You gotta be quicker than that! (Thr33)

It had been a certain amount of time since Ella had seen Dom, someone she wished she saw more often. To be fair, the girl had been dealing with a lot lately, trying to let go and be free while also balancing her newly gained demons. It was a tough battle, but she finally felt the urge to do something about those numbers she had written down a few weeks ago after the giant drug bust they had pulled off.
Now Ella was in her car with a present and a card with Dom's name on it, her phone in hand. She hadn't even gotten him a 'get well' gift and felt kind of crappy about it, she was so caught up in her world she had forgotten about her friends.

"I hope you like weird Japanese candy because I'll be at your house in 10 minutes." Ella texted him real quick, setting her phone down and making her way to Dom's apartment.
Sure he may or may not like candy, but it was really the candy itself that was good, it was the weirdness of it and experience having it! From what Ella knew from Dom was that he liked to try new things and explore, therefore weird candy was a go to. Also throwing in a 'Get Well' card helped.

When Ella finally arrived, she'd brushed off her skirt, grab the gifts, and make her way up to his apartment. The cheerleader would knock and wait for a reply, having a few other things she'd like to talk about.

"You know what? Now that we're actually up here...I think you might be an idiot. I'm not saying don't jump. I'm just saying, you're going to probably not do that living thing if you do."

A wavy redheaded boy, clad in a purple headband and jeans stood atop a cliff overlooking that led into a probable fifty foot drop into a small body of water amidst the trees. Beside the boy stood another tan guy of a similar age, dressed appropriately for the fairly cold weather, who was weighing options along with the redhead.

"I gotta say, Dom, I may be wrong. I might be messing up my math, but maybe, just maybe consider that five bucks is not really worth the risk? By all means, jump, just...think about it for a second, how about?" The tan boy spoke with his hands as if painting a picture, turning to Dom and then back to look down to the waters far below them.

"Relax Gabe, I'm not stupid," Dom turned back with a cocky smile. "I'm not doing this because of a stupid bet." Dom motioned with one hand at the couple of kids at the base of the cliff, staring back up at the two, waiting in anticipation. He looked back to Gabe with a big grin, casually taking a step off the cliff as he continued. "The five dollars is just a consolation."

Wildly, Dom flew down, wind whipping his hair around wildly as he waved his hands about with a big smile on his face. "WOOHOO!!!" He yelled with glee as he winced just before he collided with the water. A huge splash hit the other kids beside the shore while Dom sunk down into the lake. The pressure exploding the air out of his lungs and his shoulder stinging from the collision, reminding him of his still healing wound from the gun shot he received a few weeks back.

Quickly, Dom guided himself back to the surface, gasping for air as he emerged. While catching his breath, he brought himself to the shore and laid on his back in exhaustion, coughing a few times before laughing along with the beat of his rapid heart. With a few blinks, he opened his eyes and turned to see the kids running through the forest away from him. Gabe was yelling something but the adrenaline was pumping too hard through his head and he had to take a moment to come down from the high before he could understand him.

"Hey...Wha--What's happening?" Dom began speaking groggily.

"Someone heard you screaming, you idiot! The cops are in the woods, we need to get out of here!"

Confused for a moment, Dom's vision darted towards the many cans of beer on the shoreline, making things clear. He scrambled to his feet and began dashing after Gabe, darting through the trees as he was tossed his shirt and jacket. He frantically got dressed while running, the wind freezing him but simultaneously drying him as well. Suddenly, he heard deep voices, causing the two boys to dive to the ground, holding their breath.

"I think they're over by the lake, let's go!"

"Roger."

The two police officers dashed in the opposite direction from the other side of a large patch of bushes, giving the two boys a sensation of relief. The two were on the move again, scrambling up a dirt slope as they found the Gabe's jeep which was carefully hidden in the foliage beside the back road. Dom jumped and slid over the hood before popping over the passenger side door and jumping in, looking over to Gabe as he flipped the keys and floored the gas.

Dom started laughing and leaning back in relief. Gabe looked over to Dom with a grin. "You think you'll ever see your five bucks?"

