E.M. Chicago

This was a different kind of jungle. But still a jungle as far as Lunella Lafayette was concerned. It wasn't any harder to keep Devil out of sight here than in New York - in fact it was easier - more warehouses.

Sure, she should be in school but she quite literally knew more than her teachers anyway. For now, however, Moon Girl was patrolling the streets in her roller skates. Devil wasn't too far off and she'd rigged a one-shot teleporter device to bring him to her if she needed him based on the damaged and discarded boom tube generator she'd found some time back.

It was tough being this smart at age 10... But fun.
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Billy batson aka captain marvel

Billy felt hopelessly square out here on the basketball court. Not only were the kids out here running rings around him, but he noticed that everybody else on the court seemed to be dressed for the occasion. He knew what the wisdom of solomon would say, that these kids hadn't really been trying in gym class, so he would have to practise to keep up with them here, and that even if he was wearing the same clothes as everybody else, he would still feel out of place. Of course this wasn't much consolation to billy.

While sitting out a round to catch his breath, Billy went for a walk around the block. He was surprised and delighted to see someone on roller-skates. Perhaps she was someone as out of place as he? Billy missed the days before middle school when nobody would have made fun of him for roller skating.

"Hey skates, whats up?" he called out to her. As he got closer, and was sure none of the boys at the court could here him. "You know I miss rollerskating. I used to have so much fun on mine."
 
EVagesIL said:
"Hey skates, whats up?" he called out to her. As he got closer, and was sure none of the boys at the court could here him. "You know I miss rollerskating. I used to have so much fun on mine."
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Moon Girl stopped in front of Billy. "Seems to me that you still could, but are choosing not to." She grinned as she evaluated the kid. Early to mid teens, but his eyes showed an experience not normally seen in someone so young.

She stuck out the hand without the boxing glove on it. "Name's Lunella, or Moon Girl when I'm out on patrol like this. What's your name?"

@EVagesIL
 
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Billy looked down at his sadly non-wheeled shoes. He felt silly for being so easily pressured by kids in his neighbourhood, but even the wisdom of Solomon didn't protect you from being ashamed of things you like. "I grew out of mine." he muttered knowing full well what the obvious answer would be.

"I am Billy." he replied to her, picking up a bit. He wasn't sure if he should trust her with his big secret, but she had shared something and he knew he should share something too. "When I am not at school, I like to investigate stuff. Like super villains for instance. I also run a radio show on public access. It's called keeping up with the capes."

@Michale CS
 
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EVagesIL said:
"When I am not at school, I like to investigate stuff. Like super villains for instance. I also run a radio show on public access. It's called keeping up with the capes."
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"Capes are... not usually the best idea. They cause drag and can get caught on obstacles and even used against the hero. But I appreciate the name, it's catchy." She nodded, and looked carefully at Billy again.

"You know you're pretty young to be involved in the whole super hero thing. I mean, I know I'm one to talk but I'm one of the smartest people on the planet so I think I may be an exception. You be careful when dealing with that community. Next thing you know some super villain will be holding you hostage because he can use you for good PR."

@EVagesIL
 
Billy Batson AKA captain marvel or shazam

Billy chuckled at her first comment. The durability of Achilles made him able to disregard the choking hazard, but it was still a good point. One should always be careful not to let vanity be your downfall.

"yeah I know, but super heroes are such a big deal, and I don't wanna get left out. Besides I would be in just as much trouble if a big guy with a knife came after me. At least this way maybe someone will come to my rescue." billy said in sort of an excusing sort of way. He knew ordinary people used circular logic like that all the time, so he hoped it was in character.

"Say, I'm bored with this basketball game. How about you tell me a little about your adventures as moon girl. What's it like being one of the smartest people on the planet, and how did you decide on your superhero name?" he asked beginning to walk in the direction she had been heading. He knew superheroes were supposed to patrol, and maybe if she was as smart as she said she was she could give him some pointers. He was also genuinely curious about her.

@Michale CS
 
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EVagesIL said:
"Say, I'm bored with this basketball game. How about you tell me a little about your adventures as moon girl. What's it like being one of the smartest people on the planet, and how did you decide on your superhero name?"
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"Let me take that one in an order I think is more logical, okay? First off, I used to get teased at school and called Moon Girl because my name is Lunella and I wear round glasses. So, when I decided to become a heroine, I chose that name, because I re-purposed their teasing and appropriated their derogatory term - making it something empowering."

