Shadowboxer, your concerns of getting your hoodie back are allevied as the answer to your question reveals itself in the most natural way possible.
"Sorry, thought it was thrown out. You'd better take it back, its cold out tonight." The homeless man smiles as he removes the hoodie and hands it back to you. There's a slight recoil as you reach for it, you watch his eyes look as the spots of minor grime. As you grab the hoodie, you also notice there's a bit of an odor, and as your nose wrinkles instinctively from the smell, the homeless averts his gaze.
Wingblade stares after Bronwyn as she races away, completely bewildered. Her triumph in helping her revert back to the high schooler she was now replaced by a sinking realization that she may have harmed her friend terribly.
Her face feels wet, and she wipes her face. She looks at her hands, now stained with soot and ash mixed with tears, turning everything into a black sludge. The tears kept flowing, though she felt more confused than anything. What did I do wrong? What can I do? What should I say? I don't understand.
Her chest starts joining in with her eyes, and it begins heaving. She falls to her knees as the sobs become more vocal. Her heart just felt wrong and it hurt so bad.
She cries for a long time, alone in the alley.
God, what's tomorrow going to be like? Today, I mean. How am I going to face her? What if she thinks I hate her, that I was so disgusted that I just had to leave? Do I just pretend this never happened?
No. No more pretending.
She didn't know how to find that random alley again, if Shayera was even there. She could've called her, but she didn't trust her voice. She fished her phone out and wrote out a long, long message. She deleted it, wrote two words and sat there for a long moment staring at them before hitting send.
I'm gay
The shadow returned to the scene, and gave Quinlan the rundown
Okay, so they came from nowhere. Literally. Some kind of summoning power, manifested by this card game She says, briefly pulling it out of her pocket to show. I don't think it was them/ they were pretty out of it. it being this reality, they were out of phase, untouchable, along with the cards. unfortunately, the creatures weren't.
A couple junior supers, plus Wingblade, Thor Girl, and Bran the Blessed stepped in and attacked. I was able to figure out the trick to minimize the explosion's damage. did a good job, pretty minimal collateral, as giant robot and lava monster brawls go.
then the lamer of the two SCA's, and that's a f*%$in' achievement right there, show up, spray first, ask questions later, and the supers get squirrel-y. I'll keep on the case, but it would have been nice to have been able to compare notes with them.
As she leaves she turns back to quinlan he kids are in shock, don't interrogate them now. They'll shut down, or make stuff up. I'll suit up after school, and swing by to talk to them, give you the cliff-notes. She says
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As she makes her way home, she checks the lowjack she slipped onto the hauberk.... gone. that's new... unless He's a projection or... no, to defensive for a projection, but maybe a transformation, or the hauberk is ethereal, too many possibilities She says, checking it's last known location, and heading there.
Arriving, she finds no Bran, but Wingblade is there, crying quietly. I could go, pretend I never saw this. It's what I'd want. well, mostly I'd want to not be caught... or not cry, I'm good at that. It's what dad would do. She takes several steps away, before muttering to herself F!#$ it, I've been the shadow enough for tonight And ducks into an alley, stripping off her coat, body armour, mask, and hat.
Alexandra steps out of the alley, shaking her head so that her braid falls down naturally after being under the hat so long. She takes a few steps back t the alley, and takes a coffee thermos out of her bag
She crouches down next to the weeping heroine, and proffers the cup. Are you okay, Wingblade? she says, affecting a slightly awed tone, but not awed enough to push her out of emotional mode
Taking back his hoodie gingerly, Shadowboxer sighs. "I appreciate this man."Was probably just hoping to be warm. Holding the clothing in his hand, Lee calls out. "Hey, if you come back here tomorrow night, I'll send a guy with a spare jacket. It's only right."
Once the man leaves, Shadowboxer sheds his combat gear quickly, sliding back into his normal workout clothes. It's nice to just be normal. Eyeing the direction the homeless man left, Lee rubs his jaw in thought. I can probably convince Dad to help, and worst case scenario I just give him the old winter coat Oba-chan gave me. His superhero identity stashed on the velcro strips, Lee makes his way home briskly, his jog slowly giving way to a run.
Shayera cursed herself when she caught the smell and slight scrape of someone just outside the alley. Her weakness, her confusion, her total breakdown caught by someone.
The intruder slipped away, though with her senses stretched, she could tell she hadn't gone far. A whiff of coffee sparks a glimmer of recognition.
She composes herself as best she can when Silver Shadow comes into the alley bearing a mug of java. She turns around and leans against the wall, arms folded across her chest.
"Not exactly." she says neutrally. She eyes her warily. "Haven't I met you someplace before? You seem familiar."
I go to Halcyon High, maybe you've run into me there, in your alter-ego... or perhaps you saw me in one of the crowds you've saved. I've been in a crossfire or two. Maybe- She stops as she meets Wingblade's eyes
Damn. Was it the voice? Should I change my voice more. Or was it the coffee. Her hand goes to the side of her head Or, maybe it was the earpiece I forgot to take out because apparently I'm an idiot.
But, I mean it. Whatever the "not exactly" is...well, I am a P.I., I've probably heard worse
Wingblade quirks a half-smile. "All of the above. And a few other things."
Her expression quickly turns dark. "No, I... I don't know how to explain it. Certainly without betraying a serious trust, so I'm just going to have to figure it out on my own."
She frowns, looking around the alley. "The better question is, how'd you find me?"
Wasn't actually looking for you, chasing down a lead on the giant monster thing. she says Not totally a lie. Bran was part of that incident
But, I get it. I'l back off. maybe get back to looking for that ethereal phenomenon. Did you see anything appear or disappear around here? My tech thinks that there was another phenomenon nearby?
Wingblade glances around the alley, extending her senses. Nothing besides the usual smells, the aroma of barely-hot coffee, and the lingering scent of Bran/Bronwyn. "No, nothing but--" she stops as realization dawns. "Oh. Um, I'd forget about that lead. It's not really related to the 'giant monster thing.' Well, any more than you or I am."
