Juniper still wasn't entirely sure how exactly she had been coaxed out of her apartment, but she liked to envision it as if she had been a snappy wild animal being released from a cage it had been in for too long. Xavier surely had a chair and a whip in hand right? Or had she imagined that? 

She snorted to herself and yawned again for the billionth time, still not used to that particular side effect of her meds. She blinked away little sleepy tears from her eyes an glanced at yet another goth shop as they passed.

Again, how the hell had he managed to convince her to come to a mall of all places?

"What are we here for again?" The nineteen year old shifted her loose hair back behind her shoulders, which had been freshly cut back to shoulder length. 

Huh. She'd probably need to dye it again soon, too. The brown roots were showing through in all their glory. A full inch or more of laziness bared on the part of her hair. 

Thankfully, after another talk with her buggy shrink, she was sleeping better. Her meds had been switched and with a different dosage she wasn't having any of the severe symptoms she had been having before. It also probably helped that the her towering BFF had been breathing down her neck with constant reminders to eat and drink enough. 

... That was fine. She had been a bit of an idiot for a while there. 

The only problem now was that her new medication had the opposite effect and made her super sleepy, since she was still in the introduction phase. She'd fallen asleep in class and on her homework more than once. That was embarrassing, but... it was what it was, right?

On a different note, the mall was ridiculously busy today. She'd never seen this many people crammed into the big building. Apparently there was some kinda book signing, by some retired hero or-

... ooooooh. 

So that was why they were at the mall.

The Grey Phantom! The Grey phantom was in town for a book signing! You see, he'd started as the black phantom, but as he'd grown older, he'd changed his name to match his hair! That's how long he'd fought crime! Before there were widely known super powers he'd been making a scene as a private investigator, hiding his abilities, and solving crimes all on his lonesome!

That's why his book, "Phantom PI" was such a cool concept! He was not only fighting crime, but having to hide his powers while doing it!

Xavier had already read it, and it had only been out for three days. This book signing would be for his mint copy, the one he hadn't read. He looked back to Juniper, who had half asleep agreed to come with him, raising an eyebrow as she spoke through a yawn. "Oh, you know why we're here! No need to joke around, Juni!" He chuckled and started walking through the mall toward the queue, looking back at her. "Huh... Your hair looks good shorter, Juni!" He smiled a bit, and then hopped in line, pulling out his mind copy of "Phantom PI" and sort of jumping in place a little bit every time the line moved forward.

He looked back to her after a few scoots forward and started on his normal round of checkups. "So, how are you?"

...

Was it weird to genuinely be surprised that he had noticed her hair was exactly two inches shorter? Hell, she'd barely noticed and she had hacked it off herself with scissors. She blinked at him as they grabbed spots in the line.

It was adorable watching him be so excited for something so inherently innocent. He was like a big ole kid bouncing around waiting to meet a childhood hero. Should she be jealous of that? She didn't think anyone really had a place like that in her life. There wasn't a single person she could really get excited over in such a way. Maybe back when she had been a teen and boy bands were all the rage, but now?

Huh. Maybe she was jaded when it came to the enthusiasm of things?

Then again... she had gotten pretty excited about seeing what a punk show was like for the first time, even if it hadn't really matched the apparently made up fanciful image she had had in mind.

She stirred from her own thoughts as he redirected his attention back at her and yawned again behind a sleeve.

Ah. The daily check in at last. She still wasn't sure if the good Doctor hadn't managed to set this all up so he could keep long distance tabs on her.

"I have had five bottles of water today and I ate a lunch." She'd skipped breakfast because she'd slept through it. Apparently three alarms weren't enough anymore.

"I slept for like, 13 hours though. Better than 16, but still." She shot him a thumbs up and attempted to fight off yet another yawn.

She failed.

"Cora keeps busting my balls over yawning all the time at work." She grumbled, and huffed.

Wait, had she told him about that yet? She couldn't remember.

The was a satisfied nod at her eating and drinking report, and a smile at her sleep. "Hey, Improvement is improvement! Great job, Juni! And thanks for coming out with me as well."

