9991/Only in New York, Aftermath

Only in New York, Aftermath
Date of Scene:	05 February 2022
Location:	Washington Square Park
Synopsis:	Continued from Scene #9959, Jennifer and Booster actually talk after the fight with the demon.
Cast of Characters:	Booster Gold, Jennifer Kale

---

Booster Gold has posed:
It was your usual late evening in Washington Square Park. A portal had opened, spitting out a giant demon. You know, typical New York.

Jennifer Kale know exactly what to do to send him back from whence he came. Unfortunately, Booster Gold didn't, and he was a lot faster at causing trouble than she was at solving it.

End result was that she did manage to evict the demon from our plane of existence (go Jennifer!) but only after Booster Gold had to punch it enough times to feel like he was a valuable super hero. The whole thing would have gone a lot faster if he hadn't yanked her from her feet unceremoniously while she was casting the spell to send him back. But he wouldn't be Booster Gold if he didn't find a way to unwittingly undo the efforts of the "real" heroes. Although if Jennifer had actually been a defenseless blonde co-ed, he totally would have saved her bacon.

Jennifer pulled some last minute heroics by erecting a force field before Booster foolishly flew head first into the portal, knocking him to the ground. But he was unrelenting, and thus he had fallen to the ground with an OOF.

SJumping up almost as soon as he does so, he brushes the leaves and twigs from him, and raises those triumphant arms again. "Booster Gold saves the day!"

Apparently taking credit for the portal shrinking, too. That should go over well...

Jennifer Kale has posed:
With the demon banished, the portal shrinking away, and the force field keeping Booster from flying into it, Jennifer can finally relax. For a moment, at least. The gold and blue hero declares victory and is announces his triumph.

That does it.

Squinting, the blonde rounds on him and stalks forward like a hunting lioness. And no, she really doesn't look like she's there to give him a hug for the rescue.

"Are you some special kinda stupid or are you just an idiot?" she begins. "I clearly said DON'T go into the portal."

Booster Gold has posed:
Blinking in surprise as Jen comes over but NOT for a hug in reward, Booster Gold looks at her. "My mother always said I was special," comes the first reply, and then he looks over towards where the portal was, and then back to her. "What do YOU know about portals? I was just going in to see where it came from, figure out if there were more coming - if it was a boomtube or something, and we had to worry about an invasion. You know, intelligence."

He looks at her critically for a moment. "And what happened to "thank you for not letting me get burned alive"?"

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Jennifer Kale's expression softens a bit when she realizes that he genuinely thought he was doing the right thing. Deep breath, Jen. Inhale. Exhale. She runs fingers through all those long, blonde locks. "Okay, I suppose introductions are probably in order, first." she declares.

"I'm Jennifer Kale, descendent of the ancient Atlantean sorceress Zhered-Na. Like her, I am also a sorceress. So when it comes to portals, it'll be *my* opinions that we'll be following."

Booster Gold has posed:
Booster Gold smiles through the introduction, nodding. It takes him a moment. "Wait, YOU were the portal that sent it back?" He snaps his fingers. "It DID seem awfully convenient, now that you mention it."

Then it's his turn. His body twists slightly to the side as he adopts a hero pose. The only thing missing is the wind blowing in his hair and a waving American Flag behind him. "I'm Booster Gold, idol of millions, super hero and member of the Justice League!" Somehow during this time, the golden robot has reappeared, and as he floats behind Booster there is a digitized sound of a stadium applause playing. "This is my friend, Skeets." He jerks a thumb at the robot.

"Atlantean, huh? You know, I'm good friends with your king, actually. Had brunch with him the other day. We're /tight/, Arthur and I."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Jennifer Kale watches as Booster slowly catches up, folding arms over her chest and quietly tapping her foot. Then he strikes the pose and Skeets plays the applause. Her upper lip twitches, not quite keeping a straight face as a blonde brow raises.

"Hello Skeets." she begins. "And nice to meet you, Booster. I wasn't really in any danger. Nothing major, anyway. But thanks for swooping in to save me all the same." She pauses, then rephrases. "Actually, next time let's do it without the swooping in."

The name he drops rings a bell, then. "Arthur Arthur Arthur... oh, you mean the fish-guy! Yeah, I've heard of him. Never met. And no relation." She squints again. "You're really with the Justice League?"

Booster Gold has posed:
"Yes, well, now that I know that you are a bad-ass sorceress, I'll stay out of your way!" Booster chuckles for a moment. "I apologize, but usually when big monsters are chasing gorgeous women, I have a tendency to act before I think." He considers this quietly for a moment. "I should probably think more in general, honestly."

As Jennifer realizes who he is speaking about, Booster nods excitedly. "Yeah, the fish-guy! That's him." He nods solemnly. "I'd heard there were all kinds of Atlanteans, but he is also blonde, so I figured..."

