Bran the Blessed talked with an odd cadence that Alexis couldn't pin. "I...was Alexis. Then Mercykiller. Now Mercy. I want to be Alexis again," She says, removing her borrowed sweatshirt and attempting to wipe all of the blood off of her before it had a chance to dry. Walking around with blood on you was bound to be noticeable.
She had other questions she wanted to ask, but those were all forgotten when the loudest, gut-wrenching growl came from her stomach. She clutched her midriff in pain and in hunger. "...I need food." She muttered. "...I'll have food in jail?" She asked as she assumed that was where she was heading.
"You're not going to jail, Alexis," Shayera says. "And I can get you food."
She starts sifting through the rubble until she finds her school bag. She pulls it out from under the debris and rummages in it until she finds her phone. "Ugh. Tablet's cracked. That'll be fun getting a new one," she mutters as she powers on the much more durable Abacus handheld. "算盤，準備好接送。 展示舞蹈學院," she speaks into it.
"Would you like to ride in a sports car? Then we can go get something to eat. Whatever you like. Fast food, burgers, tacos, whatever you want." She moves to the front door of the dance studio and watches for the arrival of her father's high-performance sports car. Calling back to Bran, she says, "Get the Kilt away before anything else happens. I'll call you-know-who, make sure the SCA doesn't go ape-dung over this."
Shaun slowly got to his feet. He didn't know by who or from where, but for a brief moment there, he had known he was being watched. This city just keeps getting stranger and stranger...
He was brought back to reality as kimono girl checked on her phone. With dread curiosity, he fished his own out of his pocket. "Aaaaaaaand now this is cracked. F&%!in' A..." The Chinese went right over his head, but it did draw his eye to something that definitely wasn't a normal phone. Hefting the pile of junk that used to be the Kit, he worked his way over to the rest of them. "Okay okay okay, just, time-out. What are we doin' here? Who is 'you-know-who?' Who are YOU f'that matter? And what ta' f+$@ is ta' SCA?"
oh, no need. Alexandra tells Kaoru Just wondering if we were taking two.
Alexnadra's car was grey, an older car, maybe 2000, but well cared for. the interior is... disorganized but not dirty, books and CD cases scattered about. she quickly clears a place in the passenger seat, tossing CD's and softbacks into the back haphazardly.. the drive is only a few minutes, during which, Kaoru is subjected the the Talking heads at an unconscionable volume.
The diner, cleverly title "The No-Wait Diner", looks from outside to be a dump, maybe even abandoned. no ones bothered to clean the window in years, or clear off the graffiti. But inside, it is nice enough. Alexandra greets the cook by name. He nods,a nd asks What does your friend want?
after ordering, she takes a seat opposite Kaoru, eyes looking right through him again. So, kaoru, you said you weren't from Halcyon. Where did you used to live?
"Kilt, all your questions may not have answers, but I will satisfy those that I may. In short, we have saved someone, and that is cause to rejoice. However, the masters of this city look with suspicion on those who step forward to defend them unasked. The clarion sounds of their sirens suggest that they draw nigh, and nothing remains here that is worthy of such confrontation. Will you come with me?"
Those sirens were getting really close. The big guy was wierd, but he looked more reasonable than the other two. ”...fine, whatever. But ta’ lot of ya’ owe me a new jacket. Lead ta’ way Brian Blessed, or whatever ya’ name was...”
Shaun walks forward and wrenches his sword from the dirt, taking a moment to lock eyes with kimono-girl. ”Next time we meet, I want answers doll. Whether ya’ like it or not.”
The Chinese girl meets his eyes and shrugs one shoulder made bare due to the tatters of her qipao. She doesn't seem worried about that future conversation. "Sure."
She gives Bran a professional nod, though there's the hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth. "Thank you for your assistance, Bran."
Sighing, she turns back to Alexis. "So. Food?"
"Of course."
***
"Threatening or demeaning her is unwise, Kilt. Follow me."
Bronwyn normally used her civilian appearance to subtly travel, but she still knew these streets in particular like the back of her hand, or Bran's hand.
Where should I take him? We're pretty far from my junkyard, my house is out of the question... That laundromat over on Forest hasn't finished rebuilding after that fight with Razorback; we can talk there.
Down alleys and across streets never busy at this hour, Bran led the Kilt, keeping a quick but not punishing pace.
For a moment he thought it had been a clean escape, but just before rounding a corner, he locked eyes, or well eyes and helm-slot with a curious looking girl with dark hair and nice clothes across the street.
Cassie? Unfamiliar words rumbled in the corner of Bronwyn's mind. "Ymagweddau Ceridwen. Pwy arall sy'n deffro?"
Ahhhh! What the Hell was that?!