Lunella rocked back on her heels and shrugged. "Objectively, I don't have a point of reference that gives me any other viewpoint than being smart so I cannot answer with what I'd consider any sort of solid meaning but... I guess it's just a matter of accepting that other people aren't going to catch on to things as quickly as you, if at all."

"As far as my adventures, I've been to Dinosaur World, to the moon, have had adventures with Ms. Marvel and Amadeus Cho, and a few others. But by and large Devil and I take care of what you'd consider low level crime on the superhuman scale - bank robbers and stuff."

@EVagesIL
 
"Well us normal people who have to deal with that low level crime appreciate the help" Billy said mimicking the tone he had heard from reporters talking to local heroes. He pulled out a small notepad from his back pocket and started taking notes. Of course he had a notepad in his back pocket. Why wouldn't he be that square? "So who or what is Devil?"

He would then go on to ask her how she came to be a hero and how being a hero had changed her life. As they went around the corner, he felt like a proper reporter, but he felt like he should share something too.

@Michale CS
 
EVagesIL said:
"So who or what is Devil?"
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"He's a friend - who also happens to be a bright red Tyrannosaurus. We can communicate pretty well. I found him on Dinosaur World and I helped him avenge his friend's death. He's been following me around since." She said matter of factly, as casual as someone talking about a movie they've watched.

EVagesIL said:
He would then go on to ask her how she came to be a hero and how being a hero had changed her life. As they went around the corner, he felt like a proper reporter, but he felt like he should share something too.
Click to expand...

"Well, that happened at the same time I found Devil I guess, and as you can imagine I've had to adapt to having a T-Rex as a best friend. The hero thing... Well I always wanted to help others and with my skills and Devil's brawn, we manage pretty well. How about you? How do you handle it?"

Now Billy hadn't said word one that would indicate he was a hero, but somehow Moon Girl was making the assumption.

@EVagesIL
 
"Wait how do you communicate with him?" Billy didn't know many dinosaurs, but he had sort of assumed that they wouldn't speak any human language, so either she spoke dinosaur, or he had been presumptuous since his visit to the museum.

Billy's blood ran cold When she asked him the question. He had been keeping a low profile since he had come to live with his uncle. He had been running around in bright red and not one mention of him had hit the news anywhere (he was sure of it.). How did she know? It was possible that she was just guessing, but it was one hell of a guess. Had he been too forward? "If I were a real super hero that would have scared the crap out of me." He said after a beat with composure he had honed on the playground. His almost grin never dropped. "But if I were a hero, things would be going quite well for me as I don't even have a name in the papers. Although, sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be in the big leagues [to be famous and have kids asking for my autograph], but I haven't done anything news worthy yet." he finished with a whistful look in his eye.
 
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EVagesIL said:
"Wait how do you communicate with him?" Billy didn't know many dinosaurs, but he had sort of assumed that they wouldn't speak any human language, so either she spoke dinosaur, or he had been presumptuous since his visit to the museum.
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"It's an empathic connection, but I'm unclear why it works. I've theories but they're complex to explain." Moon Girl replied.

"Good. If you were a super hero there's an advantage in keeping a low profile. Less people knowing about you means less bad guys knowing about you. Bad guys can be smart too, you know. It would be catastrophic if say... Doctor Doom learned about your secret identity. I mean, if you had one. Say... Presuming you were a super hero, what would your super name be?"

@EVagesIL
 
"I dunno." billy said with great unease. "well obviously I would choose a name that is incredibly unhelpful for understanding my powers, so something like Captain Marvel or Doctor Strange, but they are probably already taken. Maybe I would be called Captain Thunder. It rolls off the tongue easy enough. I don't know. What is a good generic name?"

"say," Billy said leaning in conspiratorially. "Chicago is a big city and a lot is happening in other cities. What do you think is going here? I mean super-villain wise."
 
EVagesIL said:
"I dunno." billy said with great unease. "well obviously I would choose a name that is incredibly unhelpful for understanding my powers, so something like Captain Marvel or Doctor Strange, but they are probably already taken. Maybe I would be called Captain Thunder. It rolls off the tongue easy enough. I don't know. What is a good generic name?"
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"Probably? You run a radio show about super heroes - you know that Captain Marvel and Doctor Strange are taken." Lunella waggled a finger at Billy.

"How about Deceptive Kid? Ironic, because it doesn't reflect any power you have right now." She gave him an exaggerated wink.

