"I don't know about this," Doug mumbled. He looked down at the red jacket, shirt, and pants ensemble he was wearing. The stocking cap on his head was starting it itch something fierce, but the glaring red costume unnerved him more.
"You look great, honey," Melissa said. She patted him on the back with her free hand, the one that wasn't holding onto a large, burlap sack. "The kids are going to love you."
Doug still wasn't sure why he'd agreed to dress up as "Santa Doug" for Melissa's library party. Sure, it was a cute idea, but he wasn't sure of his ability to pull off Old Saint Nick's role. "I'm not too jolly," he said patting his stomach.
"That's why you're not Santa Claus," she said, stressing the last name. "You're Santa Doug," she chirped, causing Doug's head to turn up, toward hers. "You're one of Santa's secret handymen who help him make toys all through year," she continued. They slowed to a stop across the street from the Paragon City Public Library, and Melissa carefully set her sack on the ground.
"You'll do fine," she stressed. Melissa leaned forward and offered up a good luck kiss square on Doug's mouth. After a moment, she pulled back, giggling. "Did I get any flour on my mouth?" she asked. She'd ground several handfuls of flour into Doug's normally brown beard to give it a more Santa-like look.
"You're good," he assured her.
"Okay," she said. "Wait about ten minutes, then come over, and be sure you use your Rocket Pack," she instructed him. He nodded to the affirmative as Melissa looked both ways and then darted across the road.
Doug watched her until she disappeared into the building. After the door closed behind her, Doug's eyes shifted slightly behind his ever-present, temporarily holiday-colored goggles. A translucent clock appeared between his eyes and the world. "Ten minutes," he thought to himself. "Ten minutes."
---
"Hey, who's that?" Melissa asked. She said it loud enough for the circle of children munching on sugar cookies to hear. "Is that Santa?" That got their attention, and the sound of two dozen-child-sized sneakers rumbled across the library floor. If any of the other patrons minded the unusual loudness going on inside the library, none of the said it.
"Really?"
"Santa?"
"No way!"
"I can't see."
The kids pushed and scrambled to get a view out the library window. The fastest in the front climbed atop the cushioned benches that sat under the window. Those behind the circled around the bench, and the slowest in the back hopped every few seconds trying to get a better look.
"I don't see, Santa," one of the kids said grumpily.
"Really?" Melissa asked, her voice somewhere between curious and doubtful. "Because I could have sworn that--"
"SANTA!"
A harmonious cheer arose from the children as a brightly dressed man in red descended into view of the window. He touched down lightly and waved at the kids. Another cheerful cry erupted, and they all started to move en masse toward the library door. Using her long legs to their fullest advantage, Melissa jogged ahead of the kids and arrived before they did. Seeing one of their favorite, and definitely tallest, librarians standing between them and door, the kids skidded to a halt.
"You guys know the rules," Melissa said firmly. "No one goes outside." The all nodded solemnly, remembering the strictly enforced rule. In Paragon City it was the first rule imposed on every kid: no matter how cool something or someone looks outside, never go look without an adult.
The room fell silent for a minute, until a loud knock came from outside the door. An anxious, thrilled murmur came from the children. Melissa knelt slightly and looked through the peephole. Then she looked back at the kids.
"Okay," she said seriously to the kids. "Now, when I let Santa in, are you guys going to be polite?"
"Yes, ma'am," the all said.
"And no one's going to try to rush past and get out?"
"No, ma'am!" they almost shrieked, trying to allay any fears that anyone would forgo Santa for the outside.
"Okay," she said. Melissa turned back and pulled the door open. "Hello, Santa!" she said cheerfully. "Please come in."
Santa stepped into the library, pausing on the welcome mat the knock slush off his shoes and set his heavy bag on the floor. "Hi-- Uh," he paused, then remembered, "Ho, ho, ho! Mer-- Uh, happy holidays! Happy holidays, kids!" Acknowledging the kids was enough to break them out of their polite patience, and once more the two-dozen children surged forward. Several loud and excited minutes passed as kids peppered Santa with questions and attention.
"What happened to your beard?"
"It's too small. Santa Claus has a bigger beard!"
"Are you really Santa Claus?" asked the same brown-haired boy who first doubted Santa presence.
"That's a good question," Melissa agreed, "Are you really Santa Claus?"
"Um, no," Santa answered. A unified gasped escaped from the children, which was followed by more concerned murmurs. "I'm Santa Doug," he explained, "I'm in Santa's Supergoup." That caught the kids' attention again. "He's busy getting ready for Christma-- The holidays," Santa Doug told them, "but when he got Melissa's letter about how good you'd all been, he asked me to bring all of you an early surprise." The concerned murmurs ceased instantly as their young minds began to wonder what Santa Claus had asked Santa Doug to bring them.
"What is it?"
