Like a duck to water (Open)

[daisydl]

Daisy’s journal: May 21st, 2011

Dog carcass in alley. Investigated further and found he was just drunk. This city is afraid of me. I have seen its true face. The streets are an extended asylum and the asylum is full of loons and when the cells are finally full up, all the normal people will be overwhelmed. The hordes of heroes and villains will tear the city apart, and all those caught in the crossfire will look up and shout “save us!”...

...and I’ll totally write a Pulitzer-winning article about it.

Tucking her notebook away into her bag, Daisy Duck finished the remainder of her lunch in a single bite and clambered up off the edge of the dock she’d been sitting on. It was a warm, spring day in Epcot City and, having just completed a hectic morning at the offices of the ‘Daily Quack’ newspaper, its star reporter was taking the afternoon off in order to pursue a new lead about the Dream League. Ever since the heroic team had formed Daisy had made it her mission to find out everything that she could about them. After all, the journalist who broke that story would have people lining up around the block to give them awards.

“Okay,” muttered Daisy to herself as she reached into a pocket of her jacket and drew out a slightly worn map of Calisota’s coast, upon which a series of criss-crossing lines had been scrawled, “time to do this!” For the past few days she’d been spending most of her spare time closely examining all the footage she could find of some of the League’s members: Sunshine, the Balloonist, Green Bone and Star Pup; anyone who could fly. She’d carefully worked out which way they were flying in each clip when responding to danger, or leaving the scene afterwards, and eventually noticed a pattern emerge. A surprising amount of the paths, if extended far enough, seemed to converge on a single point on the map; the problem being that there wasn’t anything on that point on the map. It was just a random point out in the ocean several miles away from the coastline. Her curiosity piqued, Daisy had called in a favour to commandeer a speedboat for the afternoon, so that she could go and investigate this anomaly.

“If there’s anything out there,” said Daisy as she kicked the boat’s motor into life, carefully beginning to guide it out of the dock, “you can be sure I’ll find it!” As soon as she was clear of the marina the boat took off like a shot, racing as fast as the engines would carry it across the waves towards whatever awaited her at the mysterious co-ordinates on her map.

[The Masked Mallard]

The day had started out so wonderfully. The Masked Mallard was strolling along on a path through the forest here on Overlook Island, preparing to head home for the day. The Dream League operated on a rotating shift, so he didn't worry about there being a lack of heroes around the Overlook. Someone was almost always there.

Shutting his eyes, he allowed the cool breeze blowing in from the sea to caress his face. He enjoyed the salty aroma the wind bought with it. He cherished this rare bit of quiet time when he wasn't inside a boardroom or having to battle some superpowered psycho. Oh, he actually enjoyed those activities, don't get him wrong, but quiet time was nice too.

The Gentleman's Crimefighter continued on towards the beach, unaware that his little island would be getting a visitor very soon...

[daisydl]

Approximately ten minutes after she’d set off from the marina, Daisy sighted land on the horizon, in almost the exact spot where the lines on her map intersected. The thrill of triumph and discovery racing through her, Daisy pushed down on the accelerator as hard as she could. The boat’s engine groaned in protest, however this did not prevent the speed from increasing another notch. As the island drew closer she steered towards a small, sandy beach where she could land safely, carefully slowing down the boat until it came to a smooth spot on the sand.

Daisy’s journal: May 21st, 2011

Followed coordinates that I worked out on the map and found an island that was missing from all charts of the area. Could this be the hidden base of the Dream League?

Pausing only to write this entry in her notebook and pull the keys from the ignition, Daisy hopped out of the boat, hauling it up onto the sand so that it was in no danger of being swept away by the incoming tides. Grinning widely, Daisy drew out her camera and began recording, moving it around to take in the whole scene before her. A dense forest seemed to take up most of the island, however there was an imposing looking building rising up above the trees some distance inland.

“Well, there’s someone here at least,” murmured Daisy, “but that doesn’t mean it’s someone good.” Still holding the camera aloft, she headed for the forest’s edge, taking care to look around her as she went for some sign of another person.

[Sunshine]

Flying was a convenient form of travel for Sunshine. She may have regularly exercised and ran on foot, but because the Overlook was on an island, she almost always entered the headquarters by flight. Only rarely did she reach the island by riding in the Star Wisher; when you can fly, taking up space in the aircraft wasn't necessary.

Of course, Sunshine made a habit of how she flew to the Overlook without realizing it, and wouldn't have guessed that a persistent reporter could use that (and other flying habits of other Dreamers) to her advantage. The Ray of Hope didn't notice the beached speedboat from where she approached the island, nor did she suspect a strange presence. After her heeled boots landed on the ground, she flipped her hair behind her shoulders, and hummed melodically to herself as she started the walk to the mansion.

