((Set on 10/16/10. Invited are Kai, Mirror, Ashton, and that scoundrel, Shin. *Shakes fist*))

That scoundrel. Why had he been foisted upon him like this? Since when did men like him have to babysit?

Ashton didn't like kids. This kid was a kid. He was fresh, like a baby goat. Every bleat from the kid's mouth annoyed him. Why had he gotten stuck babysitting? It was just uncool.

Earlier that day, his boss had walked up to his desk, smiled, and told him he was going to be working with a new 'recruit' today. One of those 'X-men' the city police department liked to work with these days. Those costumed superheroes. Ashton didn't approve. He'd smiled, he'd nodded a 'Sure, boss', and avoided any smacks to the back of his head. The assignment wasn't a debate. It was an order.

Now, he was stuck with him.

He'd have to give the probie a hard time, just to make things easier for them both.

"So, what do you even do?" Ashton asked the Japanese man sitting uncomfortably in his chair. The boy had his legs crossed like something didn't fit right. What was up with that?

Shin swung one leg over the other and winced. Tight pants. They still hadn't gotten him a properly-fitting uniform since his time working with Jocelyn. He tried to ignore it, to keep that polite smile on his face for the detective. What was the guy's name again? 'Drake'? 'Ashton...' Ashton Drake. Hey, wasn't that a doll company? He was named the same as some doll company! That was funny! Did he make dolls!? Was that his power!? What did he--

Oh right. What did Shin do? He'd let that question sit a second too long. Apparently, what he did best was get distracted.

Ashton tapped his finger impatiently on his knee, waiting for the answer. "Hmm?" He hummed.

Shin laughed and scratched the back of his head with embarrassment. "I, uh, make razor-sharp, diamond-hard triangular barriers with my mind that can lift things, make shapes, change colors, and do all sorts of neat... stuff."

"For real?" Ashton eyed him seriously. "''Stuff'?"

"Stuff," Shin nodded. "It's really quite complex. I could explain the mathematics behind it all for you, if you wante--"

"No, that'll be good," Ashton interrupted him hurriedly. "Stuff. Okay. I can live with stuff."

"What can you do...?" Shin asked him. It was his turn to ask questions.

"Did I even say I was a mutant?" Ashton replied.

"Well, you work for MRC like Jocelyn. I just assumed."

"Never assume, Kid." Ashton narrowed his eyes. "It makes an ass of you and me."

"So, you can't do anything?" Shin quested innocently.

"I can," Ashton rolled his eyes, and glanced off towards the rest of the office like it pained him to be explaining himself to some Kid. "I trade places with people and things. Teleportation."

"That it?" Shin smirked, as if that was barely anything at all. Where was the interesting stuff? The multicolored? The rainbow Porygons?

"They smell slightly of cinnamon once they're teleported."

"Cool," Shin commented.

Ashton's eyes settled back on Shin. "Yeah," He replied quietly, tone abating. "Yeah, kinda."

Kai tugged his hood over his face a readjusted his position on the ground so that he was more comfortable. Now that it was officially, legitimately Fall the grass was less cushy than normal. It made taking random naps in the park a slightly less enjoyable experience.

Not that it's your fault, he added to the grass. He was worried about upsetting the plants around him in this season. They didn't have a ton of extra energy to expend at the moment and he didn't want to endanger their chances for the winter. He frowned. It was like an elephant trying to walk on pins and needles, because when he came near, they got excited or feed off of his mood. So he napped a lot or 'meditated' so that his emotions weren't too over the top.

A few strands of grass wound lightly around the arm he was using as a pillow. It tickled in a familiar way. Kai smiled at the feeling of green-matter on his skin and wove the vine growing out of his wrist several in between the blades of grass. Like a planty-hug. He closed his eyes.

Then the ground shook slightly. Everything was unnaturally silent... and then it shook again.

I can't believe I'm jogging.

