2012-10-09-The Kents Go Shopping

[Metropolis] New Troy - Glenmorgan Square

If there's one thing that Kara loves about being an Earth girl, it's the shopping. While she

usually goes out with Cassie to hit the clothing stores, today she's with her cousin. Clark has

volunteered to help her shop for supplies. Which brings her to the other reason why she's in a

good mood: Kara's going to be moving in with her cousin. She can't help but smile as it seems the

House of El is returning to as much stability as it can have on Earth. So, she's standing outside

of Gracy's Deartment Store, wearing her glasses and a brown wig to disguise her in her civilian

identity, taking a gander at the Fall fashions in the window display.

Ever the gentleman, Clark stands off to Kara's side, already carrying a couple of bags in one hand

from a few other stops earlier that day. The man pushes his glasses back up his nose and peers at

the clothes through the window. "Those seem nice." says the man who's sense of fashion is about as

modern as wearing his dress shirt untucked. At least he isn't wearing a tie this time, but the

untucked white shirt, khaki pants and loafers are about as 'casual' as Clark gets.

"So I repainted the bedroom and had some furniture moved in from the farm, so that it feels a

little more like home. Just a bed and a dresser and stuff, but...well, I want you to feel

welcome." Clark says, still eyeing the clothes on display.

Brown wig and glasses? More than enough for Marissa not to recognize her teammate. And Kara has

yet to see Mend without a mask on. However, the journalist will almost certainly realize...no,

wait, everyone is going to realize something. That would be the guy yelling "Mutie freak!" and

pointing at Marissa. Who, without missing a beat, points back, "Narrowminded bigot!" He turns and

stalks away, apparently not knowing how to handle being given as good as it gets. Yup, Little Miss

Sometimes is here...and, it seems, in full form. Or, at least, grateful for witnesses and, likely,

surveillance cameras.

Kara turns from the window display and smiles at Clark. "It's sounds great, Clark. And after I get

settled in...we can get me started at a high school here." She doesn't need the education, but the

social aspect is something she's looking forward to. She looks at the outfit in the window again,

an earth-tone skirt and sweater combination with dark leggings and high boots, and smiles a bit.

She knows there's know way Clark would get this for her, the price of the outfit aside. Then, the

taunt rings out and catches her attention. Kara turns to look at the young woman that was the

target of the verbal attack and looks sad. She sighs; how can humans hate their own people so

much? But, she gives the other girl a smile and a 'thumbs up' of support, trying to encourage her.

The price tag is exactly what Clark was looking at, but after running some numbers in his

head...with a bit of overtime...he could swing it. He's right about to suggest they go inside so

Kara can try it on when the man yells out. "Oh my." the man says.

Clark leans back and takes a moment to look around, shaking his head. "So sad to see this kind of

thing here in Metropolis." he comments, shaking his head. He of course, means the bigotry, but one

could take it either way.

Wandering over towards Kara and Clark, Marissa resists the temptation to also toss a rude gesture

over her shoulder at the guy. She studies the outfit for a moment. "Not bad. Like the boots." Not

quite her kind of thing, but it might look good on the right person. "And, eh, ignore him. He's

not worth paying any more attention to." Mostly to herself, that.

Department store. After the last few super powered run ins, Lois needs some new jackets, a pair of

pants, three skirts, a pair of shoes... and maybe a little bright blue number for special

occasions. In any case, the femme reporter is headed for the department store to add to her

wardrobe. Lois Lane, the danger magnet, is here. Good thing there's a mutant hero in the area,

huh?

Lois is wearing a bright purple sweater dress with soft gray dove leggings that slide into actual

flats - okay, they're combat boots; sue Lois, they're comfy! She hears the man calling out,

frowning in his direction, as she hears Marissa's reply. The smile returns. Oh ho! And her partner

too. Who's the girl he's with? Lois makes her way over to the window display, purse strap over her

shoulder.

"Hey there, Smallville. Ms. Sometimes. Miss...?" Lois' violet eyes flick from Clark to Marissa to

Kara in that order, lips pulled up in a smile. Her tone? Rather warm and friendly.

Kara smiles at Marissa, the outfit forgotten for now. "Hey, you shouldn't have to put up with that

kind of thing. People need to be more accepting of others." She smiles a bit wider. "But people

like him are loosing. Acceptance is coming."

When Lois approaches and says 'hello', Kara smiles. "Umm...hi. I'm...." She's about to say

'Clark's cousin', but she's not sure how Clark wants to explain things.

Clark nods his head in agreement to Kara's statement. "Well said." he starts, before turning

quickly at the sound of Lois' voice. One of the handles of the bags he is carrying breaks, and its

a quick, panicked grab that just saves some of Kara's new clothes from ending up all over the

sidewalk. "Oops." the man starts, clutching a bright blouse to his chest. Totally not his color.

"Ummm, Lois, this is my cousin, Kara. She's going to be living with me while she finishes

high school. Kara, this is Lois Lane. My partner at the Daily Planet." Clark explains, making the

introductions, motioning to each girl in turn with the aforementioned blouse.