She wipes her face, smearing the lines of dirt already streaked with her tears from earlier. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm not usually this cagey, but it's been a long day, and what had been a really good battle ended kind of awkwardly with everyone. And then... more stuff happened."
She sticks out a hand to shake. "Wingblade. And I go to Halcyon High too. Which means, yes, I have seen you around. And you probably have a pretty good idea of who I am, too, huh?"
Jusker floats above the ground, relieved that his powers seem to work again. "Willing to let me go now, are you?" the teen mutters. He heads toward the house he's currently squatting in, staying only a dozen or so feet above the ground as he flits between buildings. The higher up he is, the easier he is to spot, and for all he knows the cops are still out looking for him. So I have, like, a squad now? It's a strange thought. He wiggles his left ear, feeling the earbud that's now sitting inside it.
He approaches a cross-street and sees a person running past. A girl. He thinks nothing of it at first, until he realizes that she's outstripping the cars around her. "Another teen super, huh? Question is," he wonders aloud, "is she running to something, or from it?" Seeing nothing charging behind her, he decides to follow. "Hey, I'm on a roll tonight. Besides, maybe she needs help." Plus she's kinda cute, he mentally adds, but keeps that part to himself.
The girl leads him far out of his way, and stops when she reaches some church. Jusker keeps a careful distance, for a variety of reasons. After futilely trying the front doors, the girl collapses sobbing. Well it's not an emergency, which is good I guess. But what's so special about this place? "Not the kind of help I can give, though," he mutters. "All right, all right, I'm going." He lands some distance away, the light from his amulet winking out. He approaches Bronwyn on the church steps. "Hey. You, uh... You okay?"
Okay. I'll leave it. She smiles mischievously But, you gotta tell em how you hide those wings. I mean, those can't fold up enough to hide under a shirt, and even at Halcyon, We'd have noticed something she says, choosing not to say that she was pretty sure that the Chinese superhero who died and returned and the Chinese student who "went to China" and returned around the same times were one and the same.
and, don't worry, even heroes have the right to grieve and all that, it can be pretty hard to maintain the emotionless stoic. Dad says that's why you do the whole sardonicism and quipping thing. whatever gets you through, right?
As Jusker approaches, Bronwyn stops staring at her phone and quickly tucks it into the hidden pocket in the underlayer of her shorts. "Oh yeah. Doing great." She gives a very wobbly smile. "Nothing like crying on the steps of your church to show that everything's how you'd want it to be in life."
She forced herself to stop and thought hard for a second. Halcyon High was too big for her to know everyone who went there, but unless he'd gotten that amulet like, a week ago, she would've definitely noticed something with that kind of power walking around. Apex and Skuld already know I'm associated with Bran. How open am I going to be about this with the rest of the team? There's getting to be a lot of people who know... God, but if there's something wrong with how I transform, there's no way I'll be able to keep helping people and not have my team at least know that I 'help' Bran.
Okay, this isn't some stranger you're never going to see again. Don't be rude, but you can't just spill your guts.
"Sorry, I'm not like, in danger or anything. I just needed some answers. Well, I needed different answers than the ones I already had, really."
Wingblade shrugs, and her wings twitch involuntarily as they're being talked about. "Oh, it's not too hard to hide them. I just slide the pinfeathers through my ribs to get the bulk really tight against my body. The trick is to not perforate my lungs--" she breaks off in a laugh at Silver Shadow's expression of horror/disgust. "Kidding! I'm not doing that. Again."
Her moment of levity fades a bit, since the hollow in her stomach is still there, gnawing at her over how that kiss could have upset Bronwyn so much.
"I quip," she says, glad for the continued distraction, "because Whippoorwill can't be bothered to crack a smile, much less a joke."
She wasn't being entirely fair to Whippoorwill, since her mentor truly did have an arid sense of humor, but she always cautioned against trying to crack jokes while in battle -- too much chance to distract yourself rather than your opponent.
The sound of a throat clearing above them causes Wingblade to go pale.
"She's listening in, isn't she?"
Jusker gives Bronwyn a tentative smile. "That's a relief. I saw you run here, and... well, it's been a dangerous night for me already. Room for one more?" He sits on the concrete to her left, so that his earpiece is away from her. "I'm Jusker, by the way. And I don't think those are twenty-four hour joints," he adds, indicating the building behind them. Running at top speed to a church, late at night, emotional wreck, messaging someone. My guess is she just got dumped.
Glad to know you've got a sense of humor. the two medeival ones seem like they are a little high strung, and Apex has a stick so far up his ass I'm amazed he ban bend at the waist. She says. Pretty sure that's just insecurity, though. I don't think he has real powers, or If he does, they suck. She reaches for the cup of Coffee Wingblade clearly has no interest in, and knock it back, catching sight of a metahuman hovering over the alley god, i hope she didn't hear my stick u the ass comment, she looks like it wouldn't go over well.
Eh, She seems cool. probably can take a joke. She says, eyes darting between the winged figures in front of and above her.
Yep. for at least 2 minutes. don't your senses work better than mine?
"They used to always be. Our congregation has been talking about doing a special collection to hire night security so that it can be again... I was just hoping there would be some sort of vigil or something that I'd forgotten about. It always feels wrong to see a church with doors closed, but I had no idea where else to go."
She reaches out to shake his hand. Her grip is firm, though not tapping into anything superhuman, and the calluses from countless hours of javelin and weight-training are easy to notice, even if she did pumice them down when they built up too much. "Bronwyn."
Why hasn't she said anything?
"They probably do," Wingblade says, shifting to a knowing grin. "I just like tormenting her."
She takes a step as Whippoorwill lands lightly next to her. "Isn't it a school night?" the Defender asks, eyeing both girls, though her protege gets a much sterner glance.
Wingblade manages to look abashed, and nods in sullen agreement. "I guess it's getting late. Good meeting you. You're okay to go home by yourself?" she says to Alexandra.
Whippoorwill folds her arms and looks the other girl over. "I trust the young Miss Walker can make her way home without further incident? Give your father my regards."
