"Closer.  Closeeeer-STOP!  There, perfect.  Wait, three centimeters left.  Your<em>other</em>left.  Great!  Now just stay there.  Camo active?  Perfect."<br/><br/>Situated on a rather shady old tree overlooking the proceedings of the pre-Wedding socializing was something that appeared from afar to be nothing more than a large gnarled knot in the trunk.  Only upon extremely close inspection would one possibly notice that it wasn't a knot at all, but a rather bizarre looking breed of insect.  Its oblong carapace had bent inwards to convincingly mimic a warping in the wood, and its dozens of spindly legs were all bundled together just so to make it blend in with the rest of the tree's wrinkled texture.  All but one, which was currently pressed to a comically small headset bound around the little creature's head, which seemed a cross between that of a spider and a particularly ugly fly.  The antennae coming off the module had apparently replaced its natural ones, if they had existed at all, and allowed for long-distance communication and hearing.  Its six pale pinkish eyes were roving over every inch of the grounds, focusing on all the guests in turn and presumably relaying all that information to some remote location.<br/><br/>On the other end of the line was a young woman with an unusually purplish complexion and neon green hair.  Normally her face would have been painted up, but in the privacy of her own room there was little need for sprucing up.  Most people would consider that quite an improvement; Jacqueline's peach-shaped face was all the more adorable when it wasn't done up like some sort of insect-harlequin hybrid.<br/><br/>Her own hand was pressed to a larger version of the insect's headset, and her violet eyes had glazed over into some sort of trance.  Overseeing her was a far larger beetle that looked as though it had been designed by a group of ravers, all vibrating greens and purples and pinks and blues.  It also happened to be acting as her seat, its soft underbelly perfectly cushioned for comfort.<br/><br/>"Oh drat.  Looks like Logan isn't out yet," Jackie huffed, puffing out her cheeks in disappointment.  "He's such a rugged man!  Y'know, for someone like a bazillion years older than me.  And hairy as a bear.  And a midget.  But at least he's an<em>original!</em>"<br/><br/>The large beetle chittered and fluttered its mandibles, apparently teasing her by her reaction.  "I'm not crushing!  I'm merely a fan, alright?  What's wrong with that?"  Another few seconds of bubbling sounds.  "Well, besides the fact that I'm<em>technically</em>his enemy.  Bah, fine.  But it's not like we've even met each other in person.  But I recognize some of these other jerks...<br/><br/>Recognize was a very broad statement.  The girl couldn't for the life of her remember any of their names.  They all just tended to blur together after awhile, trying to kick her posterior into the pavement.  Or<em>worse</em>, squashing all her children like they were just<em>animals</em>!  It was enough to boil her blood, the way even the good guys could so casually murder and maim like that.  Especially when she didn't go out of her way to do more than a little necessary property damage.  Some part of her knew it was her own fault for lumping herself in with the more destructive mutants, but where else was she supposed to turn?<br/><br/>Jacqueline frowned, staring out at the party enviously.  How nice it would be, just mingling among all the buffet tables and talking with people that didn't look like they'd stepped off the set of a Power Ranger's movie.  The villains, that is.  Or better yet, inside the mansion itself, getting all done up for her own wedding...<br/><br/>She pushed her lips out again and pouted.  Villains weren't the sort to get married often.  Not that they called themselves<em>villains.</em>They were all just "Mutant Supremacists", looking out for each other where no one else would.  That just tended to involve wanton violence and getting arrested a lot.  But the fact remained that true love wasn't exactly something that they caught on a whim.  It was all sex and lust.  Hell, and she couldn't even get<em>that!</em>It all came down to her<em>condition</em>.  Funny how even the Big Bads seemed skeeved out by crawly things.