Merry Dragon Christmas (Double XP With Forcie, et al)

The sun had yet to show itself Christmas Morning, and a very urgent call had gone out to Dragon Girl and Forcewave from Alaska. Dragon Girl's eyes were still shut as she fumbled with her device as her loud Girl Alive ringtone woke her up from a good dream about swimming and tuna.

Their "friend" up north, The Canadian hero colloquially known as Canadian Guy, had called them for an ever urgent issue. A special Ops Jet colored in the White and Red of the Canadian Flag speeds towards Chicago's foggy winter airspace, fetching the heroes and was off with all haste. Coffee and a Bagel with Bacon and Cheese greeted the still sleepy, yawning Xiao as Canadian Guy briefed them on the situation. She helped herself to the bagels and cheese, though still sleepy, It didn't quite occur to her if it was Forcewave who knew him, because this was really the first time he met the big burly  man of the North. Did Forcewave know him? Didn't matter, people needed help.

Fast forward two hours later, In the middle of a fierce blizzard, they found themselves fighting Soviet Era War Mechs that still ran on vacuum tubes and radios, the things having overtaken a geothermal plant using steam powered harpoons and tesla weaponry. Somehow they emerged from some bunker deep in the wilderness, probably put there during the Cold War but never activated... until now, when the Geothermal Plant's operations disturbed the Bunker's mechanical systems. A legion of gray mechanical walkers they were, marching in synchronized steps, utterly silent save for the thrum of their weaponry and their rusted joints. Attacking in some analytical, algorithmic pattern, they overwhelm the Plant's mundane defenses, the Alaskan Plant and weather making a military counter-offensive impossible to organize.

The three heroes used their powers to good use; with Xiao's speed and power, and Forcewave's lightning, they clear out the war machines at the Plant. Then, finding and destroying their super retro data card driving intelligence deep in the hidden bunker, entombing hundreds more dormant war mechs. Finally they returned to make major repairs to keep the plant up and running. And all before lunch.

The Canadian, who outwardly appeared to be Robert Baratheon with a woodsman's axe and moose pelts, apparently also knew how an advanced geothermal plant operated. "Move over here eh, then weld it shut mate! Make sure it's one continuous weld, can't have joint weaknesses." He called out, whilst the rescued staff swept up the remains of the robots using dog sleds and dog teams. A great many of them, man and dog, had been held hostage recently, and their survival was a great blessing.

Xiao lifted the massive machine component which was damaged earlier, moving it in place with massive chain blocks. The pieces fit together nicely, thought Xiao had no idea what they did. "...So Forcewave, are you and Tyuki doing anything for the Holidays?" She asked casually, the machinery falling well into her carry capacity.

Christmas was a time for people to spend with their families and celebrate. Well, if you actually celebrate it that was. So anyone of a religion other than christianity didn't celebrate this holiday that fell on the 25th of December every year. Some non-christians also celebrated it. Might be because they probably had the day off anyways and had little else to do. Regardless, it's near the end of the year, and a good a time to celebrate something anyways. So, that begs the question as to why John Capore was spending it miles away from home in Alaska, in his superhero identity, fighting off decades old robots in the middle of a blizzard, alongside a dragon? Seriously, what did any of this have to do with the holidays?

Even the winter coat and extra layer of clothes he was wearing did not protect him entirely from the bitter cold. The snow that kept hitting him didn't help. Not even the fight against these Soviet era robots warmed him up enough. Luckily it didn't take them too long to defeat all robots and with the person whom had called for their help in the first place, they rescued the hostages and removed all the robot parts. Now they were assisting in repairing some of the damage to the geothermal plant. While this was going on, Forcewave thought about what he should do for the holidays. Unfortunately his dad was away on business because well, business. Explains why he was up here in Alaska on Christmas day. Meh, he'll probably just sit around and relax for the day. Sounds as good a plan as any to him. As he settled on this as a possibility, Xiao, said dragon whom was actually a girl capable of turning into a dragon, asked him what he and Tyuki, his girlfriend whom was also a j-pop star, were doing for the holidays. "I don't know what either of us is doing. I haven't talked to her in a few days, and I got nothing planned myself. What are you doing for them?" he asked as his reply.