Shaun marched behind the armored giant, still grumbling under his breath. "Damn b&&!!...crazy flying lass...gotta fix ta' Kit...then there's my neighbor Armor-o here...rrrrrrrrrguh..."
He was so absorbed in thought that he bumped into Bran when the giant stopped. "Uf! Oi ya' tin can! Watch where you're-!"
"Ymagweddau Ceridwen. Pwy arall sy'n deffro?"
"...was that...Gaelic? A bheil Gáidhlig aged?"
Kaoru sits quietly in the passenger seat of the car, trying not to wince at the volume of the music. It made it hard to enjoy it, but it also made talking pretty much impossible. But given she didn't really have anything to say, was probably a blessing in disguise. Even if she was pretty sure her hearing was suffering from it.
Inside the No-Wait Diner, not wanting to stop and stare at a menu when her companion most likely had it memorized, she stuck with something simple they were bound to have: cheeseburger, fries, and a vanilla milkshake. As they sat down and Alexandra asked her question, Kaoru began to realize the girl had a rather...unnervining stare. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea... She tried to turn to look out the window, but, well, it being what it was it was impossible to see anything. And staring 'through' what was effectively an opaque piece of glass was dumb, so she was forced to look back at her companion, stomach churning nervously. Why is she looking at me like that? She wasn't used to being under such visual scrutiny. It made her want to somehow cover herself more self-consciously.
She pushed past the feeling as best she could and gave a half-shrug in response. "Some tiny podunk town no one's ever heard of maybe a day or so drive inland. One of those places where everybody knows your name, and they always pretend they're glad you came. Pretty dull place. Guess you probably couldn't relate if you've been a crazy place like here your whole life. You ever think of leaving?"
What did Alexis want to eat? She felt that she didn't deserve to have anything after ruining everyone's clothes and equipment. She felt guilty, even if her expression was flat. She was being told that she could pick out something. So she considered and decided that she didn't deserve anything delicious. "You can give me something spicy," She told Shayera, staring awkwardly with her arms wrapped around her own torn up clothes.
"...I ruined your dress. I'm sorry." She told her. She'd punish herself for that.
Alexandra watched Kaoru squirm, and backed off for a moment, no need to overanalyze him just yet.
Ah, small towns. that sounds... a little suffocating. but maybe it would be calmer. Halcyon is kinda a lot. but it's... I love the bustle, you know. and there's always something to distract me from Dad and Gill. she says, taking a sip of her milkshake that half empties it.
where to go from here. delving for personal information will get weird fast. Something you can both laugh at? A game of F##&, Marry, Kill with the new kids... no that's too much as well. and the idea of one of those options in conjuction with Shaun... yeah, no.
Alexandra takes a few bites of her food, and gives Kaoru a chance to talk. All the while, she quitly goes over what she knows about them.
Shayera glances down at the tatters of the dress barely holding on and gives a noncommittal shrug. "It's just clothes. I've got lots more."
She leads Alexis out the back where they meet the roaring purr of the sports car idling in wait for them. The back seat is a bit cramped, but Shayera coaxes her in and joins her. The driver raises his eyebrows at their state of appearance. "Everything all right, miss?"
"Hello Reginald. This is Alexis. And we're fine; just hungry. Isn't there a Thai place nearby? Let's go there."
The engine roars to life and pulls out of the alley behind the studio, maneuvering through a couple side streets to avoid the emergency vehicles on their way to the ruined dance studio. While the car is in motion, Shayera busies herself with trying to rub out the scratch in the charm around her neck.
A quick stop at the Thai restaurant leaves them with several steaming containers of pad thai, suea rong hai, and kai jeow, and bowls of khao soi. Shayera has Reginald stop at an isolated park where they can enjoy their food, then sends him on a quick trip to pick up a few changes of clothes for Alexis.
The suea rong hai -- also known as crying tiger -- has Shayera's eyes watering for how intensely spicy it is. She samples the rest of the dishes, but lets Alexis eat her fill of each dish.
After eating in silence for a while, Shayera taps the charm a few more times and speaks a few words in Chinese. Then she gives up and yanks the thing off her neck.
There's a tear from her dress as a pair of metallic wings appear on her back. They move and twitch with fine control like living things, but the glint of a razor's edge along the silvery feathers look deadly.
"This is what was done to me. I don't know if the fast healing was a part of it, or if they just used me because I could heal quickly from the surgeries.
"There's a hero I work with, Whippoorwill, she got me away from that place. She taught me to be a hero. I don't know who the Trakosia are, but she might. She was also an experiment, and I think she'd like to help save you. Just like I'm trying to do."