At the question of his Justice League membership, Skeets shoots forward. "Yes, in fact, sir was with them when Doomsday attacked and very nobly almost died by having his head slammed repeatedly into a car door!" Booster's cheeks flush a bit and he reaches out to push Skeets backwards. "We don't need to keep telling that story, Skeets."

Booster clears his throat. "But yes, I am a member of the Justice League. Just, you know..." He shrugs a bit. "I don't get called out for the big things as much as Superman or Wonder Woman. I'm mostly a "save women who don't need saving from demons" level of guy, I guess."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Bad-ass? Gorgeous women? Jen is used to flattery, mostly because of time spent on stage as a dancer, but Booster is clearly on a whole different level. She smiles anyway. "Skeets, I definitely need to hear more stories." the woman offers.

"Well for the record, Booster, I almost blasted you instead of the demon. For whatever reason I tend to have quite a few demons come after me lately, but it always ends with the demons being sent back."

Her smile widens, then. "So you're not a varsity player, hmm? Nothing wrong with playing on the second-string. Hero work is hero work all the same, right?"

Booster Gold has posed:
The robot immediately flies forward. "This one time, the entire League was off fighting this powerful sorcerer Mordru, and Booster was assigned to crowd control..." Booster shoves the robot away again. "Not now, Skeets." He rolls his eyes a bit, and sighs. "Sorry, he gets excited when anyone talks to him."        Booster takes a half step to the side to put Skeets behind him. "I'm glad you didn't blast me, but I'd probably have been fine unless it was magic." He pauses. "It was magic, wasn't it? Ok, then I'm glad you didn't." He frowns for a moment, his brow wrinkling in thought. "Why do you have demons after you? Is this something that you need to worry about? Maybe you should have let me go through the portal to investigate?" Just like that, he has switched back into hero mode.

Her question brings him back down to Earth. He sighs quietly, and nods. "I haven't been varsity since college, and..." He kind of stops for a moment. "Well. That was a long time from now, anyway." It takes a moment, but then the broad grin is back, almost as if the reflection upon his past was an illusion. "Yeah. For a while, actually, they sent me off into Justice League Europe. They /said/ it was to help expand the brand, but when you've got Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Animal Man, and Rocket Red on one team, and Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash on another..." He shrugs a bit. "I think they just wanted to stick us some place where we couldn't do much harm." That, however, evokes a broad grin and a laugh from Booster. "And OH how wrong they were..." He laughs at his own recollection. Then adds, "Uh, but they shut that down after like two years. I wonder why..."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Jennifer Kale grins crookedly at Skeets. She likes him already. Attention back to Booster, then, and Jennifer nods. "Yes, it was definitely magic. I can't really do anything else." She unfolds her arms, putting hands on hips, then. "And you wouldn't have learned anything by going through the portal, Booster. I've been there. It's not very appealing."

Jennifer manages to stay focused as he rambles on a bit, although her upper lip twitches a few times in a near-grin. "Oh, I wouldn't give it too much thought, really." On the subject of the 'side team' he was put on. "And I've been around long enough to really annoy some people... some -beings-... in other dimensions. So much that they send things after me sometimes."

Booster Gold has posed:
"I mean, if you can do that, you can already do more than I can." Booster flashes a grin. "I mean, it's kind of a trade secret and everything, but I don't have any powers, myself. It's all the suit." He waves his hands in front of him.
    Skeets finds a way to sneak through his legs and pops up between he and Jen. "But your charm is practically it's own superpower, sir!" Booster rolls his eyes, and seems to just give up on keeping Skeets out of the conversation.

His other superpower is being obtuse - literally, although it is misspelled W-E-A-K-N-E-S-S on his dossier - so he seems to not notice just how close he came to losing Jennifer as he narrates the travails of his time on the JLI. "That's not good at all. Is there someone..." He pauses, choosing his words carefully. "An ally, who can help you with this? I mean, clearly you are capable of taking care of yourself, but what happens if they step up their game?" There almost sounds like legitimate empathy and concern in his voice.

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Jennifer Kale tilts her head, blinking as Skeets pops up between then. "Right. His charm." Truth be told, there is definitely something infectuous about his charm. Sort of like the chicken pox. Or typhoid.

"An ally? I do sort of have one, really. He guards a nexus between this world and others." Jen considers for a moment, then adds quickly. "But he's not like other guys. He's more... plant... than man. And he's sort of stuck in Florida in his native mud."

She gets what he's angling for, then, and wariness returns. "You wouldn't be the first to rely on a suit or other things for your powers, Booster. The real question is, what do you do with it?"

Booster Gold has posed:
This would be neither the first nor likely the last time that Booster's presence was compared to a plague. Or an itchy annoyance that gets worse the more you scratch it.
    Booster snap-points at Jen as she describes her ally. "Swamp Thing! Oh, he's an awesome dude. I had this one mission I went on with him - did you know he used to be a scientist? WAY smarter than me, but don't tell anyone I admitted that."