He tilted his head when she mentioned work. "Work? Like... A job?" He blinked a few times and scratched the back of his head. "Oh... That... weird maid thing?" He wasn't sure about that. Being a raunchy 12 year old lolita's house maid sounded... strange.

But, 1500 a session. Wow. "I honestly thought you were pulling my leg, there... How, uh... How do you like that job?" He blinked a few times again. "That little girl's name was Cora? Interesting name." He had pictured her as more of a Dreadlord Melissa, or Karen... something like that.

The line moved again, and he hopped forward, fixing his cape once more. He'd made a custom designed Phantom Cape for this one, and he wanted that signed as well. The black cape was a little off with his current style, but he thought it was cool.

"Should I have taken the cape off? It'll be hard to sign, huh?" The would-be hero fretted nervously.

She, mid yawn even, choked a little when he brought up the maid thing.

She'd, erm, forgotten about that in all of the chaos afterward of having cops show up. "Oh... um... yeah, so... about that." She shifted uncomfortably, laughing a little laugh that betrayed how she felt about that whole situation still.

She dropped the volume of her voice before continuing, since they were in a line. "So, I kinda was pulling your leg a little, and I really did intend on telling you the truth after Blondie left, but, um... I kinda forgot?" She slapped a guilty grin on, "See, she didn't want anyone knowing what exactly it was we were doing, but I don't really know what the big deal is anyway."

The line moved, and they moved up a step with it. "Don't freak out, because I will literally punch you in the kidney if you do... but I bumped into her while she was getting mugged. It was... well, a pretty big misunderstanding since she can't actually get hurt." Heh. Thinking back to that whole thing was still pretty funny.

"A-anyway, she figured out what my power was and asked me to help her with a thing she was doing to try and make the neighborhood safer, I guess. Said she'd pay me for it, so I agreed. Now when she has other stuff that she needs help with she asks me sometimes. Helps pay the bills, so I don't care."

She pointed a finger up at his face. "Not a word to anyone about it though! I don't need you getting dragged into my affairs anymore than you already have been. I don't care how well you can take care of yourself, I don't need to worry about you on top of everything else."

The line shifted up again, she followed without even thinking. He'd mentioned his cape. "Keep it on. I'll hold it tight so that it can be signed. It'd be a waste of all your effort if you weren't wearing it."

His face went a little smooshy as she admitted to fibbing to him. That was okay, it had all sounded incredibly ludicrous in the moment, anyway. "Uh huh." A small smile started to form when she started explaining more.

She bumped into her... had to help, huh? Hero. The raunchy girl wanted to make the neighborhood safer? Surprize there, she seemed the chaotic neutral type, but who was he to judge? And Juni was helping her do that? Hero. As he pointed at him, he was already smiling like a mischeviuos cat.

She even put out one of those 'i don't need to worry about you on top of everything else' sorta things. You know, like the anime hero that tosses the weaker allies away so that they can go all out? He smiled even bigger at the thought, wiggling in place as he put out an excited. "Ohhh! You're such a hero! Saying Anti-Hero catch phraises left and right! How cool!"

Attention was pulled to his cape. He nodded. "Thanks! My hero!"

Her face went from zero to 100 and beet red in the blink of an eye and she really did swing at him to punch him in the kidney. He had two, one would do him well enough!

She also decided not to speak to him for the remainder of their time in line, choosing instead to stare straight ahead and glower at anyone who happened to catch her gaze.

Stupid @#$%in @#$% blone @$#^%$ doofus. Were all blonds this infuriating?! The small one was just the same, but in a different caliber!

The line didn't go super slow, and it was funny to see other people show up in costumes as well. Everything from poorly put together cosplay's, to very expensive looking costumes. She didn't have a clue who this guy was or what his importance was, seeing as she had only been half listening to X's excited blathering on the way over.

With another yawn, she wondered just how much longer this was all going to take.

~~

Meanwhile, across the mall....