Alexis was starving. She was also sick to her stomach at the rich, horrendously spicy food that this kind girl had bought her. It was exactly the kind of thing she deserved as punishment. She choked down the food, her face turning red and eyes watering, as her nose began to drip as well. She didn't stop even as Shayera spoke to her.
So she looked quite silly with her cheeks stuffed with extra spicy pad thai, eyes streaming tears as she looked at the girl's suddenly grown wings. There was something both wondrous and terrifying about them. They made her look like those spirits from the story books. She swallowed her bite, resisting the urge to drink and letting sweat bead down her face.
"...Triakosia. That's what we're called." She shares, sniffling and putting the container to the side for the moment. "...I stole these clothes. And I stole food from the school. I broke into the school many times. I'm sorry. I just...wanted to pretend. Wanted to be a student. Now I can't anymore," She says quietly.
"Wanted to hear how Twelfth Night ended too. It was a nice and funny story. I like Viola. She reminds me of myself."
Cassie made her way round the block of seemingly normal buildings, stretching her senses to try to detect the magical energy she's detected. As she neared an alleyway, however, she became aware of the approaching sound of police sirens. Not wanting to have to deal with the cops (Who knew how many of them were still on Circe's payroll?), she ducked down a side alley and quickly made her way through to the next street. Crossing the street, she tried to appear as normal as possible, trusting the charms to keep her from being too noticeable, and quickly ducked into a convenience store to grab, a bottle of water, just to be as casual as possible. As she left the store she somehow felt a presence, and she glanced up to see a hulking man dressed in,.. full plate armour?! and,.. Was that the idiot from school? emerging from another alley. The armoured man was positively glowing with mystic energy.
Without pause, she turned and slipped down the street next top the store. The charms *should* keep his attention from her but they weren't full proof, and he'd been staring right at her! She doubled her pace, taking the first opportunity to duck down another alleyway, and then another before slipping into a doorway and waiting in its shadow, fingering her amulet. Hopefully they weren't following, she didn't want to risk alerting Circe to her whereabouts by using magic, but she'd be ready if they did!
Alexandra was still staring at her. Less intensely, but still. Idiot, you're having a conversation. People (who aren't you) look at each other when they talk. It's common etiquette. But she couldn't shake the feeling that the girl wanted something from her. I mean, why else do this? Maybe she just wants to get to know you? But that didn't make sense. She was a nobody. Some kind of newness effect? A part of her wished Chloe were here to help her navigate this. Until she remembered that Chloe was a b*tch, and she hated her. Plus there was the undeniable fact that you shouldn't ask a question if you weren't sure you could handle the answer.
She takes the arrival of her own milkshake as a chance to step back mentally. Attempting to set her mask more firmly in place. She's just a person. You've had years practice hiding behind the 'perfect daughter' image. This is just one more role. People (who once again aren't you) like talking about themselves. So when in doubt, just ask questions.
"Calmer, probably. Also less to do, so people entertain themselves by getting all up in others' business. Distractions are good though. What sort of things do you like doing? Besides trying burst your eardrums, that is."
Oh, this and that. Sorry about the volume, I kinda... it's wrong to play good music at a reasonable volume. People-watching is another of my guilty pleasures. she says, popping a fry in her mouth.
My dad kinda... well, Gillian and I have been competing with each other for a few years, pretty much everything. So I have that.
I'm kinda a cape geek too. know anything about the local capes? She asks
Kaoru tilts her head to one side. "What about people watching interests you? I always just...get bored the few times I tried it." Is that why she keeps staring at me? She starts cutting her cheeseburger in half to make it more manageable to eat.
She shakes her head at the question about local capes. "Superheroes and villains, powers, they always just seemed so far away, so I never really bothered to read much about them. Since they're real and not characters in a story, I figured anything I read would just be half-truths anyway. But I guess now I'm here, I should probably do some research on them. Do you have a favorite hero?"
"...was that...Gaelic? A bheil Gáidhlig aged?"
Okay, that was "Gaelic... Speak?" something like that...
Very glad that his wide eyes were hidden behind his helm, Bran responded carefully in English. "No, it was not. I had once learned the tongue of the Gaels, but your speech differs from what I recall." Trying vainly to inject a bit of humor through two layers of shock, he added, "Caithfidh Ríthe a gcuid naimhde a thuiscint."
But Bronwyn's thoughts were mostly with what Bran had said - and that Bran had said something! Okay, okay. You'll talk that through with Shayera and Mary-Beth later, but he said that Ceridwen was awake, and she's... mixed at best from the myths I remember.
Of course Shaun's here - I can't just ditch him, and I can't just throw him into the meat grinder if she's Ceridwen, and Ceridwen's real, and Ceridwen's evil. Oh God - what if she's possessed like with Balor? I have to be really careful.