She turned away as soon as she let go of his hand, the words seeming to bubble up out of her, "It's really nothing. There's just this - boy, this, uh, friend of mine, this really good friend. And so, we're really close, like very huggy and stuff, but just friend-stuff, right? It's not like I ever even really thought about, about him in like a super-romantic way, and I have a boyfriend!" ¡Puñeta! I have a boyfriend!
"But, umm, he kissed me tonight. And I was surprised! Really surprised, I don't even think I kissed back, but... I can't stop thinking about it. And then he was just, 'kidding!' He was just trying to surprise me! And I'm just standing there, and he keeps talking about how I shouldn't worry, he doesn't think about me that way, and he's wiping his mouth like my breath stank or something, and... Now I feel so Stupid. Like for that second before, before he said anything... God, it was like fireworks were going off in my brain... And it wasn't even a good kiss! It was like, all tongue, and somehow teeth?
"Oh holy crap. I'm the first... The first person he's ever kissed."
She'd mostly been talking to the sidewalk at the bottom of the stairs, but she turned and looked Jusker in the eyes, her own eyes dry and fierce and desperate to be certain. "You wouldn't... Your first kiss matters, right?"
It seemed like Shayera and Alexandra Walker were getting along, so Briana hated to cut their moment short like that. But she really needed to talk with her protege. Besides, it was really late.
She takes to the air and Wingblade follows, matching her speed while taking on a sullen silence. As they level out, Whippoorwill glances over to her. "You've been crying," she observes.
The girl wipes her eyes and face out of reflex, but doesn't look her way. "Kinda. I guess."
"Something tells me it doesn't have anything to do with the missile."
"Rocket arm," Shayera insists, deflecting, and making that back-of-the-throat groan that teenaged girls do so well.
Briana grinds her teeth, hating that sound. "Cut it out; talk to me. I want to know what you were doing in that alley in the first place."
Her protege finally looks at her, but Shayera's eyes are hot and her face twisted into a scowl. "I followed up on a distress call. I went. I helped, even. But somehow I screwed everything up! I don't know what happened!"
Whippoorwill blinks in confusion. "You're going to have to give me more information than that."
Wingblade flaps her wings hard and spirals around Whippoorwill, orienting herself below her mentor upside-down, so she can look her in the face. "That's just it! I can't give you any more! It's about-- It's too private! And I don't know what I did wrong!" She turns back around, but not before Whippoorwill catches more tears beginning to form in her eyes.
Briana stays silent as she mulls over the possibilities that her protege could be talking about so cryptically. The only other times that Shayera had gotten this worked up was over Ji-Wan Zeng -- Hashtag. But that was before the incident at the lab and her subsequent reincarnation. The only major relationships that had managed to survive her rebirth were the ones with Bran the Blessed, Thor Girl, and Bronwyn Pascal.
Whippoorwill considers that trio, fully aware of the gaps in her knowledge -- especially of the relationship between Bran and Bronwyn. Her current suspicion is that the two swap places -- that somehow Bronwyn is the portal through with the Welsh legend can enter this time. She also figures that he gains some knowledge through her as well; explaining his ability to speak English and understand the basics of modern technology.
The problem was, without the full picture, Whippoorwill couldn't really help -- if it was even her place to do so at all. Sometimes it's truly best to let things work themselves out on their own.
In the meantime, she could help bolster the girl after what had apparently been a mostly successful engagement. The root cause for two giant monsters appearing to do battle in a Northside park was still a mystery, but the damage could have been so much worse thanks to the intervention of the young heroes that night.
"All right, let's talk about this evening's battle, shall we?"
For the rest of the flight back to Wingblade's apartment, she describes the battle and what the others had reported -- especially about the supposed card game that was coming to life, and letting reality affect it as well. Whippoorwill dissects her protege's actions and moves, gives support where needed, and points out the number of spots where she could have improved. Most notably, she calls out the fact that Wingblade viewed the battle against the robot as fun, when lives were at stake.
"All in all, a good showing. But you see where you could have been smarter. A better leader. This is what I'm trying to teach you. I expect you to grow away from being just the weapon that you were made to be. Understand?"
As she starts to head inside her luxury apartment, Wingblade nods.
Wingblade stumbles inside her apartment as her mentor flies off, having lectured her during the entire trip back. It slowed things down considerably; Whippoorwill's top speed was far slower than hers, and then she slowed up even further to allow for a manageable conversation.
The time of night had really caught up with her, and she was anxious for bed. But the grime and soot from the evening's heroics demanded that she shower before crawling into bed. She passes through the darkened apartment, her motion causing her supercomputer Abacus to stir to life.
Screens start glowing, but she couldn't be bothered to read anything. "Not now. Get the shower ready: 88 degrees," she tells the computer as she reaches her bedroom and starts stripping off articles of clothing. As her cargo pants are undone, they hit the ground with a thud, reminding her of the advanced smartphone in one of their pockets.
Ugh. I'll bet Kenneth's shot a dozen more texts to me after the robot fight," she thinks as she steps under the cascading water. "Abacus, how about reading off the texts I've received since this evening?"
While Shayera scrubs the grime and oils from her skin, Abacus's voice pipes into the shower, rattling off the various texts she'd been receiving all night. She had kept the response algorithm going, so she'd apparently been engaged in a conversation with Portia Vance and her crew of fashionistas for most of the evening. She suddenly became mortified as her cleverness had apparently backfired -- Abacus had managed to "lol" and "omg" herself into agreeing to a blind date with Renae Gibbs' cousin who had just graduated last year and had moved to Halcyon City.
Shayera groans audibly underneath the water, but takes some comfort that at least the date was going to be Saturday. Thankfully, the shopping trip was still on. The knife-in-her-gut feeling suddenly came back with a vengeance, and she suddenly became very concerned about her status with Bronwyn.
She stumbles out of the shower, toweling herself off briefly before staggering towards her bed. Fatigue and uncertainty threatened to overwhelm her, even as Abacus drones on in the background, still reading off texts.
She collapses into bed, pulling the covers around her, hopeful that some of this will make sense in the morning.
"One text received from Bronwyn Pascal, received at 1:43: 'I'm gay.'"
Shayera sits bolt upright in her bed, panicking.