Jogging was not something Gawain usually did. Everyday workout and training was hard enough to keep him in shape, and them some, especially with his own extra hours of practicing archery. He didn't like running all that much anyway. Circling around the Mansion got boring quick enough, unless you ran into someone on the way, but that usually lead to chatting instead of... well, running.
This time, he decided to try the park. He just felt like getting away from the Mansion once again, and he felt like he needed a good run. And in the meantime, he could also take a look around in the park, in case he saw something interesting.
Or someone.

Wearing sweatpants, sneakers and a hoodie, Gawain ran in a steady pace, enjoying the cool autumn air and the sensation of running. It was a good way to clear his head. He was listening to some loud music; it helped him keep up the rythm, and kept him from getting bored.
It also kept him from hearing anything else. He didn't really mind.

((OOC: Image reference: Crossbone Gundam ))

It was the kind of day where one could really fall asleep on the grass and dream their cares away. Fallen leaves crunched underfoot, under backs like a springy cushion, birds were out singing in the cold air, and sunlight streamed through the bullet holes in the edges of the slate gray cape, as it flowed gloriously, billowing in the wind.

Wait. What was that last one?

A metallic blue leg thumped on the grass, pressing it down. A lance struck out, raised high against the blue sky to catch a spark of sunlight on its tip. A flash of light glinted in the giant robot's eyes. On its forehead, a skull and crossbones symbol chattered, massive, reflective. Behind those gnashing jaws, a young Japanese boy rested, curled up with his arms underneath his head like a pillow and his knees against his chest.

His name was Setsuna, and he Was A Gundam.

... At least, while he slept.

The legs crouched and tensed, then unleashed their force on the grass. The Gundam rose high into the air, flipped twice, then landed on one knee several meters in front of a young man out jogging. The lance tip pointed horizontally, straight towards Gawain.

Somewhere nearby, someone screamed. A baby cried out. A hand shot for a cellphone. The Usual People were called.

Back at MRC, the call was patched through. Ashton's desk phone rang. He paused his 'delightful conversation about powers' with the X-man to answer. The person on the other end of the line talked fast.

"A what?! Hold on." Ashton covered the phone and looked to the Kid. "It sounds like we have places to be, Kid. Get your stuff ready."

Shin bobbed his head as Ashton returned his attention to getting directions and details over the phone.

A Gundam, a Gundam. He couldn't believe it was a Gundam! The guy driving the squad car hadn't had any recognition for the name, a fact that would come to bite him in the end in the end. Shin was prepared, though. He knew what Gundams were. He could even recite the long acronym and what it stood for. He'd fought pink robots. He'd dealt with laser deathbots. He was ready.

He clenched the door handle by his seat as the squad car sped towards Central Park.

A Gundam. It was a Gundam! Yeah!

Shin was just a teeny bit psyched.

It was large. It was metal. It was Superman! Or... some other type of terrifying metal encased super. Kai actually gasped audibly. What if this was a villain and not a hero?! He sleepily rubbed at his eyes but the giant metal walking robot thing did not disappear. He sat bolt upright, made suddenly wary.

It wouldn't be unheard of for a giant monster to go stomping around the park. In fact he knew for certain that something similar had happened once before. It had been all over the news, the terrible destruction. But those who had paid the highest cost were barely even mentioned. In fact, they were just swept under the rug and replaced.

Not that I don't love you, he assured the new trees. He didn't begrudge them being planted here, he was just horrified at the reason WHY they needed to be. He remembered the ripped up roots... Kai turned his attention to the robot. He wasn't sure whether it was friendly or violent, but either way, he would be ready. No trees would be harmed today. Not on his watch.

Gawain looked up once, and saw a clear running path, lined with trees and grass and benches and the usual park scenery.
He looked up again a few moments later, and he was running straight into the tip of a bloody big lance.
As someone who was usually on the other end of jousting lances, he did not approve.