"Kilt. Did you see the girl who just fled us? She may be more than she seems. She could be dangerous, but must be approached in peace. If I give you a position of advantage, can you stand as my guardian in case things should go ill?" He reached up to remove his helmet, revealing a face that didn't look quite human. The features were handsome enough if heavy in the brow and jaw, but the proportions were wrong, almost as if sculpted in imitation of a more atavistic creature than man.
He pulled out a small earbud and pressed it into Shaun's hand. "Press once upon it, and you will be heard by my allies. Do not lose it.
"Now, are you prepared?"
"Hello?"
People, just... Well, My dad is kinda a psychoanalyst, and he taught me and Gill So, you know, you look at people "oh, she's got a thing for Kaitlyn." or "He's, literally high right now" or "He's cheating on her". When you know how to spot stuff like that, it's fun. for certain values of fun She says
Well, okay. Foresight and tectonic are both pretty cool to see in action. and if you're asking about the younger contingent... well, Bioshock was cool, but he's not been active for some time. And hashtag was fun, but I think he relocated. and props to Wingblade, she'd good at what she does. and if we're playing F#+$, Marry, Kill, I think Bran gets the first spot. Alexandra sasy, before fixing him with a hard stare Don't tell anyone I said that, or... well, just don't, okay.
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No duh it wasn't! Why the heck did I think that was Gaelic!? God I'm out of it! Shaun made a brave attempt at a casual reply. "Uh, yea', of...course y'did..." Reeeeeaaaalllll smooth, dumbass...
In truth, Shaun could barely see anything from behind the armored behemoth (a fairly new experience to him), but judging from the tone something serious was going down. "Position of-?...uh, yeah, sure, I'm always down for some action. Just give me a second here..."
As gently as he could, he placed the pieces of the Kit down and extracted his titular kilt, a red field, green-and-black striped tartan piece made of carefully concealed kevlar plates and approximately one s&~$-million pockets. It wasn't a true kilt, the fabric was wrong and it was a buckle-on, but it looked the part. A quick inventory check told Shaun he hadn't lost any knives, and his sporran-styled first aid kit was still fully-stocked. He took a second to apply a mesh band-aid to his flank wound (not optimal, but I don't have time to fix a stitch...), then turned back to Bran.
An earbud? Friends?...Holy s~*+, this guy's part of a team! "Y-Yea', I'll keep it safe..." he muttered as he slipped the gizmo into his ear. "I'm ready. But I was wonderin', whatcha mean by ta' position bITA'F!%$-!?!" He couldn't help but yelp a little as he suddenly found himself hurting through he air. JESUS CHRIST, HAS THIS GUY LOST HIS MIND?!
The landing was ungraceful, but thankfully not as painful as he'd expected. Shaking himself back into focus, Shaun saw the armored giant "stealthily" approaching an alleyway he assumed was where the girl Bran had mentioned had gone. "This is just not my night..." As he crept forward, staying low on the roof, he tentatively tapped the earbud. "Uh, hello? Brian's comm ta'...whoever's on this thin'...come in?"
Kaoru seems more puzzled by Alexandra's explanation of people watching. "But, why would you care if someone liked someone else or if they were on drugs? I mean, maybe if you knew the person and cared about them, it would be good to know. But a lot of people watching is watching strangers, isn't it? So why would it matter what they were getting up to? Or do you just like knowing that you can figure that out?"
She munches on a few fries as Alexandra rattles off a bunch of unknown names. Now that they had established some kind of flow of conversation, things felt easier. Even if the only hero that sounded remotely familiar was Bioshock, and that was only because it was the name of a game. Though perhaps it's a reference to that? Nevertheless, she made certain to catch all the names to be googled later. Possibly with a deeper look into whomever this 'Bran' was. Sounds like a type of cereal to me...
She holds up her hands in surrender as Alexandra demands she keep her mouth shut about the last one. "Who exactly am I going to tell? I know, like, two people in the city, and you're one of them. He cute then? Or just have cool powers?" She had never really understood the game 'Marry, F$!#, Kill'. Specifically what the difference was supposed to be between the first two. If you were married, would you not also have sex with the person? And why would you f#!# them if you didn't want to marry them (or at least entertained the possibility of marrying them)?
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Hidden behind his helm, Bran's face scrunches up in dismay as Shaun's kilt flaps in the rush of air.
I've never been so glad this thing narrows my field of vision. I did *not* need to find out if he was going 'authentic'
Damn. I'm going to have to stop taking her at face value, Shayera thinks as it becomes apparent that Alexis isn't really enjoying the spicy food.
