Owner Pose
Garfield Logan "Oh, when the sun beats down and burns the tar up on the roof"
"And your shoes get so hot, you wish your tired feet were fireproof"
"Under the boardwalk, down by the sea, yeah"
"On a blanket with my baby is where I'll be"

It may not be the middle of summer, and temperatures may be far from enough to cause such problems, but the song is a nice one to hum or sing any time of the year, especially when one is actually at a boardwalk.

Gar Logan is in such a situation, dressed in costume as Beast Boy for photo ops and autographs at the one on St. Martin Island, with proceeds benefiting a local charity for animal shelters geared toward pet adoption. Given his nature and what he can do, it's nothing for him to take the form of any animal someone asks for. With technology what it is, there are assistants ready to make a quick print of the photo in minutes, which he can then sign.

Judging by the queue to see him, business has been steady. It's during a small hydration break that the song is recited, mostly to himself.
M'gann M'orzz While Spring has sprung there is still a bit of chill in the air, not that it seems to bother the teenaged freckled redhead making her way down the boardwalk. Wearing a fashionable pair of slim jeans and a poofy white blouse tousled by the breeze, she just seems to be here to enjoy the sunlight and peak into the various shops. At least at first.

Crowds are always interesting, especially at a time of year when the boardwalk is usually not so crowded. This crowd has camera flashes and excited chatter too. Megan's curiosity gets the better of her as she walks up to the edge craning her neck a bit to try and see what is going on. She is pretty tall, but there is still some tippy toes involved to actually see over all the heads.

The site of the shoot itself makes her smile, she knows who that is! Tork from Space Trek! But also... right! Beast Boy from the Titans, that was his actor. M'gann is loosely familiar due to the dual memberships of some Outsiders like Bart and Cassie, but has never actually met any of their other members.

An idea occurs to the Martian young woman, a hope that is quickly dashed though as she studies the length of the line and how it seems to go on and on and on. He certainly is popular!
Garfield Logan There is a bit of an elevated stage set up, a backdrop of Titans Tower on a large print behind the table Beast Boy is seated at. The actual Titans Tower is not that far off, but it looks notably more dramatic with the angle used for the print. One autograph-seeker's request results in him becoming a parrot to perch on the shoulder of someone in a pirate getup. Another has him as a puppy to lick the cheek of a child, her expression giving away her enjoyment.

The end of the line begins to shorten, and while back to normal so he can sign the photo prints, he glances out over the people still waiting. His eyes pass over Megan, then dart back toward her suddenly. He blinks. Then, he stares. "Uh.." he says under his breath, expression akin to someone who just got punched in the stomach.
M'gann M'orzz When the line begins to shorten, hope returns! Or at least a feeling that the wait isn't going to be inhumanly long. So, Megan Morse finds a place for herself in the line. For all that she has consumed a ridiculous amount of Earth Media even by Earthling standards, she has never met an actor before.

Her mind races a little at the thought, what would the person behind the character be like? There is a momentary dread, what if they're nothing at all alike?! But that thought is quickly dispelled as she remembers this person also fights to help people as a Hero. It is amidst this jumble of thoughts that she completely misses the attention of Gar until he is already staring at her. "Um, hi? Are you okay?"
Garfield Logan The pace moves all too quickly by the time he's noticed her, and Beast Boy's thoughts are a bit of a jumbled mess that have to be focused and refocused a few times in order for him to take and maintain an animal form requested of him. But, he gets through it. People walk away happy, each photo personalized with a name, plus 'Beast Boy' with a smiley face and a paw print on it.

Which brings him nearly face to face with Megan. It's the moment of truth. All the Tostitos are on the line. Sink or swim. Live or die.

He manages a smile and waves off the question. "Y-yeah. Fine, fine. Did you, uh..I mean, what's your favorite animal? I can, you know, be whatever. And stuff." Still staring. Mouth dry. Quick swig of water. Back of hand wiped across lips. Forced, wide smile, that snaggletooth showing.
M'gann M'orzz Megan takes longer to answer this question than she probably should. The truth is she hasn't put a whole lot of thought into her favorite Earth animal and saying something from Zythel or Mars would probably just create confusion. "Cats. I like cats." She blurts out, coming up with perhaps the most bog standard answer possible for a girl her age.

It shouldn't take her as long as it does to realize the reason for the favorite animal question, the picture duh. "Hello, Megan!" She slaps her forehead. "Um for the picture though, does it have to be an animal? Could you be Lt. Tork? I'm a big fan of Space Trek!" A pause, "Or an animal is fine if that is too much trouble!" Preemptively reassuring as she gets a bit flustered.
Garfield Logan Awkward pauses galore! Gar plays with his Sharpie, taking the cap off and pushing it back into place a few times, since it's already in his hands and it gives him something to do. "Cats are good, yeah. I know a few," he answers lamely before he adds, "Oh, hello Megan. I'm Beast Boy, but you can call me Gar." Why does something about that all sound way too familiar?

