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Stories marked with a * contain MATURE CONTENT and if you are under the age of 18 you are forbidden to view these stories.

~:: What's in a Name? ::~

The dusk grew steadily darker as she headed back across town. She'd lost her bearings returning from her trip to Steel Canyon, and as a result she'd wound up in a very bad neighborhood. In a panic and fleeing for her life, she gave no thought to where she might be headed and had run farther and farther away from the guarded safety of the plaza. Now she struggled to reorient herself.

She pulled out a map she'd been given upon arriving and wished she'd had the sense to check it first. She now realized that she had indeed run in the opposite direction. She sighed as she had to face the fact that she was now wandering around the bad end of town with nightfall fast approaching.

Comparing the map to the terrain surrounding her, she plotted her course. Staying to the middle of the fairly well lit street, began to sprint back towards City Hall.

Halfway there, a car came careening at a breakneck speed around the corner. It swerved across the lanes, forcing her to jump to the curb to avoid being run down. She stumbled as the car blew past, missing her by inches. As she struggled to regain her footing, she heard a gravelly voice behind her.

"Oh, isn't this cute. She must be one of the new wannabe heroes. What's with those horns, little lady? Halloween is over."

Looking up, she saw a tall man standing over her. "Grab her boys," he yelled to the two goons who stood behind him as if they were waiting for him to give them permission to act. As they moved closer, she caught sight of the signature logo on the bright orange vest one of them was wearing. It identified them as members of one of the cities more notorious street gangs – the Hellions.

She took a defensive stance, probably a foolish move, considering how outnumbered she was. Making a quick decision, she opted to fight off the obvious leader she guessed that perhaps his followers might not know what to do if she could incapacitate him to the point of being unable to order them.

Flailing at him as he stepped menacingly closer, her first swing was reactionary, and was a complete miss. He laughed, and stepped back, long enough to pull out a large firearm. It was hard to say exactly what happened in the next moment as her conscious thought became blurred and time seemed to stand still. A feeling of fear and rage pulsed through her body with an intensity she'd never felt before. In the midst of the panic, her demonic half took over, the currents of energy within her body building up to levels she'd never felt before. Lifting her hand before her, a powerful blast of electrical energy surged from her being to strike out at him, stunning him momentarily and weakening him.

It was difficult to say who was more surprised: the small half-demoness, or her foe. While she stood in awe of what she'd just done, one of his cohorts had come around behind her, wielding a sledgehammer she failed to notice. With one swing he struck a powerful blow, sending her sprawling to land on her backside. Jumping to her feet, she turned to him, and focused her energy in his direction.

This was probably a mistake, as her original assailant had recovered from the zap she'd inflicted on him. He leveled the gun and unloaded in her direction, knocking her off her feet with the powerful blast.

Damn, that hurt. She staggered to her feet, concentrating her inner power as she exuded a greenish glow of healing strength to repair the damaged flesh and sooth her pain.

Turning on him once again, she closed her eyes, and focused her anger in a blast towards him. He twitched, and fired again, this time missing her by mere inches. A third bolt of electric energy, and he was gasping and staggering, and as she hit him the last time, he dropped to his knees, and unceremoniously face-planted onto the sidewalk.

The third goon decided he wanted no part of her now, and turned around to run. However the one wielding the sledgehammer stood his ground. As he struck her again, she once again landed on the cool concrete. Shaking off the pain, she stood and faced him, blasting him with electrical current. He twitched slightly as she drew a deep breath and send a second jolt in his direction. Just as he lifted his weapon for a final blow, she sidestepped, avoiding the impact, as a wave of bright lightning shot from her fingers, and dropped him where he stood.

Looking around, she saw no sign of the one who'd taken flight. As she started to run down the center of the street, tears filled her eyes. She couldn't tell whether they were tears of relief, fear, pain, or frustration. Perhaps they were caused by a combination of everything overwhelming her. She failed to notice the softly glowing form hovering just out of the upper range of her peripheral vision as her Guardian watched anxiously yet unwilling to interfere.

She stopped to wipe her eyes. A car crept up behind her, and slowed to a crawl, pulling alongside.

 "Hey, lady, you alright?" a voice said through the crack of a slightly opened window.