She listens to her bemoan her fate and can't help herself from shaking her head. "Alexis. What you're telling me you want, like going to school, learning Shakespeare, those are all very attainable. I'm not going to tell you that stealing's okay, but what you've taken is for you to get by. And I can cover that for you. I want you to be able to go to school. I want you to have nice clothes, that are yours, so you won't feel guilty for wearing them. I don't want you to go hungry."
Shayera stands up and faces her, hands balled into fists. "I get it; you're not used to trusting people. Plus, I know the fear of dragging innocent people into danger, since the ones who would do what they did to us are the worst kind of monsters. But I'm not innocent. And though I've got money, and clothes, a nice place, and people I love, I'll put it all on the line for you, to give you a chance to have the stuff I've got now. I can't not do that and still call myself a hero."
She trembles with emotion and the force of her conviction. Her eyes blaze, resolute. "I'm Wingblade." She extends her hand.
well... that makes it sound bad. but it's fun to know, you know. Find where they're broken, and most people make sense. I like it when they make sense.
When he asks about what Bran is like, she pauses Well, for one, he's got the classic superhero build. strong and tall and... not that I don't like normal guys, but, well, girls gotta have fantasies. and I met him once... well, kinda. after that lava monster/giant robot Brawl, I was getting out of the way and checking out the destruction, and I saw him talking with a couple kids, I think they were caught near the fight, and he was just... really good with them. sweet and gentle. So nice guy with a killer bod. she says
a noise from outside, something smashing, breaks her line of thought, if there was more to it. She takes a napkin, a d clears off a bit of the window, enough to reveal someone breaking down a door with a powerful kick.
Son of a b~*#@ She mutters Hey. I need to... look, that's a supervillain, and this is awkward, but I need you to keep a secret. She tells kaoru, throwing a twenty down ont he table and dragging him out the door, grabbing her kit from the car.
Alexis blows her nose into a paper napkin to get out all of the snot. It was as bad eating the spicy stuff as having it forced into her nose at least. She could endure this much. She looked up at Wingblade, looking at her outstretched hand in some mild confusion. "...I was Alexis. Then Mercykiller. Now I'm just Mercy," She tells her again, feeling awkward. But it seemed clear to Alexis this person wanted to really help.
"...I...I need to go back to my sleeping place. But...I want to see you again. If that's okay. I promise not to steal anything anymore. But...it would be okay to live with you?" She asked, a glimmer of hope in her voice.
Then something like a car crashing sounded out from around the corner of the street, Alexis standing and snapping into a guarded stance. Did she make too much noise? Were they here to take her away?
She rushes over, peering around the corner - concern turned to confusion as a man with the bottom legs of a oversized kangaroo and a balancing tail was stuffing a backpack full of jewelry. At least it didn't seem to concern her, so she could relax and walk away.
Kaoru nods, starting to understand. "I don't think it's bad. I do plenty of things just to see if I can. It's like a puzzle. Trying to fit all the pieces together. Your brain vs it to see if you're smart and resourceful enough to find the solution."
She's surprised by Alexandra's response to what Bran is like. It was...sweeter than she had expected. She was kind of expecting something a bit more fangirly. She was trying to think of some kind of followup when smashing caught their attention.
"A...supervillain? Are you sure? Wait, where are we going? Shouldn't we call the cops or something?" Why weren't they staying in the diner? Outside seemed like...not the best option. Outside was where this supposed 'supervillain' was. And therefore outside was not the place she wanted to be. Damnit Bronwyn, you couldn't have stuck out the couple of seconds needed to finish that sentence? "Uhhh, ok. Still only know two people, so still not sure who exactly I would tell about this 'secret'." Did she have some kind of thing for supervillains as well as apparently 'nice guys with killer bods'?
Yeah... normally, staying inside is smart when there's a supervillain about, but, as Kanga Ronnie is notorious for petty robberies, he'll likely hit the Diner next. She drags Kaoru into an alley, and quickly unbuttons her shirt, before sliding some armour on over her sports bra, and rebuttoning it, and throwing the Coat over her shoulders, and donning the hat
And, I'm the Silver Shadow, so, I need to go deal with that. Stay hidden she says
She fishes a grande-looking thing out of her jacket, and pushes it into Kaoru's hand If he does come in here, throw this down and run. it should give you cover, and I'll come help.
Cassie shrank further back into the shadows of the doorway, clutching her amulet. "Hello?" came a voice from the hulking man's direction. He didn't sound threatening, but appearances could be deceptive. Nevertheless, however, he'd certainly seen her, and was heading this way! Glancing around hurriedly for a way out of her position, even trying the door she was pressed against, she knew she couldn't escape without doing something. Holding her breath, she pulled the amulet over her head - Mystic had warned her not to use magic whilst under the amulet's protection, so this was the only way!