The question about Tork generates a little grin as he says, "Sure. It doesn't have to be an animal, mom. I can.." Hands fly to his mouth to cover it, eyes going more like saucers before he clears his throat. "You didn't hear that! My bad! You just..you look like, uh..her. A lot. When she was younger, and..oh, man."
M'gann M'orzz "Nice to meet you Gar!" Megan greets pleasantly enough when he introduces himself. Her pleasant expression broadens into a bright grin at the confirmation that 'not animals' is okay! She can get a picture with Tork! Truly this is a good day.

But then confusion clouds her expression for a moment, "Mom?" she asks. "I look like your Mom?" She's clearly puzzled by this, not the least part because Beast Boy is green and /currently/ she is not! There is a longer pause before she asks, "Did your mom look like Megan Wheeler?" It's an odd question, referencing a character rather than the actress behind them like most actual Earth people might. She's never had anyone recognize her disguise before, that show seemingly forgotten by almost all humans (their loss) and unease begins to creep into her demeanor.
Garfield Logan "Sorry, guys. I can't do any more after this one!" Beast Boy says, gesturing to one of his handlers nearby who comes up with some passes. "But I'll be back again next weekend, and if you show up with one of these I'll make sure I see you first! Let's all make some more money for animals who need good homes!"

It's a testament to his acting ability that he can switch back over to that side of him and make sure others are taken care of, rather than just ignoring them, while he's clearly out of his comfort zone with Megan here. The sign notes the price for the photo op, a modest $20, and he clears his throat before he stands up. "Okay, then. Tork. Here goes." Nothing really looks any different, because he didn't look any different as Tork. Convenient!

"After the picture," he says out of the corner of his mouth, putting on a smile for it, and her, before starting to close up shop as he helps his assistants out. The print is still to come. "So..no, she looked like my mom because she was /played/ by my mom. I've seen all of the episodes. It's..ahem. Just, one of the only ways I have of remembering her." Eyes dart away.
M'gann M'orzz Awkward. Everything about this is awkward. It doesn't take one of the strongest empaths on the planet to feel the emotions in the air, but all the same she does manage a smile for the picture. Even if she does look a bit mortified slightly thereafter at all of the people who will have to come back next week. One might normally argue it is not her fault since people can't control their appearances, but in M'gann's case she very much can.

"It's really good what you're doing." She offers by way of making awkward conversation while things are being wrapped up and passes handed out. "Raising money for animals in need."

Once things settle down though, there is only the photo to wait for. Well that and deal with the information bomb that Megan Wheeler's actress was Gar's mother. To an Earth person this would make perfect sense, acting dynasties and all, to an alien teenager stuck in alien military school, as her only escape from a ruthless culture of conquerors at odds with her more benign nature, well she'd never really thought about the people behind the characters. "Oh, is she? Oh, I'm sorry." And almost reflexively as if she feels she did something wrong, her skin shifts to green and her eyes to red, though the red hair remains. It's the only other appearance she uses that springs to mind in the moment and at least looks slightly less Megan-ish.
Garfield Logan The photo comes out, and Gar scrawls the usual on it before sliding it Megan's way. "Ahh, you know. It's nothing, and I like being around people. If this helps get more people to think about adopting animals, that's a good thing, right? And at least this raises some money for the shelters and services and all that,"

It's a topic he clearly has some passion for, and it should be no surprise for someone like him. All the same, it's an awkward hand that rubs at the back of his neck for a few seconds. It'd be natural for him to assume someone knows the difference between the actor and the character, but maybe Megan only remembered the character's name.

"Yeah, her name was Marie, and..you just turned green, like me, didn't you?" Time for another of those confused expressions as he takes to staring all over again. Hushed, he adds, "Who /are/ you?"
M'gann M'orzz Maybe that was the wrong thing to do, now you've really done it Megan, M'gann thinks to herself. "I.. uh.." She stammers flustered as she searches for a way not to make the situation worse and finally just resumes her Megan Morse appearance, which might as well be Marie Logan, and deflates a bit. "I'm a Martian." She says quietly. "I should go, sorry for causing you trouble. I'll find someone else to look like."
Garfield Logan A few onlookers gawk. "Are they related?" one asks the other. "I didn't know he had a sister!" says the other.

Whether Beast Boy overhears that or not, he gives no indication. There are bigger things on his mind just this second, and it leads to him waving his hands back and forth rapidly. "Nonono! You don't have to..I mean..gaah." Turning quickly to his assistants, he asks them to finish taking everything down and meet him at the Tower later on.

In the meantime, he's reaching out for Megan's hand, or whatever her actual name is. "A Martian? Come with me, just for a minute. I need to ask you something." Assuming no resistance, he leads the way over toward a food stand that's closed, moving partly behind it for a little privacy. "So, here it is. I'm not gonna lie. Seeing you looking like my mom around my age is freaking me out in a way, but on the other hand..I just have to ask. How did you, uh, decide to..look like her? Did you know her?" There was the show, but he isn't making that connection all the way right now.
M'gann M'orzz At this point M'gann is flustered enough that it isn't hard to lead her away without much resistance and she follows after Gar as he pulls her by the hand.

