On the less super side of things... [Action]

[bemoreflexible]

Helen gave up the super hero life decades ago, back when it was the Alpha Pals who protected the country, and long before the Omegafriends had even been thought of. After all the heroes that were lost after Gamma Jack's "crusade", it became too clear to Helen that the work was just too risky. Today, she was just a normal woman, doing normal errands while her normal husband watched the kids at home. Right?

[A. At Costmart]
Helen just needed to buy a few dozen things for the week. In and out, with as few distractions as possible. It's a shame someone ((probably your character)) had to go and choke on a free sample. And no one around knows the Heimlich maneuver but Helen? Guess everyone is too busy learning to fight death rays and space invaders to bother taking a basic CPR course.

[B. In the Do or Dye Hair Salon waiting area ]
It's been a busy day, apparently, according to the TV in the waiting room. Super villains planting doomsday devices and inciting chaos. Police chiefs complaining about super heroes making it harder for honest cops to do their jobs. Helen would be content to keep her mouth shut about it, but the person next to her is apparently intent on talking about the subject at length.

[C. Anywhere in Venture City]
Seems Helen is all over town today. Perhaps she'll run into something or someone interesting.

Comments

B

[sociallyawkward]

[ Talk about it at length? Heck, Ruby can go on for hours. ]

-but I haven't really seen any more heroes running around, you know? I mean, with that creep on TV, you'd think there'd be more people running around. Not that I think the heroes would listen to the guy at all, because he's clearly a bad guy, but you'd think they'd try to track him down, or be more vigilant for the villains who'd listen to him. I mean, there was a bank robbery - some guy with a giant gold robot crab, did you see that? Wait, was that even on the news? I was there, actually! It was so cool! Not the, uh, being held hostage part not that I was a very good hostage but just HRRRRRNGH you know!?

Oh, and I heard some rumors that the cops are looking for some sort of doomsday device. Have you heard anything about that? That's like super hush-hush but I've got a friend of a friend who knows someone who told them about it. Police are looking for superhero support on it! That's exciting! The police never work with the supers or at least almost never and that's so awesome and it must be a really big deal-

[ FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SOMEBODY STOP HER ]

Re: B

[bemoreflexible]

[Helen decides to politely interrupt her.]

Uhm, sweetie?

[sociallyawkward]

-and... huh?

Oh, right. Sorry. You prooobably wanted to add something in, right? [ And now there's a fifteen-year-old girl looking over at Helen expectantly. ]

[bemoreflexible]

Uh, not really, just...

[She sighs.]

You seem awfully excited about a lot of very dangerous things.

[sociallyawkward]

Well... yeah. Who doesn't get excited about heroes? They get to save lives and make the world a better place. Not to mention they're super-cool too!

A!

[omnitrixter]

Clearly, the free samples in Costmart were some sort of plot. The workers obviously some sort of super secret assassins.

At least, that was the only explanation for why the Costmart worker decided to sneak up on Ben while he was popping the sample in his mouth and startling him into choking on it. Ben gasped and wheezed for breath, silently promising any gods listening that he would never touch another Costmart sample again as long as they let him live.

If he was going to die young, he wanted to die being a superhero. Not choking on a free sample.

Re: A!

[bemoreflexible]

[As some employee dumbly asks Ben if he's okay, Helen sees what's happening from down the aisle and starts to rush over, shouting on the way.]

The kid's choking! Someone help him!

Re: A!

[omnitrixter]

[Ben clutches at his chest. His body is in panic mode because he can't breathe and he'll die for going too long without air.]

Re: A!

[bemoreflexible]

Okay, okay! Don't panic!

[She quickly feels for his belly button, and makes a fist right above it, then grabs her wrist with her other arm. She sets he feet in a steady stance, and then does a thrust-squeeze as hard as she can.]

Re: A!

[omnitrixter]

[Ben's eyes widen as what precious air he'd managed to collect is forced out of his lungs but nothing else, not even a cough. He's honestly trying to calm down, but his body won't listen.]

C - hope this is okay

[forgottendecade]

It's not exactly the best neighborhood to be in, but it did boast of one of the best ethnic dives in the city. A lot of people came there just for the food and sometimes they also get to see some of the more colorful locals brawl it out a block or two away. Natives find the outsiders amusing in their own, talking rapidly in Japanese behind their hands or glasses.

On such a warm day, the locals were not engaged in brawls, having instead decided to loiter about in what shade was provided by over hanging balconies and a few straggly trees. The Greasy Bowl's roof shimmered in the sun, and it made the smells of spices, hot oil and flour hang low in the air. The three people manning the stall were moving slower than normal, exchanging heated words in between taking orders from their customers. The head chef was leaning close to the man lounging at the corner of the stall's small counter, talking rapidly in broken English, "Kin said it was you. Bam. Tossed him through the door."

"Kin's a drunk," was the reply as the guy took a sip of tea. "You're drunk for believing him. Why would I wreck a door when a window's better?"