The girl makes another series of gestures and begins, slowly, to lift off the ground. Silently levitating upwards towards the opposite roof, still hidden from Bran's sight.
Pulling the amulet over her head, she pushed it into a pocket. Concentrating, she tried to remember the basic spell, muttering the words, not decipherable in any modern language, under her breath and breathing out. For a moment, she thought she'd failed but then, as if tied to a helium balloon, she felt her feet lose contact with the ground. The sensation was,.. weird and she looked downwards to make sure her senses weren't deceiving her. Only then noticing that, in her haste to get away, she'd left her borrowed guitar!
A smile grows on Wingblade's face as it seemed -- despite a very rocky start -- they were gaining some trust. "Absolutely. I have plenty of space--" The nearby crash interrupts her and causes Alexis to run to investigate.
Shayera jogs a few paces to get an idea of the cause of the disturbance herself, and when she sees the culprit she swears under her breath. "Kanga Ronnie? That jackass?
She looks down at her current attire of a ripped-up, dirty, blood-stained qipao that she wore to school today. Dammit! There's no way I could convince anyone who sees me flying around in this thing that I'm not Wingblade! she thinks bitterly. Her 'secret identity' had been a fairly dubious thing, especially after the disappearance of 'Shayera Kinney' the moment Wingblade died and the reappearance of Shayera aka Li Xiu Ying after Wingblade's own resurrection. She'd been confronted numerous times, and she still overhears whispers and conjectures.
She quickly ties the charm around her neck once again, noticing the magic once again erases her wings from her form. She repeats the command to swap her clothes with her action outfit and restore her wings, but again the scratch over the runes seems to have shorted out that part of the magic.
As the petty villain starts bounding away, she sees the Silver Shadow in hot pursuit. She shakes her head. Well, it's not like he's a major threat or anything, and Silver can take care of herself. Noticing Mercy start to move away from the direction the fight looks like it's heading.
She calls after Alexis, "Okay, see you tomorrow! Come here to this park in the morning before school and I'll have some clothes for you!"
She then turns to watch the Silver Shield in action, unfortunately sidelined by a brutal wardrobe malfunction.
As the girl slowly lifts off the ground, Shaun starts jabbing rapidly at the earpiece. "Hello!? Anybody!? Oh, son of a b%@$*...!"
He took a breath, and focused his gaze. "Pay attention to everything; their posture, their facial movements, their stance, everything can cue you in to what they're thinking."
It was no good. The rapid shifts in adrenaline were getting to him, he was too unfocused. And in that lack of focus, he panicked (slightly). "FREEZE!" He hopped up onto the lip of the roof, two daggers ready to go in his left hand. "Get back on ta' ground'n' put your hands where I can see 'em!" As impulsive as the move was, he knew how to do it. This was his territory now, not whatever wierd world he'd been pulled into back at the dance studio.
Kaoru very quickly turns on her heel to look the other way and Alexandra begins unbuttoning her shirt, blushing furiously. Oh god, she is turned on by supervillains. Please tell me didn't drag me out here to watch her seduce this 'Kanga Ronnie'.
As she shoves some kind of device into her hands, she gets a look at her new outfit. Wait...what?! 'Silver Shadow'? And what is she wearing? And...is this a grenade? Why does she have a GRENADE? Too confused to do much else, she numbly runs behind a dumpster, peeking out just enough to watch what was going on.
She takes a few deep, shaky breaths. Ok, no time to panic. FOCUS. Panic won't help anyone, and you can freak out later. This is no different from when you had to buckle down for midterms and two different recitals when you were still all messed up about Dad. Put your feelings in a box and shove them away.
Alexandra was apparently one of these 'capes' she was so into. Which I guess explains that whole thing. She talked about powered people moving differently, and even though Kaoru had no idea what she was talking about, she clearly did. It meant she'd be able to tell if Kanga Ronnie had powers, which was good. In fact, she even seemed familiar with this person, which was better. More information was always better. It would let you plan and predict what your opponent was likely to do. She wasn't sure exactly what the grenade in her hand did, but it was probably a smokescreen or a flash grenade. Something where throwing it down in front of her probably wouldn't kill her as collateral. She had no idea if Alexandra had powers, but she hoped so 'cause Ronnie looked inhumanly strong. But she undoubtedly knew what she was doing. Right? I mean, no way would she just rush in there if she couldn't handle it? She'd be ok, wouldn't she?
Cassie gasped as, almost directly in front of her and on the roof opposite a figure appeared, his large form silhouetted by the moon and knives clearly visible. (Is he wearing a skirt?) and shouted for her to stop. Thinking quickly, she grabbed at a spider's web as she passed it, made a complex motion and gestured towards him. Despite its small weight, the ball of spiderweb shot through the air, and expanded, coating the figure's hands and blades as Cassie continued to rise, a small smile on her lips.