Xiao held the machine in place as Forcie did the welds. Once all the machines were properly fixed, Canadian Guy gave them the thumbs up and a smile lacking one tooth. Xiao let go of the chain block, the machine now held in place. The cold weather cooled the welds rapidly enough that the geothermal plant was now up and running. A big cheer went up from the crew, applauding the efforts of the heroes.

"Now that me and my mum finally have a place together I was wondering if you and Eclipse would like to join us for dinner at our place. It's not very big, but I can tell you mom makes the best Roast Huck and Rice Cakes." Xiao asked again, offering what were, incidentally, her favorite foods.

The large burly, bearded Canadian came down and gave both heroes a swift pat on the back, though a bit strong considering he seemed to possess super strength. Xiao wasn't too bothered, but Forcie might have. "Aaaayyyy that was great work everyone! I guess ye be going home now? Please, let me save ya the trouble!" He put two fingers to his lips and whistled, then the Canadian hoverjet that got them here powered up and awaited outside.

Having been in the thick of the melee, Xiao was an oil and dirt covered mess. She wiped the grime off of herself  as best she could before heading to the jet. "Well, I guess we don't have to worry about making it back. Thanks again, Mister Canadian... Guy."

"Tis no trouble lass, and thank  ye both fer yer help on such short notice. I got a hot bath and fruitcake waiting onboard." He said, heading to the jet first, humming a cheery tune to himself.

Somehow two people whom had absolutely no idea how this machine even worked were managing to fix it. Imagine that if you will. Forcewave was completely unsure if what he was doing was having any positive effect, and yet, according to the expert whom had called them here, it was fixing the thing. Does this count as a Christmas miracle? It felt like one to him. After a bit of work they were informed that the machine was fixed, and they could go back home.

While they had been working on the machine, Forcewave and Dragon Girl, or John and Xiao as they could call each other, talked about what each of them was doing for the holidays. John had nothing planned and Xiao was inviting both himself, and Tyuki to her and her mom's place for dinner. "Thanks for the offer. I'll think about it." he said as the large bearded man whom had called them here came down and decided to pat them both on the back. This sent him staggering forward a few steps and nearly knocked him off his feet entirely as the man was pretty darn strong. He then called down the jet they had used to get here and the two of them got aboard. Minutes later it would take off again and they were slowly on their way back to Chicago. On the way John decided to message Tyuki to ask about her holiday plans.

Every now and then, Xiao remembers she was a girl and so, spent a good half hour of the hour long flight in the hot shower. Once she got out she was changed out of her combat uniform and into her civilian attire of a baggy sweater, jeans and winter appropriate boots. Only Xiao would think to pull off a disguise by simply tying her hair into a ponytail and wearing faux glasses, hunching over a bit and changing her voice and accent ever so slightly. Like a certain other superhero.

Xiao flops onto the comfy chair of the private Jet and let out a refreshed sigh. An Alaskan Malamute with a red bow tie around his neck pushed a cart with some boxes of fruitcake towards the heroes. "Oh thank you." Xiao said, giving the smart dog a scratch behind the ears as she picked up two boxes and put it in a holiday bag. The dog let out a pleased whine, Then the cart went to John, his fruitcake waiting for him.

Xiao's mobile rang, the ringtone a catchy Kpop tune. The person on the other side spoke loudly enough to warrant Xiao holding it a foot away from her ear. The conversation was in mandarin, and the tone of the person implied a very doting and strict mother. "Yes ma... Yes ma... I will... Yes I'll write it down... No I'm not with some boy... I'm with friends... Yes... we are doing the superhero thing... I'll eat out for lunch... yes... I have money... I'm not cold... I can find my way home... Love you ma, bye." Whew. sMothers.

Xiao smiled at John, not needing to explain much. She picked up the intercom piece and spoke to the pilot. "Mister Canadian, can you please drop me off in China Town?"

"Ayyy sure." He announced over the plane speakers. The jet made a turn and began its descent. It was snowing and a thin fog was forming outside the plane, perfect for cover.

Xiao stood up and headed to the back where the bay doors opened to the whipping wind outside. "Well this is my stop. See you and maybe Tyuki around 5pm John. I sent you the Google map. It's Apartment 626." And just like that Xiao jumped out of a plane.

The plane took them back home to Chicago, one at a time. First they dropped Xiao off in Chinatown, almost literally. She straight up jumped out of the plane as it hovered above Chinatown. Well, that's one way to get home. The plane would take Forcewave to a different part of town where he would get out and eventually make his way home, and along the way he changed out of his costume and into his regular clothes.

