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Neutral
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The moment the pair landed Firebird dropped her guard, his grunt proved she had winded him. A feeling of concern briefly clouded her until she realized he was fine, why she felt the need to even be concerned about a villain? She didn't know. She never noticed his brief pause, partly because she had also hesitated. Too worried about her own thoughts to notice his. She was expecting him to pin her, or shove her off. She wasn't expecting the power to come from his hips though. She rolled off of his body onto her hands and knees, she briefly considered kicking him while he was down- quite literally. She would've done it to anyone else.. She jumped to her feet, arms crossed over her chest as she waited for him to collect himself. She found so much joy in finding new tactics to catch him off guard, and this one had seemed to work! She had a smug look plastered on what was visible of her face under her mask. A strong gust of wind whipped her braids back behind her and even wavered her slightly, a subtle nod toward the danger they faced up here perhaps? Their fight tonight felt odd, even for them! Sure they sparred and had fun but none of these long pauses and letting each other get up. However, she was so entranced by the entire thing that she didn't want it to end in. She wanted to let him up, she wanted to tease him and banter if it meant drawing the battle out. She enjoyed his company, but there was no way they would be able to spend time as friends. It was simply impossible, all they had were their silly little battles. And she knew that at the end of the battle they would silently part ways again until next time- just like every other time! It felt like an injustice to her, why out of everything in the world did he happen to have to be a villain? She stopped her ridiculous train of thoughts, even for a spar she was far too distracted! "You seem off your game tonight" she smirked "I didn't realize shiny things distracted you so much?" she cocked her head as she turned away from him. A hypocritical statement from her tonight! She turned away to make some distance for them to make their next moves, but she was also drawing them slightly away from the edge of the roof. But regardless, her back was to him and she was absolutely expecting him to strike, her muscles tightened in anticipation. She wanted him to strike, she enjoyed practicing these things in controlled environments, plus she would undoubtedly hear him moving toward her anyway so it wouldn't be a huge surprise. The green material on her back may as well have had a massive target painted on it! |
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Lightbringer
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In a normal fight, Venandi would have avoided being thrown or tackled as best he could, avoided hitting the ground which was where he was at his most vulnerable. And in those rare moments where an opponent that gotten him off balance enough, he always had gotten up as fast as he had went down, the moment he had hit the ground he had already been in motion and was up less than a second after. All the while, his instincts would be screaming at him to get off the ground and recover his footing and attack or run while he had the opening. Even in spars with The Firebird, even in playful tussles with the few friends he has, he always tries to avoid pinned down; and even if he allowed himself to be on the ground, there was always the instinct to truly fight back to control.
As the villain finally got to his feet and spun around, he realized with a jolt that he had taken longer than normal to get up, and he did not feel that urge to truly lash out at his opponent. The brief uneasy-fearful prickling at the back of his neck had been absent, and while he certainly did not take long to get to his feet, it was a few moments longer than normal for him. He wanted to examine that later, but now was not the time, even as strange as it was. He honestly could not think of a time when he did not stand and be immediately moving, even as a child he did not like to be tackled and it would often end with the other youngster being kicked or hit out of a reflex that had always been present.
There was a some surprise at being able to get up without getting attacked again, or even without the hero advancing on him in preparation for another hit. But he had already thought that this fight in particular was different from the previous encounters, and he decided that the slower, drawn out nature of this time was yet another deviation from the norm for them. He was not complaining though, something about it made him want to keep it that way.
The green and white hero was smirking at him now, arms folded across her chest, fiery hair blown behind her by the wind. He felt the gust of wind at his back, blowing the hood forward against his neck and the top plastering against his back from the force of it. The chill piecing the fabric as it hit his body, and he had to appreciate that his chosen outfit didn't leave much bare skin to the cold when the temperature dropped. Even if he could probably do with an upgrade, material-wise.
Venandi rolled his green eyes upon hearing her comment, a bit hypocritical to him, seeing as she also seemed to be off her game as well. And the way she said that last part made him seem like a raven or crow, if he wasn't mistaken, one or both of those birds really liked shiny and sparkly things. Which he wasn't.
"Mhm, and you aren't?" He called to her as she turned away, making sure to put a lighthearted tone to it so that it wouldn't be taken as a criticism or something similiar. Perhaps it wasn't his best come back, but he had to admit that she was right on the account of being a bit off his game, and he wasn't able to scrape together a better response that wasn't fully stupid sounding.
The villain considered tackling the hero in return, for a total of about three seconds before disgarding it. That would be a move if he was aiming to win, he was stronger one and it would be odd if he lost in such a close struggle such as that. His eyes narrowed slightly in thought, as if trying to figure out how to proceed. It felt wrong to attack when she had her back turned like that, and he didn't quite get why because usually he'd take any chance to attack an opponent, but he had to do something.