She nodded, then shook her head, then nodded again. "I... I think I am," she said, finding her voice.

"Do you want a lift?" the stranger asked.

She hesitated, out of fear, but noticed he appeared to be alone. She quickly reasoned that her chances were better in his car than on the street. Her empathic senses assured her that he bore no ill will towards her. Reaching over, he opened the passenger door, and motioned for her to climb in. Still trembling, she shot him a grateful smile as she slid nervously into the seat. He gently reached across and fastened the seatbelt with a gentle smile.

 "I was just on my way home from a movie," he explained. "I don't normally drive this route, but there was a fender bender on the street I usually take, so I decided to cut around the traffic jam." He smiled warmly at her, "Lucky for you, huh?" As he put the car in gear, and pulled away, the glare from a streetlight flooding the car, illuminating her for a moment. As he glanced over, he saw a huge bruise and the glistening of freshly congealed dark red blood on her shoulder, an indication that she'd been in some kind of altercation quite recently.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" he asked.

 "No, I think I will be fine," she answered quietly. "Thank you for the offer."

"Where do you need to go?" he asked.

 She thought about that for a minute. Where DID she want to go? She had no place to go, really. Master Sato had told her to seek a woman named Azuria, in the MAGI office at City Hall. That was many hours ago. She hadn't planned on getting lost and ending up on the other side of the city. Surely by this time no one would be there.

"I...I am not sure. I am supposed to meet with someone named Azuria, but I am sure that best wait until morning. I doubt she's in at this hour."

He chuckled softly. "You'd be surprised. Azuria keeps some crazy hours. Everyone down there does. By the way, I work at City Hall. I'm a clerk in the Hero records department, where we process your ID cards. I happen to know Azuria personally. She's a great lady. You'll like her. Would you like to see her now? I'm sure she can find some work for you."

She was exhausted, but saw little other choice. She let her eyes close and after what seemed to be only a few minutes later, he was pulling into the parking lot behind City Hall, and jumping out to open her door. She stumbled as she stepped from the car, and he put out his arms to catch her.

"Whoa. I really think you should see a doctor. You look like you took a pretty good beating tonight. I hope they look worse than you do," he said with a look of concern.

She smiled as she realized at least she'd fared better than her assailants. "I think I will be okay," she answered. "I am just a bit tired."

 Even in the dim lights of the parking lot he could tell she was completely exhausted. He guessed from the fact that she was wandering aimlessly in the wrong part of town that she'd only just arrived in Paragon City. "I tell you what," he said in a voice thick with concern, "I live just on the other side of Atlas Park from here. I have a spare room and there's even a lock on the door. You're more than welcome to sleep there, and I'll bring you back here when I go to work in the morning."

She hesitated for a moment, but realized her only other option was finding a secluded corner of an alley to sleep in, which given her most recent experience, didn't seem too wise. Nodding her assent, she answered quietly, "If it is not too much trouble."

"Not at all," he answered. "Trust me. I will enjoy the company. I work long hours and don't have much of a social life, so my opportunity for conversation is limited to asking people what their Origin, Powers, and Hero name are. I like my job, don't get me wrong, but it is nice to have a normal conversation once in a while."

 "Hero name?" she queried.

 "Yeah, for privacy reasons, many heroes don't give their real names. You don't have an ID yet?" he asked, gently. "I can help you take care of that in the morning. All heroes are required to register at City Hall. Some of them prefer to keep their identity hidden. They often pick a nickname to fight crime under, so when they take off the cape and the spandex, they can live just like normal folks."

Her fingers subconsciously went up to stroke one of her thick horns. He blushed realizing his comment had made her self conscious.

 "I didn't mean that the way it sounded. There are many heroes who have different, or... let us say... non-human origins."

She nodded, and lowered her gaze. He helped her back into the passenger's seat, and gently closed the door. Climbing back in the driver's seat, he clicked his seatbelt and put the car in drive, easing out of the parking lot and onto the nearly deserted street.

He reached down to turn on the radio. A woman's breathy voice radiated from the speakers.

"...You live in a church, where you sleep with voodoo dolls... and you won't give up the search... for the ghosts in the halls..."

"Pretty song," she murmured.