Damn. This girl is not only spoken for, she's spoken for twice. So much for that winning streak. He briefly considers leaving then and there, but decides against it; a squad of supers willing to call on him again and a girl pouring out her heart to him is more positive reinforcement than he got for much of his life. So that's something.
"Um." He considers her question. Jusker's own first kiss was meaningless. He was 9, and begging for change on a seedy corner. One of the street workers got in a fight with (Jusker assumed) her boyfriend. "You're such a g*****n loser, Skiff!" she yelled. "Look, this kid's more've a man than you. Least he's makin' his own money!" Without another word, the girl grabbed young Jusker by the shoulders and planted her lips onto his. He remembered her tasting like cigarettes. Then she stormed off, leaving him in a daze. He avoided that corner from then on, and hasn't seen her since.
But that probably isn't the answer Bronwyn wants. "Well yeah," he says lamely. "I mean you only get the one. But I'm guessing it wasn't your first?" As soon as the words leave his lips he realizes it's a dumb question. "Sorry, no of course it wasn't."
"...what? Oh," Bronwyn snaps back from answering her own question in her head, "No, umm, that was my first boyfriend, Kyle. It was nice, but... Well, we didn't work out. We were like 13 and really just dating 'cause our other friends thought we made a cute couple. And umm, I wasn't really what he was looking for..." Who are you trying to kid with that first kiss stuff? You and Kyle had each other's first kiss and neither of you are... Neither of you really liked each other that way. It wasn't some magical thing then; She didn't mean anything by it now.
That's why she hasn't called you back.
It was easy for her to be supportive that time she thought I was bi, 'cause she wasn't involved, but now it's weird and she doesn't want to talk to you.
You shouldn't have told her.
Alexandra walked home, a lot on her mind. So, Bran is a... well, the Body I see is not the body he has...Might need to get creative. and maybe Wingblade trusts me, a little at least. not a bad day
She retrieved her costume, and walked with her fathers stride again, fast, like she has somewhere to be, and straight, don't deviate form the path unless absolutely necessary. Make them move.
Jusker, unsure and new to this. He'd make a good partner, maybe. Brains and Brawn. or... no, shadowboxer's too... much. Thir-girl, Bran, and Wingblade are kinda a combo-platter. but that might not be a bad team. a powerful leader, with a second who likes a pretty different approach, evasive and stalwart, analytical and intuitive, a little reckless and a little conservative. then one of the heaviest hitters in the city, on a physical level. with me, they'd have an investigation and deduction specialist... not bad, if they want me..
Her mind keeps going, until she slips into an alley, and returns with the costume stowed in a bag, and heads for the dingy one-story house where she and her family have lived since before Halcyon was special.
Kenneth shook his head as Bran jogged off. "F#%@ing gods."
As he made his way back across the park to his car, he pulled out his phone and checked for messages. Nothing since my impromptu midnight exchange with Shayera... maybe I should... no, either she was out there with me and I should respect her boundaries or she's asleep. He looked at the phone a moment longer before sliding it back into his pocket.
A quick car ride and he was climbing his regular back route up to his room. Despite a longing look at his bed, he sat down at his computer and began booting the secret partition. Friday's going to suck, but I'm better off getting this down while its fresh.
Keying in "FEED GREYHOUND SENT" Apex began by adding three new dossiers
Silver Shadow
Identity: Alexandra Walker (likely)
Powers: Deduction, Martial Arts
Profile: Third individual to hold the title (Ref. Idols Wharves, File No. 1) Tactically reasonable, if easily distracted. Has official contacts. Nothing to investigate.
Shadowboxer
Identity: Unknown
Powers: Shadow Manipulation, Shadows confer enhanced strength/durability
Profile: Aggressive and confrontational, significant issues with authority. Claims a disdain for self-sacrifice, law, heroics in general, belied by heedless rush into danger. Suspected ties to DATA FAR UZI YAKIMA (Investigate). Heritage, tattoos, rumors suggest connection to Y.
Multiple references to honor, universal lack of trust suggests tension in connection to DFUY (Check recent deaths, public failures of Y for connections)
Jusker
Powers: Flight, Energy Manipulation (Exceptional), Physical enhancement
Profile: Little prior information. Clearly homeless (check CPS records...somehow). Power appears derived from amulet (Check historical listings, esp. golden age). Power emerges in the form of a pink energy. Seems to be generally sound of mind despite street living, talks to no one but seems to hear responses (Investigate) mental stability questionable.
Finished with the new information on his companions, Kenneth glanced up at an earlier entry. No, tonight wasn't enough to confirm or deny any of that. I'll have to leave her as is right now. Besides there's still more to be done.
Apex returned the computer to the standard GUI partition and pulled up a web browser. He quickly navigated to www.argentobscura.com and searched for any posts about tonight. The site was a simple forum, with a pair of silver magnifying glasses, one inverted, at the top of each page. It had stagnated for a while, a fan site for an absent hero, but it was experiencing a renaissance ever since the newest Silver Shadow took to the streets.
Finding no appropriate thread, he created one and began typing.
GrayMountain: Wow! Did anyone see that giant robot fight on the news? It's got to be the apex of my month. Too bad SS didn't get much screen time, but I'm sure she was busy doing some important investigating behind the scenes. I bet she's tracking down some piece of information from the scene right now and conferring with her police contacts, that's soooo cool!
He reread the post once before submitting it. I hope she's as good as I think she is, because if she doesn't read that I'll have debased the English language for nothing.
Done with the night's work, Kenneth stripped down and climbed into bed immediately falling to a deep sleep.
Alexandra tosses her bag down the the living room, and puts the crossbow down next to it, before slumping in a chair herself.
Sounds like you had an interesting night. Alan Walker says, sitting in another chair, next to a police scanner.
Eh, nothing much. Fought mysteriously appearing giant robots, met a few other supers, disregarded a few laws, lied to the police
You broke the law and lied to the police! Gillian walker says, from where she had been hiding in the kitchen.
Well, it's smarter than breaking the law and then telling the truth to the police. Alexandra smirks back. Besides, i said I disregarded a law, not broke it. the SIDEKICK laws. Wingblade and I were legal, but the other 5... except maybe Apex. Then The SC-A@%!#~@s showed up, and I explained how none of them ahd violated the SIDEKICK laws. half of it might have been true, though Shadow-guy and Bran probably were in direct violation of it.