He ponders the last question for a moment. "That's a good point. I mean, if we're being strictly honest here, the whole reason I took it in the first place was to try to come back and be famous and rich. I was really driven by ego back then." Reminder - obtuse is his superpower. "But I think, at the end of the day, they would have been happy with how I was using it. Because, you know, every once in a while..."

He pauses to flash that million dollar Booster Gold grin. "...I do use it to save a woman who /totally/ doesn't need to be saved."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
"He's called 'Man-Thing', actually." she replies in a lower voice. "But you do get the idea. And yes, his name was Ted." She pauses, then. "It's probably best you don't meet him without me being there." So Booster's fancy suit doesn't get dirty. Or torn apart.

Jen's smile returns, then. His own is infectuous, after all. Infectuous and plague-like. "I give you points for good intentions at least, Booster. But now you know that I don't really need saving, most of the time." She considers for a moment, then.

"Do you have one of those Justice League talkie-earpiece-thingies, by any chance? Because I won't be opposed to being able to call somebody for backup."

Jen doesn't know why she said that, and later tonight she'll probably kick herself for making the offer.

Booster Gold has posed:
Booster's face twists in confusion. "But if he's a plant..." He shrugs it off. "And yeah. Although I'm not sure that I have any plans to go to Florida anytime soon. Old people creep me out." He shivers.

"Most of the time, sure. But as soon as you say that, you know you'll find yourself thinking, 'Hey, I really wish Booster was here...'" He flashes a grin, but then it fades. "No, you're right. You'll be fine."

When she asks for the earpiece, his smile brightens. "Ok, so, they don't let me anywhere near those things, unfortunately, but I could absolutely arrange for a meet-and-greet with one of the "responsible" types" (and yes, he does the airquotes with his fingers) "and they can talk to you about it. But I can do you one better. TWO better, even!" He taps Skeets, who spits out a small business card. It has a photo of Booster Gold on it, smiling, with a literal sparkle somehow added to one of the teeth, and a big thumbs up. It also has a phone number. "This rings to both me and Skeets. It's my private number, and I don't even give it to my fans." He taps Skeets and a pen pops up, and he quickly scrawls another number on it. "This one is Ted's - he doesn't give this number out to /anyone/. But it's his personal as well, and it rings to his phone, or his costume, or the Beetle." He hands the card towards her. "Please, feel free to use it. Anytime."
    The Booster Gold smile comes back. "Even if you are only looking to be saved from..." his voice modulates like a cheesy 1970s horror film. "...boooooooredoooooooom."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
"So you're saying I'm old, then? Because I'm from Florida, y'know..." Jen replies wryly. "It's also hot and muggy down there, like all the time. You wouldn't like it." She actually looks a bit disappointed (or relieved) when he doesn't have an earpiece.

But the business card? Yeah, she's got a phone. Most sorcerors have phones these days. Except that Strange guy. Tilting her head, she looks with interest as he write another number on it. Then Jennifer asks the question of the evening.

"So who's Ted and what's the Beetle?" Yeah, it's not like Jen's been living under a rock. She just doesn't get out much. "Is he one of those costume guys?" Taking out her phone, she makes an entry under 'Booster'.

Booster Gold has posed:
This throws Booster's poise off a bit. "No, I mean, /you're/ young and, uh..." He trails off and then gives her a /look/. "You're just screwing with me, aren't you?"

As Booster watches her actually record the number he has an expression on his face that seems to indicate that he didn't actually expect it to work. "Uh, Ted Kord. Billionaire playboy inventor. Also the crime fighting Blue Beetle." Booster grins. "He's a good dude. He's always been willing to help me out. I'm crashing with him now while I'm between, uh, places."

Suddenly a question occurs to him. "What were you doing out here tonight anyway?"

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Jennifer Kale folds her arms again, head tilting with that wry smile. "Am I?" she quips back. And on some level she's actually impressed that he might be able to tell the difference. Jen nods, then. Blue Beetle. She'll do an internet check on him later.

"What was I doing? I go to the University here. Heading home from a late study session when that ugly purple thing decided to spoil my walk through the park." She shrugs, then. "Weird things just seem to happen to me sometimes."

Booster Gold has posed:
Booster just smiles back as she quips. Deciding to just go with that and not trying to interpret.

"Ah. A student. Nice." He smiles. "Impressive that a master sorcerer takes her other education seriously." He glances around for a moment, as if looking for some other danger. "So, while I realize that you are very capable of taking care of yourself - you made that clear - but if you'd like, I'd be happy to walk you the rest of the way home." He pauses. "Or fly you, if that suited your fancy." He grins.

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Jennifer Kale actually rolls her eyes at the thought of taking her other education seriously. If only. "Yeah, I'm like the eternal freshman." she admits. Giving him a sidelong look at the offer to fly her home, for a moment it looks like she might blast him.

Then she grins. "What the hell, why not?" Jen replies. "Sure, I'd love it if you could fly me home. But don't carry me like a sack of potatoes this time."