 He smiled over at her. "Oh, I am Jody, by the way. Jody Meyers. I am sorry. I should have introduced myself before."

 "I am DeLara," she said, softly.

 "Is that your hero name?" he asked.

 "No," she answered softly. "I do not think I have one."

He smiled. "You must be very new. You'll think of one, I'm sure, something that will set you apart from all others."

She nodded.

Back at his apartment, she felt slightly awkward, but he was warm and friendly without showing any signs of ulterior motives. As she nervously assessed her surroundings, he disappeared into his bedroom and procured her an overly large t-shirt. "You can sleep in this," he said gently. "It may prove more comfortable than sleeping in your costume." Nodding towards the guest room, he added, "I sometimes rent the room out to college students, so there is a sliding bolt on the door. It might make you feel more comfortable if you'd like to use it, and I won't be offended. I understand that you don't know me from Adam."

She nodded, and gave him a grateful smile.

He looked at her in the soft incandescent light, pointing to the bruise on her shoulder. "Would you like some ice for that?"

She shook her head, closed her eyes, and summoned her inner strength. A greenish glow bathed the surrounding area as she released an aura of warm, soothing energy.

"Ahh," he said, softly, "you are an empath."

With a soft smile, she nodded, "My mother is a sibyl, or as you might call it, a seer. She is empathic. My father," she added, in a tone of obvious discomfort, "is a demon. I have only recently come of age. I am not exactly sure what my abilities are, or what limitations that I have." She mused over her surprising outburst during her encounter with the gang members earlier and added, "And it looks like some of my abilities may just come in handy here."

She had expected a repulsed reaction to her revelation of her parentage, but he appeared completely nonplussed. Reaching a hand out to take one of hers, he said, quietly, "I see all kinds of beings, every day. Some are from other worlds or other dimensions. Some are or were humans but were changed or mutated in some way. Some were altered accidentally. Some intentionally altered themselves in the name of science. Each one of them is special or unique in some way. All of them come here to give of themselves for the greater good of our city, and even our world."

Her eyes misted with tears as she felt the warmth radiating from his hand. She met his eyes and managed a weak smile.

 "It isn't my place to judge you for who you are, or who your parents are," he told her. "I'm just here to help if you need a friend. I can't shoot flames from my fists or leap tall buildings. I just do what I can to help others." He gave her a knowing smile and motioned her towards the very comfortable looking sofa. "You look absolutely exhausted. Would you like something to eat? I'm not a world class chef, but I can cook."

 "I hate to impose when you've already been so kind," she answered, her voice almost a whisper. As if to answer for her, her stomach grumbled loud enough for him to hear, and he laughed heartily.

"I will take that as a 'yes'," he said. Turning on his heels he darted into the kitchen, and called out to her. "Do you like steak?"

"Whatever is the least trouble for you to prepare," she answered him, quietly. She was hungry, she realized. She hadn't eaten since she'd arrived in this place.

The sounds of clanging pans and clinking dishes echoed from the kitchen as she folded her hands in her lap and sat quietly. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she called to him.

"Nope," he answered. "Stay put. This will only take a few minutes."

She was drifting off to sleep when he walked back into the living room bearing a tray laden with sizzling meat, a salad, and two tall glasses of amber fluid.

"I forgot to ask you if you drank. Do you like beer?" He sat the tray on the coffee table and lifted a glass towards her.

"I... I don't know." She took the glass, and sipped gingerly. The liquid was bitter, and slightly sweet at the same time, with a slightly fermented overtone. She'd had wine, as a girl. This wasn't as fruity, but had a similar bite. The taste wasn't an unpleasant one. She lifted the glass again and took a deep draught.

 "Easy there! You should put some food in that stomach first," he said gently.

The steak smelled wonderful, as he held the plate out to her. She cut off a tiny bit, and chewed it slowly. "Thank you. This is wonderful."

He nodded and smiled. "I am glad you like it."

He could tell by the way she voraciously devoured the food that she had been terribly hungry. The poor girl probably hasn't eaten in days, he thought.

With her belly full, she began to feel a numbing fatigue creeping over her. He gently suggested perhaps she should get some rest, and directed her towards the guest room.