That's my girl! Her father says, laughing a little. So, tell me about the other Capes.
Well, you probably know Wingblade
By reputation, Whip's precious little pupil. does she have Whip's sense of humor. Her dad rolled his eyes
Eh, she seems okay. by the way, Whippoorwill sends her regards. anyway, then there's Thor girl. Strong, but very impulsive. But, like, strong. I think she got hit with a blast that sent her into low earth orbit, and she shrugged it off.
She WHAT? Gillian said
Don't you have school in the morning?
So do you. dad put us both through the Sleep deprivation training. doing wonders for my social life, actually Gillian said, stretching out lazily on the couch
Bran is pretty much your standard "hold the line" super. heightened athletic abilities, expertise with the spear, mentioned something about absorbing energy. I think I have the other two's identities worked out, but I'm pretty sure Bran is a transformation super.
You mean He isn't just an eight-foot tall guy in a costume? Wow, your perception dazzles me. Alexandra flipped Gillian off, before continuing as if she hadn't spoken.
There was an umbra-kinetic, moved like a martial-artist. think he's new. pretty hostile, kinda angry. and there was Jusker, no known alias. powerful but inexperienced energy manipulator. and some guy without powers dressed up like a ninja, called himself Apex.
No powers? gadgeteer? Her dad asks
Nope, martial artist. kinda full of himself, but I think that is insecurity.
Make any connections?
Well, I talked with Wingblade a bit. She seems okay... though I caught her at a bad time. I think something happened between her and Bran. She was crying in the alley where Bran had transformed. She says
Probably should have kept walking. let her have deniability. She might resent you seeing her like that. Her dad says, lighting up a cigarette
And there's Bran. He seems Stalwart, a useful ally. She says, more than a little flustered by the thought of him
Okay, you blush a little every time you mention... Oh my god, you have a thing for the eight-foot tall dude? Gillian shouts
No I don- whatever, not important. Maybe Jusker too. he's inexperienced, but he'll be a big player once he works out his powers
and what do you know about the mysteriously appearing giant things? her dad asks.
I'll update you tomorrow. I need to sleep. Alexandra says, picking herself up off the chair, and heading for the stairs
3:13
Through bleary, tear-filled eyes, Shayera stares at the screen of her phone. Her finger hovers over the "call" button, but she can't bring herself to tap it. It's so late. What do I say? I can't even -- what about Marco? I didn't know.
She switches over and taps out a text. It starts out small. I'm sorry. I didn't know. Then she feels she has to explain what she did. That the kiss was supposed to shock her, and everything she said later was just to make sure there were no weird feelings... She erases the text and goes back to making the call but pauses again.
3:19
Dammit. Her mind whirls around, settling in thoughts she'd already had, but couldn't stop from thinking again. I didn't know. Did this mean she's interested in me? Skuld is so pretty; that can't be right. But she didn't want her. I thought it was because of Marco. So, is she attracted to me?
That concept seemed so foreign to her. Bronwyn was a friend, that's all. Shayera tries to decide how she would feel if it were true, then stops herself. Dammit, no. That's not what she said. She said she's gay, Don't read anything more into it. She probably doesn't, and all your kiss did was spook her a little.
Deciding that's the best narrative to believe, she goes back to type out a text.
I'm sorry. Didn't know. I probably sounded insensitive. Make it up to u tomorrow
3:28
She hits send, throws the phone to the corner of her oversized bed, and pulls the covers over her. Despite her fatigue, sleep did not come easy.
Jusker nods. "This friend who kissed you tonight... Sounds like he's really got you in a knot." He takes stock of what he knows about this girl. Short hair, calloused hands, and at least one pretty useful power; she's clearly a super who's used to combat. That she managed to get into her situation at all is a bit surprising. I guess even fighters can find themselves having personal problems.
"So you've got a boyfriend waiting for you, and a friend wanting to kiss you. Must be nice." Whoops. Suddenly this conversation is getting much more personal than he had intended. Then again... so what. Who is she, anyway. "I don't... really have that. So maybe I'm not much good for this kind of thing. But it seems to me like your boyfriend isn't the one you really want to be with." He shrugs. "Just something to think about. I ain't gonna screw up your life, you'll probably never even see me again; I don't wander this side of town often."
"Yeah, I know. No matter what happens with my friend... I can't just pretend I don't have these feelings.
Thanks Jusker. And I'm sure you'll find someone soon enough. Good listeners are hard to find."
***
Unsurprisingly, Bronwyn couldn't sleep.
Often that meant a night of smithing, or on nights like tonight, when both her parents were actually home, something quieter - knitting her mail, hilting a dagger, working on one of Mary-Beth's special projects, or tonight , doing a little sewing. If she was going to have trouble with her transformation, then she- **bzzt bzzt**
She dove for the phone, everything else forgotten.
She doesn't hate me.
I get it
I didn't know either, not really.
You and your Damned super-nose! I should've remembered, you notice everything, but that doesn't always mean you're some kind of mind reader. But...
You lied about being able to tell I was straight. I know you did, 'cause you were so surprised back when you heard about the duel, and you thought...
You were afraid I'd be weirded out tonight, because you...
No. You're fooling yourself Bronwyn. If she had feelings for you she would've just told you just like you...did...n't
Long minutes had passed.
She has to know already. How could she know that I'm- and not know that I-?!
She knew Bran smelled like me. But she didn't know the rest until I told her.
Before she could talk herself out of it, the phone was ringing.
This is a bad idea. Just hang up! Hang up!
Oh my God
"Hi.
"Shayera, remember when we first met? Neither of us wanted to be the first to tell the other one about this huge important thing in our lives. Well..." Her voice faltered for a moment. Breathing quickly, heart pounding, she barely managed to say, "Shayera, I'm Bran. Are-are you Wingblade?"
Shayera was surprised when her phone buzzes almost immediately. She moves out from under her covers to grab it, since she'll never be able to sleep without reading it. She turns it on, realizing her eyes hadn't even adjusted to the dark yet. She was up, waiting for me to respond.