The question surprises her in a different way and yet she is caught figuring out how to answer it, becoming slightly guarded. "I.. I grew up in a place where I really didn't fit in and got sent away to a school where I fit in even less." But once those details are glossed over, the story becomes much more forthcoming. "But one day I was experimenting with a subspace communications device and I picked up these transmissions, from Earth. It was a television show, though at first I didn't really know what a television show was, called Hello, Megan! I was enthralled, she had a name so similar to mine, my real name is M'gann." It really does sound almost exactly the same.

"And she so many problems like I did, but she overcame everything every time. There was nothing that she couldn't solve in the span of a single episode. So, when I wound up on Earth and needed to look like an Earth person, I wanted to be Megan, she's kind of my hero I guess. I never thought too deeply about the human behind the character. You're actually the first actor I've met." It's almost like a load off her shoulders once the entire story is out and she takes a steadying breath.
Garfield Logan Gar Logan quickly brings his hand back to his own personal space once the pair have switched locations. Around them, smells of the boardwalk linger. Cotton candy. Hot dogs. Funnel cake. Kettle corn. Burgers. Pizza. Pretzels. Saltwater taffy. Seafood. Not everything is open or in full swing yet, but enough is. And yet, Beast Boy goes for none of it.

So she grew up somewhere kind of lame, went to a school that sucked, all that. Not the first, won't be the last. It's the mention of a comms device and getting the transmission of the show that draws an eyebrow up. "That's..weird, but also kind of neat? And the name thing, too. Megan. M'gann." Not a completely perfect match, but as close as it gets.

He nods slowly, familiar with the show's premise. It's that setup where a problem is introduced, wrapped up neatly, and tied off with a bow within about 20 minutes, plus commercials. "I didn't get to know my parents very much. I was only about six or seven when they died. Mom would have been in that show before I was born. She was probably younger than I am now. But..man. I still don't know what to really say. I never thought I'd see someone who looked like my mom when she was about my age." He hops to seat himself on an adjacent railing connected to the wooden planks, the beach on the other side. "I, um, don't really think it'd be a problem if you kept that look. It means something to you, and, you know, it means something to me, too." Hands fidget, fingers rubbing at the opposing thumb.
M'gann M'orzz Under normal circumstances M'gann would be all about the food, cooking became one of her hobbies early on as she tried to recreate the food she'd seen on the TV broadcasts and being able to sample the real thing on Earth has been a repeated series of small joys, but for now they are all ignored. "Yep, I'm from space." She gives a little smile. "Maybe you've heard of Martian Manhunter of the Justice League? I'm like him. He helped me out a lot early on."

She listens to the rest and nods slowly when Gar talks about his parents dying when he was young. She'd already picked up on most of that empathically, but it is another thing to hear it out loud. "I'm sorry to hear that, my parents are dead, too." She does brighten a bit again when he says he doesn't mind if she uses the appearance. "I guess it's sort of like Cosplay. Taking on an appearance that has great significance to you." Because of course /someone/ taught a Martian about Cosplay.
Garfield Logan There will be time for food, if they make time. When Gar's got that appetite - and that's far more often than not - he can really put it away. "I've been to space, and I know of him, yeah. That's good." Kicking his legs back and forth a few times, he keeps his balance without issue, using his hands at the railing just in case.

A mild grimace, then he shakes his head. "I guess that's something we have in common, then. It'd be nicer if we had it in common the other way and they were all still here, though. But there's nothing we can do about that." The cosplay mention earns a somewhat speculative 'huh' out of him, then a brief nod. "I guess what I do is kind of like that, too. All the different animals, you know. And the acting, of course."

Finally, he can't help himself. "Hey, do you want to get a few things to eat? I don't want to keep you if you've got places to be, but you could always come by Titans Tower if you wanted, too. I can't just let you go on your way without that much, especially if you're gonna keep that look. And when you were green, it made me think of her with my skin."
M'gann M'orzz "Oh food? Right." It's almost like M'gann is taking in all of the food stands around them for the first time, so distracted was she by all of the intense emotions in the air. "Food sounds nice. That was one of the reasons I decided to visit the boardwalk, I've never been to one before. Looking around, she sets her sights on one of the less common items to find outside of a boardwalk or fair ground, "Oooh they have funnel cake! I've always wanted to try one!"

"Yeah, we can't change the past." M'gann agrees walking in the direction of the funnel cake stall. "Though if you want something else in common other than that, I mean you saw, I can shapeshift into pretty much anyone or anything. Though I haven't tried many Earth animals."

Then her eyes drift up towards the big 'T' building when Gar talks about her potentially coming by Titans Tower. "It certainly stands out." There is good natured humor in her voice. "I have a few friends who go there from time to time, Impulse and Cassie."

When Gar mentions his Mom with his own skin, she smiles again. "That's closer to who I really am, Martians are naturally green, and I like the red hair. Though I think if more Martians knew about hair they'd all decide to have it, too. But J'onn still insists on being bald... so I don't know. But I think it's wonderful." Without even realizing it she's discussing elements of physical appearance like they're wardrobe choices. Though for a shapeshifter, they pretty much are.