"I better," Dom retorted with a smile.

Gabe flipped on the radio and started nodding to some song by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs as Dom grabbed his phone from the cup holder and started scrolling through to see if he had any texts.

"I hope you like weird Japanese candy because I'll be at your house in 10 minutes."

He read the text from Ella and winced as he checked the time. It was sent six minutes ago. "Duty calls, good sir. I've...got a fever. And the only prescription. Is weird Japanese candy."

"Uh, what?"

"I gotta peace, man."

---

Five minutes later, Gabe's jeep skidded to a halt in front of Dom's apartment complex, giving Dom room to dive out, not leaving before the two exchanged totally serious, but not really serious nod, as if to say, 'good luck'. Dom sprinted into the lobby and to his room, skidding to a smooth stop as he saw Ella, waiting outside his room.

"What's up buttercup?" Dom said with a smile, speaking from behind Ella, hoping to surprise her. "Long time no see, I hear you brought some sweets, eh? But, hey, where are my manners!? Come on in!"

Dom jumped in from of Ella, turned his key quickly in the slot and flipped on the lights inside the living room area before jumping over the table and landing happily on the couch. "You don't have to worry about being quiet. Darcy and Michael are out of town. They're on a romantic get away." Dom smiled as he emphasized his last few words, clasping his hands to his chest and tilting his head dramatically.

"So, tell me, for what do I get this pleasure of the presence of Ariella Ahosan in my humble abode?" Dom smiled, flaunting his sarcasm.

As Ella waited for an answer she was soon greeted..behind her? When Dom called out to her Ella would let out a small squeal of surprise and jump, lately she had been a lot more jumpy than usual, it didn't help if she was in an unfamiliar area. However, Ella didn't let that stop her from being equally sarcastic and witty. "I wouldn't compare myself or these candies to buttercups... They aren't... traditional.." She warned him ahead of time, following him into the apartment and watching Dom plop down.
He then went on to explain about how Marcy and her partner went on a Romantic get away or something of the sort, making Ella chuckle. "Those still exist?" She teased as she walked around the table, unlike Dom, and sat down on the other side of the couch, yawning.

Ella didn't hesitate to give him his card and small box filled with weird candy, knowing that's what he wanted. "Here's the real reason you came home." She joked while leaning back and waiting for him to open it. "Well I'll tell you details in a bit, but enjoy some candy before I may or may not ruin the mood." Ella warned him, being honest about the situation as a whole. She was at least glad that his Aunt was out of town, it was easier to have some privacy that way with some of the things she was going to tell him.
When Dom opened the card it would be some cheesy get well card that Ella had picked out due to it's suggestive nature. She thought it was funny/cringe worthy, therefore she would share it.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71KRzI3TxhL._SY355_.jpg

When he opened the box he'd find an assortment of weird Japanese candies that may or may not be disgusting. Ella didn't really know, she just picked the weirdest looking ones and brought them here.
Toilet Candy
Jelly Candy
HI Chews!
Chocolate Fruit bars
Jelly Cups
Chocolate People!!

Dom raised his eyebrows and chuckled as he read the note Ella had handed him. He didn't realize that Ella would be into that kind of comedy. He smiled proudly glancing back up to Ella, wondering if he might have rubbed off on her a bit. "Oh, I don't think you'd know anything about that, now would you Ella?"

As he teased Ella, Dom turned to the box of candies next and rifled through the candies. "Gee thanks! How did you know that I've always dreamed of poisoning myself with weird foreign sweets!?"

Dom happily unwrapped the candy as he sunk deeper into the couch and elevated his feet on the edge of the coffee table ahead of him. While popping a dark brown, chewy cube into his mouth, he smiled at Ella. They talked a little in B-101, but they didn't have any other classes and you couldn't socialize that much during the class since they were always preoccupied. There had to be some other reason why she came tonight. She could have just given him the gift after class. Then again, maybe she felt bad, for some reason. It wasn't her fault, and Dom definitely didn't blame her for anything, but he could imagine her reacting like that.

