By Madam Marvelous
ID# 26130
Joining a league reminded me of walking onto the playground at lunch on your first day as a new kid at the school. There is no way to know how you are going to fit in until you try. It is pretty easy to see who the cool kids are, the uncool kids, and everyone else. The older kids who already know one another are all grouped together and laugh when you try to talk to them. They control the kickball game. Everyone else sort of sits and watches or finds their own entertainment. The monkey bars, the slide, the jungle gym, or the sidewalk. And then there are those who try to knock you down, steal your lunch money, and try to make you their bitch.I wanted to get a feel for the whole league war experience for my first participation, so I didn’t bother with the big leagues. They probably wouldn’t want newbie me, and I didn’t want to hear their rejection speeches. Angelus told me about a league of new participants who were looking for talent. LOTHLORIEN.
“They are a home of Elves, Wolves, Vampires, and Ogres,” he said. “Not your typical hero posse, but they want to give it a shot, Kitt’n. Just like you.”
With League War 9 only a few days away, I felt my window of opportunity was growing smaller each day, so I decided to join up with them for a meeting and see what they were all about.
I could have gone back to Time’s Arrow, I suppose. They were nice but I was so far behind everyone else, I worried I would look like a fool. At least if I were in a league with people closer to my level of skill, we would all look like fools together and I wouldn’t stand out. There was another league that showed interest in me. L.U.S.H.: The Legion of Unusual Super-Heroes. They placed silver last league war, but since Angelus recommended LOTHLORIEN, I wanted to honor his suggestion.
I messaged the LOTHLORIEN league, asking for a small meet and greet. We agreed to meet at the park where the vicious attack tree plagued so many animals and pedestrians. There, if it showed up again, we could do a public service if it caused trouble for the locals while we met.
Pops and Loki showed up to meet me.
“So, you’re this new ambitious hero Angelus has been talking about,” Pops said. He wore what might be an old Civil War era or early American jacket and what could only be a Minuteman style hat. I thought Angelus was an old timer, but this guy took first prize. “I’m glad to meet you youngin’, as long as you don’t hassle me or give me any guff. You behave and we will get along just fine.”
Loki, a steel-blue skin man wearing a shiny magenta suit, struck Pops in the shoulder. “Be nice, you cantankerous old fart. We’re looking for new members to stick around, not turn tail and run.”
“Watch it boy, before I take my cane to your backside,” Pops said.
I’d come this far, so I couldn’t just shift into a bird and fly away. Plus, Angelus suggested me taking a chance with them and I didn’t want to let him down. “Hi. Where’s everyone else?”
“We didn’t want to overwhelm you with everyone,” Loki said. “Old Pops here is bad enough on his own. Plus, two of our members are ghosts, so they don’t go out in public often. The did promise to fight in the league war, so we will see how this goes. My brother, Layak, and I are a bit more akin to you, being younger than the rest of these jokesters. Oh, yeah, Norbu is on the younger side too.”
“It’s nice to meet you???...” I said, but inside, all I could think was ‘WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO???’
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