"Can we open it now?"
"Please! Please! Please!"
"Okay, guys, calm down," Melissa interjected. "Remember your promise." Remembering their promise to be polite, the kids both calmed and quieted. "Why don't we all go over here," she suggested. Santa Doug hefted his bag back onto his shoulder, then followed Melissa and the kids and over to the open floor where'd they'd been snacking before. "Santa Doug, why don't you sit over here," she pointed to a space just in front of the reference desk, "and, kids, you sit here," she pointed to a place a few feet away.
"There we go," she added when everyone had settled down. Melissa joined the children on the library floor, resting on her knees. "Okay, Santa Doug," she asked, "Just what did you bring us?"
"Well, um," Santa Doug answered, "I didn't have as much time as Santa Claus does, nor as many elves, so I only had time to make one big present." The idea of "one" present was easily ignored in favor of the "big" part of it. "I hope that's okay," he said.
Melissa smiled broadly and replied, "That is perfectly fine, Santa Doug. We can leave it here at the library, and everyone can share it." She turned back to the kids, "A gift that everyone here can share is better than one that not everyone can use, isn't it?"
The kids all nodded to the affirmative. Santa Doug waited for a moment, and it took a small cough from Melissa to remind him about the present. He crouched on the floor, setting his bag down on the ground. He let the mouth of the bag slip down to reveal a large box wrapped in green paper and tied with a yellow bow. "Oh," Santa Doug suddenly added, as if struck by an idea, "Santa Claus said that since Melissa wrote the letter, she should open it."
Melissa aimed an unsure look at Santa Doug, but quickly regained her smile. "Is that okay, kids?" she asked. None of them dared defy the word of Santa Claus, so they all nodded and agreed. "Okay," she said. Melissa crawled forward, and sat back down when she was next to the box. She glanced at the kids, and asked, "Should I save the ribbon?"
"No!" they all shouted, horrified that she might stretch the surprise out longer by carefully opening the box.
"You want me to just rip into it?" she asked, switching her tone to a more shocked, confused voice.
"Yes!" they cried in exasperation.
"Okay," she agreed. She offered a shrug, and then tore the ribbon and paper away from the box. When all the paper was shredded and the ribbon lay on the floor, Melissa lifted the lid off the box. It wasn't completely removed when the box began to wiggle. Two metallic legs hooked over the edge of the box and it tipped over.
To Melissa's horror and surprise, one of Lord Recluse's Arachnobots crawled out of the box. Melissa looked at Santa Doug, and was shocked to see him smiling proudly. She looked back at the little, eight-legged robot. She wanted to grab it up to protect the children, but noticed that the Arachnobot looked different than the one's she'd seen on news reports. It's sharpened legs and pincers were replaced with rounded rubber tips. There were no weapons present on the robot either. The little robot was even painted with a festive green and gold design. She looked back at Santa Doug, one eyebrow raised.
"Greetings, children of Paragon City," the robot said in a high-pitched, synthesized voice. "I am PTR-1, but you may call me Peter," it explained. "Peter," it repeated, "your friendly, neighborhood Arachnobot!"
The little robot, Peter, extended his legs as far as they would go, then lowered his front four legs. Melissa realized he was bowing to the children. With his greeting finished, the children all started crawling toward him, wanting to meet the robot. With their attention drawn to the robot, Melissa stood up, and pulled Santa Doug back into opening of the hallway that led past the reference desk and into the periodical reading room.
"Doug," she insisted, "tell me that thing is safe."
Santa Doug nodded. "I totally stripped out the Arachnos systems. He's running on a modified Police Drone processor. The worst he can do it tell a bad joke." He crossed his heard with one hand. "Promise!"
She wasn't completely sold on the idea of an Arachnobot in her library, but she was sure Doug, "The Terrific Utilitarian," could safely disarm an Arachnobot. She nodded and gave an accepting sigh. "One question," she added.
"Sure."
"PTR-1?" she asked.
Santa Doug blushed. "Previously Trashed Robot," he answered. "I didn't exactly buy Peter's body at Cooke's Electronics."
Before she could reply, Peter's voice chirped loudly. "Mistletoe! Mistletoe!" it announced loudly. The kids joined in for a final, almost mocking, "Mistletoe!"
Melissa and Santa Doug looked up, and sure enough, they were standing beneath a twig of mistletoe someone had hung. She looked at Santa Doug with a quirky grin. "Okay," he answered, "maybe a bad joke isn't the worst thing he can do."
"Oh, I don't know," Melissa shrugged. She winked at the kids, who all laughed. "I don't think this is so bad." Quicker than Santa Doug could react, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on Santa's Doug's lips.
Santa Doug is Coming to Town
"I don't know about this," Doug mumbled. He looked down at the red jacket, shirt, and pants ensemble he was wearing. The stocking cap on his head was starting it itch something fierce, but the glaring red costume unnerved him more.