With a low cough, Dom's body reanimated itself back to life as he lunged forward and spat out the partially whittled down cube onto the coffee table. He straightened himself back up and took a couple deep breaths to keep his cool. He smiled, relieved. "Sweet coating! Really sweet filling. Maybe too much for me, or, anyone really, probably..."

Staring at the rounded cube with a little pond of saliva just touching it on the table, Dom casually grabbed another bit of candy and started to unwrap it and pop it in his mouth as he continued to speak. "So, how are you doing, Ella? How's the weather been around your parts? Are you liking school? Your grades good? Uh...man, darn it all, I think I might be out of small talk questions!" Dom smiled widely, proud of his sarcastic banter.

"Where did you get this stuff at? Don't tell me we have a China Town and no one's told me yet!" Dom smiled as he sucked on the weird lime flavored oval.

Dom seemed to like the card to say the least, which made Ella feel a lot better when she was unsure about the card anyways. It seemed like his kind of thing so she was glad she chose that. Ella also rolled her eyes at his snarky comment, pushing him slightly instead of returning a sarcastic jab. Following a laugh at his comment about poisoning, Ella crossed her legs on the couch and turned to him, waiting to see how he reacted. "Death by questionable candy, what a way to go."
However, Dom didn't last long when it came to the candy. The first thing he tried must have been way too sweet because shortly after popping it into his mouth he spit it out. Ella laughed and put her hand over her mouth, trying to muffle the sound. She hadn't expected that from him, but it was quite funny.

"Any child would be obsessed with sugar on sugar. Sure they probably wouldn't stop bouncing for a few hours, but it sells." She commented, listening to his attempt to make conversation. It was humorous, but not exactly the thing she came for. Any other time she'd love to have small talk, but today was not that day.
Dom also asked where she got the candy, making her chuckle. "I was in LA for a mission and I stopped by Little Tokyo to get this." She told him.

"I would really love to have innocent conversation, but I came for something a bit more serious." She began, letting out a sigh. "A few weeks ago I went to go check out some of those coordinates I wrote down by myself," Ella told him, pulling out the napkin from her bra to set it on the table. "Well... things didn't end too well." She told him quietly, averted her eyes from him and crossing her arms. She faced some things that no 16 year old should have to, something she didn't want to talk about at the moment.
Shaking it off, she looked back at Dom. "Basically I got nothing, so I was wondering if you'd want to come with me this time?"

Ella quickly abandoned the friendly banter phase of conversation and probed into the real reason for why she came. He was surprised that she copied down the information from the drug case, but any fatigue that he'd developed from his day so far dissipated at the notion of some life endangerment and maybe some sweet loot on the side.

"You went to investigate the under belly of Jump by yourself? And this wasn't a mission, you just felt like it? I don't buy it." Dom crossed his arms waiting for further explanation. Sure, Ella had proven that she could show up when things got dicey, but from what Dom had seen, she wasn't the type that would go out of her way looking for trouble.

"I'm all for a high impact night if you are. You know me, I'm not passing up something like that."

Dom threw the rest of the candies into his pocket and hopped energetically to his feet. Quickly he circled around the coffee table and dashed through the back hallway to his bedroom. "We can go anywhere you want, babe. Where's your next stop? What did you run into last time?" Dom grabbed a black beanie from on top of his bed and situated it on his head before making his way back out to Ella, switching up his jacket as well to a dark brown type.

"What's the end goal here? Are we taking down the drug ring here, or...are we seeing what's connecting everyone?"

Dom didn't believe her, something that made Ella really hurt. She was finally willing to get help but he didn't believe her, of course this would happen. She pinched the bridge of her nose with two fingers and let out a sigh, pushing all feelings of betrayal aside. "I don't need you to believe me, but I know what I saw that day and if we don't stop it who will? The Titans are too busy taking down ice monsters and major villains to worry about the small things like drugs and petty crime, that's why I decided to step up and do it."
Even if he didn't believe her, he was still down to go do something dangerous, something Ella was glad that he was wired to do. He didn't even hesitate to go run and get his hat, returning with a question that Ella wasn't ready to answer just yet.