And now I’m gonna spend forever picking this s@!+ off of me. I knew I shouldn’t have bothered with that damn school... His daggers were somewhere in the adhesive mess he’d just been covered in, as was his claymore, so getting free or attacking was pretty well out of the question. But, it was one of the girls from school, and Bran was still somewhere down there. If he could just get her to stay in the big guy’s range for long enough...
”Aw, c’mon now doll, I though we were hittin’ it off! Don’tell me ya’ don’t wanna play with ALL this!?”
Bran's head whipped around at the first hint of Hex's spell, but before he could find her, Kilt drew Bran's eye, his ear, and his annoyance.
"Please pardon my ally's hastiness. In truth we only wish to speak with you." His spear's edge glinting in what light was present, but the haft was held negligently, rather than poised to throw.
Cassie paused as Bran's voice booms from below and the big Scottish guy (Shaun?) yelled from his perch across the alley. Even though the the Shaun's words were creepily and weirdly sexist, they didn't at least, seem aggressive. At least not in a way that Circe's goons were likely to be. Nevertheless, Cassie lets herself float upwards to roof level before pulling herself onto the roof. Once there, she leans over the edge. "I think I'll stay up here thanks." she yells down. "What do you want? Why are you following me?"
Mercy left behind the rather strange scene of vigilantism behind her. She would have liked more time with Shayera. But she also wanted to prepare herself.
She was going to have a home.
Not her home. Not really. She was staying with someone who had a home. Who was possibly cut from the same cloth that Alexis had been. Things would be better tomorrow. But she also needed to get some things that were important enough to bring with her.
------
Early in the next morning, Alexis was sitting by herself in the school parking lot, wearing the thick olive overcoat with the hood up and her gloves on. Next to her was something wrapped up in several garbage bags worth of black plastic, duct taped together and speckled with fresh dirt. It was as long as Alexis was tall, laying down on the pavement next to her.
Alexis hoped that Shayera would get there before anyone else, as it occurred to her that her presence might draw attention otherwise. But it was cold so early in the morning, so she'd wear the coat at least. She'd dug up this skeleton of the past because she figured that Shayera would want to know things about the people she was afraid of, and this would give her a glimpse into them. She hoped dissecting the bits and pieces would give her some clues.
Okay, Head in the game. Been a little while since you had a proper fight. But it's just Ronnie, not like it's a real Villain. 1.) He doesn't have invulnerability. 2.) he only has super strength in the legs. 3.) his accent is a soft spot. what else do I have going for me?
Alexandra watches the villain ransack the house, setting up her gear and lying in wait. The worst thing to do would be to fight him in close quarters. Maybe I should call the others.
She touches the earpiece, checking her Bran tracker. he actually wasn't far from here. Weird Hey, got eyes on Kanga Ronnie in Oldtown, outside Travis' Diner. Pretty sure I could take him, but... well, figured the other heroes might want a heads up. sharing is caring and all that.
Now, formulate a strategy. Make use of his weaknesses. he's a bad planner, and impulsive, but he could kick a car at you... how do I run this?
"...YOU ONLY WANT TA'F~$&IN' DO WHAT!?!?!?! OH MY GOD WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE SO ALLERGIC TA' BEIN' STRAIGHT WITH ME?!!!" He writhed in the web in frustration. "I am SO, PHENOMENALLY DONE, with you n' your tool offa girlfriend! Get me outta this thin'n' F$#! OFF! I'm goin' back ta' my room n' fixin' all ta' mess you S#$@HEADS have left in my lap! You have WASTED my time AND a night of patrol, RUINED my Kit, got me DROPPED THROUGH A BUILDING n' COVERED IN STICKY S%~&, N' FOR WHAT?! SO YOU COULD HAVE A COUPLE OF GODAMN CONVERSATIONS?!!! RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
With a defeated sigh he rested his head on the lip of the roof. 'So. F%&!in'. Done." His eyes glanced over towards straight-lace, who had landed a bit aways from him. "Let me guess, now it's your turn ta' lead me around by ta' nose until ya' find some way ta' make me ta' fool?"
"Perhaps if you listened more attentively, you would not find foolishness such a ready destination," Bran sniped, his voice edged with exasperation, "You will be freed soon enough."
Turning his gaze to Hex, he decided that a version of the truth would suit best. "You seemed familiar to me. Something in your aspect spoke to me of an enchantress I had thought long-passed, or at least in long repose. If you are indeed Ceridwen rejuvenated, then I wished to offer peace, in the hopes that a different time and place might allow it. If you merely bear some talisman or resemblance to her, then I wished to offer a warning that such things could come with a price."