The room was spacious and clean. A large bed graced the center, wrapped in a thick comforter and topped with soft pillows. Two small doors were placed at opposite ends of the far wall. He motioned to the one on the right. "That's the door to your bathroom. The other door is just a closet." She nodded. "Feel free to make yourself at home. There are clean towels in the bathroom, and plenty of soap and shampoo. Use whatever you need."

 She turned to him. "I don't know how I can thank you."

"No need to worry about that," he said, quietly. "Pick out a good hero name. That will be all the thanks I need. Tomorrow, I will process your ID while you go meet with Azuria. She will give you plenty of work, and introduce you to some influential people around town that will be a big help to your career!"

She nodded. "Thank you for all your kindness. Someday I will find a way to repay you."

"There are extra blankets on the shelf in the closet. Feel free to lock the door after I leave. I'll knock in the morning when breakfast is ready."

Smiling, she turned around and placed the t-shirt on the bed. As he walked from the room and closed the door quietly behind him, she moved towards the bathroom. It was small, but sparkling clean. True to his word, there were several kinds of soap, shampoo, and even lotions. A cup on the sink contained a handful of individually wrapped toothbrushes and some small sample sized tubes of toothpaste. She surmised that he had a frequent habit of taking in newcomers to the city.

She eyed the sparkling shower stall with great interest. She instinctively knew that it was some kind of water basin. In the tiny village she'd grown up in, they didn't have such luxuries. Her bathing was done in a stone cistern build upon the roof of their small hovel, where the water was warmed by sunlight and the tall house walls gave privacy from all eyes save the occasional bird flying overhead.

This basin was smooth, shiny and white. There were three protrusions coming from the lower part of the wall and one far above the rest. Two looked as if they were designed to turn, and one was curved and pointed down. Another higher spout was thin and curved with a small bell shaped head at the end. Gingerly, she turned the closest handle. A steady stream of icy water flowed from the lower spigot. She giggled softly.

There was a tiny knob on top of the lower spigot. She turned it around several times before she noticed the word "Pull" in worn engraving. She leaned in and gently pulled up on the tiny button.

The bloodcurdling shriek brought her host running. She hadn't bothered to lock the bedroom door, nor even close the bathroom door. He found her crumpled, trembling form dripping on the cool tiles of the bathroom floor. The chuckle escaped him before he could regain his composure. She looked up at him with a mixture of shock and embarrassment.

 "You aren't used to the modern facilities, I gather?"

She shook her head slowly, her eyes wide with shock.

"It is customary to remove your clothing before showering," he said gently. Reaching into the tub, he pushed the lever, redirecting the flow to the spigot. He adjusted the showerhead for her short stature and added hot water to sufficiently warm the flow, before engaging the shower once again. He pulled the curtain closed, and turned to his damp house guest.

"You can very gently turn those knobs and make the water hotter or colder to your tastes. 'H' means hot, and 'C' means cold. You can leave your outfit on, but most people shower without their clothes. If you want to hang the clothes up to dry, hang them over the towel rod at the back of the shower."

She started to tug at the jeweled clasp on her belt. Jody smiled and turned away. He ducked out of the bathroom pulling the door closed behind him.

Pulling off her boots, she slid out of the skin hugging bottoms, and gently peeled the pliant metal from her chest. She felt cold and vulnerable standing naked in this strange room. Slowly she inched her way into the shower.

This time the spray was directed away from her face, and was pleasantly warm. Taking a deep breath she eased herself under the brunt of the flow. The pulsing spray pattered gently against her soft skin. Closing her eyes, she basked in the sensation for a few minutes before she chastised herself for taking advantage of her host's generosity. She found a cake of sweet smelling soap and rubbed it in her small hands until she'd worked up a rich lather. Stepping from under the spray, she spread it all over herself and used her talons to gently scrape her skin until it fairly glowed. She rinsed in the warm spray, taking care to insure the lather was well rinsed from her hair and around her horns.

Once she finished, she remembered the small lever, and gave it a gentle push, diverting the flow back down to the spigot inside the tub. Turning first the hot handle, then the cold, she shut off the water, and reached for a towel from the rack between the tub and the sink.