[daisydl]

The forest turned out to be significantly larger than it had appeared to be from the outside, however fortunately the trees were not particularly dense, making it easy to navigate. Daisy was able to pick her way through it with relative ease, quickly reaching the opposite edge of the forest and gazing out at the clearing beyond. The building she’d seen before was even more imposing up close. She hadn’t really given any thought to what the Dream League headquarters would actually look like, however if she had done this would certainly have been the sort of thing she imagined.

“Well now what,” murmured Daisy to herself, crouching down behind a bush in case there were cameras monitoring the area, “I can’t just march in there.” Raising her camera again, she began to record some footage of the building’s exterior. She was so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn’t notice someone approaching by air, and thus when the familiar boots of Sunshine descended into view of her camera it took all of Daisy’s self control to not yell out in surprise.

“I knew it!” whispered the duck excitedly, practically bouncing on the spot in her hiding place, “This has to be the right place!”

[The Masked Mallard]

As he walked, the Masked Mallard's eyes, pure white in color due to the black mask covering his face, picked out a distinct pink-and-gold colored form flying towards Overlook Island. He recognized it immediately.

The elderly duck really liked Sunshine. The girl's vibrancy and optimism was like a breath of fresh air, and he appreciated her team player attitude. Sometimes even he himself needed to be reminded that the Dreamers were a team.

Seeing the figure come in for a landing, he realized that she wasn't far from where he was and that they would most likely run into one another soon enough. He'd wish her a good evening and perhaps chat a bit before departing for Duckberg.

'Scroogie boy, you sentimental old coot you.' He thought with an amused chuckle.

[Sunshine]

Sunshine stopped humming when she caught sight of the Masked Mallard on her way to the Mansion. She smiled warmly and waved excitedly to him, knowing that he was looking to her, too. She hurried to greet him, hoping to catch a moment's conversation with him, even if it only meant just a few words. She recognized the Masked Mallard's time shift, and was certain he was on his way home.

"Hello! Are you retiring for the day?" She knew this, but she still felt compelled to ask. Though she was considerably taller than him, her warm, loving face never looked down to him. "I'm happy to run into you." She locked her hands together and rested them on her abdomen.

[The Masked Mallard]

The Masked Mallard returned Sunshine’s wave and stopped so that she could catch up to him (though it wasn’t like that would be a chore for her, given her powers and athleticism). She landed nearby and warmly greeted him, asking him if he was preparing to leave.

“'Tis a pleasure to see you too, lass. Earlier, those blasted Beagle Boys tried to hold up the New Horizons Bank here in town, but some of the others and I took care of them. Still though, I think that's I for me. I think might have hurt my hand knocking Bigtime Beagle on that fat skull of his.” Holding his right hand, which was clenched into a fist, up, he laughed at his own joke. As strong as Bigtime Beagle, easily the largest member of the Beagle family was, he was still no match for someone who, at his strongest, could flip a car over if inclined to do so.

A feminine cry of alarm caught his attention, and startled, he turned in the direction where it came from. A young lady duck ran out from some nearby bushes and tripped, landing right in front of him and Sunshine.

“What in the --” Getting over his surprise, the Mallard bent down to help the pony-tailed duck back up, an outraged glare on his countenance. Who was this person? Was she spying on them? She didn’t look dangerous, but she was an intruder on his island and he wasn’t going to tolerate that anymore then he would someone coming onto his property in Duckburg unannounced. He'd be wise not to allow his cover to slip in front of this stranger. The Masked Mallard was supposed to be a gentleman, even if his first impulse was to hustle her to her feet and demand what the meaning of this was. Upon scrutinizing her face, she wasn't a stranger like he had initially thought.

“I know you, young lady -- you're that reporter!" He harshly barked. "From the Daily Quack, I believe!”

[Sunshine]

Sunshine smiled in amusement as the Masked Mallard described his day. She didn't know the Beagle Boys nearly as close as the Mallard, but she was familiar with them enough. They were petty criminals who never, ever learned, no matter how many times they were arrested. It's unfortunate that they never redeem themselves, let alone understand that stealing from others is wrong, but sometimes it's impossible to reach the corrupted. At least the Masked Mallard could always be depended to punish the Beagles whenever he could, and he seemed to have conflicts with them more than any other Dreamer.

The blonde's full lips formed an 'o' in surprise, when the intruder fell on her face. Holding back questions, Sunshine, easily the tallest person in this group, bent and joined the Masked Mallard in helping the pony-tailed female duck back to her webbed feet. She did not recognize her, but the Masked Mallard did. When she finished assisting the uninvited guest, Sunshine stood upright and politely entered the conversation. "A reporter? What are you doing here?"