When John got home he checked his messages. He had a few new ones. The usual ones of yuletide greetings from friends and family, and two specific ones that he had to check. One was the one that Xiao had sent him with the address of her and her mom's place, and the other one was from Tyuki. He decided to read the latter one first to find out if she was interested in going, and sure enough, she was. John was pretty happy about this and was smiling as he checked Xiao's message that had the address. He examined the directions to the place for a moment before forwarding them to Tyuki along with a reply saying "It's at 5pm. See you there."

Flash forward a few hours, because why not, and John was on his way across the city to Xiao's apartment building. He reached it at around 4:30 and decided to message Tyuki once more before heading into the building to see where she was at.

Much like the cities they hail from, the ground floor of the Chinatown apartment was a crowded conglomeration of stalls selling lots of make up, clothes, accessories, money changers, electronic devices and appliances. The stores facing the streets were a Vietnamese noodle shop and a roasting shop, with delicious looking roast pork and duck were on display. The people manning those stores were mostly indifferent looking Chinese or American youths, whiling the time away with their eyes on screens and on their goods. A few older store clerks exercised the proud tradition of hawking their wares to Forcewave and Tyuki.

Beside them were an acupuncturist shop as well as a massage parlor, then that strong smelling Chinese pharmacies selling things that could cure everything but smelled so strongly one would rather go to Xiao's fist for anesthetic. Korean and Japanese restaurants were also available just across the street, filled with lots of patrons dining in or taking out. No wonder Dragon Girl lived here.

There was no elevator lobby to the apartments, just a cramped hallway. Beside them was a middle aged Chinese dude in shorts, tank top and slippers reading a Chinese paper and having a ledger book and a desk fan at his side. He didn't even bother looking at the people coming and going through the elevators. The elevators took awhile to descend, and they were filled with all these Asian people talking in different languages carrying plastic bags filled with vegetables, while a delivery guy on a bike rode out last. "Out of mah way la!" He would say. Entering the elevator it was some kind of mystery how they all fit- some kind of ancient Chinese magic?

The hallways for the apartments were plain white- white tile floors, white walls and white ceilings, lit by white led tube lamps, and no windows. It was all undecorated save for some Asian lucky charms hanging on apartment doorways. Oh, and the garbage outside each door too. And some folding tables, boxes, notices, some kids playing with nerf guns with those foam darts, mercilessly gunning down each other and any stranger in the hallway.

Apartment 626 was in a far corner away from the elevators but right next to the fire exit. Just outside was a small pile of gifts left outside, as well as a folder labelled in red 'Classified'. The doorbell awaited, and some female laughter and music was playing from inside. Upbeat... Kpop music.

He had travelled to Chinatown to go have dinner over at a friend's house because there was nothing else for him to do. John was outside the apartment building where he was to be for said dinner sitting in his car with some time to spare. He was waiting to hear from Tyuki to know where she was at. That turned out to be a completely pointless thing to do when he saw her pull up in a town car and head into the apartment while wearing something weird on her face. That was weird. Then again, nevermind, still weird. So John got out of his car and entered the apartment building too to head up to the floor where Xiao's place was. He had to wait for the elevator to come back down before he could use it. John naturally assumed that Tyuki had been on it to go up to the sixth floor, and eventually got up there himself.

He got out of the elevator and looked down the hall to see her standing in front of a door next to a pile of gifts and reading something. Who were those for? John walked down the hall to join her. "Hey there." he said as he reached the door too.

The classified folder contained police reports about a small gang of third rate metahuman criminals Knightwatch put away months ago at a secure holding facility on an Artifical Island in the middle of Lake Michigan. Two of the reports were new, Joshua Carver "Carver" and Antoinette Taylor "Speedster Mary Poppins", recently arrested following a super powered battle just three days ago near Xiao's school... involving Dragon Girl and Forcewave.

The door opened and out came six Korean girls speaking in Korean and english among themselves, waving goodbye to the people inside. Judging from their curled and highlighted hair, stylish boots and dress, expensive handbags and scarves, their above average height, their lean builds and shapely legs, and their eerily similar faces, they were an endemic species from their country- Kpop stars!

