by Sapphire

There is one thing you must always keep in mind when dealing with handsome men. They know how handsome they are, and they expect you to react to it.

I don’t know if Prince Marus had forgotten his little snark about me, or if he assumed I’d forgive him or, better yet, be grateful he’d even noticed who I was. The man had the temerity to give me a charming smile when Defender, Witchcraft and I arrived at City Hall. Mayor Biselle was doing his standard gracious politician act.

I pretended not to notice the smile.

I did my duty throughout Mayor Biselle’s speech to the delegates, standing with the other Millennium City superheroes and looking attentive. I’ll admit, I found myself thinking this was the perfect time for someone to go on a crime spree, with all of us tied up (so to speak). But surely someone else had thought of that, right?

Biselle finished his speech, and began introducing each hero to the delegate they were guarding.

“And now, our own lovely songbird Sapphire, member of the Champions! She will be your companion and guide, Prince Marus.”

I winced. Songbird. Enough people have called me that. I just wish they wouldn’t make such a point of it when I’m working in my superhero capacity. People don’t take me as seriously with that whole “songbird” thing. Marus smirked at me.

I gave him a false smile, shook his hand, and went to stand beside him, as the other heroes and delegates were doing.

Biselle kept going on, and that’s when Foxbat struck. Oh, it was gradual at first. No one really noticed initially. In fact, Prince Marus leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “What is that lovely perfume you’re wearing?”

I wasn’t wearing perfume. I sniffed, and then I could smell it. Vanilla. Not cheap, synthetic vanilla. No. Rich, full bodied, pure, lovely stuff. That was no perfume filled with alcohol. Immediate thought – poison gas?

Then I spotted it. Cream colored ooze seeping in under the doors.

“Foxbat!” I shouted. “It’s a pudding attack!”

My fellow superheroes immediately sprang into action. I grabbed hold of Marus and leapt into flight. Straight up to the balconies, where I dropped him. “You stay here,” I said. “I’ll come back for you.”

Witchcraft was casting a spell, attempting to hold the pudding back. Several delegates were sheltering within the circle of her spell. Defender was blasting pudding ooze out of existence. Some of the RAs (big suckerfish looking fellows) were attempting to suck up as much pudding as they could. I hoped, very strongly, that it was just regular pudding and not some new concoction of Foxbat’s.

Mayte broke down a door (because, of course, we were locked in). PRIMUS agents flooded the room (no pun intended) fully equipped with clean up gear.

And, of course, that’s when Foxbat crashed in through one of the stained glass windows.

“Hahahaha!” he yelled. “I have trapped you with my Vanilla Pudding of Doom – made with dehydrated cane juice! And I will not leave until you give me Lemuria to rule as my own. And Sapphire, to be my underwater Queen!”

Talk about mortification. I tried to cover my face with my hand, to give me just a second to regain control. Then I took a deep breath.

“Foxbat!” I yelled.

“My beloved!”

I flew towards him, flinging energy zaps as I went. Not enough to hurt him, but enough to make him yelp and dance out of the way.

“I am not your beloved.” Zap. “ I am not interested in being your Queen.” Zap. “ There are no Lemurians here, just Atlanteans.” Zap. “ And I am trying to do a job protecting one of them!” Zap.

He ran around the room, fleeing from me as I kept zapping him.

“And how dare you break a stained glass window? Do you know how expensive those are? Do you know how much work goes into them? That one was fifty years old! It survived the Battle of Detroit and you shattered it!”

“I’m sorry,” he yelped. “I’ll get another one.”

“You’ll also clean up this mess,” I zapped him with a stronger blast. It knocked him out of the air right over a great big puddle of pudding.

I was about to actually pummel him when Witchcraft grabbed hold of me and held me back. “Calm down, Saph. You got him.”

“Not enough!”

Ironclad pulled him up out of the pudding and held him steady.

“Why?” I asked him. “Why did you have to attack us?”

“Sapphire asks an excellent question, Mr. Foxbat,” Mayor Biselle said, approaching from where he’d been standing with the delegates. Witchcraft’s circle was gone, but few of them had moved out of the area.

Foxbat actually pouted. “You didn’t invite me.”

“Pardon?” said Biselle.

“You invited all the local supers to escort the delegates except me.”

“You’re a supervillain!” I couldn’t help saying.

“So? That’s no reason to just go leave me out!”

“Are you saying, Mr. Foxbat, that you wish to become a superhero like these other upstanding citizens?” Biselle asked him.

“No!” Foxbat leapt into flight, the pudding on his costume making him slippery enough that Ironclad couldn’t hold him. Of course, I don’t think Ironclad was trying very hard. He was too busy laughing.

“I am the awesomest supervillain of them all!” Foxbat declared. “And never fear, my goddess. This is just a lover’s spat. I know how much you adore me.” And then he flew away. Out the same window he broke. At least he didn’t break another one.

“Well, that was interesting,” a man said from behind me. I turned to find Prince Marus looking far too amused.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

He smiled. “I can fly, you know.”

“Then why didn’t you help?” I demanded.

“I did.” He pointed to the balcony where I’d left him. Several Manimal delegates stood up there, waving down at me.

“It would be bad manners to zap a delegate, wouldn’t it?” I asked, conversationally.

“Yes,” he said. “I think it would.”

“Saph-“ Witchcraft interjected.

“Fine,” I said. “Since you’re so super,” I told Marus, “why don’t you help all of us local heroes with the cleanup?”

He bowed to me. He actually bowed to me. “I’d be delighted.”

He came to stand closer to me and looked me in the eye. “Remind me never to make you angry.”

I bared my teeth at him. I’m sure he thought it was a smile.

To be continued…