"They will never have expected this! It's the prefect crime!" Shout-whispered a man in a very odd tooth based costume. He could have easily been mistaken for some nightmarish tooth-fairy derivative. He cackled softly while his partners sighed and finished their preparation. A man with lots and lots of loose, baggy skin hanging from his frame swung a large triple hooked claw up over the edge of the roof, and gave it an experimental tug.

"Just have to remember to play this as planned! It's fool proof if we don't stray from the plan!" He started climbing as another figure held the rope for him.

The Grey Phantom will never see us coming!" The last figure cackled. Just from the raspyness of their voices it was easy to guess that they were all well into their silver years, despite the various costumes.

"oof!" He chuckled as she clenched his 'sore' kidney. "Heh heh! I'll have to teach you how to punch, Juni! Then you'll be unstoppable!"

He looked to her with a smile that sorta slowly became a frown as she gave him the dreaded silent treatment. The silent treatment was his kyrptonite. No doubt. He sorta seemed to be unabel to contain himself as she stared ahead, looking around and fidgeting.

That was okay, though, right? They were getting closer to the edge of the line. He looked back, poking his finger together and saying in a the tiniest voice he could manage. "You'll... still hold my cape for me, right?"

It was his turn! He grabbed up his mint copy of the book as they approached an old man with a military style flat top hair cut, signing books and passing them alone. "E- h- hey, uhm, sir, I love your book!"

"That's great, kid, what's your name?"

The old man signed the given name, and handed him the book, and the line started moving. Xavier paused and looked back. "Oh! Uh'm w- wait! Can you sign my cape, too? I made it just for this!"

The old man stared for a second, sighed, and stood up to comply. Xavier's expression glowed as the man started to sign his cape.

Still, the crowd, and the young heroes had no idea what was about to happen. The crime of the century! Well, last century, but who's counting?

Teach her how to punch? Pfft. He was lucky she hadn't decided to punch his actual kidney. On the inside.

"Don't ask stupid questions." She responded back to his teeny, tiny question... without confirming or denying it.

Eventually they were there and Honestly Juniper had never seen anything so... sad. An old man, tired and weary, face with the young-ish faces of various fans all wanting a minute of his time... for hours on end. How long were people his age allowed to be out of the senior centers? Would he miss his pudding cup?

She waited as Xavier got his book signed, and then continued waiting, refusing to move from blocking up the line, until she heard an affirmative that her friend was going to get his damn cape signed. Nobody would have been prepared for a denial of it, but she would have raised a huge stink regardless.

As it was, the old guy complied and she moved from her spot to dutifully hold X's cape tight so that the signature would look great and he could brag to his friends later blah blah blah

Suddenly, just as the very last letter was being signed, there was a huge commotion and the sound of shattering glass raining down. The dome in the ceiling had been busted clean through, and three figured were slowly descending on a rope down to the floor of the second level.

People scattered in every direction, and a few hopeful young mutants who had come for the book signing to meet a real life hero tried to stand their ground. They were swiftly enveloped in a glop of something that looked suspiciously like flesh, or wrapped up in restraints made of what appeared to be hair.

"GRAAAAY PHAAAANTOOOOM!" Boomed a voice, and a man's figure sauntered toward the front of the group amidst the clouds of dust from the broken ceiling. "The Trio of Evil have come for YOU!"

Juniper, to her credit, hadn't moved from her spot and still had a grip on X's cape.

"... the @#$%?"

He felt strangely comforted by her tsundere response, and it was words, so the tension within him eased a bit.

And then the Grey Phantom himself was signing his cape! Wooooo! WOOOOOOO!! YEAAAAAAA- huh?

There was the sound of shattering glass. Xavier quickly turned to bounce away any glass about to hit Juniper and the couple people near them. Xavier's eyes darted about as he assessed the scene, his hero instincts kicking in.

Globs of flesh. Hair. That voice. They were under attack, and not just by any old villain.

It was...

THE TRIO OF EVIL! "WOAAAH!" A look at Xavier's featurs would find him in charging pose, fists clenched in front of him as his eyes shot wide and his mouth was locked in an excited grin.