"And your Ms. Sometimes, right?" the man asks curiously towards Marissa, the reporter in him

unable to resist confirming the facts.

"Guilty as charged." He'd know her story...likely more of it than most given she did talk to Lois

about it and they do work together. "Hence the, well, issue back there. Idiots. One day they'll

work out we aren't so different. Hopefully we won't have to wait for the older ones to die off."

Lois smiles as Clark happens to Kara's poor clothes. And this, right as a really good point is

being made. Way to ruin the moment, corn-fed. Lois just half rolls her eyes at the man and offers

Kara her hand to shake.

"Nice to meet you. Your cousin hasn't said a word about you. Just off the farm?" Lois seems to

tumble through that. The waving blouse must be distracting, for she reaches out with her left hand

to see if she can collect the blouse from Clark's hand.

"Not your color," Lois comments lightly of the blouse. She smiles to Marissa when the hand shake

is done.

"Good to see you again. How've you been?"

Kara reaches over to shake Lois' hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Lane. Clark's told me a lot

about you. And...I'm not surprised he hasn't spoken much about me. I've had a rough couple of

months and I'm afraid I wasn't exactly the best behaved member of the family. But some time in

Smallville helped me out alot. And now..." SHe looks over to her cousin and smiles. "Now I'm going

to be here finishing my education." She looks over at Marissa, curious but not pressing for

details.

Clark is just about to stick the blouse into another bag when Lois reaches over and takes it from

him. He glances up, and then reaches up to push his glasses back up his nose, smacking himself

with the face with half the bags before he straightens himself out and smile sheepishly. "I talk

about her all the time." he starts, to explain softly and then just sort of trails off into a half

whisper. "you just never want to listen."

"I'm hoping Kara can get into Metropolis University. So she needs to live here to get in-state

tuition." Clark says, as usual, explaining casual questions way to much. Clark glances at Marissa

and smiles warmly. "Don't let them get you down. There can't be very many like him in Superman's

home town." the man says, glancing up as if the Man of Steel just might fly over any moment. Kara, your cousin is a klutz. "Some of them would call Superman a freak too. My dad certainly

would." Just a little bit...sour...there. Of course, if you had a father like hers, you might be

sour about it too. "Metropolis U, eh...what are you going to study? I'm taking a year off,

interning at StarkTech while I get my finances in order."

Lois refolds the blouse and holds it back out to Clark. Rebagging the shirt in a ball would just

wrinkle it. Seriously, Kent. Don't you know anything? Lois eyes Clark as he goes defensive,

watching him smack himself with the bags. She half rolls her eyes again.

"Honestly, Clark. Some day you're going to hurt yourself," she quips over his trailed off half-

whisper. "And I've never heard you talk about her once, to me anyway. I'm a good girl and try not

to eavesdrop on you and Olsen," Lois adds just before Clark starts in on the too much information.

Of course, it's the Superman comment that makes her actually nod in agreement. Mark your

calendars, folks. Lois and Clark agree on something!

"Superman, Superboy, Supergirl, and now two teams of super powered folks.. yeah. You don't have a

thing to worry about. Let him go on being a bigot. He'll get his," Lois adds. To the dad comment,

Lois puts on a brave smile, then looks to Kara for an answer.

"Thinking about following your cousin's foot steps," asks the femme reporter, staking out possible

competition. Cuz if the girl writes even half as well as her cousin does, Lois is in for some hard

work to keep her front page by-lines.

Kara smiles a bit, looks over at Clark when the question is asked. "Well...he's definitely a role

model to live up to." She manages to hold back a knowing smile. "But I think I'll be going into

computers. Or art. I've always been a good artist, and it's something I've wanted to be since I

was a little girl."

Clark mumbles a thank you as Lois helps get the blouse back into the bags, and the man takes a

moment to re-situate the shopping into something more comfortable to carry. He smiles, a touch

proud, when Kara starts describing what she wants to study and nods his head in agreement. Then he

blinks and grins, looking at Marissa again.

"Your an intern at StarkTech?" he asks, looking impressed. "That is...did you get to meet Tony

Stark? See the armor?" Clark asks. Poor Clark. He never gets to meet anyone famous. Or perhaps he

just doesn't realize it when it meets people who are famous. He did once ask to see the specials

from Chef Bobby Flay at a restaurant once, and he once stuck a dollar into Willie Nelson's guitar

case as he walked by the man playing in the park. And here he is, talking to Marissa Sometimes,

who is in her own right, becoming a little famous because of the recent news. Okay...Clark is just

clueless.

"So...can I treat you ladies to an ice cream?" Clark asks, motioning towards the little shop a

short ways away.

"I've met Tony, but he hasn't let me see the armor. Not many people get to see it." Marissa

suspects only people he 'trusts not to reverse engineer it' do. Pepper's seen it, she's sure. "I

mean, I've seen him in action, but I haven't gotten to see it. And...did you say ice cream?"