Instead of answering what she saw, she crossed her arms and averted her eyes, not wanting to talk about that night, she wasn't ready, sometimes she doesn't believed things like that happened to her. It was like a bad dream that she couldn't quite shake yet, let alone talk about it.
Ella simply skipped to the next question, trying to regain her composure. "I think first we should see who's connected to who first, and if it comes to it, take them down. It may be too big of a task, but if we can get evidence and proof of all these people's crimes then we could go to the police about it." Ella explained to him, making her way to his door. "You ready?"

Upon emerging from the hallway, Dom could tell that he had struck a less than desirable chord. He didn't mean to upset Ella, but she didn't seem to be in as good of a mood as she had before, but, he didn't dwell on it. If she was good to keep moving, so was he.

Dom nodded energetically as he flipped the door knob and kicked the door open. Thinking back to Darcy's warnings about not getting shot again, he smiled and walked backward as the two moved through the hallway, facing Ella. "I like it. We're like the Titans' first defense. Real similar, except, you know, just waaaay more attractive." Dom smirked before turning to step into the elevator.

Hitting the ground floor button, Dom folded his arms and casually leaned on the elevator's railing as the machined hummed and shifted as it smoothly glided downwards. "So, from what we know so far...Is this all connected to drugs? Or is this something even bigger?"

Dom didn't know much about the logistics of their investigation so far, but he assumed drugs were definitely involved. Whether it was just TCP or a bunch of other strange stuff, he was curious to find out, regardless, if the drag race was anything to take notice of, these guys meant business and weren't afraid to shoot at teenagers if they were getting in the way of their plans.

The elevator let out a 'DING' when they arrived on the ground floor and Dom skipped towards the exit and looked at Ella's car, parked in the lot. "We better find good hiding spots for your ride. If we're snooping somewhere and they catch your license plate, we're screwed."

Dom seemed happy to oblige as he kicked the door open and happily led the two to the elevator. When they got inside he made a comment about them being an attractive version of the Titans. Ella snorted and crossed her arms. "I don't know, I met Meta a few weeks ago and he was pretty *&#*$ attractive." Ella countered, letting out a sigh as she thought about what they were doing today. Ella already made a promise to herself that she would stop this drug ring somehow, even if it meant by simply turning in the evidence and getting the police to do the rest. These past few weeks of chaos really made Ella feel empty inside, like she lacked a purpose, this whole "busting" the drug ring was giving her purpose once again.

He then asked if this was some kind of drug ring or not. "I mean, I have no clue. It could be a couple of kids our age that got their hands on some money and drugs or it could be a huge underground circus. There's only one way to find out." Ella was being entirely honest, it just made her frustrated that the police and enforcers didn't do anything about mundane problems that affects people's everyday lives.
"Couldn't we cover the plate when we get there?" She asked honestly, walking towards her car and leaning on the hood.

With a scoff, Dom left a remark before moving on. "Meta's got nuthin on you." Dom met eye contact and added a wink.

Although he wasn't sure what was going on with Ella, he felt, for some reason, that she wasn't entirely in the best mood. He wasn't in the business to deal with emotional problems though, and he prayed that he wouldn't really have to. It seemed obvious, though, that as he would spend more time with Ella, they'd probably confide more and more in each other and he'd have to learn to be there for her, even if that wasn't necessarily his strong suit.

Dom dashed over to the passenger seat and got ready for the ride. "Yeah sounds good to me. So, where's our next stop?"

On the seat was a dark folder that Dom assumed held their leads. He popped them open and started sifting through the coordinates but saw that there wasn't much advanced research taken since it was really only addresses. One led to Martin's Yard, a street Dom hadn't really ever heard of, probably far outside of town. The next was a popular night club that surprised him to read. If the night club had a dark secret, he'd definitely be interested to know, but it would be hard to dig up any dirt, let alone even get into the club. The idea did seem exciting, nonetheless. Still, more addresses were scrawled through the notebook, many he didn't recognize at all, one warehouse he knew was in the area, a hooka bar he was considering checking out anyway. The list was surprisingly big. Should be exciting, whichever route they ended up taking.