"F*** sh*t f***" he elaborated as he ducked out of the lance's way in the last split second, the momentum making him slide on one knee and elbow, fearfully close to the metallic surface above him. "What the..."

It was a giant robot. A gigantic, big-@ss robot with a metallic shine, in the middle of Central Park. Of course, where else it would be.

"Gimme a friggin' break!" Gawain yelled to no one at particlar, as he rolled to the side and scampered out of the direct line of... lance. He looked up at the thing from the new angle. "Hey! Watch where ya're drivin' that thing!"

Kealey smirked as she made her way towards Central Park. She’d remembered her backpack when she’d left that morning to do some research in the re-built FIT library. She’d been prepared when the call had come on the X-com. The uniform was going to get to make its official debut. Yup, the dress, the tights, the thigh-high boots, and the jacket were making their debut. In Central Park.

There was some kind of…robot wreaking some kind of havoc there, and while Kealey had misgivings about what she was going to be able to do, she was on her way.

It wasn’t like she’d be useless. There were probably some panicked people who needed calming down, and keeping the police focused would be great. Yeah. This was an excellent idea. Except for the fact that she was having to pay a cabbie…again…in uniform.

”If you had your eyes on the road…maybe you’d be moving faster.” she said testily, pleased when the emotions shifted back to bored indifference and the cab sped up.

Finally, they arrived at the park. Kealey tossed the bills at the driver and took off at a jog through the park. Flat soles on the boots had been a good idea.

She didn’t have to run far. Legs became visible…huge…metal…legs. Up Kealey looked, up and up and up, until her neck was craned.

That thing was…huge. Kealey approached just as it nearly landed on a young man running through the park.

Kealey stopped and stared. Machines didn’t have emotions…

She took a deep breath, then let it out. Machines didn’t have emotions, but the rest of the people in the park did, and a lot of them were panicking. Panicked people did not make good decisions. Keeping one eye on the giant machine as it lumbered, Kealey focused on the emotions around her, taking down the panic. People stopped screaming and running around like ants under a magnifying glass.

It was an improvement, if only a small one. Hopefully the police would arrive soon.

The call had gone out while they'd been driving. Someone at MRC had decided to let other X-men know they were needed. He'd heard it on the radio, and filed that information away. They'd meet up with others on the scene. Until they arrived, there'd be someone to keep the peace. Someone, potentially in a costume.

Oh god.

He didn't even want to consider that part. It was just too cheesy.

~*~

The door smacked shut. Keys jingled through the air as Ashton gave them a single toss and caught them, wheeling around the back bumper. "It's that-a-way," He said, breaking into a run.

The Asian swept past him, on some sort of flying triangle of light. Ashton stared for a second. "..." And then it was back to running. Now he was playing catch-up. Just great.

She was there. He just knew it. He had a sixth sense about these sorts of things. Okay... maybe it wasn't a sixth sense, or a nagging suspicion, or anything related to some sort of mutant power of portent. Maybe it was wishful thinking? Because when he'd overheard the X-men mentioned on the police radio, he'd thought of Kealey.

He had not introduced her yet to Gundams. He had not yet... he had to repeat that thought in his head again... taught her about Gundams. It was a very silly thought. Very silly, but the situation was easily changed.

And so, once they were parked, he summoned up the old shard platform and sped to the scene of the giant robot attack. He had wishful thinking backing his speed, and a bit of Irish luck. Ashton had an Irish accent, after all, or the slightest hint of one. That stuff had to rub off!

Rub off, it did. As Shin shot towards the massive caped robot, he saw her. He felt excited, giddy, relieved. She was there. That was great. His right foot touched down on the ground even before he landed, shard platform drifting up and away behind him to shatter into triangles that quickly vanished into nothing as his left followed his right. He was running, towards her, away from the machine. Shin tackled Kealey in a hug. He planted a kiss on her cheek, grinning.