She looks at the text, mulls it over briefly. It didn't go into much detail -- how could it; she sent it nearly instantly. Ultimately, she sighs. The knot in her stomach loosened considerably, since Bronwyn didn't appear mad. She rolls back to put the phone in its charger and try to find some real sleep before Tiffany shows up in a few hours.
Then the phone rings.
Her heart starts pounding as she answers it.
She listens quietly to Bronwyn as she talks. Her mind spins at her question, though. "I-- Well, yeah. That's who I am. You know that. Shayera's just a cool name I picked out when Whip suggested taking a real name. What's this about? I don't understand. I'm sorry I assumed wrong about your orientation, but that's not going to affect our friendship. I promise!" She couldn't keep talking as her throat caught and her chest seized up. More tears stream from the corners of her eyes.
"Shayera, I'm in love with you."
Shayera sits in her bed, frozen, the sound of her blood rushing in her ears nearly deafening. Say something. She's waiting on you. You're taking too long. SAY SOMETHING!
"I..." she croaks. "I didn't... I... Oh, God, Bronwyn, how do I answer this? What do I say? I don't even know--"
Her whole body trembles. "I gotta think. I need to... to process? I guess? I'm sorry."
Of course it hurt. There was a pit in her stomach that felt like it would never fill, but a certain peace came with it too. The scary part is over.
She forced a smile that Shayera couldn't see onto her face, "Of course. I know this is big, but umm, well I know neither of us really knew this yesterday, but it was true then too. So it doesn't have to change anything.
"But I hope it does."
Jusker makes his way back to "his" part of town. It took a while for him to find which house he was currently staying in. He'd been kicked out of two youth homes for breaking curfew too many times, so now he makes do with whatever abandoned house he can find. He has to move regularly, to keep his amulet and belongings from becoming some other bum's amulet and belongings. He hides his amulet under his shirt as he gets close.
"Hey kid, long time no hear!"
"Shut up," Jusker shoots back. There weren't many people begging on this block, because no one had any money to give. But Reggie didn't care. He sat on the corner each morning, begging can in front of him. Most days it was still empty at nightfall. He had noticed Jusker's habit of talking aloud to no one, which provided an unexpected amount of entertainment for the old man. Jusker suspected Reggie had little else to occupy himself. "I'm trying to ignore him, but--" He sighs. "You know you're just proving his point, right?" Reggie cackled.
In the house, Jusker collapses onto his air mattress. For a long time he had to make do with whatever blankets he could find, but now that he has income he could get a proper portable bed. He pulls out his earpiece-- carefully-- and sets it down beside him. A team, huh? he thinks as he drifts off to sleep. Might be fun.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
She'd decided to break Marco's heart after school.
She didn't want to kid herself - she knew this was going to be brutal, even if it really needed to happen. He didn't need to zombie his way through classes, and thankfully they had a day off of track - why she'd been able to schedule Shayera's probably-cancelled shopping trip. That's going to be very complicated to explain to Skuld...
***
What if she loves me back?
***
She was almost positive she'd had classes already, but as the lunch bell rang, she certainly couldn't have sworn to it.
Okay, step one of the smoothest gentlest breakup ever. Go have lunch with your ex.
"Um. Okay," Shayera says numbly. "See you tomorrow.
With the phone off and back in its cradle, she slumps back down in bed and stares at the ceiling. Bronwyn's in love with me? Like a caught record, it goes around and around that concept that still seems too unreal for it to sink in.
How could this have happened? She liked Bronwyn so much but it was supposed to be solid friendship. BFFs. Teammates. Always having each other's back. Why did it feel that all those hopes were in danger? Like this will change irrevocably.
"But I hope it does."
Could she be that for Bronwyn? Shayera recalls the moment when Bran turned back, the brief sensation of Bronwyn's lips on hers. She broke it off quick, not wanting to extend the awkwardness or disgust for even a second longer than necessary -- when she thought that a girl kissing another would repulse her.
She freezes the moment when their lips were touching, imagines that sensation playing out over a longer period. Then she imagines what it might be like for Bronwyn to touch her cheek, or run her fingers through her hair. For her to touch... places. Shayera imagines all that and feels... nothing. No butterflies, no flushing of heat rising, her pulse not quickening.
Feeling curious, she pictures Vick -- Hashtag -- in her head. She lets her imagination run, envisioning him doing the kissing, the caressing, the touching.
Still nothing.
Her body wouldn't respond. What's wrong with me?
=========================
Light poures into her room as Abacus begins activating the apartment. Tiffany minces into the bedroom, looking chipper. It was too early.
After a redoubled effort, Shayera is dragged out of bed and put through the morning routine. Even though her clothes closet was huge and filled with articles, Tiffany inevitably had something new she wantedher to try on.
Shayera surrendered to wearing a pair of super skinny jeans and a loose and airy top with a number of bangles and danglies off her wrists and ears -- which required her ears to be pierced once again.
Once her breakfast was consumed that put a decent amount of strain on the super tight denim, she plops down into the chair at her vanity and lets Tiffany do her work.
"Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Sure! Anything! the chipper fashionista says.
"So, if you like the opposite sex, you're straight," Shayera begins.
"Cis," Tiffany corrects.
"And if you like the same sex, you're gay, or sometimes bi. But what if you don't like either one?"
Tiffany pauses, holding the powder brush inches from Shayera's face. "You're Probably talking about an Ace. Generally they call themselves that. Asexuals."
She thinks about that. "Huh. That's a thing?"
Tiffany continues. "Sure! Why? Boys not doing it for you? And you don't think you can do the girl-on-girl thing?"
Shayera squirms in her seat. "Something like that."
She waves her brush dismissively. "Don't sweat it, hon. You're so young, you got plenty of time to figure it out. Go forth, have fun. Kiss boys, kiss girls, kiss boys who want to be girls, whatever! Everyone's figuring themselves out. It's the rare person who knows who they are at your age. Most are just covering it up and secretly terrified that they'll get found out that they don't have it all together."