The man tilted his head very slightly to the side as he edged closer to the hero, carefully, as if expecting her to spin around and strike before he could get out of range. That still was not out of the question, she was a tricky one, and he would not be too surprised if she suddenly leapt at him while he was closing the distance. It was probably a bit of a stupid idea, but he was well aware that this wasn't a true fight and he sometimes had to limit himself to certain moves, he did not want to go for a tackle and he would just feel rotten if he punched or kicked her in this situation. He lunged forward and to the side a little, so that he wasn't directly behind Firebird. A moment before his foot touched the roof again, his arm shot out in a shove, it would be a fairly hard one, enough to make someone stumble. And once his feet were on the ground, in almost the same motion, he half turned and shifted his weight so he could aim a kick to create a little more distance. It was a bit awkward, but he didn't care how it looked if it worked. |
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Neutral
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Firebird felt the hair on her arms and neck prick with the brisk wind. The cold temperature just spurring her on, he heart thumped in anticipation as she waited with her back turned. She heard him step forward, slowly closing the space between them. How curious.. she thought to herself, her train of thought cut short as he moved and struck out at her. It was quick and calculated- effective but maybe not so elegant. Either way she gasped slightly, the breath catching in her throat as she stumbled a few steps away. Sometimes she forgot his strength and that had served as a rather friendly reminder! Her urge to win this fight finally kicked in, like a switch inside her brain. Finally she could focus more, maybe she had just needed some sense shoved into her. Quite literally! She had seconds to react, knowing that if she faltered and fell then she would lose the fight. She let her momentum carry her through the stumble. Knowing if she fought it she would've likely fell forward. Once she felt her footing was steady again she rushed forward, no hesitation in her next attack. Still a little voice in her head didn't want to hurt him, but the logical one knew he could take even a real hit from her and be okay unless he hit something or fell off the roof. Neither of which she would let happen. She powered forward, and when the space between them was closed she effortlessly leapt up, aiming both feet directly into his midsection. She knew she had to aim for soft spots with him and if it were a genuine fight she would aim more for his neck or knees but this was just for fun. She felt the impact jolt through her feet, traveling quickly up her legs. During her kick she had instinctively pushed off him, creating space for her to land on one knee. She knew it was rather risky but she followed her energy through a forward roll. If she could just get one more strike in now she knew she would've won. Her breathing labored from the power she had used in her kick, the adrenaline encouraged her to finish the fight. As much as hated to kick him while he was down that's exactly what she did. Usually she would've left immediately but this time she stood, watching him for a second to ensure he was okay. Her eyes glistened, clearly pleased with herself even if she would admit it. It was an easy win tonight, she had no clue that he had thrown it. "Maybe you'll get that ring next time!" She giggled as she stepped up onto the edge of the roof before jumping down, disappearing onto the first platform of the scaffold. Her feet hit the metal with a thud, before she began her clamber down. |
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Lightbringer
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Venandi had only a second or so to correct his balance from the kick, that move was more risky because it required that he unbalance himself in order to actually kick, and the angle of said movement was a weird one and that increased the chance of something going wrong in the process. But he had managed to do it, and sent his opponent stumbling a few steps, and he couldn't deny the tiny spark of satisfaction of catching her off guard even for a second.
It wasn't to last long, and small part of him knew that very well.
The dark clad man had just turned to face the direction that the hero had been in, only to be met with the fight of her running towards him which startled a slight flinch out of him. An instinctive response to seeing such quick movement towards him, his heart rate spiked for a moment before he took a single step back out of reflex. A part of him knew that even if he wanted to react, she was too close for him to decide on the course of action to take.
In fact that was all he could do before the hero leapt into the air, and the moment that the villain processed the action and pose and realized what she was intending to do was when he felt a force drive into his midsection. Not for the first time that night he felt the air leave his lungs, and he was a little glad for that because he definitely would have made a noise if not for that happening. The strength and weight behind the kick made it feel as if he had either gotten kicked by a horse or punched in the stomach by a very large or strong person, either way it hurt. He didn't even process that the kick had unbalanced him enough, the location and the force behind it working together to practically throw him off his feet and backwards.
The villain twisted around for that brief moment and managed to angle so that he was able to turn completely around and kind of catch himself. There was not enough time to get to the side and get his head down enough to preform a roll, but he did fling his hands out in front and get a leg down so that his knees did not hit the roof with that much force. The landing was awkward and definitely not his best, with the jarring impact traveling up his arms and his leg nearly going out from under him before the other one joining it in holding him up.
Then as soon as he was sure that he was not going to fall, he stood up and turned, resisting the urge to double over or check his midsection. He couldn't stop the head tilt when he saw that The Firebird was still standing there, her eyes on him. Weird, normally she'd have left by now, he thought as he stood there. A warm feeling was present now at that, maybe appreciation for just lingering for a moment?
"That was a good one, Firebird!" He called to her once he felt like he was able to speak without sounding overly strained from the kick. A moment later after he spoke, he heard her tell him that maybe he'd get the ring next time. I don't think so, the thought popped into his head as he watched the dark green and white clad hero disappear, feeling a pang of something like longing and something almost lonely as she did so.
