New Year's Vengeance: Three

There was silence for about a minute, as Ms. Madison and the Disturber regarded each other. Ms. Madison regarded the super-villian with suspicion, while he only smiled urbanely back.

"Why, Ms. Madison," he chuckled, "this is a surprise. Or may I call you Lynette?"

"You may not!" the blonde bristled. "What are you doing here?"

"Seeing in the New Year, like everyone else," the Disturber replied. "I assume you're doing the same thing."

"Oh! Lynette!" Lady Sylvia laughed, "so you know our mystery guest!"

"You could say that." Ms. Madison scowled, her lovely features darkening.

"Cheer up, Lynette," the Disturber's tone was mocking. "I'm sure you'll come to accept me in time. After all, we have so much in common, you and I."

"We'll see..." Ms. Madison smiled mysteriously.

"Great!" Lady Sylvia smiled hopefully. "Shall we play some getting-to-know-you games?" There was a note of cute enthusiasm in the brunette's voice, as she clapped her hands.

"Why not?" the Disturber laughed urbanely, and Ms. Madison felt sure something was wrong. She didn't have him figured for that type. But then, he was a mad supervillain.

"What we'll do," Lady Sylvia started handing out pens and bits of paper, "is write down one fascinating fact and one embarrassing moment. They'll be put in a hat and jumbled about. Then I'll pick them out one at a time. I'll read the thing out, then give three people who it might be true of. You'll vote, and the person who gets the most right wins - won't that be fun?" The young aristocrat positively bubbled with excitement.

They did as instructed, laughing happily. Ms. Madison chuckled, scribbling eagerly on her scrap of paper. She laughed as she wrote down her embarrassing moment. Soon the pieces of paper were all in the hat, and Lady Sylvia took charge, smiling as she reached into the hat.

"Who once got lost on their way home?" the brunette asked, laughing. "Despite having lived there for three years?"

"You did!" one of the young men cried.

"I have to give you a choice!" Lady Sylvia shouted, waving her arms. "I have to give you a choice!"

"Sorry, Sylv." The young man laughed heartily, "I guess I spoiled it."

"Nope," Lady Sylvia chuckled, "I'll just move on to the next one. Now, is this Lynette, Joan or me? 'I once walked down to the Savoy ballroom in my undies.'"

Lady Sylvia got the most votes, but it was Ms. Madison whose embarrassing moment it was. In fact, she'd had to pretend she was the Green Man in order to help him escape, and that had been the only way to re-appear as herself.

"Next," Lady Slvia laughed, getting into the swing of things. Is this...." Her voice trailed off. "Wow!" She gasped. "Is this Joan, Toby or Mr. Matthew-Henry: 'I know the true identity of the Green Man'!"

The look on Bristow's face said it all.