They were his greatest nemesis's... nemesi? What ever! Three of his villain's gallery joined forces to try and defeat him, but he managed to turn them and their ambitions against each other after being captured!

They were... The FLESHMANCER, The Crimson Fang, and BLACK BEARD! Though... it was more like Grey Beard now. "Juni... Wow! You know what this means?! We get to see the Grey Phantom at work!" This was amazing! A chance to see a legend ply his trade!

"HECK NO YOU DON'T, brat! I got no cartilage in my knees and a hernia! It's almost nap time! I ain't doin shit! Handle it yourselves."

Xavier's jaw hung open as he stood there for a moment, and then looked to Juni. "Uhm... Juniiii... Will you... help me hero?"

Oh no, they'd stumbled into a themed sitcom, hadn't they?

Her BFF was pumped for it apparently, whereas she could have done without. A chance to see the old timer in action? Meh.

Apparently he was pretty meh about the while thing too. "I could go for a nap right about now too." She was ready for them to shuffle off and let the authorities handle this.

.... Xavier was not.

"What." She blinked at him, and then blinked again, ignoring the theatrical cackling going on in the background as the three old villains wreaked senile chaos on the surrounding area. "Did't we just go over-" She stopped, pinching the bridge of her nose for a second, and sighed loudly. "So what, you want me to go over there and stick them in the floor or something? I'm tired... I can get this over with in like a few minu-"

"Nu-uh!" Interrupted the old Phantom, popping up forcefully in between them,"All you young whippersnappers just want to run in guns a blazing! That's not how a real pro fights his villains!"

Oh no, Juniper needed to leave, she needed to leave before this-

"Where's the theatrics anymore? The show! All these new fangled z-men running around not even letting the bad guys finish their monologues anymore! It's just not the way it's done! Hmpf!

Juniper tried to edge away, but he reached out an old thin hand and caught one shoulder. She ended up having to phase the both of them as a chunk of a plant pot flew their way. Greeeat.

"Now see here, missy. This annoyingly energetic fellow right here is prime hero material. Look at that pose! And YOU are roughly the size of a good sidekick, useful power, so clearly there's now an adequate duo to fight off the Trio of Evil in my place."

"What does my size have to do-!?" He ignored her, dragging her back until she was arm to arm with X. "Not really dressed for it, but eh... gotta use what you're given." He then nudged the both of them forward.

She.. wasn't gonna be able to talk Adonis out of this one now, was she?

Defeated, she sighed through her nose.

"....Fine."

There it was! He was getting pointers from the Grey Phantom!

Juniper was along for the ride as the old man gave them a lesson in old school crime fighting. He quickly fumbled with his phone, putting it in recorder mode, and then grinning widely as he holstered it, and stood tall.

Honestly, given all he knew about their powers, Juniper was defitely star hero material. She was side-kick levels of short, though. He chuckled at that, and then gave an innocent shrug at Juniper when she looked his way.

He looked back as he was suddenly nudged forward. His eyes landed on Juniper as she gave in, and his smile widened to a big ol' grin.

It was go time!

Xavier stepped forward and bounced a glob of flesh away from him, throwing it off into the wall across the way. "WORRY NOT, CITIZENS! One In A Million and ShadowCat are here to save the day!"

Was he super hero posing? Heck yes he was super hero posing.

He shifted to another pose has he continued talking. "Foul villains! I shall not let you complete your heinous deeds! Prepare yourselves for my.... JUSTICE!" He didn't move. Per the old rules, the villain got to act first in this case, and got a chance at a witty rebuttal. He'd learned so in the 'Guide to Classic Hero/Villain Interactions'.

In all of the wacky ridiculousness going on around her, it didn't even register that he had called her by that stupid name again. She was too busy watching him make various poses and shouting silly things at the three people who were no longer breaking things, and had fixated on him.

Erm, them.

Honestly the new attention only served to piss her off more.

The three villains seemed a littl put off at first that their longtime nemesis wasn't up for battling them again, especially after all of the planning that had gone into the attack. They'd climbed the roof for gods sake!

But, it appeared to them that their old frenemy had a protege, who had a side kick? They'd have to do, or the whole evening would be a waste!