"Bye Xiao! Bye aunt Su!" They called out, Then looked at Tyuki and John and give them some polite "Herro" "Good bye" before heading to the elevators. They were an odd bunch, laughing and talking, then breaking out into a chorus of one of their factory made Kpop songs. Then they were gone.

"Tyuki! John! you guys made it!" Holding the door open for the Kpop stars and the heroes was of course, gracious host Xiao. Wearing the obligatory red wool sweater and Santa hat, her hair done up and wearing her Clark Kent glasses, while going barefoot in her own house. She didn't so much as invite them in as sweep them up in a group hug, lifting both off the ground in that great grip of hers. Her teammates will definitely notice Xiao's growing strength. She also took in the gifts and folder from Tyuki, not really caring if she read it.

The inside of the apartment was fairly small and smelled of Kpop branded perfumes. Pastel wallpapers, faux wood floors and a low, plain ceiling was the interior. The apartment looked only recently moved in, given the boxes and sparse furniture. A small, contiguous living, dining and kitchen in the middle, then two doors marking the bedrooms on the left, and a bath and laundry on the right. A small balcony allowed a limited view of the chilly, crowded street outside.
The dining table had h'ordeaurves... uh, appetizers. Nuts, fruits, berries, some slices of fruitcake and rice cakes.

"So... please feel at home you two. That's my mom Li Suyin, and Shauna's making the bouillabaisse... with her eyes." She said, a bit... shocked. Using one's laser vision to cook felt like cheating.

"It's alot faster, and trust me guys, there won't be side effects! Hey you two." Shauna waved at the hero couple and resumed her cooking, eyes on the contents of her pot. She reassured them, stirring the pot of creamy soup, using her powers to heat up the pot. wearing a pink apron over a fine red blazer and gray business skirt. It was helpful no doubt, as it freed up the gas ranges for Xiao's mom to make fiery Chinese dishes.

"Oh my! Xiao's friends... It's so nice to meet you! Please, don't be shy here. This family is used to having special children... I've heard nothing but good things. Oh my, I'm such a mess I haven't changed yet..."She wiped her hands on her aprons and gave the couple handshakes and bows. The short, slender mousy Chinese lady in the collared shirt and khaki pants looked a bit haggard and worked, but kept up a cheery demeanor.

"And those boys on the couch are Walter, Shauna's cat, and my biological father, Long Fang." Xiao said rather cheerily, pointing at the man who had been missing for all of her life. Laughing boisterously on the couch, watching videos of Xiao's battles this past year, was a very strangely dressed Asian man holding a fat tabby cat. The renaissance clothes and the eyepatch, the cybernetic hand... The only words to describe the man was "Body Building Fu Manchu as a Space Pirate."

He looked at the two who came in, and stood up to greet them with boisterous hugs. So that was where Xiao got her height. and strength. and everything else. "Aaah! My daughter's comrades! I look forward to hearing the tales of your battles! I am Captain Long Fang!" Being a very eccentric fellow he slapped a couple of kisses on Tyuki's cheeks, then doing the same with John with equal enthusiasm. The man smelled sharply of a rainy day, much more distinct that Xiao's.

"So... Welcome to my place. We can start eating! How was your day, Tyuki?" Xiao asked politely, inviting them to sit at the table. Walter climbed up on the table beside her and meow'd for attention. Xiao tried to shoo him away but the cat instead headed for Tyuki's lap to see if he fits.

Xiao's dad shook his head in dismay. Such a meek question! He plopped down beside John. "How was your day? Ha! Such a timid question. I have heard some tales of your battles as defenders of Earth, but the best tales come from those who lived them! Tell me of the great beasts you've conquered, the villains you've foiled! The damsels Forcewave has saved, the grisly wounds healed by Eclipse! The fools Xiao has eaten in her blind rage!" Okay, the boisterous personality was bordering on jerk now.

"Uhhh..." Xiao groaned at the last question. "I don't think... I ate anyone..." She remarked, just as Shauna started to serve everyone their bowls of creamy seafood soup to start off the meal. Xiao and Shauna exchanged very long, quiet glances as she tried the laser cooked soup... not bad. Probably not radioactive either.