The cook shook his head and nods, waving at the chairs lined up around the small dive to approaching customers. "Have a seat, have a seat! Famous Greasy Wang is happy to see new people!"

"You should be seeing to your broth."

The cook yelped and ran into the back of the shack, cursing in his native tongue while the guy laughed and set his empty cup down.

"Old fool." He turns away from the counter and raises and eyebrow. "Are you here for the food?"

Re: C - hope this is okay

[bemoreflexible]

Helen looks a bit out of place here.

"Uhm, actually, do you have a phone? My car broke down and I've got not cell reception here."

[forgottendecade]

"It did?"

He frowned and glanced at a couple of the kids leaning against the building trying to look cool. The kids immediately slunk away to find another piece of shade to claim.

"This place has lousy reception for most cell phones," he continued with a shrug and pointed with his chin towards a stray pay phone. "That works still, if you got change."

[bemoreflexible]

"Great, thanks."

She goes over to the phone, and takes it off the hook. After a moment, she turns back.

"Greeaat. Uh, sir?"

She holds it up. Apparently some hooligan has broken the phone cord.

[forgottendecade]

And it really doesn't surprise him. The kids in this neighborhood were always causing some kind of petty trouble. Joji looked behind the counter to see if there was a phone and then, giving a sigh, he laid his chop sticks on top of his bowl and walked over to see if he could just twist a few wires together to make it work. Unfortunately, it looked like it was seriously busted.

"I guess you might have to walk to the nearest auto shop." He thinks for a second, noticing the perfectly ordinary housewife vibe she had going on and then shook his head. "Or I can give you a ride."

A, please!

[terrorwhatflaps]

[Drake loves free samples as much as anyone, he really does. He just wishes they'd actually WARNED him that that hummus was full of flamin' red hot chili peppers.

he may or may not be spitting fire in the middle of the aisle. whoops. it's not a choking hazard, no, but - the poor staff member looks totally unequipped to handle this situation]

Re: A, please!

[bemoreflexible]

[Wow! That sure if fire coming out of that guys mouth. That is not normal. Must be showing off his super power or something.]

"Woah, jeez guy! You mind?"

[terrorwhatflaps]

[some people count Rule of Funny as a superpower, so ... maybe? either way, it's not stopping. he looks over at her, panicked, lets out a sound between a cough and a wheeze, and points to the sample, then his throat, then fans the air in front of his mouth. help?

there's a lobster tank nearby, if that's of any importance. or there's the ice they've got the fresh fish on. or, she could get creative]

[bemoreflexible]

[Helen looks around, and then realizes his breath has started to set a display on fire.]

Woah!

[She darts to the end of the aisle, and smashes open an emergency fire extinguisher box, then races back.]

Hold on!

C

[getoutofmylab]

Not being a homemaker, Sherri didn't have all day on a Monday to run errands. He had his full-time job, plus super-things, plus those random little extras that come with pretending to be a human - like mandatory psychological evaluations where he pretends not to be a space alien having space alien problems, and maybe... a tiny, accidental social life? And, somewhere in there, he has to squeeze in time for science. It doesn't leave a lot of time for things like picking up a suit at the dry cleaner's. Which is what he is doing now, on his lunch break.

He understandably has a lot on his mind, as he briskly walks down the sidewalk with a vintage suit in tow. So it's perfectly understandable that he's not looking where he's going, and thus bumps directly into some lady.

"O-oh. Ah. I-I'm s-sorry, let me help you with that..."

Re: C

[bemoreflexible]

Helen bounces a bit more on the impact than is normal and hopes the man doesn't notice. Hopefully the groceries he managed to knock all over the ground should prove a sufficient distraction.

"Thanks."

C

[descendsfromshadow]

[Being... new in the city and carrying only whatever she'd managed to gather up in cash form before pulling her disappearing act a few months ago means Blake sometimes needs to circumvent the law a little at times. As much as she dislikes doing it, her dwindling funds leave her with little choice. She'll have to find something to do about that eventually.

So here she is wandering up and down the aisles of the grocery store, the hood of her black sweater up to cover the feline ears that mark her true nature, and a backpack over her shoulders. In her hand is the bottle of water that would act as the legitimate purchase to cover up her real mission here. Namely the various cereal bars and canned foods she's secreting away.

She's pretty good though. It would take a sharp eye indeed to spot her shoplifting.]

Re: C

[bemoreflexible]

[Helen was already pretty good at spotting things as a superhero, but after raising Dash and Violet? She didn't miss anything.]

Hungry?

[descendsfromshadow]

[Blake doesn't quite jump when the older woman speaks up, but there is a sudden tension to her at being caught in the act. Her eyes flicker from Helen to up and down the aisle. Picking escape routes?

Maybe. But before she goes and makes a break for it, better to see if she can talk her way clear. Glancing over, she keeps a calm expression.]

Excuse me?

[Nothing to see here.]

[bemoreflexible]

[Uh huh. Not fooled, kid.]

I have a daughter, not much younger than you. I just... know how hungry a growing girl gets.