When Dom felt the need to say Meta had 'nothin' on her' Ella averted her eyes and blushed. It's not like she cared anyways, it was just embarrassing in times like these, she had a lot on her mind and she didn't care what he thought. It was just... a bad time or something, she didn't.
Letting out a sigh and pushing the thought out of her mind she continued to think about the plan ahead of them. Dom had already found the folder she had put together to make things easier, even when she was acting rebellious Ella was just naturally organized. She even color coded the objectives matching to the areas and coordinates.

"Well if we are going to do this right we're going to have to dress the part. That being said, the nicer night club is out of the question tonight because I have yet got tickets in." She explained to him, turning on her car and adjusting her mirror. "I might get a little distracted at the Hookah Bar so I'm not to sure about that. However, I already did some research on that warehouse and apparently it's a need-to-know basis drag bar. So guess what I brought you.." She smirked, bending over her chair and looking at the floor of her back seat. She'd show him a glittery dress, pumps, and a crazy red wig. "I came prepared." Ella told him with a devilish grin. She may or may not have came prepared to turn him into a drag queen.

"We're going to what kind of bar?"

Dom twisted around to find Ella's 'surprise' that had been stashed away from him. He held the flashy red dress in his hands and eyed the matching ruby heels together. The wig that she provided  reminded Dom of the stacked hairstyle that seemed more common with home body mothers around fifty years ago. He had no plans on becoming a drag queen tonight, or ever...but there was a first time for everything and he wasn't about to abandon his life's philosophy because of a strapless number and a pair of six-inchers.

"I'll try anything once. Don't think you'll make me squirm that easily." Dom winked at Ella as he jumped quickly into the back seat and began changing. After a few moments of struggling with a certain stubborn zipper, he was finally settled, albeit incredibly uncomfortably. No matter how he situated himself, he couldn't find a solid sitting position.

Deciding to detract the attention away from himself, he looked up to his driver. "So, how do you plan on getting in? Maybe they'll just assume you're a man, too." Dom smiled slyly.

Not too soon after, he noticed a low, steady bass beat emitting from one of the warehouses ahead of them. They must be getting close. "You'll be a gentleman and get the door for me, won't you?"

Surprisingly, Dom found this more of a challenge then a punishment, that made the situation more humorous. She was glad she didn't have to wrestle him into it though, it made driving a lot easier, especially when she wasn't exactly sure where she was going. "I watched at least 3 Youtube videos on how to become a drag queen, so I know what I'm doing." Ella told him, pulled duct tape out from the cup holder and throwing it back to him. "Don't forget to tuck and tape, you're a woman tonight." She informed him, laughing of course, but she was entirely serious.
When he asked how they were getting in, and then joking about being a man, Ella only laughed. "Big Red is getting us in. He gave me my tattoo and owes me a favor after setting him up on a date." She explained to him plainly, continuing her course like this was normal. The more weird things were the more normal they were getting for Ella, her life has been crazy these past few weeks.

When Ella pulled up to the warehouse, she pulled up around back and parked. "You think they're going to buy our story while you and I are still looking like this?" She told him, going to her trunk and coming back with a box case and another bag. She pulled out a female dress suit where she quickly stripped her clothes in the front seat and changed, adjusting the tie.
"Alright, I'm doing your makeup." Ella informed him, climbing in the back seat with the box. She opened it to reveal all kinds of makeup and tools, grabbing his face and beginning her work, drawing, painting, and plucking his face to make a drag queen out of him.

"Alright the story I've come up is basically I'm your agent. I book your gigs, sign you up for shows, and I'm here to meet other agents. Meanwhile, you will be going around looking for a drag queen that goes by the name Red Mama. There's rumors that she is holding a lot of TCP and selling it to make money for her plastic surgery." She explained while painting. "You're going to need a stage name, something dramatic and it has to match your personality."