Shayera nods in thanks but grows quiet while the rest of her face is put on. She stays quiet and in thought as she is transported to school in one of the fancy cars in the parking lot beneath her building.
Somewhat in a daze, she finds Portia and her crew and begins to strut the hallways before class. All the while, she keeps her senses strained for Bronwyn.
"You're looking nice today, Bron. What's the occasion?" She didn't know what Kyle was talking about; she wasn't that dressed up.
She was just actually wearing a skirt and a blouse today. It wasn't anything special, she'd just raided her closet instead of the rotating tanktops, shorts, and leggings that usually made up her day-to-day. Her makeup was really good today though. And she was wearing a little perfume. And a necklace. And she was wearing a cute pair of boots instead of her trainers.
Okay, she was a little dressed up.
"Umm... no occasion, exactly, but uh. Remember when you broke up with me back in junior high?"
"And you didn't talk to me for a month and a half, yes."
"I was embarrassed! I didn't get it and-"
He was already laughing, "Bronwyn, Bronwyn. You've said your mea culpas on that a million times. I forgive you. Why do you bring it up?"
"'Cause... I want to break up with Marco without him hating me."
"Well, I thought, 'It's really not you I just like boys' was a pretty good reason, but I feel like that might not be applicable to the situation...
"Oh, Oh! S%$+! That's why you're all-" he gestured to the outfit, "Who is she? Spill. I'll help with Marco later."
"There's no She-" He trampled over her, **gasp** "It's that actual princess isn't it. That crazy rumor about you and Skadi is true and she's going to take you away to the Netherlands!"
"No! Well, some of those rumors are true, but there's not a She. Or, well, maybe there will be. We'll see."
Kyle's face turned instantly sympathetic, "Ah. Fell in love with a straight girl? Enjoy That milestone. I guess we've all got to go through it sometime...
Okay, but Marco... I've got nothing. Just tell him. Probably you shouldn't have dressed up for her, but it's a little late to change that. And don't use it as an excuse to put it off. Rip off the bandaid."
The first couple periods went by like a blur. For whatever reason, the fleeting moments where she caught Bronwyn's shampoo or a smattering of her voice just ended up in frustrating near-misses.
Then she bumps into Renae Gibbs finds her in between third and fourth periods. "I'm soooo excited you said yes! It'll be awesome! You two have so much in common!"
How does she know?? "Wait. I didn't--"
Renae throws up a finger. "Oh, no! I already told Devaun, so don't you dare back out!"
Shayera stands stunned for a moment. Oh, crap. The blind date. How do I--? She recovers and titters a laugh. "Haha! Sorry, my mind was totally somewhere else! Sure! Devaun? So, what do we have in common?"
Renae's hands go into a flutter of movement. "Well, he's in a band, and I know how much you like music. And he does martial arts! Like, Taekwondo, or something."
Shayera arches an eyebrow. "That's Korean."
Rolling her eyes, Renae throws her hands up dismissively. "Whatever. Anyway, I'm sure you'll get along great. Tell me all about it Monday!"
Shayera gulps as her vapid "friend" saunters away. Oh, man. Tiffany, you'd better be right about all this.
Among her people, when one was desired another, there was usualy an intimidate conversation about the subject. That had resulted in...nothing. As a matter of fact, Bronwyn hadn't bothered to really mention it after that day. Her rival had given her explicit permission to pursue Bronwyn, but Skuld knew that she needed to study the courtship rituals of Midgard in order to understand the best way to court Bronwyn.
According to this interwebs thing, there was one man whose work best embodied the cinematic courtship experience.
His name was John Hughes.
--------
After watching Pretty in Pink Skuld sent a text to both Shayera and Bronwyn:
Where are we to meet for our purchasing expedition?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Kenneth adjusted his grip on the brown paper bag as he surveyed the cafeteria. Catching sight of Shayera, he began to step forward and then caught himself. Surrounded by her cohort she was better armoured than Bran in full-plate, and his school persona wouldn't fit in there. Another pass caught Bronwyn, looking a bit lost, but again, she was too much of a social butterfly.
Why am I even doing this, I should just sit on my own and catch up on my reading like normal? As the thought passed, he caught himself grasping the earpiece in his pocket and let it go.
His morning had passed without note, he wasn't even particularly tired. While the team's shenanigans had exhausted him mentally, he hadn't been much more active than his typical workout during the fight itself. That must be it, I still want to figure out what happened last night. With a firm goal in mind, he locked on to his target and headed purposefully across the room.
"You're Alexandra, right? Hi, my name's Kenneth. I'm working on a project for this big robotics contest and I was wondering if I could get your help on it. It's really a team thing any way. Without some extra support, I don't think I'll have a shadow of a chance." Not waiting for a response, he dropped his lunch bag across from her and took a seat. As he pulled out a sandwich and water bottle, he looked directly at her, a seemingly open and excited smile on his face.
Skuld's text nearly got Bronwyn's phone confiscated.
More accurately, staring at her phone waiting for a reply nearly got her phone confiscated...
Skuld's text got Shayera excited more than she cared to admit. Even after all the stress and anxiety of her and Bronwyn's drama earlier that morning, she really hoped that the shopping trip would be fun.
And then she remembered that Skuld had challenged Marco for the hand of Bronwyn. Who loved her, now. Apparently.
During lunch, she quietly slipped away to an empty restroom and pounded her head a few times hard against a wall.
Feeling somewhat better, she sends a text back to both Skuld and Bronwyn: Pickup Zone 4. After school. I got a ride 4 us
Bronwyn will be discrete, won't she? she tries to reassure herself.
it had been an uneventful morning... relatively. she didn't have ears on Shayera the whole time, so while she was watching from a safe distance, she couldn't tell what the buzz of activity permeating the girl and her group was created by.
She watched other people in the school, and listened in on conversations. Some Senior girl was in a fight with her boyfriend after a pregnancy scare, apparently Jennifer was cheating on Raoul (though, alexandra could not have told you which Jenifer and Raoul these were). Mr. Gandry was definitely doing coke in between classes... High school was hell, if you were the kind who could see it.