EVagesIL said:
"say," Billy said leaning in conspiratorially. "Chicago is a big city and a lot is happening in other cities. What do you think is going here? I mean super-villain wise."
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"I haven't found any super-villains operating here in Chicago yet. I've only been here a few days though. Give me time. Why, did you want to act like my sidekick while I'm here?" Something on her belt beeped, and she pulled off a device that looked a lot like a cell phone and glanced at the screen, before replacing it.

@EVagesIL
 
"And you know that people who get saved aren't going to argue, and the confusion might be useful." he replied "the question is if the heroes in question would complain."

Billy groaned when she made her joke "apparently my power is getting made fun of by a little girl. Thankfully that doesn't roll off the tongue."

"In that case, let me welcome you to Chicago." he said dramatically"I was thinking more like I'd get the scoop on the story." He looked up at her expectantly when her device beeped.

@Michale CS
 
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EVagesIL said:
"In that case, let me welcome you to Chicago." he said dramatically"I was thinking more like I'd get the scoop on the story." He looked up at her expectantly when her device beeped.
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"You keep doing that. I bet more than one super uses being a reporter as a cover."

When Billy became curious about the device she grinned. "Facial recognition software. Keyed into all of the public cameras in town and cross referenced against all public records, like, say, public school enrollment and news stories... Mr. Batson. Is that a real name or are you saying you're the son of Batman? Naw, he wouldn't leave Gotham. But sure, I'll keep you filled in. And if I ever get in trouble, I'll call you and you can conveniently call whatever 'friend' who just happens to be a super hero to help, huh? Deal?"

Moon Girl stuck out her hand. "Also, tomorrow I'll call you so you can meet Devil, okay?"

@EVagesIL
 
"I am not a journalist, I am just a pundit." he said with educated aggravation of someone who wished they were the former, but had to settle for the latter.

"wait isn't using that kind of thing a massive invasion of people's privacy?" billy asked under his breath, knowing full well that she would likely not be the only one using such methods.

"What if my friend is busy and I have to show up instead? Or what if my friend is a massive jerk?" He was looking forward to seeing a large dinosaur in person (what kid wouldn't be?) but for the first time he was worried how the surety and confidence that came with his transformation would be received. He had never before had the occasion of knowing someone in both identities. Even the wizard just disregarded him when he wasn't transformed.

@Michale CS
 
EVagesIL said:
"wait isn't using that kind of thing a massive invasion of people's privacy?"
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She activated the springs in her boots so she was a little taller than Billy temporarily just so she could look down her nose at him. "Did you not hear me? Public records. I don't use anything anyone couldn't get access to, though I could. So no, you just have a lot less privacy than you think you do."

EVagesIL said:
"What if my friend is busy and I have to show up instead? Or what if my friend is a massive jerk?"
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"Well, then I'll either have to protect you from whatever is causing me to call for help - which wouldn't be any help at all, or I'll be disappointed in your friend. In any event, I'll just head out for now and call you tomorrow - then we'll see if we can arrange for you to meet Devil." She lowered herself to normal height and waved.

"I'm going to get... but here's a trick - " Moon Girl grabbed a nearby basketball and positioned herself just right then... landed a shot from over 60 feet away. "It's all mathematics and getting the right angle, visualizing it. Try throwing the ball from various angles and from various positions, and see how the arc goes. Memorize that and you should be able to mentally adjust and make a lot more of your shots."

She gave him a wave and then Moon Girl skated off.

@EVagesIL
 
Billy Batson AKA Shazam

Billy waved back to her, as he walked back to the park. On the plus side he would be on time to class. He supposed that was the trouble with most smart folks. They weren't clever like Moon Girl, and he had assumed she would be like the rest of them. It was a rookie mistake he figured. He would have to be ready next time they met. He would be ready for anything and techno-color dinosaurs.

@Michale CS
 
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EVagesIL said:
They weren't clever like Moon Girl, and he had assumed she would be like the rest of them. It was a rookie mistake he figured. He would have to be ready next time they met. He would be ready for anything and techno-color dinosaurs.
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The next day came, and about an hour after Billy was out of school, his phone rang. Funny, because he didn't recall giving her his number. The caller ID read "DONT BE NOSY".

Presuming he answered, Lunella would be on the other end. "There's a warehouse in the Fulton River District, near Wolf Point. It's an old Borders Booksellers warehouse. Empty now that they went broke. That's where Devil and I are. Come alone, unless you want people to see a T-Rex."

@EVagesIL
 
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