As Ella threw the duct tape to Dom, he was dumb struck. She had really done a lot of research and preparation, as though she wasn't even considering another destination for the night. "Alright Ella, don't get too excited," he said with a half smile as he sat the duct tape onto the seat beside him defiantly. "Nobody's gonna be looking up there. I think we'll be okay on leaving that part out."

Domhnall was up for trying most things. Most things. Every once in a while, though, he would surprise himself that he actually did have boundaries. As Ella went to work getting his face lathered up and prepared, he realized that she said something shocking that he almost glossed over. "You got a tattoo?!"

Ella was constantly surprising Dom and then trumping herself with each revelation that night."Where'd you get it? Lemme see! Lemme, lemme, lemme see!"

He nodded as he listened to the plan that sound good enough. A TCP dealing drag queen. They'd need to figure out where he's getting it from and where he's hiding it. In the past weeks TCP has been becoming more and more common at Murakami High School and throughout Jump City, so getting to the source was becoming more and more important.

Dom emerged from the car when they were ready and with confidence replied to Ella's question. "I am Ginger Dynamite!" He stood with his fists pelted onto both hips in an extremely heroic pose, looking into the sky dramatically.

They had arrived at the club, a low bumping of a bass beat barely bled through the unassuming building. It was clear that the owners had put for a lot of effort to keep the place a relative secret. There was a woman with a clip board dressed extravagantly at a door, probably the one that decided whether they would be let in or not. Dom nodded to Ella, letting her take the lead since she was his manager now, after all.

When Dom refused the tap Ella shrugged. "Well if you get caught as a phony then you aren't my Drag Queen anymore." She told him jokingly as she continued on his face. Several moments passed by without any real conversation until what she said earlier hit him. He almost forgot about her mentioning her tattoo, which then made Dom erupt into some kind of giddiness. She could only laugh a bit and put her brush down, pull down her pants slightly to reveal her hip bone.
On her hip bone there would be three birds flying in the same direction, nothing too fancy. "It represents the freedom I've chosen to live." Ella explained, pulling her pants back up and putting finishing touches on his makeup.

When she was done, Dom proudly jumped out of the vehicle and announced his new name, followed by Ella laughing hysterically. She put her keys, a few pieces of paper, cash, and a pen in her inner jacket pocket, followed by taking her phone out. She'd grab Dom's arm and turn him around, snapping a quick selfie before it happened. "Photos or it didn't happen." She told him with a wink, quickly shoving her phone in her inner jacket pocket. She wouldn't black mail him or anything, but it just might make the family Christmas card.
Ella bent her legs and put her hands on her hips, embracing her extra 3 inches tonight, she could use this extra height to feel better about herself. She then led her way him, walking with a business like attitude as they came up on the woman at the entrance.

"Name." She asked plainly, not bothering looking up at the two. "I'm here with Big Red." Ella said matter-of-factly, as if the girl knew, she was praying she knew. Against her belief, the girl looked up in shock and laughed, opening the door for the two. "So you're the new mama he picked up." She told them with a cough, shutting the door behind the two to trap them in the wonderland.
It was like an upclass bar that was trying to be grungy. It was clean with awesome music, but everyone was over 6 feet tall. Whenever men wear stilettos it ends up with them being three feet taller then Ella, making her stick out like a sore thumb.

Before she could even register what happened, her arm was being grabbed and pulled to the bar, followed by a hardy laugh that was familiar. "Mama! You made it! Who's your next star?" He asked, looking at Dom up and down with a suppressed smile. Ella made sure he knew about the plan way ahead of time, so he knew Dom was simply a teenager thrown into this. "Look what the cat dragged in. I think she's too pretty for you Red." She nice lady behind the bar said, winking at Ella. "Oh you know, she's a catch." Red told them, putting an arm around Ella and pulling her on a stool.
Apparently she was his girlfriend for tonight, which was definitely not her first go to. Big Red looked like a leprechaun on steroids. He had red hair, a big red beard, was pushing 230 pounds of muscle, and had a knack to get drunk and loose his temper. He claimed he was from Maine, but no one is completely convinced.

Ella looked at Dom so that he could finally introduce himself to a number of Drag Queens gathering around them.