Alexandra had returned to watching Shayera. 98% she was Wingblade. Skuld was another in the 90's. 96.5% she was Thor Girl. No good candidate for Bran, or ShadowBoxer, and she doubted Jusker went to school.
then another candidate walked right in front of her. same voice, same tone... irritating little references to having figured her out 100% he was Ninja-boy. She returned his smile with a deadpan expression. Oh, yeah. I took Physics/Robotics last year. A real Pain in the ass. She says, getting a piece of paper and pen out, and scribbling on it. Half the people are hopeless nerds more interested in Card games than the robots. the other half are completely useless as Partners. But I figured out the trick. thing is, capacitors are where it's at. If you haven't got the power, well, there's not much you're design can do. She passes the paper over to him.
Try this. if it doesn't fix it, I'd need to investigate further.
I'll be there :)
maybe a little l8 tho
Bronwyn's reply text popped up a little quicker than Shayera had expected. A little late? I wonder what that's about?
She shrugged it off and returned to the table with Portia, Renae, and the others to finish her lunch. When that period was finished, she only had two more classes to go.
Deciding to focus more on the simple pleasures of going out shopping with friends, she allows herself to pretend the whole experience will be a blast. Ground rules. I should set ground rules. No criticism; only compliments. No worries about what something costs. No flirting... Ugh! Could I get away with that? Dammit.
Okay, maybe she was a little nervous.
Kenneth seethed internally at her comments, but did his best keep it off his face. Taking a moment to read the note, he used the opportunity to regain his composure before replying.
"Not a bad idea, I'll have to try it out. You know you may be right about the capacitors, the last two generations had fairly weak ones and they turned out to be abject failures. I was more hopeful about this one, but we'll see." He refolded the paper and slid it into a pocket.
This sniping isn't helping, and you're coming to her with your hand out. Not only is this a bad Kenneth move, you're likely to cut off an information source.
After taking a quick bite of his sandwich, he looked back at Alexandra. "Thank you for your help. By the way, did you hear about Jennifer and Raoul? The whole school is abuzz."
As Lee approached his house, sweat running down his skin, he noticed the lights currently bleeding through the cloth covered outer door. Pausing, the teenager glanced about, eyeing the rather luxurious cars parked in his driveway. Father's doing business then. I best go the other way.
Before he could sneak about, the fusuma opened and revealed a bald headed man that towered over the boy. "Ah, so the prodigal son appears. Spending a night out on the town with your girl?" Staring up at the large man, Lee suppressed his instinctual frown into a tight lipped expression, something that only made the man smile, "Afraid not Hideo-san. I was running."
Hideo guffawed, his giant frame shaking with laughter. Glancing into the yellow light of the traditional structure, the large Asian yells, "Seems your boy was off working up a sweat. Perhaps he's ready to start working for us Saiko komon?" Lee stilled, his heart beating with the same speed as it had during the fight with the giant robot. Hideo's grin seemed to shift from a humorous smile to a leering grin.
"弟さん, I believe that's enough hassling for the night. Thank you for keeping your neighborhood safe." Lee's father appeared, outlined like an angel by the lantern light. Hideo promptly bowed, muttered a quick, "お兄さん," before briskly moving to his car and leaving. Lee's relief quickly evaporated by his father's stern gaze. "来てください."
Moving faster than he had all night, it was moments before Lee was kneeling on the tatami mat, his head held low. His father entered with a sigh, dressed in a well fitted suit. Running a hand through his shortly cut hair, Takeharu sighed. "Lee, you know you can't be out running about at odd hours of the night. The Kumicho has respected your desire to stay out for now, but your power means sooner or later you'll be drawn in. The Senshi Oni cannot keep engaged in this city"
Lifting his head, Lee started speaking, slowly and methodically. "I know お父さん. However, I cannot be the son you raised and sit by while beasts from ancient tales ravage cities." Letting his shadow slink across his hand, he continues. "I don't want get Natalie involved Father. I am not cut for your life, but I can help those weaker. Rectitude is the greatest trait of a samurai after all."You of all people should understand that.
Takeharu smiles sadly at his son. "You inherited a fool's heart soon." Lee returns his fathers morose expression with his own. "お母さん gave me it." An awkward silence permeates the house, both Kokuin's rolling though a mental shoebox filled with happier memories. Waving a hand, Lee's father gestures to the teenager's room. "Go to sleep. You have school tomorrow." Recognizing the dismissal for what it is, Lee gives a bow before heading to his room. Pausing on the boundary of the room, the teenager turns to his father. "There is a man I plan to give clothing to. He was considerate tonight, and a Kokuin does not remain in the debt of another. Kindness deserves kindness, war deserves war."
_________________________
"You dumbass, you know Mr. Neufeld doesn't like when you try and correlate historical battles to sports matches." Reclining at his table at lunch, Lee gives his friend Jacob a good natured punch to the shoulder. Sitting with blazer undone, Lee looks surprisingly refined as he texts on his phone, enjoying a BLT sandwich.
Enjoying some quality public school food XD?
As he hits send, his phone quickly buzzes. Jacob smirks. "Oh, look how the might Lee has been tamed and so quickly shackled." Giving the text a glance, the Asian retorts, "You're just jealous your ugly mug has exactly zero females looking at you."
Bleh, you don't have to rub it in, I know Haylcon High doesn't have your fancy little food mall. :P
Hehe, public pleb <3 Pausing, he adds, Hey, want to head to the mall later? I got to get someone a hoodie.
Returning to the world of Integrity Prep, the super chuckles as someone cracks a joke correlating Schrodinger and a traffic stop. "Watch out Jameson, someone might think that big skull of yours actually has a brain."
Sure babe, I assume the mall? I hope it not for some other girl ;)
Chuckling to himself quietly, the Yakuza son quickly replies, Never in a million years.
Standing up and stretching his back, Lee lifts his hand to his friend. "I believe that it is time to return to the infernal landscape of English. Oh to the wraith Shakespeare shall inflict?" Giving a theatrical sigh, Lee and his gaggle of friends returns to the interior of his school, where the hidden innuendos of Shakespeare are far from the front of his mind. I should probably tell Nat what happened sometime. She's going to be angry.