"I'm glad you're here," He said. Shin turned to point at the pirate robot in its tattered cape. "That is Crossbone Gundam, model X-2 if I'm not mistaken. Shot Lancer. Zabine Chareux's personal customization. Black or blue, it's one cool suit. I've never shown you a Gundam. That's what this is. It's totally-- Hey whoa, it's totally attacking Gawain with a downward lancing strike like this is some horrific game of Whack A Mole. That isn't cool. I wonder if I can cleave it with my Soul Metal?" Shin took a step away from Kealey, hand held out. He focused on his upturned palm. In a matter of seconds, the blade formed. Shin's brows were tensed. Three seconds? Four? He needed to work on making it appear faster. When people were in danger, one should not take too long.

Luckily, that massive lance was very shiny. Things that fought in space were polished. That's just how things from space worked. Blackish-blue chrome. It caught star shine better than gritty grunt gray.

"I brought a detective along. He should be here any second. He had to walk." Shin stated with a quick glance over his shoulder towards Kealey. "Be right back."

And then he was running, sword drawn back and ready to slash at the robot the moment he reached its leg.

People rushed to the scene or away from it as their nature dictated. Some arrived with swirling lights and some on shiny floating platforms... Hey! I think I recognize that one! Kai thought as he saw Shin float towards a girl, run at her, and tackle hugged her. And then he kissed her. "You go Shin!" He called, reminding himself to tell Shin that yes, that was as awesome in real life as it probably was in his head.

Kai's attention snapped back to the problem at hand and assessed the situation. 1. The metal thing was large and menacing looking. 2. It was armed with a large lance. 3. That lance appeared to be aimed at a boy, indicating that this guy probably was violent. 4. They were in the park. Which meant that Kai could actually do something about it. Final assessment: Stop the thing. But maybe try not to hurt it. Just in case.

He rubbed his hands together, almost gleefully. The last time he had tried this it had completely drained him and hadn't been all that effective. But circumstances were different now. Now he actually had an existing root system to work with.

"Thank you for being next to trees when attacking people!" he called out, hoping to distract the metal guy while he called on his friends in low places.

The roots of the nearest tree- it was a willow in case anyone cared- responded quickly to his request. They began to break through the ground. Kai sent up a quick prayer of thanks that it wasn't too late in the fall or winter that the ground was frozen. He was spared the extra seconds or minutes it would take to break through that and was able to wrap a root around the monster thing's foot. He squinted, but was too far away to ensure that his next root would be able to stop the advancing lance. Aim was critical here. After all, being impaled on a tree root was probably just as bad as being impaled on a lance.

So it was his turn to run on account of the thing. And apparently his nature was to run towards certain disaster. Who knew?

The robot didn't react to Gawain yelling at him. Gawain didn't exactly mind. Looking around, he could see people skittering around in every possible direction in a state of panic, not unlike the Smurfs when they are scared.
Turning back to the robot he realized he needed to correct his previous statement.
Captain Gundam did react.
It attacked Gawain.

"Oh come ON!" he growled as the lance cut through the air with a loud swoosh; the young knight wondered why on earth be metal beast singe him out of the crowd for extemination. Ducking and rolling out of the way, he took cover behind the trunk of a nearby tree.

Looking around he saw Shin and Kealey, admiring the robot as if it was some kind of a movie.

"HEY!" he yelled at the couple "Get a freakin' room you two!"

The situation finally seemed to catch Shin's attention - he attacked the robot with a sword. At the same time, a tree decided to... tear up its roots and help them with the fight. Looking around once again, Gawain managed to spot the guy behind the sudden flora activity. Grinning, he ducked out of the way just before the lance hit the tree he'd been hiding behind, and he stood, facing the robot.

Plenty of reflecting surfaces to work with.

The lance was shaped oddly and didn't provide a mirror flat enough for him; the robot's leg, on the other hand... that was more like it.
As the Gundam raised the lance to strike again, Gawain started running towards said leg, the one being attacked by Shin. He hoped to get too close to get hit. He hoped.