[Sunshine]

Sunshine smiled, but it was more of a knowing, controlled manner rather than out of genuine happiness. "You don't need to patronize me," she politely said to Daisy Duck. Her tone wasn't confrontational or condescending in any capacity, but she was firm and confident with her words. "I am still a new resident here in Epcot City, and there are still some things I don't know much about, such as reporters. Please understand that."

Having said that, she smiled affably again. She glanced at the Masked Mallard with an expression clearly asking, "Is she indeed the first?"

[She-Wolf]

All of the sudden, the polite and fairly agreeable conversation between the reporter and the two Dream League members would be interrupted by a sudden assault on the journalist from the surrounding forest. Daisy was instantly tackled by an unseen figure from behind and was shoved to the ground, so that she was on her back and facing whoever her aggressor was - she would be more or less unharmed, however, but was still held down by the powerful arms of the mysterious person. Considering how knowledgeable she was on the Dream League, it wouldn't be difficult for her to recognize the tribal-looking human girl crouched over her, glaring down at her intimidatingly and baring what looked like fangs.

"Who are you?!" She-Wolf immediately demanded to know. "And what are you doing here?!" In her eagerness to confront what she thought was an untrustworthy intruder upon the Dream League's private headquarters, she was barely even aware of the presence of two of her teammates right next to her.

[The Masked Mallard]

Mouth hanging open, the Masked Mallard just stared in outraged disbelief as Daisy leaned in close to him and proceeded to make several disparaging comments regarding Sunshine. Who did this woman think she was, coming onto his island, sassing him, and insulting his teammate the way she was?! Reporters, to hell with the whole lot of them! They had plagued him one time too many when he was Scrooge McDuck, and as a result, he had little love for the press. Daisy here reminded him of that woman who came to McDuck Manor that one time who wanted to write some trashy expose about him and the boys.

The old duck was riled now. He didn't step away from Daisy, but crossed his arms over his chest and glared harshly at her. "Excuse me, miss, but that was completely out of line! I'll ask ye to treat my friend here with a little more respect from now on!"

So this reporter wanted to unveil the location of their headquarters to the world? Well, that wasn't going to fly with him! When Sunshine looked to him for confirmation that Daisy was indeed the first reporter here, he merely scowled. "That is... purely confidential information!" He angrily sputtered. It might've been true, but she didn't need to know that. "If ye want an interview, then you're gonna have to wait until we contact you. If we chose to."

Suddenly, She-Wolf seemed to fly out of nowhere like a fur-clad bullet and pinned Daisy to the ground. To her credit, Daisy didn't seem fearful of She-Wolf. Actually, she was playing a dangerous game, referring to the Wolf Princess as "demented" and calling her codename silly. She-Wolf's temper might actually burn hotter then his own!

A satisfied smirk played on his bill as the Mallard watched the scene. Even though he thought Daisy deserved to be knocked down into the dirt a second time, he decided that she couldn't stay down there forever. "She-Wolf, you can go on ahead and let her up." He told his comrade, his tone calmer then it had previously been. His eyes then slid onto Daisy. "You would do well to mind your tongue, lass -- She-Wolf here isn't as quite patient as Sunshine and I are." As he said this, he gestured to the feral girl. It wasn't exactly a threat -- more of a combination of a warning and mild threat.

[Sunshine]

Although Sunshine did find Daisy Duck's rudeness off-putting and uncalled for, the human blonde maintained her utmost politeness. The Masked Mallard was obviously offended, and scolded the uninvited reporter for being impolite. Sunshine was secretly very grateful for the Masked Mallard standing up for her, but she didn't show it; it wasn't in her nature to grin smugly when defended.

The Masked Mallard stated that the Dream League wouldn't grant an audience to Daisy, unless the team decided to. Sunshine wished this meeting could have been peaceful, but the Masked Mallard--the literal patriarch of the Dream League--made that bold decision. So be it.

The teenager's eyes widened and she gasped when a blur tackled the breasted duck to the ground. It was She-Wolf, the most feral and antisocial member of the team. Sunshine winced in awkwardness, and again when Daisy insulted She-Wolf's codename. After the Masked Mallard commanded She-Wolf to let go of the reporter, the blonde stepped closer to She-Wolf, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's all right," she said softly. It was a good idea to calm down She-Wolf before it was too late.