"Well... I remember back in our village, when Xiao was only 4, when a Missionary group came by and invited us to share Christmas with them. We ate western foods, and their children played games with Xiao, and told her many stories. From that point on Xiao would always be excited to light the Christmas Tree and would wait for Santa... but fall asleep. She hasn't changed at all this year." Su contributed a small piece of Xiao's history with the Holiday. The embarrassing mom story causes Xiao to momentarily go eyes wide then bury her face in her hands. "MAMAAAA!" She called out in Mandarin, which was pretty much the same as in english. "Santa's real and he always gets me something..." She muttered.

The table was filled to the brim with food. The two main entrees were chicken lasagna and roast pork leg in peanut sauce, with side plates of chop suey, salad and rice. Xiao heaped a bit of everything on her plate for dinner, cracking open the crab shell between her teeth. Given the crowd in the apartment, no one was being shy with their powers, as Shauna caramelized the surface of the flan with heat while Dragon Mom and Dad made some fruit smoothies, using his ice breath and some blended fruits.

The North Pole was amazing, while he was there Darren made a new friend who just so happened to be Peter Flipping Pan, and even found Santa’s workshop. Poor old guy was already gone off to deliver presents and what not but that didn’t matter to the shirtless Australian who with his new Santa hat on was running across the globe delivering his own presents. That’s right folks, the jokester ninja kid with a sword had found a bag of presents and a list with names, directions, and presents to give out marked with whom they were supposed to go to. It was great. This is where our story picks up, in the City of Chicago. A place Santa Darren knew all too well, out to deliver presents to three people who knew all too well…or rather two he thought he knew pretty well and one he had met once or twice.

Either way running at speeds he never imagined he would be able to reach he had already crossed off all the names on his list except for these three. Mainly because they were people he actually knew and they were all in the same place. Blinking Santa Darren came to a halt the sonic boom like after effect of his random and sudden full force stop shattering glass and blowing back unaware people, he noticing none of it. He had to check the list again, had to double check, triple check, even checked four times but it seemed the list that was left at the workshop wasn’t lying. His friends were all at the same place, all supposed to be receiving presents that he was to deliver and they hadn’t even tried to find him to invite him.

Sure, it’s not like they were supposed to know he was at the North Pole or even where to find him but it wasn’t like he left the states in between Chicago and New York all that often. That and he still carried around the old Talon’s Dog Tags around his neck it wouldn’t have been that hard to reach him, and yet nothing. Sure, he was being a tad bit selfish in thinking of not even going and just giving their presents away to some homeless people. People who deserved having a nice warm place to stay with food and whatever their presents were a lot more than they did…but that wouldn’t be what the Real Santa would want. Wiping away his slowly freezing tears Santa Darren pulled down his hat tighter on his head, lugged the bag back over his back and stuffed the list back in his pocket.

It didn’t take him long to find the house and looking through a mirror as he ran passed, the world of course looking nice and slow to him but anyone who would have been looking out said mirror would have only seen a white and red blur, he wondered if this truly was the right place. Sure, the list hadn’t been wrong before but it seemed there were at least six people inside and his list only had three people’s names on it. Checking the bag again, he was about a block away now, he opened it and saw that there was indeed six presents still inside it. Shrugging he sighed and ran back opening the door, and closing it, running into the kitchen where they were all situated and passed out the presents according to the names on them on their plates before the food was set down of course.

Quick as a flash the presents were set down and he was on his way into the living room, grabbing the cookies that were set out by the fire place for Santa. He had a feeling the Real Santa wouldn’t mind if Santa Darren took them as he needed the energy. In one swift motion the cookies were shoveled into his hands and he was on his way to turn around and take off to leave once more only for Santa Darren to trip over something and stumble and tumble back into the kitchen. Landing on his butt by the entrance hat covering his face, but there was no mistaking who was truly in the room now. The Forgotten friend. “Ow.” Was all that was said as he rubbed his ankle, which was now broken…and he had no way of finding how to get out of this situation…

((So to simplify the presents thing each person has that includes Xiao and her parents, Shauna, John, and Tyuki. You all can decide what they got.))

Now that he was closer, John could see that Tuki was wearing a Groucho Marx mask to keep people from recognizing her. He approve of this choice of disguise. Groucho Marx is awesome, and he found it funny whenever he saw her wearing that.