The villain remained on the top of that cold, windy building, finally giving into the urge to allow to himself double over for a few minutes to let the residual pain pass. He soon recovered and by that point he was shivering, it felt like the chill had deepened or perhaps it was because he had not been moving for a couple minutes. But he finally straightened up and stretched out his arms and legs, his eyes slipping shut for a moment as he took in the sharpness of the air. Then after a moment he decided to get on his way home, and as he came to the edge of the roof, he had the brief thought that maybe he should go to one of the healers that accepted villains. That train of thought prompted a quick check that his body wasn't exhibiting any signs of internal damage, he knew that it was likely because he was paranoid about serious injuries, but figured it couldn't hurt to check. Just in case, not that he would have suspected the Firebird of intentionally causing him harm like that.
There was no damage that he could tell and he decided to leave it at that. Then he was hopping over the edge after checking that there was indeed something to land on and he was not going to have a twenty foot drop in his immediate future. From there, it was easy work picking his way down the building, with the worst injuries being bruises from the hits on the roof and it was not as if those caused any trouble to him.
A while later and he arrived at the apartment complex in which he lived. The building itself was tall, like any other structure in the city, and the outward appearance was decent. It wasn't actively crumbling before one's eyes like a few buildings he had seen before, and it didn't violate any health code violations or such for humans, so that was a good thing in his eyes. Out of pure habit, the villain started up the building and he had made roughly halfway up the structure before realizing that he had recently moved to the room on ground level; with a tired and irritated sigh which was accompanied by his hand rubbing his face through the mask. Then he turned himself around and started the careful descent down. One of the reasons why he had chosen that specific room in the complex was because he had figured out that in some places down there were a blind spot to security cameras, and he could come back after a night of roaming about and doing things without being seen in costume.
Once close enough to the ground, he simply dropped and rolled onto his feet. From there it was a simple matter of sneaking into the apartment room and locking everything behind him. It wouldn't do for a stranger to have a free pass to his place just because he forgot to lock the windows. As the last lock snapped shut, he heard a scrambling of nails on hard surfaces racing towards him, pulling off his face as he turned around to face the makers of the noise. A moment after he had lowered himself into a kneel on the tile of the room, he was hit with enough force to send him sprawling on his back again, this time immediately besieged by one of his dogs licking his face very thoroughly.
Sputtering, the man gently shoved the black and tan body away from where it had been standing over him. He dragged a hand across his mouth aggressively, then reached out to pet the sleek head of the dog who was nudging at his side and trying to check his pockets for any treats. A smile grew as he sat up, murmuring affectionately to the female Doberman Pinscher, her entire back end wriggling in pure delight at the sight of him. After a few minutes, the sound of another set of dog's nails clicked their way towards the two, the pace much slower and calmer than the younger dog's. The clicking grew louder until the dog rounded the corner, revealing herself to be a black and white Border Collie with the traditional markings of white upon the wavy black coat. The neat white of her muzzle was disrupted by the white hairs that had long started appearing on her face.
Needless to say, it was while before the man was able to stand up again without being essentially mobbed by the two dogs. It was when the old collie moved to lay on his lap that he had to get up. By this point he was tired from the day and night's activities, and wanted to get to bed, but first he tended to his dogs. After them out on the fairly large patch of grass, both to move around and get some fresh air, and also to let them have one last chance to relieve themselves before they all settled down for the night. Luckily, both of them were the sort of dogs to not spend time sniffing after every single scent they picked up, and got right down to business when let out. Scarcely five minutes had passed before the two of them returned to their owner, and were let into the apartment again.
Venandi, whose real name was Afton, then went straight into his bedroom and shucked off the hoodie that he wore as a villain. Flopping into bed right after and worming under the covers, too tired to really do anything else that night. As he drifted off into the sweet oblivion of sleep, he was vaguely aware of the mattress dipping as the black and tan dog snuggled up against his side, and the jolt of awareness as the collie made her way to his stomach and practically draped herself over him. Soon he settled down and was dragged into sleep, comforted by the presence of his dogs and the warmth under the blankets.
~~~~
The day outside was pleasant. The cold bite in the air had seemingly disappeared, or perhaps it was only the wind up high was naturally wilder and sharper than the kind that often blew through the city far below. The sky was a beautiful azure, the rich and vibrant shade seen in the sky in the afternoon after the sun had long risen; when one looked farther, the bright blue slowly transitioned into a shade that was so pale it appeared to be a white hue that was tinted with blue. For the most part, it was a cloudless day with only a few fluffy white forms in the distance. It was the type of pleasant that is often seen in the days preceding the colder seasons, almost to the point of changing to cold breezes and rain but not quite.
It was a rather nice day that had come for the weekend, where most people either worked shorter times or were off work entirely until the first of the week swung around again. Afton had gotten a notification from work that the employees would not be coming in that day due to reasons, therefore giving them all two days off. Seeing the conditions of the day outside, the young man had decided to go for a walk and perhaps visit the park that was somewhat nearby.