"You look great, honey," Melissa said. She patted him on the back with her free hand, the one that wasn't holding onto a large, burlap sack. "The kids are going to love you."
Doug still wasn't sure why he'd agreed to dress up as "Santa Doug" for Melissa's library party. Sure, it was a cute idea, but he wasn't sure of his ability to pull off Old Saint Nick's role. "I'm not too jolly," he said patting his stomach.
"That's why you're not Santa Claus," she said, stressing the last name. "You're Santa Doug," she chirped, causing Doug's head to turn up, toward hers. "You're one of Santa's secret handymen who help him make toys all through year," she continued. They slowed to a stop across the street from the Paragon City Public Library, and Melissa carefully set her sack on the ground.
"You'll do fine," she stressed. Melissa leaned forward and offered up a good luck kiss square on Doug's mouth. After a moment, she pulled back, giggling. "Did I get any flour on my mouth?" she asked. She'd ground several handfuls of flour into Doug's normally brown beard to give it a more Santa-like look.
"You're good," he assured her.
"Okay," she said. "Wait about ten minutes, then come over, and be sure you use your Rocket Pack," she instructed him. He nodded to the affirmative as Melissa looked both ways and then darted across the road.
Doug watched her until she disappeared into the building. After the door closed behind her, Doug's eyes shifted slightly behind his ever-present, temporarily holiday-colored goggles. A translucent clock appeared between his eyes and the world. "Ten minutes," he thought to himself. "Ten minutes."
---
"Hey, who's that?" Melissa asked. She said it loud enough for the circle of children munching on sugar cookies to hear. "Is that Santa?" That got their attention, and the sound of two dozen-child-sized sneakers rumbled across the library floor. If any of the other patrons minded the unusual loudness going on inside the library, none of the said it.
"Really?"
"Santa?"
"No way!"
"I can't see."
The kids pushed and scrambled to get a view out the library window. The fastest in the front climbed atop the cushioned benches that sat under the window. Those behind the circled around the bench, and the slowest in the back hopped every few seconds trying to get a better look.
"I don't see, Santa," one of the kids said grumpily.
"Really?" Melissa asked, her voice somewhere between curious and doubtful. "Because I could have sworn that--"
"SANTA!"
A harmonious cheer arose from the children as a brightly dressed man in red descended into view of the window. He touched down lightly and waved at the kids. Another cheerful cry erupted, and they all started to move en masse toward the library door. Using her long legs to their fullest advantage, Melissa jogged ahead of the kids and arrived before they did. Seeing one of their favorite, and definitely tallest, librarians standing between them and door, the kids skidded to a halt.
"You guys know the rules," Melissa said firmly. "No one goes outside." The all nodded solemnly, remembering the strictly enforced rule. In Paragon City it was the first rule imposed on every kid: no matter how cool something or someone looks outside, never go look without an adult.
The room fell silent for a minute, until a loud knock came from outside the door. An anxious, thrilled murmur came from the children. Melissa knelt slightly and looked through the peephole. Then she looked back at the kids.
"Okay," she said seriously to the kids. "Now, when I let Santa in, are you guys going to be polite?"
"Yes, ma'am," the all said.
"And no one's going to try to rush past and get out?"
"No, ma'am!" they almost shrieked, trying to allay any fears that anyone would forgo Santa for the outside.
"Okay," she said. Melissa turned back and pulled the door open. "Hello, Santa!" she said cheerfully. "Please come in."
Santa stepped into the library, pausing on the welcome mat the knock slush off his shoes and set his heavy bag on the floor. "Hi-- Uh," he paused, then remembered, "Ho, ho, ho! Mer-- Uh, happy holidays! Happy holidays, kids!" Acknowledging the kids was enough to break them out of their polite patience, and once more the two-dozen children surged forward. Several loud and excited minutes passed as kids peppered Santa with questions and attention.
"What happened to your beard?"
"It's too small. Santa Claus has a bigger beard!"
"Are you really Santa Claus?" asked the same brown-haired boy who first doubted Santa presence.
"That's a good question," Melissa agreed, "Are you really Santa Claus?"
"Um, no," Santa answered. A unified gasped escaped from the children, which was followed by more concerned murmurs. "I'm Santa Doug," he explained, "I'm in Santa's Supergoup." That caught the kids' attention again. "He's busy getting ready for Christma-- The holidays," Santa Doug told them, "but when he got Melissa's letter about how good you'd all been, he asked me to bring all of you an early surprise." The concerned murmurs ceased instantly as their young minds began to wonder what Santa Claus had asked Santa Doug to bring them.
"What is it?"
"Can we open it now?"
"Please! Please! Please!"