"I missed you too." he said as he kissed her back. "What are you reading there?" he asked, addressing the file labeled 'classified' that she was holding. He recognized the two individuals whose photos were in it. It was those two people he had ran into at the college campus a few days ago. Before either of them would have the chance of discussing the events of that incident from a mere three days ago though, the door to Xiao's apartment opened ad out came a half a dozen Korean girls chatting heavily as they bid goodbye to those that were inside. They saw John and Tyuki standing there and greeted them as they passed by to head to the elevators. After they had passed, he could see Xiao standing in the doorway. How does one miss somebody whom is seven feet tall though? "Thanks for the invite." he said as he and Tyuki were swept into a very painful hug. Xiao really needs to learn to be gentle. They then made their way inside.

John could see all the decorations and such, as well as the fact that it looked like they had just moved in. Unpacking after a move could take forever sometimes. He would know. He still has stuff that hasn't been unpacked from his last move. Xiao introduced them to her family. Her mom, dad, and whomever Walter was. "Hi. Nice to meet you all." he said as he looked around some more. This was a rather nice place. He was surprised to see Shauna here too. He didn't even know they were friends. Then again he hadn't seen her in months.

He and Tyuki made it over to the table and sat down next to each other at it and as they were told they were allowed to, started eating. John grabbed some of the chicken lasagna, roast pork, salad and rice, all while avoiding the bouillabaisse altogether, as Xiao's captain father asked about their adventures in superheroing. John looked over at Xiao with a look on his face that was like 'Really? What have you been telling people?' before answering as honestly as he could. "Nothing worth talking about, really. I've " he said before he started eating.

Xiao's mom started telling a little stor as they ate about Xiao back when she was a little dragon girl. A story that of course, embarrassed her daughter. Parents were experts at embarrassing their kids. As this story was being told, somebody entered the house running really fast and and ran up the table where they were all eating and started handing them all presents. John saw this super fast person then run into the living room and grab the cookies by the fireplace. As they were grabbing them, John noticed who it was. It was Darren. What the hell was he doing here? Also, what is he doing delivering presents like that? Was he trying to play Santa or something? Then again, considering that it's Darren, him trying to be Santa is not surprisingly in any manner. John then saw Darren fall over and it looked like he had hurt himself. John quickly got out of his chair to walk over to him and knelt beside him to make sure he was okay. "Darren. What are you doing here? Are you okay?" he said indicating his ankle which looked pretty banged up at the moment.

Shauna laughed heartily as she fed her cat, Walter, some lasagna at the table. She didn't have anything more than the soup she made for herself. The story of Xiao believing in Santa and being all excited for Christmas painted her as a complete dork. A great big, super tough, super strong, transforming into a dragon dork.

"Awww... precious little dragon girl believes in Santa!" She pats Xiao on the head. Everyone had a laugh, but Shauna made up for it by hugging Xiao.

As the night went on and the liquor came out, which only the older people enjoyed, and Xiao still found horrible to her taste. And then, the merriment came to a pause, when a Speedster made his way into the apartment and planted gifts in everyone's hands. That was about the only thing keeping Dragon Dad from unleashing his Wizard Pirate powers, as he heartily took stock of the situation and shook his gift, wondering what was inside.

"Who the heck are you? Don't even say Santa Claus." Shauna was not so kind, her eyes powering up to barbeque Darren, were it not for Xiao and the others showing they knew him.

"Um... this is Darren, the Swords Master. I met him briefly, and Forcewave and Tyuki have mentioned him a couple of times. He is... a friend, I think." Xiao said. That was just good enough for Shauna. She looked at the gift in her hand and tried to take a peek inside with her x-ray vision.

"Ugh... Wrapped with lead." She said. Looks like Darren was good enough to take a precaution to foil Shauna's vision. She turned her attention to him.

"Yeah, not that it'd matter anyway! That was a pretty nasty spill by the way Hold a sec, I'm a doctor." Shauna commented, then her eyes went to Darren's ankle to inspect the damage. Yup, traveling at high speed then taking a spill like that, Shauna saw the inner workings of the joint completely destroyed. "It's pretty broken. We'll probably need to set it with a tourniquet, then later a cast."

Shauna peered over at Tyuki briefly. "Unless a someone with healing powers happened to show up and fix it for this kid lickety split. We will need to hold the bones together tight though. Either way... Xiao, hold Santa down."

"Okay." Xiao replied enthusiastically and attempts to pin Darren in place. There would be no escaping Dragon Girl's grip if she got her hands on him.