As the dark-haired man came from his bedroom and turned down the short hall that lead to the two bedrooms and bathroom, he was clearly not paying attention to the main room of the apartment. In his hand was a book that was kept open by a finger placed in the middle of it, the other hand held two dog leashes that made small metallic clicking sounds as the clips swung against the side of his leg as he walked.
"Hello ther-" The very unexpected voice cut off as Afton jumped with a wordless shriek, the book was flung at the speaker with impressive speed with the owner not far behind. Instead of attacking the person however, the moment the man recognized the one standing in the middle of the room with the book in his hand, he abruptly stopped and let out an annoyed sigh. His body relaxed and he took a deep breath in and held it for a few seconds before exhaling in a controlled manner.
The other man standing there was about two inches taller than he, with a handsome face and a few reddish freckles sprinkling the area around his eyes and nose. He had short auburn hair that had just enough of a curl to be pleasing, and green eyes that were a shade darker than Afton's. The slightly shorter man crossed his arms across his chest and did not speak, eyes narrowed slightly and giving the other a slow once over. He noted that the man was idly stroking Dream's head, the collie slowly sweeping her feathered tail in a contented wag. His attitude said that he was uninpressed with a touch of irritated at having nearly been given a heart attack.
"Shadowmere, may I ask why exactly you appeared in my home?" He asked the auburn-haired man, using his villain alias rather than his real name.
"Aw come on Aft, you know my name!" Was the slightly protesting answer.
"Do not call me that. Answer the question, Shadow."
A sigh.
"'Okay okay, I was wondering if you wanted to join me and the...others at a bar later today, probably 'bout six?"
The dark haired villain blinked, tilting his head at his fellow villain and the one of the people he unfortunately called friends. Then he exhaled slowly once again, and brought the bookless hand up to cover his eyes in a gesture of exasperation. There was a slightly awkward pause as the other waited for him to respond.
"Alright. Why did you decide to give me a free trial on a heart attack? I'm pretty sure I told you to give me a warning next time."
"I kind of forgot, whoops. And shadow-travel is so fun, any other way is kinda boring."
Afton merely shook his head in mock disapproval as he dropped his hand and gave his friend a amused stare, his previous irritation starting to decrease. He should have known, Michael almost never showed up on foot or by vechicle. The man was known as the villain Shadowmere, another notable within the superpowered community. He had a power that was classified as Active, the ability to manipulate shadows, and the villain often used it to his advantage; either cloaking himself in darkness so that it appeared he was a terrifying specter whose form seemed to ripple and move even while still, or using it to travel from one location to another almost instantaneously. Though the latter only worked reliably if both locations were on the darker side, otherwise there was a chance that his power would throw him into a random place.
"So what'cha say Ven? You coming or not?" Shadowmere prompted, and Afton could tell that the man would like for him to come and meet up with the others. He couldn't see anything wrong with that later, he had actually been thinking about that a few days ago himself.
"Sure, do you know where it is? Or are you going to make me search all over for it. Again."
"Pfft- no!" was the amused response, the man sounding like he was on the verge of laughter at the mention of that quite memorable time. "It's pretty much right next to Daeva's place, literally too, it's a block down from her house. You couldn't miss it."
The darker-haired man blinked, giving a short hum in acknowledgement. "How is Dae anyways? I haven't seen her around in a while."
"You didn't hear?" Shadowmere raised his eyebrows and his tone went up a bit in curiosity and surprise. Upon seeing a shake of the head from the his friend, he continued. "She got pretty banged up in a fight with a hero, haven't a clue what it was about, she wouldn't tell me. Anyways, she's been laying low for a while until she recovers enough to get back out there."
"Oh my gosh, I hope she's doing alright. It sounds bad." He replied, concern coating his words. He should have known something was off when the other villain hadn't been spotted for a while, but he had been aware that the woman liked her privacy and didn't appreciate people coming over. She was probably one of the most territorial people he'd ever met, and he did not know why she was like that. Not that it was any of his business, but there was still the lingering curiosity.
"Yeah, I heard the hero got out of it worse than she did though," His friend replied with a grimace, well aware of how vicious some hero-villain fights could be. "she's doing well though! If the multiple knives she threw at me are any indication."
The statement caught Afton off guard, a bark of laughter rising into the air. Yes, if Dae was well enough to chase people off of her property, then she was most likely healing alright. He still felt guilty that he had not checked in with her sooner. As abrasive as the young woman could be sometimes, she was still his friend and he should have gotten in contact earlier. As he was thinking this, Shadowmere glanced around for a moment, then chirped a farewell as threads of shadows began to swirl around his form. Soon the darkness thickened and hid the taller man from view, before abruptly disappearing in a small burst of shadow that quickly faded.
The villain made an amused noise in the back of his throat, Shadow was always so dramatic with his power. He crouched down to beckon Dream to him, rubbing her sides roughly in a playful manner before snatching them away, the black and white dog snapping her head around to gently catch his bare wrist and softly mouth it for a moment, her tail wagging happily. Then she released and let him clip a dark blue leash to her collar.
"Nyx! To me!" Afton called out to the second dog, who had a swift appearance moments after he had voiced the command. Apparently she had been lingering in the small kitchen, he hoped that she wasn't getting into the bread on the counter. Or something else. It was never fun when she managed to snag a food item off the counter, usually something that he had forgotten to put away. Or worse, knock the trash can over and rummage around in it. Once she was with him, he clipped the vibrant red leash to the collar, and then they were out of the apartment.
Nobody would think that the young man in his early twenties, walking with the older border collie and the doberman with the distinctive cropped ears and docked tail, to be a villain. Instead he looked to be a normal civilian, out for a stroll with his dogs.
~~~
Several hours later and the three were causually making their way back. It had been a good afternoon, and a good amount of it had consisted of Dream and Afton sitting on the warm grass in the sun, with Nyx running around nearby without a leash. The man knew very well that any dogs were supposed to be kept leashed, but he knew that the dog would not go too far and there had been nobody in the particular area they had decided to sit in, so he saw no harm in letting her explore a bit. After a while though, she had returned while panting heavily, and he fastened the leash to her once again after the large dog had flopped down for a rest.
He had been so relaxed that he nearly dozed off in the warmth there. Prior to that, he had quietly reminisced about the dogs, quietly talking to them and thanking them about the impact they both had been in his life. Even though he knew that they couldn't understand most of what he had been talking about, it had felt right to do so. He had been a child in the foster system, and had been through a few homes; despite his more tolerable personality, things had just gone wrong that proved that he wasn't suited to the families he had first been sent to. When he was ten, he had found a permanent home; and his new parents had tried for months to draw him out of his shell, and it had been getting to the point of his quietness being concerning. After careful deliberation on their part, they had eventually asked if he liked dogs and when given a nod in response, asked if he would like to have his own. If he was responsible of course.
That was when Dream came into his life, and she had a positive effect on him and has been with him ever since. Later on in life, when he turned twenty, he had one day gotten this nagging feeling that he should go to the animal shelter near his apartment. A gut feeling, something urgent that told him that someone needed his help. Cue a drive to the shelter, and he was striding down the rows of dogs like he was on a mission, which he was. He just had this pull that drew him immediately to the one year old doberman pinscher, alone in the cage and simply sitting there as if waiting for him. He knew in his bones that this was the dog he had been drawn to.
Some months later and he took Nyx home.
He had quietly recounted that to the dogs, who were probably fully asleep and weren't even listening, but he still spoke to them in a quiet voice. So quiet that he had been barely able to hear himself. Unfortunately the afternoon came to an end and he had to cut his story short. He had gently woken the two up and they had started on their way home, the air was cooling as the sun started its arc downwards and soon disappeared behind the tallest of the towering buildings.
Afton fumbled with the key to the apartment door, finally managing to get a better grip on the small key and unlock the door, unleashing the two dogs and letting them pad ahead of him while he reflexively locked the door. A quick glance at the clock showed the time as a quarter to six, which elicted a double take and a curse from the villain before he rushed into the bedroom to change into better clothes that had not been all over the ground that afternoon. It did not take long to change into a pair of black pants and a purple button-up shirt, and three minutes later he walked out of the room and straight into the kitchen. The two dogs were instantly on him the moment he stepped in, wanting their dinner and making it quite clear to the man, who had to deal with their soulful stares as he scooped the food into their respective bowls.
Once the daily task of feeding the dogs was done, Afton was out the door and locking it behind him. He figured that if he was late by a few minutes, it would not be much harm, and he still had about ten minutes to get to his destination. On foot, because he had never gotten around to purchasing a car when he started living on his own and he never really found much need afterwards. Although he mentally conceded that owning a vehicle would be helpful in situations similiar to the one he was in. But all he had were his own two legs and to an extent, one of the Passive powers that affected his level of speed, although that was not similiar to the super speed power, it did help with his general speed.
The dark-haired man turned in the direction that he knew his friend's house to be in, and set off at a sharp clip. At least Daeva's current residence was not absurdly far away from his, it was a good distance but not far enough to be tempted to call a transportation service. Many might think it a bit foolish to be walking out at night, especially with the current level of crime. But he did not have much worry about being attacked, he would wager that he was more dangerous than someone who might try to rob him. That thought could be interpreted as arrogant, after all one never knew who exactly would be lurking in the night; but it was in reality logical, for most villains knew how to fight and often they could fight well. The ones who were not as well-versed in fights were often ones with powerful Active powers and made up for the lack of combat prowess with their devastating ability.
In fact he ran into a few would-be attackers on his way, and successfully avoided a confrontation by letting his gait lapse into the smooth, predatory way of moving that he often assumed when he was in the suit. The confident bearing paired with a dangerous glare made them back off, sensing that it would not be wise to tangle with him. It was a good thing that they were the type that only felt comfortable attacking the weak, or else it would not have ended well, for them. As the villain was in no mood to deal patiently with any robbers. Despite his confidence in being able to deal with anyone who might jump him while he passed by a corner of a building or an open alleyway, he kept a sharp eye and ear out for any movement that would tell him that someone was waiting.
~~~~
Afton stopped in front of the bar that he had found, indeed it was only a block from his friend's house and it was the only one in the area. Definitely something that could not be missed. He tilted his head up at the name on the front of the establishment in wooden letters. He had little experience with what would qualify a bar as a good one, but from what he could see of the building, it looked quite upkept. Though that certainly did not mean anything, some places look good on the outside and can be absolutely filthy on the inside; though with most things, the outside matched the inside to an extent.
"'Happy Omen Bar'," he said slowly, drawing out the syllables in the name, making a skeptical noise in the back of his throat. Strange name, to him at least, though it kind of made sense. Kind of. "let's see what I got dragged into."
And with that outlook, he reached out and pulled open one of the doors, stepping inside the establishment.
Alright, it was not as bad as he was thinking when Shadowmere asked him to come to a bar. It's not his fault he had gotten dragged into some shady things by the man, and not even on purpose either! But the inside was well-lit and it looked clean from where he stood, he could hear music in the air, though he couldn't make out the words and it was well populated. He took a few hesitant steps forward, feeling the familiar awkwardness when he steps into a new place without a friend with him. He stood there, looking around for people he knew, they should be there by the time he had arrived.
A shrill whistle made him reflexively turn his head in the direction of the noise, green eyes landing on a table not too far from the entrance and to the right. There he saw Daeva staring at him with a cocked eyebrow, as if judging him for not being able to immediately see where she and the four others were sitting. By now, the others' heads had turned in his direction, the actions eerily synchronized. It was like watching a pack of wolves just slowly turn around to observe something of interest. He'd bet that they had discussed that beforehand.
He walked over to the table with a sigh, and sat down in the empty chair, eyes flicking around the circular table. It looked like everyone had come, surprisingly, it could be difficult to get everybody together sometimes. Clashing schedules was the normal suspect, although it could also be a matter of just not feeling like meeting with others. He tilted his head towards Daeva, who was sitting to his left.
"From what Shad- I mean Caleb said, I honestly thought you would have looked worse off." He remarked casually to her, and was met with a roll of the eyes and a huff.
"Oh don't worry Fletcher, my ribs still hurt. They're not too bad right now. I'm almost ready to get back out there." Was the response, a tone he couldn't place interwoven with the words. The last part had been spoken in a lowered voice, as if not wanting it to be heard with dark, almost black eyes flicking to his green. That remark was met with a chorus of the typical get better soons, and a few less orthodox wishes that made the woman look as if she were about to disregard her injuries and lunge across the table at the speakers.
Afton snorted, leaning back out of the way so that he wouldn't be hit in case someone started to try and fight. He wouldn't expect any less from a table of villains. But it was nice to see them all again, even if he had forgotten how loud they could be, which was thankfully tempered by the knowledge that they were in a nice establishment in public, and right now they didn't want to get themselves kicked out.
Daeva who was the villain known as The Fallen, her alias a nod towards the fact that she had used to be a hero. Why exactly she changed her allegiance was something she kept close to her chest, with not a mention of her old name or life. Her power was an Active, and she was able to manipulate the weather; he had seen her bring down strong rains and terrible storms in a few minutes, and they had all seen her chase them away too. They did not want to get on her bad side, needless to say.
To his right side sat Michael, the man was watching the back and forth between Daeva and Caleb like he was watching a tennis match, a slightly pained look on his face and something between fondess and a kind of pain in his brown eyes. He always did tire of the mock arguements and sarcastic remarks at some point. The brown-haired man was known as Voltage, and his power was the manipulation of electricity. He had a bit of a bad habit of accidentally taking out the power for a moment when startled, or that one spectacular instance when he caused a city-wide blackout before promply passing out. That had been a fun night.
The man sitting across the table and to Caleb's left seemed to be distacted on something on his phone. His dark chocolate brown eyes darting up to focus in on what the others was talking about for a few minutes, nut brown hair cut short. That was Zack, the one known as Oblivion who had quite unique in the superpowered community, being that he had two Active powers instead of one. His first power is the gift of invisibility, when that is activated, it is nigh impossible to see his location; and his second one has to do with memory, just as he can disappear from sight, he can disappear from others' memories. Able to erase himself and if need be, his friends' presence from the memories of others around them. And that is why he chose the name Oblivion.
The last one of their little group was a woman with medium legnth, light blonde hair with streaks of a shimmering metallic blue. . Her light blue eyes were alert and casually scanning the other patrons from where she sat. Her name was Callista, and was the villain known as Cataclysm, her power was the manipulation of water, if he remembered correctly, she used to be called Torrent before changing it for some reason.
While Afton was the only one of them that had Passive powers, they were much less obvious than Active ones, he never felt out of place with them. And they had indivually made it clear that they didn't care what kind of powers he had. Which was nice, seeing as Passives were in a way, a bit inferior to the Active powers. They were more natural, if one looked at it that way. At least he had fine control over them, mostly because his powers could not be activated or turned off like Actives, and were just a part of him.
He for the most part was sitting back and just enjoying the others' company, although he did get smacked on the shoulder once or twice accidentally. At some point, Zack was bullied into getting drinks, and he left or else get pestered until he gave in. Afton had declined anything, he didn't want to drink anything, just wanted to be where he was.
WIP
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Neutral
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Firebird continued her way down with ease, effortlessly and quietly. When her feet reached the ground she glanced back to ensure he wasn't following. She trusted him in battle but he didn't need to know about her civillain life. That would be dangerous even for a successful hero. Once she was sure she was safe she continued down her original path, her senses high and alert. It was about a 15 minute brisk walk before she reached her apartment complex. Convenient the tidy building had no working cameras in the back of the building. She slipped silently through the door that utility workers used, making sure no one was around to witness her before she slunk into the stairwell and started her climb to the thirteenth floor. It was a tiring act but the safest, plus it was good exercise for her too. Once safely inside she stripped out of the the tight green material, fed her cats and jumped straight into bed. It had been a long day even before her little battle and she was absolutely shattered. ~~~~ Maisey woke abruptly at 9am the next morning to her blaring alarm, she rolled over to silence it. Cursing to herself for forgetting to turn it off last night. The sun spilled in through her cracked curtains causing her to squint at the cats standing on the end of her bed. The larger being a ginger and white male 'Nemo' meowing desperately, like he had never been fed a day in his life. The smaller Siamese beside him waited patiently. "I guess no sleep in?" She sighed as she rose, moving sluggishly to the kitchen. As she prepared their food she noticed the multitude of messages on her phone. Rosie 7.27am Drinks tonight?? Rosie 7.29 am Im begging, don't leave me alone with the grouppp Rosie 8.15 am First round on me?? Rosie 8.48 am Ughhhhh!! Bella, Amanda, Sasha, Ben and Caleb are coming. Lmk if you plan to. Maisey couldn't help but shake her head and laugh at her friend. Rosie was lovely, she was a great friend. They had a lot of fun together and it only took her a few seconds to decide on her response. She replied saying yes and asked for a location and time which Rosie replied with almost immediately. Six thirty, that was doable. It was a rare occasion that Maisey had a full weekend off from any planned duties so she decided she was going to make the most of it! Her day was not very exciting. Not until the afternoon when she practically emptied her wardrobe picking out an outfit. Finally she settled on one of her favorite dresses. A nice little ruched velvet body-con piece. It had pretty little silver embellishments on the straps and she knew it looked stunning on her body. It was red, which wasn't usually her first choice for an outfit being a redhead herself but she couldn't resist! Once she picked out silver shoes, a bag and a jacket in-case she got cold she jumped into the shower and got ready. Maisey didn't wear makeup day to day but for fun things like this she loved to get dressed up. She kept her face quite neutral and paired it with a red lip to match her dress. It was starting to get late and she didn't fancy having to fight someone all dressed up so she caught an uber to the bar. Arriving 15 minutes early as usual, she wasn't one to be late. It wasn't terrible because everyone except Rosie was there anyway, waiting outside for the final two girls to join them. All of her group were villains except Ben. Ben was a hero, a fairly strong one too- Thorn. He had an interesting ability to grow thorny vines and control them. And as he developed his skills they proved quite deadly! The two heros of the group never uttered a word of work, the others clueless. Ben was the first to greet her, a peck on her cheek before the group began mingling. Maisey had always seen Ben as her best friend, he was always affectionate and she thought nothing of it. Why should she? A few minutes later and Rosie arrived, the only one to arrive tipsy as usual! The group wandered inside taking their usual table near the bar. Everyone made boring small talk and it definitely took the heros sensitive ears awhile to adjust to the bustling atmosphere. She could hear many tables conversations but she actively chose to just ignore them, however it was always fun hearing what people had to say about her and her friends.. "Right!" she finally spoke up, grabbing the attention of her friends. "First rounds on me!" she grinned, earning a cheer as she got up to make her way to the bar. Maisey always had a lot of self doubt, a bad body image too. But the red dress paired with drinks always made her feel on top of the world, and she was craving that feeling again. She fumbled in her bag and found her card, gesturing the bartender over she ordered Tequila shots for everyone and some jugs of the on tap beer for the table. "Thank youu!" she mused cheerfully, raising her voice slightly to thank the lady that had served her. She glanced down at her phone to clear her notifications while she waited for the drinks, glancing occasionally toward her table to keep an eye on everyone. |
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Lightbringer
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Afton had leaned forward on the table, arms crossed a little in front of him and his chin resting on his arms. Green eyes slipped closed for a moment, simply soaking in the atmosphere at the little space they were at. It was soothing in a way, even at a public establishment. Here he was in the company who knew each other and the life they each led, through battles and danger they had forged the beginnings of a friendship. And through the slower moments in life, times of encountering each other only to most likely end up sitting at the edge of the highest buildings and just talking for a few minutes, they had unknowingly reinforced those threads.