"Okay, guys, calm down," Melissa interjected. "Remember your promise." Remembering their promise to be polite, the kids both calmed and quieted. "Why don't we all go over here," she suggested. Santa Doug hefted his bag back onto his shoulder, then followed Melissa and the kids and over to the open floor where'd they'd been snacking before. "Santa Doug, why don't you sit over here," she pointed to a space just in front of the reference desk, "and, kids, you sit here," she pointed to a place a few feet away.
"There we go," she added when everyone had settled down. Melissa joined the children on the library floor, resting on her knees. "Okay, Santa Doug," she asked, "Just what did you bring us?"
"Well, um," Santa Doug answered, "I didn't have as much time as Santa Claus does, nor as many elves, so I only had time to make one big present." The idea of "one" present was easily ignored in favor of the "big" part of it. "I hope that's okay," he said.
Melissa smiled broadly and replied, "That is perfectly fine, Santa Doug. We can leave it here at the library, and everyone can share it." She turned back to the kids, "A gift that everyone here can share is better than one that not everyone can use, isn't it?"
The kids all nodded to the affirmative. Santa Doug waited for a moment, and it took a small cough from Melissa to remind him about the present. He crouched on the floor, setting his bag down on the ground. He let the mouth of the bag slip down to reveal a large box wrapped in green paper and tied with a yellow bow. "Oh," Santa Doug suddenly added, as if struck by an idea, "Santa Claus said that since Melissa wrote the letter, she should open it."
Melissa aimed an unsure look at Santa Doug, but quickly regained her smile. "Is that okay, kids?" she asked. None of them dared defy the word of Santa Claus, so they all nodded and agreed. "Okay," she said. Melissa crawled forward, and sat back down when she was next to the box. She glanced at the kids, and asked, "Should I save the ribbon?"
"No!" they all shouted, horrified that she might stretch the surprise out longer by carefully opening the box.
"You want me to just rip into it?" she asked, switching her tone to a more shocked, confused voice.
"Yes!" they cried in exasperation.
"Okay," she agreed. She offered a shrug, and then tore the ribbon and paper away from the box. When all the paper was shredded and the ribbon lay on the floor, Melissa lifted the lid off the box. It wasn't completely removed when the box began to wiggle. Two metallic legs hooked over the edge of the box and it tipped over.
To Melissa's horror and surprise, one of Lord Recluse's Arachnobots crawled out of the box. Melissa looked at Santa Doug, and was shocked to see him smiling proudly. She looked back at the little, eight-legged robot. She wanted to grab it up to protect the children, but noticed that the Arachnobot looked different than the one's she'd seen on news reports. It's sharpened legs and pincers were replaced with rounded rubber tips. There were no weapons present on the robot either. The little robot was even painted with a festive green and gold design. She looked back at Santa Doug, one eyebrow raised.
"Greetings, children of Paragon City," the robot said in a high-pitched, synthesized voice. "I am PTR-1, but you may call me Peter," it explained. "Peter," it repeated, "your friendly, neighborhood Arachnobot!"
The little robot, Peter, extended his legs as far as they would go, then lowered his front four legs. Melissa realized he was bowing to the children. With his greeting finished, the children all started crawling toward him, wanting to meet the robot. With their attention drawn to the robot, Melissa stood up, and pulled Santa Doug back into opening of the hallway that led past the reference desk and into the periodical reading room.
"Doug," she insisted, "tell me that thing is safe."
Santa Doug nodded. "I totally stripped out the Arachnos systems. He's running on a modified Police Drone processor. The worst he can do it tell a bad joke." He crossed his heard with one hand. "Promise!"
She wasn't completely sold on the idea of an Arachnobot in her library, but she was sure Doug, "The Terrific Utilitarian," could safely disarm an Arachnobot. She nodded and gave an accepting sigh. "One question," she added.
"Sure."
"PTR-1?" she asked.
Santa Doug blushed. "Previously Trashed Robot," he answered. "I didn't exactly buy Peter's body at Cooke's Electronics."
Before she could reply, Peter's voice chirped loudly. "Mistletoe! Mistletoe!" it announced loudly. The kids joined in for a final, almost mocking, "Mistletoe!"
Melissa and Santa Doug looked up, and sure enough, they were standing beneath a twig of mistletoe someone had hung. She looked at Santa Doug with a quirky grin. "Okay," he answered, "maybe a bad joke isn't the worst thing he can do."
"Oh, I don't know," Melissa shrugged. She winked at the kids, who all laughed. "I don't think this is so bad." Quicker than Santa Doug could react, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on Santa's Doug's lips.
@Utilitarian - Guardian/Tech Blst/20
Parity - Guardian/Nat Tnkr/21
Diana Drake - Infinity/Magi Scr/32
Doctor Developer - Virtue/Tech MM/22
Lady Lawful - Infinity/Magi Tnkr/20