"Prepare yourself for Battle, Heroes!" The Crimson Fang stepped forward, with shining white armor made from some of the teeth he was wearing, as well as a pretty elaborate European style sword. "For I, THE CRIMSON FANG, shall be your downfall today!" He struck his own mighty pose, and the two men behind and on either side of him also struck poses.

Juniper glanced around between the four people all striking poses and begrudgingly, halfheartedly tried to strike one of her own. "...Justice..." Did she sound like she kinda wanted to die? Yes. Yes she did.

The crimson Fang, since introductions were out of the way, pointed his sword at Xavier and it started to elongate and gain speed.

Meanwhile, regardless of whatever doofy rules all these crazies seemed to run by, focused her attention on the floor. She couldn't outright phase the whole thing because everyone would get stuck, citizens included, so she tried to focus on just where the three were standing. For just a moment the floor vanished out from under them and they fell a bit before she re-solidified it. All three men were stuck in the floor up to their knees or round about that high.

She was all prepared to pat herself on the back until two of them, the toothy one and the fleshy one, escaped with help of their powers. There were now tooth booths stuck in the floor, and a shapeless blob of ew stuck as well.

"...Well @#%$."

Hair man, er... Black Beard? He was still stuck, but it didn't seem to impact him much. His beard and mustache were swirling around and growing in length and volume at a frightening speed.

"What a cheap trick! What kind of sidekick does that?!"

Were those... stars in his eyes? You bet they were. He was exchanging banter with classic villains. He was in paradise.

Even so, they were villains. And that meant they had to be aprehended. Juniper reminded min of that promtly when she jumped into action, sinking the three of them into the ground. Now, he knew from extensive reading that two of them would be able to escape that easy, but black beard, not so much.

By the time the two escaped, and blackbeard was complaining as his not so black anymore beard swirled about and grew, Xavier was already half way across the room.

When he finished his sentence, he realised the young Hero was right in front of him. "She's a Hero! SHADOWCAT!" He pulled back his fist, and... then knocked him very gently. He was an old man, after all. The hair and the geriatric slumped, and Xavier gingerly caught him and lay him down safely.

Two to go, but they were still fully mobile. "Your turn, villains! But know, this hero team up is stronger than you could ever imagine! BOW BEFORE OUR JUSTICE!" Pose. Pose. Super Pose. NAILED IT!

"I'm not a sidekick!" She shouted, dodging a lance of tooth as it came at her on instinct, even if she didn't have too.

"I'm not a hero, either, stop calling me Shadowcat!"

She dodged another, before her brain came back to her and she remembered she didn't, in fact, have to dodge. The next spike went right through her and she got a grip on it, phasing the whole sword right out of the old man's hand.

"Quit it, that's super annoying!"

He was already forming another, so she started off in a dead sprint at him. If he was going to just keep on making weapons and stuff out of teeth, she was just going to take all of his gross teeth away.

Meanwhile, Fleshmancer was busy forming himself a trio of giant horrible, pulsating flesh golems that he could send after One In A Million. He was busy striking poses after all, having just defeated Black Beard. The whole second floor shook as the three lumbering giants started to move, while the man controlling them stayed back and out of intimidate danger.

Juniper had her hands full chasing after a surprisingly agile geriatric who kept forming shields to protect himself and weapons to try and stab her with. Frankly, the fact that these senile old men were willing to actually hurt anyone was a surprise to her. Then again, maybe there was some strange code or rule for that too.

"Knock it off!" She stole a white enamel dagger from one of his hands and tossed it over her shoulder to join the growing trail of weapons they were leaving behind.

The dude had a @#$% ton of teeth on him, strung around his torso like a bunch of weird bandoliers. She probably needed to get a hold of the straps holding all of the teeth too him, in order to incapacitate him.

"What a fantastic power! You'd make quite a fabulous villain, young lady!"

Oh... more than he could ever know.

"Oh shove it and give up already." She swiped another weapon from his grip.

Hopefully Xavier was making quick work of those flesh giants.