So many things started happening at once. So many. Kealey held them all in check though, the panicked bystanders in the park weren’t so panicked anymore, and they were making an orderly, albeit quick, exit from the area. Perfect. That’s what she could do to help. Keep everyone calm.

Then Shin showed up. Kealey saw him approaching and couldn’t help but break out in a wide grin. She knew he’d been working with the police, but the thought that he’d be out in the middle of things hadn’t occurred to her. It was a pleasant surprise, and the rush of happy emotions he brought with him had her almost giddy. Especially when she added the fact that he’d flown in on a platform. In uniform. Kealey congratulated herself on being so darn lucky just about the time Shin reached her for the hug.

It hit her like a mini Mac Truck, and Kealey staggered back a couple of steps, returning it as Shin kissed her cheek and launched into a description of what exactly they were fighting."I'm glad you're here too." she said with a grin, trying to keep up with the explanation. It was…apparently…a Gundam? Shin’s tirade was of the quality she was used to when they were watching various television shows. This had to be something from there. Shin said something about suits and colors, something about soul metal…then he seemed to realize that the giant robot was trying to stomp people to death.

That jogged Kealey’s memory and she grasped at the straws of control she’d held a few moments prior. Luckily it wasn’t too hard to get them back and as Shin summoned a sword and ran off she mentally chided herself for being so easily distracted. Even if he had flown in and jumped off a mind-made platform in a police uniform. Kealey stole another glance…and her jaw dropped slightly.

”Alright…but I’m so making you new pants. Those pants aren’t decent for public!” she exclaimed, wondering exactly who had put her boyfriend in such pants and where she could find them.

The fight raged on and Kealey pulled her attention back to the task at hand, waiting for the Detective Shin had said was coming and doing her best to help the people fighting the robot. A tree had picked up its roots and was attempting to help the cause and it was a testament to Kealey’s time in New York that it didn’t surprise her in the least. There was also someone else vaguely familiar who seemed to be rushing in to help Shin at close range. It was a testament to her confidence in Shin that the blond wasn’t even worried.

Most of the people were in the clear now and Kealey slowly loosed her hold on them. They’d stay away now that the professionals were working on things. That done, she started looking for other things to do. First and foremost, any fear or trepidation from the people working against the machine was eliminated. They’d be operating at their best and most fearless. She left the caution alone…recklessness wouldn’t help anyone. Next, she stared at the robot, eyes slightly narrowed. It was a robot, right? Someone had to be controlling it.

By the time he got there, the Asian was already attacking the giant robot with a sword.

Hold up. Pause this show.

Where the Hell had he gotten a sword? He hadn't had that on him before. And somehow, shifting his focus to the giant robot, Ashton got the feeling that small sword wouldn't do much against the machine's leg.

Clank clank, nope. It smashed helplessly against the metal mammoth. Ashton rolled his eyes up towards the sky. He couldn't even come close to spotting blue behind the caped creation. How were they going to handle this? Good lord.

And with this many civilians on the scene, this was going to be difficult. Were these people helping the Kid those X-men vigilantes the station had called? One was entangling the robot's feet with roots or vines... Another was doing something else... and a third wore... a costume. Ashton's eyebrow arched as his eyes settled on her for just a second. She was pretty, but... he had mixed feelings about that costume. Costumes were kind of stupid for crime-fighting... unless they were maid outfits or nurse outfits or... He could go on. Ashton scoffed, shaking his head, and returned his focus to the robot. Maybe he'd give her some of his attention later, after they were done with this situation. He could even suggest a new wardrobe for her. Hot and in a maid outfit would be a definite improvement. That'd be more his type.

"Shinbo, quit slashing at that thing like an idiot! Do something useful!" Ashton shouted, through cupped hands. He turned towards the blond, and any other X-folks that were listening. "The same goes for YOU ALL! Attacking it directly isn't th' way to take this sort of behemoth down. At least whoever's controlling those vines has the right idea."