Character Dynamics: Robin, Artemis, M'Gann, Roy, Superboy ( The Daring Dangers )

Episode: Pre-"Performance"

A/N: I hope everyone has an enjoyable Easter ( break... for those of you who don't celebrate the holiday )!

Artemis Crock, the costume vigilante predictably known as Artemis, was scratching at the Kevlar fabric of her uniform as if she were frantically trying to extinguish untamable flames with her fingertips. Sure, in the short time she's fought alongside her teammates and joined in on their covert missions, she had grown accustomed to the coarse fabric rubbing patches of her skin raw. While combating genetically advanced villains who want nothing but to bleed you out, the discomfort brought on by a uniform was the least of any heroes' worries. The blonde archer had grown too comfortable with the exposure her emerald ensemble offered to her midriff. Now, sporting circus attire that strapped securely over her tummy, she couldn't help but pick at the irritating material. At least I'm still sleeveless, she compensated with begrudging optimism.

Twisting her disguised body in the meager lighting of the backstage dressing room, she turned away from her reflection in the floor length mirror. With one hand resting at her hip and her backside sticking slightly out, she angled her vision towards the glassy surface to discover that the ruffled fabric of her skirt puckered out like a duck tail. "We look ridiculous!" she criticized sourly, facing away from the mirror altogether. Perched before a watt-framed vanity opposite her querulous teammate, M'Gann's rapidly morphing tresses billowed out as she vacillated from one hairstyle to the next. Artemis, already wrought with disgust, felt her stomach churn as she watched the Martian's hair color bud and bloom from one to the next in a thoroughly confusing nuance.

"What, are you talking about the outfits?" Postponing her hair decisions for the moment, M'Gann swiveled in her seat to scrutinize her teammate's appearance. Her attention was immediately enraptured by the horrified expression on Artemis's face. "Is something wrong?"

"If you enter that ring with that choice of hair color, I don't care what Robin says, I will not be a part of the Dangers act."

Alarmed, the shape shifter whipped towards the crystal speculum, masked eyes frantically dragging over her imprint. "Oh," she breathed in relief, lightly threading a finger through the horrid hue of her locks. When her undivided attention had been directed towards the archer, she hadn't bothered to acknowledge where her hair morphing had stopped. Testing the snot green strands by twirling them around the pads of her fingers, a genuine smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Not that I haven't seen crazier hairdos around this circus, I agree that this one shouldn't make a debut."

Shaking her head, Artemis stepped up behind her green haired teammate to better inspect the charade. "Keep the style, change the color."

Humming in agreement, M'Gann swiftly reverted back to her customary pigmentation. "I like red hair best."

"It suits you," Artemis admitted while returning to the other side of the room. "But this outfit? Definitely not in my taste."

"I think they're cute!" Rising from her plush seat, the Martian twirled so the ruffles ( or duck tail, as Artemis had dubbed it ) swelled with the sudden rush of air. Giggling at the girlish effect, she quickly stopped her rotations, faltering slightly in her stance and dizzily stumbling backwards to grip her chair for support.

Scoffing, the archer continued to pick at the Velcro bindings with discomfort. "Yeah, well, you're used to dressing up and looking girly. I don't have as many options in my closet."

Pursing her lips, M'Gann cocked her head to the side, staring at Artemis as if discovering something for the first time. "Take your ponytail out."

"What? Why?"

"Well, you helped me with my hair choice. I'm just returning the favor."

"Why does it matter if my hair is up or down?"

"Oh, come on Artemis! We've been given a chance to dress up, at least have some fun with it!"

Sighing in exasperation, the archer complied by swiftly manipulating the hair band until it released its firm grip on her blonde locks. M'Gann watched in awe as her tresses cascaded like a golden waterfall slipping over her shoulders and tumbling down her back, well past her waist. She had always known that Artemis had a generous amount of hair. She just didn't realize how long that champagne curtain trailed until now. The transformation was surreal.

"Wow… Artemis… Why don't you ever wear your hair down?"

"Do you know how tangled it would get during a mission? It's already bad enough taking care of it when it's up!"

Right.

Glancing over her reflection for the final time, Dawn Danger concluded that she was ready to please a crowd. "Come on, let's go find the boys. We've kept them waiting long enough."

As predicted, the trio of men were found directly outside their tent, decidedly bored. With a cantankerous complaint fresh on his lips, Superboy snarled as M'Gann emerged through the gaudy colored tent flaps, Artemis following immediately behind.

"What took you—" Suddenly, his strong jaw went slack while words fumbled in the back of his throat. Unable to further verbalize his thoughts, the superhuman clone simply stared, mouth dumbly parted, at his unrecognizable teammates.

"Wow," Robin offered, sounding genuinely impressed. "I am definitely whelmed."

Completely amused, Roy unhooked the extra bow from its resting place on his shoulder and offered it to his fellow archer. "Yeah, almost didn't recognize either of you."

Cautiously accepting her weapon, Artemis inspected it quickly before glancing between the three boys. "Blue eyes," she mused, intrigued by the view the slits in their masks offered. "Guess the lot of us really could pass for siblings."

A/N: Eh... This was definitely drabble-ish. Like it? Love it? Flame it? Hate it? Let me know in a review! (: