Kaoru was confused with a growing side of concern. How could they not care what people were saying about them? How could it not affect them? Was it just too early? Did they still think they could weather it out? Did they not realize how bad it would get? It had cost her everything, and it hadn't even been true! Or...had it? Is that why it had stuck so easily? Ugg, think about that later. Deal with this now.
Either way, it sounded like she was wrong about who was the guy in the relationship. Which was really frustrating because it meant she could have avoided talking to Wingblade entirely. Why did she have to try to be clever about figuring that out instead of just asking? But man, that was going to be hard; being with a girl who was more clearly the fighter and protector. That was emasculating. "Oh, ok. So Bronwyn's the guy then. I'll go talk to Bronwyn. Sorry for wasting your time." She turned to go find Bronwyn to make the same pitch.
'Hi Yin Ying, Shu Zi, Yu Hiu. Um. I don't know what they mean by special needs. I'm worried that they might...think I'm different from all the other students." She glances at the trio of girls around Shayera, pondering if they were like her and Shayera. But she was savvy enough to know that there was no reason to discuss that out in the open here.
"Do you want to sit and eat lunch with me?" She asked, gesturing to her table - and the tray of food piled up like a small hill that was her meal. "I really like the broccoli with salt and pepper."
"Uh, sure. Let's eat with Alexis," Shayera says, taking one last longing look at the seat next to Bronwyn then helplessly shrugging her shoulders. When she sits, however, she gives anyone watching no reason to speculate because she blows Bronwyn a kiss.
She turns back around to everyone at the table just in time to hear Yu Hiu ask, "Are you different from the other students?"
Shayera jumps in. "她非常聰明，但她不太了解人。"
The others all nod in understanding. "我們以為她可能有權力。 她像馬一樣吃," Yin Ying says. The other two titter in laughter.
Shayera gives them an unamused smile. "Why don't we all speak English? It's impolite to talk in front of someone when they can't understand."
Shu Zi nods. "Okay, Xiu Ying."
After their lunch is finished and before the bell for the next period, Yin Ying pops in some earbuds and starts listening to music while Shu Zi pulls out a phone and starts tapping away at a mobile game. Yu Hiu produces a paperback and begins reading.
While the trio occupy themselves, Shayera turns to Alexis. "I think I've found a solution to the problem you texted me about this morning."
=====================
"Wait, what?" Shayera exclaims. A brief war rages while she debates letting Kaoru go so Bronwyn can explain it to her--him, but she ultimately decides to try to spare Bron that confusion.
"No, Kaoru!" Shayera hustles to intercept the mistaken young student. "She's not the guy either. Have you even heard of lesbians? Two girls? Both uh, what's the word... um, cis? Meaning, like, girls who look like girls and dress like girls and want to stay girls. But like each other, romantically? That's a thing! And that's what we are!"
She rubs her shoulders, trying to figure out a way to get through. "You know, right? Lesbians? Bron and me: girls who like girls. You want people to believe you're a guy, you should know that -- 'cause for some reason, guys are fascinated by them! So, you know, just be okay with it, all right?"
"Well, yes, you can't help how you're born. But sex is different from gender. So relationships have a masculine part and a feminine part, like Ruka and Michiru from ラストフレンズ or Tenoh and Kaioh from 美少女戦士セーラームーン or-" she goes on to name several other couples from other Japanese shows before she stops, Wingblades words catching up with her as she suddenly goes pale. Oh sh*t. "Uhh, sorry jōshi. I need to go now. But if you wish for me not speak to Bronwyn, I will not speak to Bronwyn." She abruptly changes direction and attempts to flee.
Shayera shakes her head, bewildered. "I don't know who those people are--"
As Kaoru starts to run away, she throws up her hands in exasperation. "You can talk to her! I didn't say that! It's just--" She trails off, shaking her head in frustration. "Whatever."
====================
Wingblade and Whippoorwill finish their nightly patrol. The city is surprisingly quiet, but so is the Defender's protege. When it's about time for her to go back to her apartment for the night, Whippoorwill has them land on a rooftop and she eyes Wingblade severely.
"Well?"
"Well what?" Shayera responds.
"It's been a week. You were going to fill me in about your houseguest, Alexis."
Shayera's eyes go wide. "It's been a week already?" She becomes cagey. "Can I have an extension? I think we're doing all right; she's a member of the team, and you saw! She jumped at the chance to be a hero!"
Whippoorwill folds her arms. "I'm aware. But I gave you a week, and now you're going to tell me about her."
Wingblade shrugs and looks away. "Well, there's not much. She's amnesiac? So, like, she doesn't remember her past. Total mystery. We may never--"
"Shayera. Have I ever given you the impression that I was stupid?"
With a gulp, she shakes her head.
"You've lied to me now, and you lied to me about the Triakosia. Alexis is one of theirs."
Wingblade goes pale. "Oh, s!%~."
Whippoorwill steps closer, looming over her. "Do you have any idea how upset I am with you right now?"
Setting her jaw in defiance, Shayera glares back. "You didn't give me much choice, now, did you? So I did what I had to do! Alexis is like me. Except she wasn't rescued, she had to escape! And then she was living on the streets by herself and sneaking into the school for food and clothes! What was I supposed to do? She didn't have someone like I did with you! So I had to do that! And then you tell me I'm out?!? That you wouldn't let me stay involved?" Tears are welling in her eyes and she trembles.
Whippoorwill shakes her head. "No, if you'd have told me the truth I would have--"
"No!" Wingblade shouts. "You're too cautious with me now! Ever since I died, you've treated me different. It's subtle, but I can tell. I heard it in your voice when I asked about the Triakosia. You were scared."
The Defender's eyes blaze, and she squares her shoulders. "I'm doing what's best. You're not seeing things clearly."
"You're doing what you think is best. But you weren't raised in a lab like me. Made to be a weapon. Alexis was. Don't you get it? She needs me, and I need to do this."
"They're actively looking for one of their assets. They've got a presence here in Halcyon. Sooner or later -- and probably sooner -- they're going to figure out it's her."
"We're not letting them take her."
"I never said we would."
"That's the problem I'm worried the most about. I hope that your solution works." Alexis reached into her book bag and pulled out some papers. "These have to be read and signed. The meeting is scheduled for next Monday. I hope that it'll be all right. Do you think people won't like me if they decide I have special needs?" She asks in worry. She doesn't think that the girls from China think much of her at all. It was strange and awkward to be around them. Shayera also seemed to feel awkward with them hanging around her.
"Are they going to be living with us?" She asked Shayera.
Bronwyn gives a slightly amused smile, but her eyes quickly turn earnest, ”Hey, you didn't upset Alexis, the situation did. You're not a bad guy for not wanting to date her, or for being with who you're actually into. Honestly? I don't think you could have gone to help Alexis without confusing her more. You didn't do anything wrong there.
Sure she was sad, but... How much have you been told about where Alexis comes from? Having friends and everything is really new to her, but that's exactly why you shouldn't have lied to her about how you felt. It's nice of you to apologize though, and I get that you were worried, but it's really fine.”
She winced at Kaoru's tech support offer, but admitted, “I don't know if you can 'fix' my phone... It's more of a 'My account was canceled' kind of situation. “
***
That night when she was sorting clothes ("Come on, you're letting me sleep here, helping out around the house is the least I can do.") she found the bills in her cutoffs. How did she even know..? Unconsciously she crumpled the bills in her fist. I am Not taking His money. She stared at the single greenish corner poking out of her closed fist for a while before she slung the newly sorted laundry bags over one shoulder, tossed a roll of quarters in her purse, and headed for the door. She could slip the bills into Mrs. Browne's bag and do the laundry. It's better than just throwing it away. It has to be better.
Bronwyn grinned when Alexis came up to ask her about her armor, again. ”Don't worry, tracking said the quartz arrives today, I'll fix the circuits tonight and hopefully it'll heal up by morning. Sound good?”
***
”Hmm? Oh that's just a sum symbol. You don't need to worry about-
”I’m not Cath’lic...”
“Oh. Not anymore or..? You know, that's not what's important right now. Do you want this thing from your dad? He didn't seem mad or anything when I saw him, said you could totally come home, but if you don't want to go home right now, believe me, I get it. Do you know what it is that he wants to give you?”
”Sure, basically just Big & Tall sweats. I only have one set though... Wait, why do you ask?”
”Hey guys, I'm gonna go park at another table today, okay? Oh, This is Shu-Zi, Yin Ying, and Yu Hyu,” she scrunched up her face and corrected herself, ”Sorry, Yu Hiu. They're all new to Halcyon, and I want to make sure they're settled in.”
***
Bronwyn gave a quick soothing smile as Alexis's worries were very clear.”Don't worry Alexis. I've helped other homeless kids go to school, remember? I know who to talk to about forms like this.
“And being special needs isn't anything bad or wrong, and no one worth anything wouldn't like you because of it. The school's probably just worried that you might need different kinds of help than most other students do, and filling out forms like this can help them get the resources to give you any help that you need."
She reached out to give Alexis's hand a comforting squeeze. "Okay, so first thing's first. Is there anyone you would like to be your guardian? If there isn't yet, that's fine, and we'll find..." she gave Shayera a slightly exasperated glance out of the corner of her eye, "...someone to step in. If worst comes to worst we can even ask the woman who helped you get enrolled? Mrs. Larkins? She can fill out most of these forms if we ask her to."
Kaoru tries not to wince as Bronwyn completely ignores her oh-so-smooth topic change and decides to talk about Alexis anyway. She taps her fingers against her computer as she tries not to think too much about the 'being with who you're actually into' part of things. "Yeah, I probably would have messed up trying to make her feel better. I'm bad at that sort of thing. And...I don't think she really understands half of what I try to tell her anyway." She scratches her cheek awkwardly. "You should...ummm...maybe let me see your phone anyway? I still...might be able to do something. But the phone will need to be unlocked. I won't do anything bad to it though. 約束する."
By the time lunch came around, Shaun was well and truly mentally exhausted. What the F!%* is this hellhole?! Who even needs to know half this s~+$?! God I hate school! He’s halfway through the lunch line before he notices Sam and Mordecai trying to flag him down. After loading up his tray, he walks over to the duo and sits down. ”Mornin’ lads. Where’s Bert at?”
The two of them exchange a look before answering.
”Bert’s...uh...”
”Bert’s just...!”
”I’m here...”
Shaun blinks in surprise as the bespectacled student shuffles up, his left eye swollen and purple. ”Jesus! Ye’ ai’ght!? Wha happened!?”
The Trio exchange a morbid look. ”I...I tripped in the bathroom...” Bert claims unconvincingly.
Shaun is unamused. ”B%!&%#&~. Somebody hit ya’, didn’t they? Tell me who n’ I’ll give’em one ta’ match.”
The rotund student pales as he sits. ”No! Shaun, please, it’s fine. I don’t...I don’t want you tripping either. Just...just let it go, okay? Nobody can do anything about it...”
The Trio start eating with barely another word, some silent understanding passing between them. Shaun however has lost his appetite. Like hell I can’t do anything... He thinks for a moment, then digs out his phone and pulls up Gill’s contact information.
(hey gill its shaun)>
(remember bert?)>
(from satrday?)>
(i think somebodys bullying him)>
(im not standing 4 that)>
(whos the local a@~$&%# around here?)>
(anybody whod b able 2 give somebody a black eye n not get caught?)>
- - -
The look of loathing Shaun gives the snowman-covered package is intense enough to melt ice. ”Do I want it? No. Is he gonna keep findin’ other mules ta’ get this s%++ ta’ me? Yes...” He grabs the rectangular box with intentional exaggeration. ”Knowin’ my old man, it’s probably some s#~#ty pen, or a cassette tape with one of his f#~#in’ useless lectures on it, or...whatever other piece of junk he feels like “blessin’” me w’today from atop his high f+&~in’ hor-“
Shaun freezes, the lid in one hand, the uncovered box in the other. There, resting in the present, is something he thought he’d never see again.
The object is a balisong knife, it’s wood and metal handles currently folded over the blade and latched shut. It is clearly a custom- and expertly-made piece, with decorative carvings on the handles inlaid with gleaming copper. The etchings depict a medieval lion’s head in a belt wreath bearing the words “s’rioghal mo dhream,” the crest of clan MacGregor.
”Th-This...!” Shaun’s fingers tremble as he slowly reaches for the dagger. ”This isn’t...! I-I threw this thin’ into ta’ river...!” His face pales as he cautiously wraps his fingers around the weapon, its all-too familiar weight resting in his hand once again. ”How did he...!? D-Did he...!?”
With a slow grind of metal-on-wood, he unlatches the handles and allows the blade to peek through. Unlike the covering, the blade is simple and undecorated. However, it is “scarred,” so-to-speak. A long line of clear metalwork patching runs diagonally across it, giving the narrow flat a strange resemblance to a stone with layers of sediment.
Shaun’s breathing is rapid as his heart rate jumps higher and higher. ”What...?! How ta’ f&$~...?! Wh-Why would he...?!” He staggers back unsteadily. ”This can’t be happening...!” He can feel his heart through his chest. His mind spins as though desperately searching for anything to make sense of what he’s holding in his hands.
His eyes, wild and terrified, tear away from the tool to Bronwyn. ”Did...did he say anything? When he...he gave this...f!#!, he just gave this ta’ya’?!”
- - -
Cassie can practically see the gears in the red-head’s skull slowly grind out an answer. ”Yea’...first day...” Yes...? Maybe she was there? I feel like she was, but...ugh, I’m getting another headache...!
When she asks for spotting, he smiles broadly. ”Yea’ sure!” As she exercises, Shaun finds himself following her movements. The curl of her arm, the bend of her spine, the way her lips tighten as she focuses, the slant of her nose, the color of her eyes, every move and curve like some magnificent goddess...
He snaps back to reality. WHOA there soldier! Calm down! You’re only wearing workout shorts right now! No time to get...wait, was I just staring at her?! S~@~ how long was I-?! Oh God I bet it was really long! F~$!! I look like a psycho! His face turns crimson as he adverts his eyes. ”S-Sorry! Uh, s~*~, um...!” He swallows hard. ”I-I was just, uh, lost in thought! I-I-I didn’t mean ta’-! Oh God...!”
Bronwyn nodded gamely. "There are things you can't hear except from the right person. Sometimes the right thing to do really is to sit back and let someone else step in, no matter how much you want to help." She grinned, "Not that I'm great at knowing when that is, but hey, I've had more than my fair share of messing up trying to help someone feel better. It doesn't stop things from blowing up in the moment, but in the long run the thought really does count. Well usually anyways."
As Kaoru's body language clearly signaled that the phone-plan was at least somewhat illicit Bronwyn sucked in her lips. She handed over her phone, unlocked, but asked, "Kaoru... I'm not worried you're going to break my phone, but what are you planning? Also, what was that last bit? My google-fu isn't nearly as good without characters to copy."
***
"He just asked me to tell you that umm, 'It's okay.' So this was yours before? It's beautiful work."
Kaoru looks surprised when Bronwyn says she's messed up trying to help people but doesn't comment on it.
Kaoru blinked, suddenly looking uncertain. "Uhh, cell towers communicate via radio waves. I...made something that will send a ping out to the nearest tower to see what company it belongs to, so it can then send the appropriate authentication to it, so it'll accept whatever you send after it. So...I guess it kind of spoofs the sim card of an active device? Or...umm...if you don't want me to..." she reaches into her bag to pull out another Android device, a relatively cheap model, and offers it to her after deleting a few things and disabling the passcode, "You can use this I guess? It won't use the same phone number that you have currently or anything, but since it doesn't have a sim card it's also not connected to, like, anyone's account or whatever."
"Ummm...also, if you're going to design circuit boards, you should maybe check out Circuit Knight; the UI is a lot cleaner and less cumbersome. And also 'yakusoku suru' is 'I promise'. Oh, and Circuit Knight has support to sync between a computer and the app if you want to switch off where you're working on something or send the file to something to print the board."
Alexandra hoped no one noticed the small bottles missing from the chem lab. or the activities in the metalshop, after school. but this was a gadget she had wanted to add for a while. not too disimilar from her normal smokescreen, but the addition of ammonia to the catalyst would deny scent as well. A few too many people had possessed super scent for her liking. a countermeasure for enhanced hearing, but anything that could knock that out would probably be enough to deafen her... ultra and infrasound maybe, but that would be harder to swing today.
As the day is winding down, Alexandra grabs Kaoru, and drags him to the library. Okay. We're both stuck in this. so let's make the best of it. she says. she takes him into a corner, and shows him a stack of books, on enhanced abilities and capes in general. and, first things first, I'm going to teach you how to understand, and counter, superpowers. she says.
Is this stealing? I mean... kind of? Then again it's definitely not like they didn't pay for my phone this month, so the cell company's not out anything...
"This wouldn't be me like, stealing someone else's dataplan, right?" she asked, clearly looking to be told it was okay.
"'Cause... thanks. This really helps."
"Are they going to be living with us?" She asked Shayera.
The three look up, glance at Shayera, and giggle.
"Uh, no. I'm sure they've got their own places."
Kaoru looks surprised. "What? No! That would be silly. Data plans are just arbitrary limits cell companies put on the usage of their towers. It's...like having a Spotify account. The site is already there, and it already has music. Your using it doesn't affect anyone else. It's just some arbitrary rule they have that you need an account to use the site."
Kaoru allows herself to be dragged off elsewhere, perking up as she's told the purpose of their library visit. She ignores the throbbing in her ribs to concentrate with laser focus on the task at hand, enjoying the subject material, the company, and just the sound of Alexandra's voice. Towards the end of the lesson, she makes sure to get recommendations for books to read on her own time.
Bronwyn gave Kaoru a "Come on dude!" look, "Yeah, I know. I just meant I wanted to make sure that the way you were getting around that limit wasn't by having my phone count as being on someone else's account. Like if it were spoofing a specific active device then that would be messing with someone's account, right? I'm not like a tech-head, but I'm not completely clueless."
”...it’s...it’s okay...?” IT’S OKAY?! WHAT?! What the F#*+ does that MEAN?! Is that a threat?! Is he threatening to tell the police?! Why would he tell them NOW?! So he can humiliate me?! Is that a challenge?! Is he just saying the knife’s a piece of s#@&?! Is he giving up?! Is he trying to extort me into hanging up the cape?! WHAT THE F*$# IS GOING ON?!
There’s a loud bang as Shaun stubbles back into the lockers on the opposite side of the hall. Luckily, the corridor was largely empty, so he didn’t hit anyone on the way back. Unluckily, he could feel a hot trickle of blood starting to drip from the back of his head. ”S%+*...s*#+ s$+* s&&!...!” The world spins around him as he slides down to the floor, his eyes locked on some distant, unseen point. ”I...what is he...?!” The knife clatters to the ground as he locks his fingers behind his head. ”F!@!...don’t puke...don’t puke...!” His gaze shift fearfully over to the balisong, gleaming under the fluorescent lights like a mirror. His hands slowly fall away from his head, tracing two faint lines of blood along his neck.
He stares into his reflection on the blade. Blood on his neck. Fear in his eyes. A memory, horrible and festering, emerges. ”No...! No...! Na cuir eagal air bàs, agus bidh eagal air bàs ort...! He deserved it...! He f#&+in’ deserved it...! It’s not my fault...! I-It’s not-*retch*...he...!” As he swallows, trying and failing to keep a swell of bile surpressed, a single bloody tear leaks from the corner of his right eye.
Shaun had hit his head before she could react, but by the time he was sliding towards the floor Bronwyn had him. Quickly she scanned and rescanned his wrists, making sure there weren't any helpful signs to indicate what might be going on here.
Nothing.
It's gotta be the Grimm from the alley, right? Is he possessed or something?
"Shaun? Hey Shaun. I'm here. We're both getting through this, okay?"
She quickly looped her crucifix around one of his hands. Can't hurt. But she pulled Gae-Dearg free as well, still shrunken to fit on her bracelet, and rested it against his chest. If this is him freaking out then we'll get there soon, but if this is something else, something doing this to him, I'll get it out.
Alexis listens to Bronwyn as she runs through all the options. She fidget a bit, speaking up about her experience. "I need a guardian that I live with though. Because I guess someone told someone that, um...I was homeless. So they were checking. The special needs is on top of that. And I know that some of the others living in my camp ran away from foster homes that were as bad as the barracks. I don't want to end up there."
She takes another bite of her sandwich, going over the paperwork she was given. "The only way to stop that is if I show I have a legal guardian who has their own home. Shayera said she had a solution. I'd have to live with my guardian though. I hate all this paperwork just so I don't end up back in the barracks."
Her armor was finally ready! She was glad that Bronwyn had fixed it and changed it to something that would be less recognized by anyone who knew its origins. She wanted to show it off to her team too, so she used the group text part of her phone to call everyone to meet at the park by Shayera's penthouse. She didn't think everyone would show up, but she was still excited that at least Bronwyn would be there.
Bronwyn's brow creased in consternation as she listened to Alexis's tale of woe. "Hey, Alexis. No one from the school is going to put you in foster care. No one from the school is even allowed to tell anyone in the system that you're homeless, and they aren't allowed to make you do anything like that if they do. So, if there's someone you want to be your guardian we can take steps towards that, but until then, we can either have you sign forms on your own behalf, get Mrs. Larkins to either sign things or waive those restrictions, or we can find someone to serve as a caretaker. Someone just walking in as a guardian will require a lot of faked up paperwork, and will give them a channel to try to dig into the paperwork you don't have."
She turned her head sideways, trying to read Alexis's expression as she offered, "Do you want me to come to your next meeting like this? I'm worried that whoever you just talked to in the administration either doesn't know how you were enrolled, or they just don't know the laws that protect you. 'Cause Alexis, you haven't done anything wrong, you've given them everything you're supposed to. You are supposed to be here. Can I help you with that?"
She gave a cheeky grin. "I promise I'll talk softly unless I need to break out the big stick"
Kaoru holds up her hands. "Hey, it's hard to tell how much tech stuff people know. I've dealt with people who still use AOL for their email address or who think that just because a spam email uses their name that it was specifically targeted at them and legit. But yeah, it'd be more work if I actually wanted to use someone else's data plan. I'd have to sniff out their account details or something." She plugged the phone into her computer to start uploading the program to it, muttering. "Plus it's not like I would go out of my way to screw over random people for no reason."
The phone suddenly starts buzzing with about a million old texts from Shaun. "You're popular." She hands the phone back to Bronwyn.
Kaoru was so busy fleeing from Wingblade that she almost ran smack dab into Todd Williams, Bryce MacIntyre, and Daniel Thompson. She very quickly did an about face and started sprinting in the other direction, but she had already been spotted. "Get back here you a$*&!*+! You got me suspended!"
There was a pretty good chance she couldn't outrun them. Even just this was jarring her torso enough for a sharp stab of pain to punctuate every step. She did probably have enough of a headstart that she could get out of reach if she could just find a suitable tree. So the first opportunity she had, she bolted up one. As she glanced down, she saw Todd starting to climb up after her until Bryce smacked him, thumbing meaningfully to one side. She looked over to see what he was gesturing at. Apparently, her chosen tree was not that far from the track field, which was making the group nervous.
Todd hissed a few threats as well as an impressive number of slurs at her before he and his cronies stalked off. She watched them go but they didn't actually go that far. They were lurking just around the corner of a nearby building, undoubtedly waiting for her. Well, I guess I'm watching the rodents practice their hamster wheel dance.
She climbed a bit higher, finding a spot that would be comfortable enough to sit in for a while with an unobstructed view of both the field and the trio's 'hiding' spot. This was probably going to be super boring. Why would people even want to watch people runn- wait were they throwing javelins? Since when was that a sport? She leaned forward in interest though she was a little disappointed to note that they weren't trying to hit dummies with the javelins.
Bronwyn actually seemed to be pretty good at this javelin thing. Not that she really had any sort of baseline to compare her to. But it seemed like she consistently got the head of the javelin to land in the ground, which seemed to be a desirable thing from the athletes' body language. She also made it look really easy. Maybe she could make a dummy and borrow a javelin and practice seeing if she could hit it. It wouldn't serve any practical purpose, but it might be fun.
Should she...try to talk to Bronwyn? She had at least heard Wingblade as she said she wasn't actually forbidding her from talking to Bronwyn. And if Bronwyn was good at javelin, maybe she was a better protector than she had originally thought? Though Wingblade had said she wasn't a guy. But one of them had to be. And Wingblade seemed pretty adamant that she wasn't the guy. She glanced at the trio again. I guess I'll let them decide for me. If they don't leave before the end of track practice, I'll talk to her. Otherwise, I'll just leave early. She settled in, idly alternating between flipping through the notepad with Shaun's horrendous writing and watching practice.
Her eyebrows shot up. "No kidding. Umm... I've gotta disabuse Shaun of some ideas."
"And sorry, I didn't mean to imply you'd do anything bad there. I just... yeah. Sorry.
"I'm not wrong though right? I mean, if it were something more important than my phone like, way more important, you would help out even if it were something that meant you actually did have to do something like... I don't know. I don't even really have anything in mind." She laughed in amazement at the nonsense coming out of her mouth. "I'm not very good at breaking the rules, but that doesn't mean they're always good, you know? I guess that's all I'm saying. Any of that make sense? Or should I try to write it down so you can put it through a Spazz-to-English translator?"
The moment Gae-Dearg touches Shaun’s chest, he inhales sharply as his eyes squint shut. ”AH! F#~*!” It burns, like a hot coal pressed against his skin. ”What’re ya’...? W-What’s...?!” Despite the pain, he still feels the cold creep in as his mind slips back to that night...
”Police! Open the door!”
”F$%!...f@%*...”
”Open the door!”
”Help...in the kitchen...help me...”
”I can hear him. Break down the door!”
”Help me...oh God...stay with me...please...”
”Jesus Christ...! Get the paramedic in here now!”
”I’m so sorry...no...he’s gonna die...”
”Son we need to get him to a hospital. You’ve done all you can-“
”No...no...hold the cut...f&~~...what happened...?”
”Just day here son, we’ll take care of him. Just stay here.”
”F#@#...no...f@!!...what’ve I done...?”
In the hallway, Bronwyn watches as Shaun slips into some kind of semi-conscious state, muttering to himself as his eyes flit about wildly behind their lids. His hands involuntarily squeeze shut, one around the rosary, another clamped onto Bronwyn’s shoulder.
Then, in the back of her mind, she feels something...prod. Like a child poking a dead animal with a stick. Only...it’s more primitive. An animalistic presence, testing how far it can reach.
Without warning, pain lances through Bronwyn’s head!
As her mind is wracked with agony, a deep, grumbling voice echos with no sound, filling the air without so much as a whisper being spoken. But all the same, the voice speaks: The farmer ill, hears three howls. The sailor lazy, hears three howls. The soldier careless, hears three howls. This warrior weary, hears three howls. Three howls...
Kaoru blinked. Was Bronwyn asking about her morality? She chewed on her lip. This...might be tricky. She knew Bronwyn was one of the people who wanted her to be a hero. So, what? Was she looking for false confirmation of that view of her? She didn't want to lie. But she wasn't sure she could tell the whole truth either. She spoke slowly, gaze unfocused but directed at her screen.
"It's not about rules. I've gone out of my way to break rules just because I think they're dumb or just to see if I can. It's about the impact. So...I wouldn't, like, use up someone's data plan for no reason. But yeah, if it were for something that mattered to me, I'd do it. Especially if they deserved it. But if you're asking how far I would go for something I thought was important...I dunno. But...I'm also not sure we'd define 'important' in the same way." You're probably one of those people who think the faceless masses are important. And I just...don't care. Does that make me a bad person? Or are Bronwyn and Alexis and Alexandra just overly good people? Man...being in a city of heroes really messes with your baseline moralities.
Bronwyn's eyes flare with rage at the horror that lurks inside Shaun's mind. Through gritted teeth she hurled her challenge, "Three howls hold no fear for me, for mine is a life eternal. Begone fiend! You have no power here, and he is not yours to claim. Be silent and come out of him!" She snapped her head back over to Shaun's face without waiting for the demon's response, bringing one hand up to feel his forehead. "Shaun? Shaun you have to wake up. Come on!"
I told Mary-Beth I should carry some holy water around!
"Shaun, it's not going to get you. I'm not going to let it take you, but you need to get rid of it. Come back to me Shaun, I'll keep you safe, but you need to fight!"
***
Bronwyn nodded, quickly but still somewhat sadly. "Sometimes it's hard to know what the right thing to do is." She brightened, "I'm glad you think me getting my phone back is a good thing though. I'm a little embarrassed how alone I felt."
Shayera had been looking forward to sitting in the "significant others" section of the bleachers during afterschool track practice since she didn't have anything immediately pressing that afternoon. Things in her life could get occasionally crazy -- and with Yin Ying, Shu Zi and Yu Hiu going to Halcyon High, it was likely to get that way soon. So she wanted to take advantage of the opportunity while she had it.
She started heading in that direction when she heard some shouts and caught a glance of someone sprinting through the grounds just outside the track field, away from the main entrance. The figure was being followed by three more in hot pursuit. She moves in time to see Kaoru scamper up a tree well beyond the fence, but still within sight of the field. The boys in pursuit first try to climb the tree as well, but eventually fall back and move to a position to watch and wait.
That's what happens if you're a boy: you have to deal with bullies like that. Not that there weren't girl bullies, but they were less likely to chase you up a tree.
Sighing, Shayera pops in her earbud and dials it to Kaoru's. "Hey, if you haven't cut this entirely off and you can hear me, I'll distract them so you can get away," she says to him.
She then puts the earbud away and casually walks by the lurking teens. She makes a show of innocent curiosity. "Hey, guys. What was that all about?"
They clearly weren't expecting Shayera to appear before her, and it throws off their focus on their quarry. Todd immediately grins hungrily. "Hey! It's the lesbian Chun Li chick!"
"Dude!"
Daniel elbows Bryce as they all leer at her. "Hey! She's trying to keep us from paying back that scrawny little Asian creep! Why should we care? She ain't into us!"
Todd flexes his muscles as he gives her a suggestive look. "I dunno, maybe she's looking for something that Bronwyn can't give her."
Shayera makes a disgusted sound and rolls her eyes.
Daniel chuckles. "You should have seen her today. She was with three smoking hot Chinese girls! Are they all lesbians too?"
Bryce smacks him back. "Dude, that means they won't be available!"
Shayera twists her mouth at their crass attitudes. Todd doesn't notice her distaste as he moves in closer, puffing his chest. "So, what about it? Those new girls? They play for the other team like you?"
Shayera decides to retreat a few steps, deciding to preserve her secret identity. She looks up at Todd. "Are you asking if they're lesbians? No. But they don't like stupid, crass American idiots, either."
The boys' faces grow red. Todd puts his hand on Shayera's face and pushes her. It was hard, but she lets the shove take her to the ground. She lands hard on her butt. He moves over top of her and steps in between her legs, pinning her skirt to the ground with his foot. "You know, I owe Bronwyn. Maybe I'll just take it out on you."
Shayera glares up at him as she struggles to stand up, but her skirt keeps her on the ground with Todd's foot on the fabric between her legs. Eighteen ways of getting out of this pin. Twenty-nine if I wished to put him into the hospital, she thought, but stayed silent.
"Here, let me help you up," he says as he bends over and grabs her shoulders. He pulls up hard while keeping her skirt on the ground, yanking her out of the garment and exposing her panties. "Ooh, lacy. I'll bet Bronwyn loves red."
Shayera stays quiet as she bends down to claim her skirt. Todd keeps his weight on it as she tugs. "Can I have my skirt back, please?" she asks softly, trying to keep the humiliation from making her do something violent. She keeps tugging while the other boys whistle at her exposed legs and underwear.
She gives up and straightens. "Fine. Keep it. I'm sure it'll look great on you." She pulls the hem of her blouse down as far as it'll go, then collects her bag. She ignores their catcalls as she heads back to the main building to go to the locker rooms to change into a pair of gym shorts. Before she goes out of eyeshot, she glances to make sure Kaoru has gotten away.
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The presence seems...amused. Only the King of Green Places is eternal. Only the stones are deaf to the howls. I am the captain, my words commands. I am the Strong Son. I am one with He Who is Blessed by Giants. Prisoners both, deadened souls.
”What’ve I done...? What’ve I done...? What’ve I done...!?”
”...wake...”
Shaun’s eyes, still firmly closed, turn towards Bronwyn.
Nothing is taken, only dreams. You have seen My Beautiful One. You have seen the Beautiful Maiden. Water flows like blood, ever in one motion. All things divided, now becoming whole. The City at the Heart of Spirals. Spiraling courts, filled with dancers.
”Shaun...get you...”
”...Bran...?”
”...not...let it...rid of it.”
”...B-Bron...?”
”Come back...I’ll keep...need to fight!”
”Fight...fight...I’m a...a good fighter...I can...I can...fight...”
Dreams now come to dawn, scatter like mists. No mind within the skull. Only the anger, only the fear. All that is left. I am one with He Who is Blessed by Giants. We are cursed by the Flame-as-Man. Find the absence of spirals, shimmering in meadows’ night. Echo now the howls, as graves are dug for dogs in churchyards. Not to be, not to be, not to be...
With terrifying swiftness, Shaun lunges forward, his hands grabbing either side of Bronwyn’s head. His right eye slowly opens to reveal a shinning, blood-red orb not an inch away from Bronwyn’s own. Blood flows from it like a fountainhead.
His mouth opens, and the scourceless-voice emits forth.
...
...and they both jerk awake.
Shaun nearly screams when he awakens. His back is still pressed against the lockers, but now Bronwyn is seated next to him. Their hands are clasped together, the rosary intertwined within the grasp. The balisong still lays on the floor near Shaun’s other hand, but now its blade is dull, showing no reflection. Furthermore, he feels no pain or blood on the back of his head, and quickly running his fingers along his neck reveal the blood smears are gone as well.
The hallway is quiet. Still...
He turns to look at his team mate. ”What...what just happened?”
If Bronwyn took a closer look at the forms that Alexis had gotten, she might notice that Alexis' worry about being put into foster care wasn't on it. Instead it seemed that this form was standardized and assumed that she had a guardian to speak to someone on her behalf regarding an individualized education plan. Her worry most likely stemmed from her misunderstanding, and Bronwyn's words calmed her down.
"Okay. I think...I don't know who I would want to be my guardian. Maybe Whippoorwill? She seems to really like me." Alexis suggests, glancing at the three Chinese girls, before leaning in to whisper in Bronwyn's ear.
"Do you know these girls? They seem really close with Shayera. And pretty. I don't know how Shayera knows them though." She fidgets, then decides to switch topics. "We should try out my suit tonight, okay? I want to see if it works how it should."
The armor weighed about as much as Alexis did, so it really wasn't feasible to let Bronwyn haul it around. So she put it on at Shayera's apartment first, checking to make sure that it functioned before heading out to the park. She wasn't quite sure about going out so publicly in it, but she guessed that it didn't matter when one in a thousand in the city was also wearing something interesting like this.
As it turned out, the park was rather peaceful today, which suited Alexis just fine as she stretched out and checked out the functions of the suit. The suit's protective plating worked just fine, able to adapt to maximize protection from different sources. But it was also heavy, to the point that without her strength she'd barely be able to move in it. But now she could be a hero without fear of dying. Or less fear of dying.
She really didn't like dying.
Mercer Kelly. Since last week, thousands of missing person's posters had gone up all around the neighborhood around the school seeking him out. The more curious thing about it was the fact that no one in this part of Halcyon seemed to know who he was, or the people that were looking for him. It was like ghosts were looking for ghosts. A strange mystery that some might think merited investigation. Starting of course with the posters themselves.
Alexandra's first method was to google Mercer Kelly. seemed the most reasonable. if that failed, it would be time to bring in Kay.
Searching up Mercer Kelly, she finds his missing persons report as publicly displayed on the Halcyon City Police Department's website. According to it, he was first reported missing in October of last year, over six months ago. He had last been seen in the financial district of the city, according to the report.
Searching up for this Mercer Kelly found no social media presence. There were certainly other Mercer Kellys out there, but this teen boy wasn't on Twitter, or Facebook, or even MySpace. The only photograph that she could find of him was the same one that was used in the missing person's poster in the first place.
Well, that's weird. who is putting up posters here, now... she wonders, before deciding to take another tack... though she does note down which high school he went to.
and texts Kaoru >Hey, how hard are traffic cams to hack?
Bronwyn's lips were pursed in thought, only a slight wildness in her eyes betrayed how unnerved she was by what happened.
"Kind of a lot Shaun! I don't know... I don't know what you did with that knife, but it's obviously still eating at you. And I think something else is joining in." Dog buried in a graveyard has to be a Grimm. We saw one too, that's clear enough.
"We should tell the whole team about this, as soon as you're ready." Blessed by Giants? Bran's the only blessed giant I know... Gah... there's something else there though. "Whatever that thing was... it spoke a lot in myths and riddles. Reminds me of the Edda... or Beowulf. Kennings, that kind of thing." Beowulf! Didn't he have a sword that was blessed by giants or something? Wait, is he real? I mean, sure, he got crisped by a dragon, but Bran died too and I'm still walking around as him. Heck he died three times depending on how you count... "It was talking about that dog that chases you though. That part I'm certain of. But give me a second. I've gotta write this all down while it's still fresh. The words could really matter."
She was already jotting things down feverishly in her phone when she stopped and looked back up.
"You okay?"
***
"If you're not sure, then we shouldn't get you a guardian. It's really meant to be something permanent, so it'll be easier if we can just establish a caretaker. We can ask... her if you want, but until then, if they want to talk to someone, you can tell them to call me in. It won't be official or anything, but I get along well with the admin office and I know how you're supposed to be treated. Would you like me to help with the forms and things while we're figuring out something more permanent? It's really only a good option if you're comfortable with it."
"Oh, and Shayera's met them before, but it's not really polite to talk about them while they're here without just talking to them. I hope they're nice. But Alexis, don't talk about hero stuff to anyone that might not know about it, remember? Not even just to say that you know Whippoorwill. It'll help make sure we can all go to classes without problems."
"I...I dunno..." He stands shakily, collecting the knife off the ground. "...Bron, this is gonna sound nuts but...I...I don't remember what just happened..." Without conscious thought, he slides the weapon into a pocket. "Did...was I...? I was, I was remembering getting home...and then there was a-a voice n'...what ta' f@$& just happened...?" He feels numb, like he's just gotten hit by a full-body painkiller dose. With mute confusion, he looks down at his own hands. "S@@!...uh, Bron, I think uh, I think I'm in shock, like right now, n'...oh boy...need a chair. Need a chair right now..."
He stumbles over to a bench, collapsing onto the wooden slats before his legs give out. "Oh God...what ta' f$$@...? S&%#, can't feel my fingers. Blood's tryin'ta' go back ta' th'right place too fast...slow ta' heart rate...breathe..." He points a trembling finger at Bronwyn. "Nobody gets ta' know this happened, y'hear? Nobody. This didn't happen...it didn't happen...what happened?" Sweat drips down his face. "What thin'? What riddles? What d-?...Cu Sith. What about ta' Cu Sith?" He blinks as a detail finally returns to him. "...why were ye'talkin' in Bran's voice?"
This time Bronwyn was ready, and she was up under his arm before he could collapse, gently lowering him to the bench, lowering him onto his back and propping his legs on her lap.
"Shaun, I'm sorry, but you have to tell us what's happening. Something's inside your head. You don't just get to tell me to trust you... Heck, you didn't even bother asking!"
Kaoru tries to resist the stab of guilt. You can't *just* be what other people want you to be. 'Try to please everyone, and you please no one.' There's no way you'd even be able to fake that level of empathy. Better to disappoint them now rather than later. Luckily, the guilt was very quickly replaced with a sudden flare of anger at whomever had cut Bronwyn off and made her feel alone. And then dread at the knowledge that that might become worse if she and Wingblade continued as is.
She gave a half-shrug still watching her screen. "This...wasn't anything. I had already done this just to see if I could, so it was a no-brainer. Less than that even. But if you run into other problems, you should let me know. In case I could help or whatever. You shouldn't have to feel alone. It's not a good feeling."
Kaoru glanced at her phone before quickly responding to Alexandra.
> Harder than the school's cams, easier than most other government resources. Was there something you wanted me to look into?
"...Bron...I'm sorry. But...I don't know what's happenin'. Ta' only answer I've ever gotten 'bout my dome is that I need more sleep, an'...well...ye' know what happened then..." He rubs his eyes, a wave of exhaustion settling over him.
"...y'wanna know ta' weird thin'? I'm happy I don't really remember what just happened. 'Cause I don't have dreams Bron. Since I was 2, all I've ever had are nightmares. Nightmares that I couldn't always tell weren't real. People like that get meds shoved down their throats n' wear little wristbands so ta' doctors know what kind of crazy they are. I don't wanna be crazy Bron. I'm not crazy...whatever happened, it wasn't real. We just...we just looked at dumbass math f'too long n' it knocked us out. A trippy power nap. That's all. We bury it. We move on."
He nods emphatically. "It was nothin' but noise. Focus on ta' task at hand. Anythin' else is useless until ye' meet, an' then beat your goal." The way he says it, Bronwyn gets the impression he's repeating something he was told.
"It's okay"...? "...if y'really wanna know, that knife represents ta' biggest f!*$-up of my entire life. Ta' night...ta' night I almost...I lost blade discipline. I hurt somebody bad n'...an' I put it where I put everythin' that keeps me from bein' me. In ta' dirt. Outta my mind. Why my old man wants ta' dig it up...f!$% if I know." He turns his head to look at the athlete. "That's all." Please don't dig any deeper than that...that's all you need to know...please...
Kaoru blinked as Wingblade's voice came over the comm. Why was she trying to help? She didn't *need* her help. She tried saying as much before remembering that she actually needed to activate the earbud via her watch. By the time she remembered, Wingblade had already pulled her own earbud out. She grimaced but started climbing down. There was no real point letting the opportunity go to waste. As she climbed, she watched what was going on, admittedly rather eager to see the trio get their asses handed to them.
Except that wasn't what was happening. Why wasn't that what was happening? Why was Wingblade getting pushed down on the ground? And Todd's foot was pinning her skirt... Her eyes suddenly widened in terror as she realized what Todd's next move was going to be. It was almost exactly like the cause of the second fight Todd had gotten into. According to his record anyway. She jumped down the remaining distance from the tree, ignoring the sudden pain as she landed a little off, and started sprinting towards Bronwyn and the javelins. Sh*t why'd I run this way? I should have run *at* the trio and tackled Todd. What do I do now? Grab a javelin? No, I'd probably just hurt myself. Maybe- She grabbed Bronwyn and started trying to drag the athlete towards where the gang had cornered her girlfriend, pointing towards them as she managed to get out between gasps for air, "Go. Help. Shayera. Trouble."
>Cams on 10th and Lachlan, 27th and park, and Blake and Birch. looking for whoever is putting up those posters.
> You mean the Mercer Kelly posters with the $1k reward that are plastered everywhere?
> The two I saw in the park were a heavyset, African-American woman and a skinny Indian guy with a hawkish nose and a British accent
> I can check if it's the same two though
Kaoru pulls out her computer to access the camera feed.
But she's not hurt, right? I know she's not hurt.
Bronwyn didn't ask any followups, but just took off in a quick jog, her gaze panning back and forth as she tried to find Shayera.
Wait, what if someone else is hurt and she's helping them? Why wouldn't she just use her comm.
She rounded the corner narrowly avoiding slamming into Shayera when she did.
"Oh my God!" Unnoticed, her fingers twitched in a brief sign of the cross. "Shayera what happened to..." She saw Shayera's skirt still on the ground near Todd and his crew.
She grabbed Shayera's shoulders, "Are you okay? Are you-" Her wrath boiled over and she turned aside before she could hear any response. "What the heck is wrong with you, Todd?!"
"Give her her skirt back, right now. You know I'm not kidding."
***
"Shaun, you're not crazy. I've seen that dog thing too, remember? You don't have to tell me everything that's happened to you with this knife, but math doesn't knock me out, and I saw what I saw. We have to deal with this."
Shayera wraps her arms around Bronwyn's waist and tries to pull her away from the boys. She deliberately avoids any spots where she'd gain leverage, so her tugs were ineffective and almost comical-looking as she fails to budge the taller girl. "It's okay! Bron, I don't want it anymore. Come on, let's just leave."
"I've got gym shorts in my locker. Just go back to practice, let me get them and I'll watch you, okay? It's not worth it," she pleads.
A variety of emotions flicked across Todd's face before finally settling on a cold smirk as he slowly and purposefully lets his eyes wander over Bronwyn's form. "How about I trade the skirt back for your shorts? Or maybe have the two of you put on a little show for us." Daniel gives a wolf-whistle of approval as Bryce starts to look nervously about.
Kaoru was definitely not as fast as the track star. Especially given the various throbbing/stabbing parts of her and the fact that she was technically traveling twice the distance that Bronwyn did. But she kept pushing forward anyway. When she did show up, she had to repress the urge to be sick. Glaring murderous daggers at Todd, she quickly pulled the long-sleeved shirt she had been wearing over her head and handed it to Shayera to wrap around her waist. The black sleeveless shirt she wore as an undershirt was loose enough that she'd be ok, even if it did show off a few bruises along her arms. But she couldn't help but feel exposed and weak. Which is what she was. This was all her fault. She hadn't been paying attention. They were after her. Why did people keep insisting on trying to protect her?
Todd's face twisted in rage as he caught sight of Kaoru. "Or, better yet, give us that a$+%@@# and then get the hell out of here. We have unfinished business."
Kaoru started forward, intent upon giving herself up. She was going to take the beating and then absolutely ruin Todd's life. He wanted to be a fking pervert? Well, she was going to make damn sure everybody knew it. "Go. I'll be fine," she muttered tightly. This was all her fault. She had just wanted them to stop talking about Bronwyn like that. But now the bullies had gone from just using words to taking Shayera's skirt off. She had tried to help but it had only made things worse. Oh so very much worse.
"Little late to play the tough guy." Daniel mocked. "Maybe you shouldn't have gone running off to mommy in the first place."
Bronwyn's eyes traced the scar near Todd's eye, but her face stayed cold in response to his smirk. "I don't want to hurt you again, Todd. But you're not getting Kaoru, and you're not getting a show. You will get expelled if you keep this going. Give me the skirt and walk away."
Todd scowled, alternating glaring between Bronwyn and Kaoru. His fists clenched in anger and for a moment it looked like he was about to take a swing at someone. Finally, he scoffed at Bronwyn. "Whatever. I'm sure me and half-pint will have plenty of chances to talk in a couple of weeks. Once his widdle mommies aren't around to look out for him." He ground the skirt a little harder into the ground before jerking his head to his companions and stalking off. Daniel and Bryce obediently fell in behind him, Daniel giving one last sneer before he turned around.
Kaoru continued to glare at the back. It'll be longer than a few weeks if I have anything to say about it... Once they were gone, her nausea returned, and she had to take several deep breaths to keep from throwing up. Still staring where the trio had disappeared, she spoke quietly in a strained voice. "You should've just stayed out of it, Shayera. I would've been fine."
Shayera plucks a leaf from the shirt Kaoru gave her and lets it flutter to the ground as a statement about where she had found him. "Not likely."
She shrugs. "I'm fine. There's nothing that they could do to me that I didn't allow. They're so weak that they couldn't even see that I could put them in the hospital with five moves. Well..." She closes her eyes and makes a few motions with her hands. "Okay, six if you count standing up."
She hands the shirt back to Kaoru. "Here. Cover up your bruises. I don't mind giving my girlfriend a show," she says with a smirk.
"Worst case scenario, they would have waited and just beaten me up. More likely they would have lost interest and just left." Kaoru retrieved her shirt, still not looking at the other girl. Turning back away, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut. "Can't you see this was so much worse?" Her throat constricted, and she swallowed hard to try to get past it. "This was exactly what I was trying to avoid in the first place. This is why I wanted you to come out. Do you think it's going to get better? Because it's not. If anything, it'll get worse." She took a shaky breath as she began slowly putting her shirt back on. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry.
”...an’ what happens when other people get involved? Bron, ye’re just about my only pick f’best person ever, but...other people aren’t just happy w’vague stuff. They wanna know thin’s ‘bout people that people don’t always want known. Thin’s that I had t’give up, ta’ forget. I don’t...”
”...I don’t wanna be ta’ old me again...” His tone isn’t as certain as his words.
Shaun releases a long sigh as he runs his hands across his throat. ”...if ya’...if we start diggin’, I want your word that only people we both trust get told anythin’bout this. Right now, I think only Shayera counts f’that...unless ye’ve been ta’ t’Isles n’ I don’t know ‘bout it.”
Bronwyn just looked at both Kaoru and Shayera like they were crazy, face still a mask of determined anger.
"Okay, first. Shayera, please keep the shirt, or put the skirt back on, or really just any kind of overwear until we can get you some other clothes. Second, Kaoru, it's not okay for them to beat you up! Why would you ask us to let that happen?! And umm, I guess we hadn't told you, but we are out.
"Wait, how'd you know we were together, but not that we were public?"
***
Bronwyn made a bit of a face, and rolled her eyes at Shaun's blatant flattery, "Shaun, I'm definitely arms-tied-behind-my-back if I have to do all the research on this on my own. Could I tell some of Bran's other acolytes? Without giving them your name? This is something we'll need to solve, you know? Mystical seizures are not a walk-it-off condition! Wait, would I even be able to tell Bran?"
Attempting to find the footage of people putting up the posters proves to be much more daunting a task than could be accomplished in a short time frame. There's hundreds of cameras in this neighborhood alone, and thousands over the entirety of Halcyon. Only a fraction of those were actually accessible through the internet. She does manage to find feeds that display views of various places that the posters were put up. It would take her at least a whole evening going through all the footage to find the people that she remembered.
The cry for help alerted her, as she stopped fretting waiting for the others and leaped towards the sound, bounding ten meters at a time until she got to the source of the distress.
The boys shouting she thought she recognized from school. What was strange to her were the four foot tall red-skinned and horned humanoids snarling and trying to climb up after them, some being kicked off and falling gracelessly to the ground.
One of them (Bryce, she remembered, he was in her algebra class) looked at her in her shiny new armor and cried out. "We're saved, Todd! Help us! These things just attacked out of nowhere!"
"Not nowhere - they smell your sins on you. Sloth and Wrath and Pride, all perfectly seasoned," A voice spoke, an older gentleman with a pointed salt and pepper beard and scarlet eyes stepping out in an immaculate suit. "I am the Sineater, and I'm here to do you all a favor. You'll never have these flaws again once I'm finished with you," He told them, flicking out a forked tongue.
Alexis didn't know anything but that these boys needed help. Shayera told her that she should prioritize ensuring someone's safety over attacking an enemy. So that was what she attempted to do.
It was unfortunate for her then that the Sineater stepped into her way. His blow was far heavier than his slight build should have been able to accomplish, blowing her back several meters. She tapped her comm added to the helmet. "Need back up. In the park. Hurry, innocents in peril."
"Innocents? They're bullies, and you're protecting them! Doesn't that make you in the wrong? I'm here to correct their behavior - and sate my belly in the process. It's a win-win proposition," He informed her with a smile full of pointed, sharp teeth.
Having finished her work out routine with Shaun, Cassie headed to the change rooms, showered, and dressed. On her way out of the gym, she almost bumped into three very pissed off boys who were stalking past.
"Gonna get that little bastard," the lead boy announced to the others as they walked past. "and those f%%*ing d@$*s! No-one f#!+ing threatens me like that! Especially not a f~%!ing girl."
Cassie watched them pass, wondering who they were talking about. There were a few out couples at the school, but something told her that Bron and Shayera were likely involved. Taking a note of their faces and determining to keep an eye on them, she made her way through the school ground to the bus stop where, annoyingly, the three idiots were seated at the back, still discussing how they were going to get their revenge. A while later, at the same stop as the trio, she jumped off the bus, headed into the park near Shayera's place and looked around. Alexis probably wouldn't be too hard to spot....