A Spoiler about the Crimson Cape/Paul Polk
While he works, Paul is very focused on the job. At least, that’s the vibe I think I’m getting (about where I want this off the cuff story to go).
In his off time, he is wild and carefree and the job is solely left on the backburner.
But when he’s on the clock, and his cape is across his shoulders, none of that personal stuff touches his thoughts. Because he’s entirely focused on the task at hand.
It just doesn’t help that, sometimes, Paul isn’t good at his job? Like, he follows the manual. He knows all the rules. But he’s not someone commonly left in charge of large action situations.
Usually, when a mission is deemed too big for someone at his level, someone like Lady Arcana, Captain Victorious, or Blue Ice is called in. (At this point in the timeline, Caspian Dukes has not stepped into the authority role he will hold in the future.)
Setting of the Polk storyline:
- Set during "Allies & Enemies"
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the lead members of the League of Superheroes are reeling after their confrontation with Darkstar
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Blue Ice has had his "situation"
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the Flame Burst is in the hospital
- Caspian Dukes has taken some bereavement leave
- Captain Victorious is convalescing
- Masque is handling the backend of running a world recognized superhero organization
The Crimson Cape is put in charge of the dimensional incursions simply because he’s one of the only senior members not dealing with post-Darkstar encounter injuries and shocks. He is just back from a short leave where he didn’t bother to keep up with daily briefings.
He’s back on the clock, right in the midst of a disaster that he should have been handling earlier because Master Greenthumb and the Junior League were struggling without oversight.
He will later regret prioritizing his personal pleasures during a time of crisis. (At a group meeting of civilians: Paul Polk: "I should have canceled and rescheduled my leave. It was a genuine crisis at work, and my coworkers needed my support. I wasn’t there for them the way I should have been. It was a bad time. I feel guilty about it now. Because I didn’t help to make things better when I could have. I was late to the party.")