Ugh. I'm flying blind here. Don't even know what it was that made Bran say that...
I mean, are you in here Bran? Is she Ceridwen?
Guess that would've been too easy.
With her mind buzzing over meeting Alexis, some of the things she said catch up to Shayera while she watches Silver Shadow work. The biggest mystery was clearly the Triakosia, which sounded like either the people who made Alexis into Mercykiller or they're the ones hunting her down. Either way, they sounded like bad news; dangerous and with a lot of resources. But Wingblade wasn't without resources herself.
Whippoorwill answers her comm. "Hello, Shayera. I've been waiting to hear from you. How was China?" There was a slight touch of anxiousness in her voice. Her mentor hadn't been fully behind the trip to China in the first place.
"Pretty busy. I'll give you a full debrief, like we promised."
"Are you home yet? A week's vacation can set you pretty far back in your training. I'll want to take advantage of the Monday night." Mondays were notoriously slow, although you wouldn't know it from the kangaroo fight going on in front of her and the ruined dance studio.
"No, I'm not. But I got a few workouts in Hong Kong, so you shouldn't have to worry."
A silence on the other line indicated Whippoorwill wasn't following Shayera's suggestion.
"Anyway, I got a question for you. Have you ever heard of the Triakosia?"
Another long pause. "Where have you heard about them?" she finally asks, her voice deadly serious.
A river of ice runs up Shayera's spine. She suddenly looks around at the various bystanders gathering to watch the fight. She suddenly regrets saying that word out loud. Now she had to be cagey in case someone was listening. "Um, it's a long story, but I heard they're pretty bad news. You know about them, right? What can you tell me?"
"I can tell you to stay away from them. They're ruthless. Dangerous. And in the week you've been gone, word's out that they're here in Halcyon."
Shayera blinks. So Alexis is right. They're after her. "Okay, so what can I do? Where do we start?"
Whippoorwill's voice is urgent. "No! Under no circumstance are you to get involved! Whatever you've got going on, you turn it over to me! You're out of this, understand?"
"But I have to--" she starts.
"No buts! You're not on this! That's an order!"
Bewildered, Shayera sputters, "But why?"
"THEY SENT THE MISSILE!!!"
As Kanga exits the building, carrying an honest to god sack of things he thought he could hawk for easy cash. Dear lord, I've walked into a cartoon.
She lines up her shot, right to the neck. Easy peasy, subcutaneous inject-y. G'day Roonie! She says as she fires
Perhaps, the one liner was a mistake. her shot went wide, As ronie leapt, right up to her. now she was in close quarters with the kickboxer from hell
"Let me guess, now it's your turn ta' lead me around by ta' nose until ya' find some way ta' make me ta' fool?"
Cassie glances up at The Kilt. "I'm not sure you need my help for that." she says. At Bran's words, she pales a little but answers. "Ceridwen? No, never heard of her" she answers honestly as her mind raced. He's gotta be talking about Mom! One of the names she used some time. His armour looks kind've middle-agey and the name,.. I don't know. Not French or English or German. I'll need to do read some of those bloody books to find out. Where's he from? If he's offering to make peace with me, even though he thinks I might be her,... So, the question is, is he a good-guy, or a bad guy?
"OK," she yells down, "Consider me warned. You can leave me now, whatever your name is... I can get home by myself from here."
Almost there. Let's see if this wack-ass town can at least manage a bacon, egg, & cheese. But Herman didn't make it quite to the diner. Instead, he came upon what seemed to be a full-on cape battle. Dark-clad female, old school style--Holy S!~@, the Silver Shadow!--and a dude in ...a Kangaroo outfit?[/i] Putting himself between the two he shouts, "Whoa, whoa, whoa ...what's going on here? Nobody needs to get hurt!"
Shaun opens his mouth to retort, but pauses, and slowly closes it. Damnit, she's right. All the b*$#%$@+ earlier's got me seriously off-kilter.
In a slightly calmer tone of voice, he mutters to Cassie "His name's Brian, I think. Really loves ta' tell people what they should be doin'." He sighs. "Look, sorry 'bout ta' knives. I'm still a little jumpy from getting a surprise trip ta'a dance floor (don't ask). If you won't hurt me, I won't hurt you, so could ya' please get this s&~% off me?"
Lie. Or my reputation is scarier than I think. I've gotta get Mary-Beth to help me with those trackers
"Forgive my discourtesy; I am Bran the Blessed, or Bendigeidfran if the name is more familiar to you. I will not hold you here, nor do I seek any quarrel." Bran's helmet hides his expression, but there's a caution to his voice as he adds, "I hope that you feel the same."