<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"I'm an old fashioned guy, JD. I don't let the ladies fight alone."</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/><strong>"He's just messin' with me, you know,"</strong>J.D. claimed, rather unconvincingly, to the pair in the rear of the truck, as Oscar took off in the direction of the fight.  He didn't really expect them to buy his explanation of the other's vaguely-disparaging remark, but he felt a need to stand up for himself a little, at least in front of Jane.  A bit of a flush came into his cheeks as the teen took off after his teammate, leaving the others in the relative safety of the giant vehicle.<br/><br/><strong>"Hey, I'm old fashioned too! -- I mean -- Oh, you know what I mean, you ..."</strong>he protested, finishing his statement under his breath to himself, as Oscar's attention was clearly on the task at hand.  J.D.'s ego was a bit bruised by the mere suggestion from his older colleague that he would ever choose to hang back while the others did the dirty work.<br/><br/>It surprised him to realize that at some point he'd really started to care what Oscar thought of him, moreso than the others on the team.  Though Flashcard had been fairly standoffish towards him and often seemed burdened with private concerns, he was the one whose opinion counted most to J.D., so far at least.  With her rigid adherence to military mores, Athena came across as fairly inscrutable and too different for the easygoing youngster to identify with very much.  The otherworldly qualities of her appearance -- her ghostly pallor, statuesque figure, and striking eye color -- didn't exactly help when it came to trying to relate to her.  As for the other FFers, he cared a great deal what any attractive ladies in his vicinity thought of him, in a non-professional way at least ... but that was more about figuring out how to get into their pants.  Those concerns didn't get in the way when it came to his male partner.<br/><br/>Approaching the startling sight of the grappling trio, the speedster's calculating mind started working overtime, weighing various alternatives of how best to contribute to the battle.  Observing the ploys the others were attempting, he decided for the time being that it was a "too many cooks" scenario, and he'd just be in the way.  He pulled his mask back on and hung back, waiting for an order or a clear opportunity to help.  Meanwhile he scanned the nearby foliage and landscape for loose objects that might serve as makeshift projectiles or weapons.