Brightening...it's cool for ice cream, but she's not going to let that stop her. "Engineering's my

thing. Aeronautical, preferably. Well, aerospace."

Lois just gives Clark a light smile and a nod at his mumbled thanks, much of her attention upon

his cousin. Oh good. No competition.

"Friend of mine's an artist. I should introduce you," Lois actually offers the teen. And then

Clark lets his cluelessness show. Lois can't help but shake her head lightly. The man has the worst

luck some days. Oh, ice cream?

"Ice cream sounds great, actually," she adds. Shopping can wait. the Rocky Road is calling!

The mention of ice cream brings a smile to Kara's face. "That sounds swell, Clark. And it's very

generous of you to offer." She gives Clark a hug, smiling wide. "So, would you be going to

Metropolis University too, Marissa?" The mention of the girl's last name, in addition to her

mutant status gives Kara enough to recognize the girl. "I'm sure that there's plenty of

scholarships you could get. Not to mention the internship will probably play very well."

Clark smiles and motions towards the ice cream shop, racing ahead of the ladies a little only to

stop and hold open the door for everyone. Wow...he almost looked graceful there. "Order whatever

you like, ladies." he says, smiling warmly. "I hear the hot chocolate here is especially good."

The text was helpful. The GPS on his phone more so. Laser circles overhead just before everyone

ducks inside and calls out as he comes in for a landing a few yards away from Lois and friends

(which is how he thinks of it, since she's the only one he knows!).

"Hey, thanks for the text," he says. Aloke 'Laser' Suresh is wearing street clothes, that look

just a little ruffled, probably from flying at high speeds to get here. "Hi everyone." He smiles

and approaches the group.

"Hot fudge sundae," Marissa says, without hesitation. Because it has heat AND ice cream. The

artist who just entered gets a wave from the (possibly somewhat familiar-looking) teenager, then

she turns back to Clark. "And thanks. A lot." She'll pay him back somehow. Of course, she's going

to have to keep one eye on Lois while she's here. Lois is sharp and possibly good at seeing

through secret identities. (Providing nobody's wearing glasses).

Lois seems mildly surprised that Clark can rush to open a door without tripping over his feet, but

he can't handle a cup of coffee. She's the last of the ladies to head toward the door, and so she

spots Aloke, and pauses to wait for him.

"Wow. Couldn't go a whole hour, could you," she quips at him, for as she was headed toward the

department store, Lois and Aloke were texting back and forth, making dinner plans. Something like:

Suresh: 'dinner?' Lane: 'Shopping.' Suresh: after? Lane: ok. Suresh:where? Lane: Suresh: c u soon.

Kara waves to the new arrival, then enters the ice cream shop. She smiles over at Marissa, nodding

in agreement. "I think I'm in the mood for strawberry, myself."

Clark follows the ladies into the store and orders himself a hot chocolate before paying for

everything with his visa card. "Who is your friend, Lois?" the man asks, trying not to sound

overly curious, yet subtly reminding the woman she still hasn't made introductions.

"Think nothing of it. My pleasure." Clark says in response to Marissa's thank you.

Aloke plants a quick kiss on Lois' cheek as everyone's going inside, and holds the door open to be

the last one through. "Oh, hi," he says. "I'm Aloke. Nice to meet you all." He pauses to try and

shake everyone's hand (except for Lois...).

Oh, right! Lois smiles lightly as Aloke kisses her cheek, but past that...

"Professor Suresh, actually," Lois adds, motioning Aloke to Kara. "She's thinking about studying

art," the reporter offers a tidbit of information. Because she's helpful like that, and Kara's a

nice kid. Hopefully, not as painfully clumsy as her cousin. And then introductions.

"Marissa Sometimes, Kara Kent, Clark Kent. They're cousins; she's a mutant and we're more than

okay with that." Because that's helpful. Into the counter Lois leans, placing her own order:

"Rocky Road. Double Scoop. Waffle Cone." Pause, glance at Clark. "I got lunch tomorrow."

"A pleasure to meet you, Professor," Kara says with a nod. She orders a strawberry sundae from the

counter, then bites her lip. "Actually, can you make that to go?" She turns towards Clark, smiling

apologetically. "I just remembered, I've got an appointment I should be at right now." Appointment

as in a training session at the Tower. She gives Lois a goofy smile and shrugs. "Clarks the klutz,

I'm the scatterbrain. But it was really swell meeting all of you." As her sundae is delivered, she

waves and heads out the door. "See you all later."

It's no sooner than Clark gets his hot chocolate, that he takes two steps and trips over the

shopping bags. He stumbles, spilling the dark drink all down the front of his white shirt and

sighs, before his face lights up and his eyes go wide. "Hot hot hot hothothothothothot..." he

starts rushing towards the bathrooms, in quite the hurry. He actually stops in front of the doors

and turns, his manners not allowing him to do anything less. "Excuse me a moment."

Clark disappears through the door, and clicks the lock into place.

Moments later, a nice young teen couple right outside the ice cream shop point at the sky.

"Superman!" the girl yells, as the guy scrambles for his phone to snap a picture.