn't a hunter, which was extremely appealing actually. Most hunters seemed to be loners who didn't do all that well with relationships. Or they just went off and... well, she wasn't going to think about what had happened to her first boyfriend.

While it was all she knew, and there was a part of her that was definitely drawn to those types, the idea of getting out of her wheelhouse sounded kind of nice.

She was more nervous than she'd expected so by the time she pulled her truck into the parking lot of the building that housed the mayor's office, Jo's mind was a bit blank. She had kept the shotgun as well as a few other hunting supplies in a lockbox in the back of her truck. It never did hurt to be prepared and Ted had seemed more than willing to have that extra protection around. There was also a small vial of holy water, a knife, and some salt in her purse.

Once a hunter, always a hunter. She might look like a normal twenty-something woman, but she never really left the hunter side of her personality at home.

Is the Mayor in Bed with the Justice League?
by Lois Lane

(below the headline is a picture of Jack and Zatanna kissing in the street)

Recently, Mayor Heart has spotted around town with a certain fishnet-sporting mystic who just happens to be a member of the Justice League. Previously, the mayor has been outspoken about his views in opposition of the Justice League operating in our fair City. With this latest development, one might wonder if the mayor is starting to change his tune? While it's possible that the mayor has been attempting to form some sort of allegiance or peace treaty with the League, the hero in question is not the official leader of the League. Moreover, sources say that he appears to have spent at least one entire night in her company.

The above picture also suggests a very different kind of allegiance between the mayor and Ms. Zatanna Zatara, the league's resident spellcaster.

So where does this leave the mayor's official position regarding the Justice League and other similar heroes? A spokesperson for the mayor declined a comment on this article. However, according to Ted Earley, who is in charge of finance for the City, it would seem that those in the Mayor's office may not agree with the official position on costumed heroes as well. According to Ted: "His position is his alone... I can't even say for sure that his official statement on the matter matches what he really believes."

Ted also goes on to say that "I think the superheroes do good. I was personally saved by Batman just recently. I don't think that they would hurt anybody on purpose, and from what I read about the King Kong thing, they made sure to have people on hand to help any bystanders who did get hurt."

It would seem that there might be a change of heart (no pun intended) in the works for the mayor and, one would hope, for City legislation regarding superheroes.

(Takes place right after this thread)

Lois let Lindsey lead her into Caritas, not quite sure what to expect. Whatever she might have been expecting, the array of colorful, horned demons was not it. She instinctively moved a little bit closer to Lindsey.

"You sure this is the right place?" she said in a low voice.

She was open minded enough that if he said that these people weren't going to eat them for dinner, then she'd trust that for now.

She was also still curious to hear the answer to her question about the owner of this place. She'd heard rumors that people could go in and sing and have their fortunes read, or something along those lines. Of course, the last fortune teller she'd gone to had told her that she was destined to end up with a guy who wore tights and liked to fly. She might have previously joked about waiting for her crossdressing pilot, but after seeing those comics, she had a feeling that that fortune teller hadn't simply been some hack making up a laughable story. Maybe.

Fresh from her makeover with Pixie at the helm, Beauty bounded up to the door of the mansion she knew was Charlie's. And Ted's. And the Horse's! Her hair was streaked with pastel multicolors that managed not to clash with the wispy bit of pink and pattern that she liked the most of all the dresses she and her friend selected together. She wasn't completely sure of herself in this new look, but she was determined to try it. She lifted her hand and knocked, pleased with the jangling chiming sound the movement produced. Thin silver, bronze, black and gold bracelets settled back down against the delicate bones of her wrist when she dropped her hand again.

On that arm also hung a basket filled with fruit and croissants. Some of it was for Horse. Some of it was for her and Charlie (and Ted, if he happened to be a fruit eater...or croissant eater). The other arm was occupied with hugging Ted's stickered laptop against her side. She shifted her weight in the chunky platform heels she wore, then stared down at her toes. They'd been painted a candy pink. Wriggling her toes again, she speculated just how women had started the practice of painting their toenails. She would have laughed at the notion, back in Paris.

Then again, she'd never heard of bronzer before, either. Beauty sucked in her cheeks, wrinkled her nose, and stared at the door expectantly. Her lips felt sticky and heavy from the almost-clear, pinky gloss. The test, she thought, was how other people would react to what she looked like. If no one gasped, she was going to count it as a success.

Beauty realized she was a little nervous about how Ted and Charlie would react to her new look, under the buzzy excitement she'd felt with Megan. She shifted her weight again. Lifted a foot. Set it down carefully again. Platform shoes. She was getting used to them.