The towel was huge and thick. She wrapped herself in it until she stopped shivering, and then carefully dried her hair, horns, and face. Drying the rest of herself, she once again wrapped the towel around her small body and slipped into the bedroom. The t-shirt lay on the bed where she'd left it.

Slipping the soft cotton over her head, she marveled at how smooth it felt against her bare skin. She took the towel back in the bathroom, and dutifully dried the water from the floor, wrung her costume the best she could, and hung both of them from the bar in the shower to dry.

A soft knock at the door brought her running back into the bedroom. "Come in," she beckoned towards the unlocked door.

Jody opened the door slightly. "I wanted to make sure you knew where everything was. I'm not sure where you come from, or what kind of customs you have, but there are plenty of lotions for your skin, and toothpaste and fresh toothbrushes. Make use of whatever you need."

She smiled. "I cannot thank you enough."

"Get some sleep. Good night," he called softly as he closed the door.

The pale shades of dawn were filtering through the partially open curtains when she slowly stirred awake. The bed had been soft and warm. She slept more soundly than she could ever remember sleeping. She sat up and stretched as she looked around to orient herself to her surroundings.

Slipping out of the bed, she padded softly into the bathroom, and found her now dry costume hanging in the shower. With a bit of gentle tugging she found herself wrapped in the form-fitting bottoms. She gently smoothed the soft metal around her generous chest, tucking it in as she clasped her belt at the waist. She was just pulling on her boots when she heard the soft knocking at the door.

Jody beckoned her to join him in the kitchen. The table was laden with fresh melon, fluffy pancakes, and savory smelling sausage. He piled a plate high and slid it in front of her before filling a plate for himself.

"Eat up. You are going to need your strength. I am sure Azuria will have you running all over the city today. Unfortunately there's never a shortage of work for our cities heroes."

She nodded quietly and began to politely nibble at her breakfast. Once they were done, she helped him clear the table, and grabbing a soft towel, dried the dishes and stacked them on the counter.

"Okay, are you ready to go?" he asked with a grin.

She nodded and followed him out into the corridor and down the stairs to the parking lot where they climbed into his car.

He flipped on the radio as he pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the city hall. She sat in quiet solitude during the drive, mulling over what kind of name she wanted to use in her new career fighting crime in this unfamiliar city. She looked out the window as the drove. The streets were already bustling with throngs of people. And it seemed like every block had at least one group of miscreants huddling in the shadows, or standing on the sidewalk menacing unsuspecting bystanders.

She noticed the car slowing as he came to a gradual stop to let oncoming traffic clear the way for him to make a left into the huge parking lot behind the massive City Hall building. The familiar sound coming from the radio broke into her reverie.

"...You live in a church, where you sleep with voodoo dolls..."

 

It was the same song she'd heard the night before. The music was soft and the woman's voice had an almost ethereal quality to it.

"That is it."

He turned to her with a quizzical look. "That is what?"

"My new name. Voodoo doll."

He laughed softly. "See. I told you that you'd think of something."

"It was the song. The words in that song," she said as she shot him a warm smile.

He pulled into the parking lot, and slid into his accustomed parking stall. He jumped out and opened her door, beckoning her towards the imposing stairs that led up to the gleaming marble edifice.

She stood, stretched her legs and shook out her wild red mane as she mounted the steps that would soon lead her to the beginning of a new adventure.

He held the door for her as he waved to the bevy of clerks who'd been on duty all night. "I will take you down to see Azuria. Then while you get acquainted with her I will get my station set up so the night crew can go home."

Nodding shyly, she followed him down the stairs to a massive hall. Flanking each side were enormous doorways. He led her through one of them into a large room that smelled of incense and old books. The walls were lined with artifacts and huge bookshelves that were filled with ancient mystical tomes.

He gave her brief instructions on how to get to the registration office then left her to speak with Azuria.

DeLara approached the woman hesitantly. She was thin and dark-skinned and had a very calm air about her. She gave the little demoness a knowing smile.

"Hello, VuDu Dawl," she said, gently. "I sense much goodness in you."

DeLara blinked. "You are a sibyl?"

Azuria nodded. "Some might call me that. I see things that other cannot see."

"My mother is a seer," the tiny redhead told the smiling woman.