[She-Wolf]

After hearing the strange duck's first words spoken to her, She-Wolf glared down at her with an appalled and infuriated look plastered on her face. How dare she blurt something like that out at her, after intruding on the private headquarters of the Dream League! It took all but a few seconds for She-Wolf to establish her opinion of this stranger - she didn't like her. At all.

The female duck babbled on and on about inane and completely disrespectful topics, and, honestly, She-Wolf, her fangs bared and her hair bristling in irritation, was struggling with all of her might to restrain herself from, at the very least, shredding the blabbermouth duck's feathers right off of her skin. She was, in fact, very close to succumbing to this desire, when the familiar voice of the Masked Mallard addressed her, permitting her to release the unwelcome guest with an oddly relaxed tone. She-Wolf twitched, and turned her head to face both the Masked Mallard and Sunshine, who said the same to She-Wolf in that sweet, gentle voice of hers. She-Wolf's bewildered expression made it clear that she had not noticed her comrades' presence here before, being so caught up in assaulting the intruder... speaking of whom, these two were awfully nonchalant about there even being an intruder. But, if they were as relaxed about it as they looked... then there was most likely reason to comply with them and unhand the duck.

Whipping her head back to face Daisy with one more stone-cold, skin-piercing glare of suspicion, She-Wolf, reluctantly, released her grip on the duck's arms and slowly rose up onto her feet, not once letting her eyes off of the stranger. She took a few steps back to stand beside her teammates, and muttered to both of them. "... Who is she?" she demanded to know, leering spitefully at the duck. Even if she wasn't a threat and was permitted on the island, for whatever reason... She-Wolf's first impression of her stubbornly resisted, and it wouldn't be changing anytime in the near future.

[Savage]

Delbert had decided to go for a stroll on the grounds of Overlook Island. He wasn't exactly what one would call an outdoors type, preferring books and learning to physical activities, but it was such a nice day that he decided to step out of the mansion.

His trek brought him to a clearing, beyond which lay the wooded area that he knew blanketed much of Overlook Island. 'Being out in nature really is quite relaxing,' he mused, looking up at the sky.

That was before he walked right through a swarm of gnats. As he swatted at the bothersome little insects, he failed to notice the fallen tree limb that jutted out into his path. He stumbled right over it and fell forward. Thankfully, some bushes served to cushion his fall somewhat, although landing on leaves and rough twigs wasn't exactly comfortable.

Groaning, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Adjusting his glasses, which had been knocked askew in the fall, he quite unexpectedly found himself looking at a rather unusual scene. The Masked Mallard stood before him, appearing to be wearing a somewhat smug expression on his face, while She-Wolf looked like she wanted to tear somebody apart (though then again, this was She-Wolf, and she always tended to look like that, he supposed) -- that somebody being an unfamiliar lady duck wearing a ponytail. Sunshine was attempting to calm her feral friend down.

Delbert just looked back and forth between everybody, unsure of what was going on here. Should he just quietly go back the way he had come (well, not the exact same way), or see what was going on?

"I can leave if you all want me too..." He finally said, gesturing behind him.

[Sunshine]

"She is a reporter," Sunshine replied politely. And a rather blunt, coarse reporter at that. Sunshine hated thinking negatively, but she was still a little offended by being patronized by the duck. It just wasn't polite to insult one's intelligence. But it was obvious that the duck didn't seem to care what came out of her bill, if her rapid fire of offensive comments, even while pinned by She-Wolf, were any indication. Oh, She-Wolf, you are such a territorial thing...

Sunshine's thoughts were interrupted by the familiar voice that belonged to Dr. Delbert Doppler. Sunshine's lips pursed as she looked at the Doctor, instantly growing worried. Daisy was quite offensive, and anything that offended or upset the doctor beget Savage. This was not something Sunshine wanted to happen to the guest. Sunshine looked to the Masked Mallard with a subtle look of concern. She was too timid to outright tell the doctor that Daisy's attitude could be hazardous. Could she volunteer to walk with the doctor somewhere? She quickly thought about her options.

[Duck Avenger]

Duck Avenger decided to step out of the Overlook. He opened the front door and casually walked out, closing the door behind him. He strutted a short distance, indifferently glancing at the group ahead. Doc, Sunshine, She-Wolf, Daisy, the Masked Ma--DAISY?!

"Urk."

Duck Avenger, his eyes wide, swiftly spun and briskly walked back to the door. Open, enter, close, and he was gone.

---

What the heck is she DOING here?! he thought vehemently. He wanted to spy on them through the topmost window, but he dared not risk it. He would just hide in one of the mansion's many rooms until she went away. Really, of all people to visit the island, why the heck did it have to be his on-and-off girlfriend?! Lady Luck, you can go soak your head.