Once they'd exchanged their pleasantries and gotten acquainted, Azuria explained what was expected of the young heroine. She was pleased to hear that DeLara had fared well in her battle the night before, and explained that the first order of business was getting the nefarious gang known as the Hellions under control. Giving her a small paper with several detailed instructions and a short briefing printed on it, she sent the little demoness back upstairs to seek her newfound friend.

As DeLara walked in to the registration office, Jody smiled widely. "I see you found your way back," he teased as he slid a long form in triplicate towards her across the counter. "Fill that out, and bring it back to me, then we'll take your picture."

"My...my...picture?"

"Yes, for your ID card."

She nodded and tried to read the form. Some of the words were small and easy to understand. She filled in her name, and a few other details. When it came to some of the questions, she had to quietly ask him for his assistance.

"What means 'or-i-gin'?" she asked him, pointing to the box on the form. He laughed softly.

"Magic," he said.

"Magic?" She gave him a quizzical glance.

"Yes, since you said your powers are derived from the fact that your father is demonic, then your powers originate from a magical source."

"Oh, I understand," she nodded and wrote M-a-J-i-k on the line.

He laughed softly under his breath at her spelling but made no move to embarrass her by correcting it.

"And this?" she pointed to a box marked 'Archetype' below the box she'd just filled in.

"You have the power to heal others?"

DeLara nodded. "My feelings of love for others are so strong that my empathic caring can actually focus my internal energy in order to heal others as well if not better than I can heal my own body."

Jody grinned. "That's great. That would classify you as a Defender Archetype - one who is most skilled at defending those around them."

She once again nodded her understanding and wrote 'D-e-F-e-n-D-u-r' in the box.

Suppressing a giggle, he helped her fill out the entire form when he realized she'd skipped the third box. He pointed to the line labeled 'Hero Name or Identity'. She looked at him hesitantly. "Do you think that 'voodoo doll' is a good idea for a hero name?" she asked, hopefully.

 "Of course I do," he said gently, hoping beyond hope that the name would actually prove to be available. To avoid confusion among the hero populace, it was the law that no two heroes were allowed to use exactly the same pseudonym. Even though their real names may be the same, each hero's working identity must be completely unique.

She gripped the pen tightly and printed in large block letters. 'VuDu DawL'. He smiled broadly. He was fairly certain that her improvised spelling of that name was unique enough that no one else would have even considered it.

He motioned her over to a small screen hanging in a corner behind a small machine. He directed her to stand on a small X on the floor and look up at a blinking light on the machine. "Smile," he bade her, as she tried to comply with his directives. A flash of bright white light blinded her for a moment, followed by lots of blinking as her vision adjusted back to the normal light of the room.

Quickly he stamped the form, and ran it through a scanner which executed an OCR program which quickly digitizing all her personal information, and archived it in the hero database. To her surprise, only a few minutes later he walked over to a large whirring, blinking, beeping machine, pressed a button marked 'Finish', and retrieved the still-warm plastic card.

With a warm smile he handed the card to the astonished redhead.

"Thank you," she said. She fished in her décolletage for a small pouch that contained the money that Hiroyuki Sato had insisted upon giving her. "What do I owe you for this?"

Shaking his head, he held up a hand. "Nothing. There is no charge to register as a hero. Have you gotten certified for a security level clearance from Ms. Liberty?"

Dawl nodded with a smile. "I met her the first thing I arrived."

 "Then you are ready to go! You have a mission to complete for Azuria, right?"

"Yes, I do."  "Okay, DeLara, I mean, VuDu Dawl, then let me be the first to officially welcome you to Paragon City as a registered hero," he said as he shook her hand vigorously. Instead of just returning his grip on her hand, she leapt onto the counter and threw her arms around the startled clerk.

"I will never forget your kindness," she said. "Thank you!"

He smiled and blushed. "It was the least I could do. Good luck with your mission, and remember, there is always someone willing to help you here in the City of Heroes."

She returned his smile as she waved goodbye and left the gleaming confines of City Hall to step out into the brilliant sunshine. She knew what she had to do. She now had a mission. The first steps of her journey were well under way, and who knows where this would eventually lead her. All she knew right now was that she had a job to do, and she was determined to give it her level best.