Eventually they had moved to the point that they were past simply being deemed 'allies' and now that he thought about it, they probably would have been considered friends at that time, even though none of them thought to use such a word to describe it. They had moved on to sharing who they were really, exchanged either in low whispers as one passed the other on the street or slipping a bit of paper or easily destructable material with a phone number scribbed on it. In time they had grown comfortable with meeting up in public as civilians and not as villains; they had talked of more personal matters, their jobs and pets and opinions of a variety of subjects. And then the group eventually entrusted each other with their home addresses, where they could be found if needed and were not making trouble or wandering about the city in a suit and with a reputation.
They were a group. A team that didn't always work together but were one all the same. On those times when they worked with each other, it felt like there wasn't anything they couldn't do. Each of them had strengths and where one was weak, it seemed as if another's strength filled that gap. They were closer knit than the vague amity that was present in all encounters with anothe villain.
By now the argument that wasn't really an argument had died down and the two that had really been carrying the whole thing on had quieted down for the time being. He turned his head so that it was now the side of the head resting on his arms, conviently it put his line of sight to the bar. There he could see the bright red shirt that Zack wore, the man was ordering when he noticed a group of seven -if he was counting right- people enter the bar. The sight made him lift up his head and subtly turn it towards the newcomers, and he could see Callista lean back in her chair and wink at him in acknowledgement. A smile tugged at his lips, of course she would have picked up the sound of people coming in the door, even though her back was facing the direction.
He very carefully did not turn his head to look at them, although his eyes wander over to observe the group for a few moments before returning to Zack, who had the drinks on a tray and looked as if he were about to leave the bar and return to their table when the lady in a red dress came up to order. He noticed the sideways glance his friend shot her, as if noticing something about her that gave him pause, and then he turned and started towards the table. A few moments later the tray was nearly dropped onto the wooden surface, startling Caleb and himself, the involuntary jerk causing an amused smile to creep across Callista's face. It always seemed like she enjoyed it when someone got a bit of a scare.
"Recognize any of them?" Was the first thing out of Daeva's mouth, subtly nodding towards the new group's table, dark brown eyes glittering with interest and a hidden alertness. The response was a hesitation, and then a slow shake of the head as Zack seated himself, snatching one of the drinks off the tray before the others could get to it. It was a bright red color with a few ice cubes at the top and a little cherry resting on the top of a cube.
To his surprise, Zack offered it to him, and he hesitantly took the cool glass. Peering at it with narrowed eyes and lowering his head to sniff at it, he had made it clear before this particular time that he wasn't really one for alcohol. It just never really appealed to him in the way it did with some people. And he only took a small sip after being assured that it was a non-alcoholic drink, a Shirley Temple, which he had heard of before but never had.
It was really sweet.
As he processed the sugary taste, his attention strayed to the rest of the bar. Glancing around at the other people with a hint of curiosity, one could hear a lot of things just sitting in a public place. He was aware of his friends grabbing their own drinks and the chatter starting up again, although Michael just stared at his suspiciously, as if he expected a viper to lunge out of the frosted glass and at his face any moment. Daeva was leaning back in her chair and swirling the liquid in her glass like she in a mafia film or something, talking about considering adopting a cat from the shelter to an interested Caleb. A part of him wondered if the two had something going on between them, he had no concrete evidence, just a little feeling he got when he watched the pair interact. Zack had nearly drank his whole glass at this point, and Callista was critiquing the music choice of the establishment, her remarks being addressed to the table at large.
His friends. Weird people, but they were his friends all the same. |
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Masiey waved Rosie over from the table to help carry the drinks, she made eye contact with her so she knew her gesture was directed to her. However Rosie loved to palm any jobs off to literally anyone who would say yes. She made up some poor excuse as to why she couldn't help with the trays and sent Ben up to assist Maisey. The woman sighed quietly, leaning across the bar waiting for just one of her friends to bother coming over. When Ben made his appearance she left him with the beer and took the Tequila over herself. Handing out a shot to each of the members of the group. A quick cheers and the shots were gone, she would never admit it or talk about it with her friends but Maisey had quite an interesting path and was no stranger to alcohol. She savored the hot burning feeling as the alcohol slid down her throat, she didn't drink every week or even every month but when she did drink she was known to go quite hard. "Another round?" she asked eagerly, taking a gentle sip from her mug as she eyed the group. Caleb turned shots down, so did Ben, Amanda, Sasha and Bella. That only left Rosie. She scoffed and nudged her friend beside her "I guess it's just us then" she chuckled as she rose from her seat. Taking the brunettes hand in hers and leading her to the bar. When they made it Maisey took the lead. "How can I help you girls?" the woman behind the bar as she prepared another patrons drink. Maisey flicked her red, loosely curled hair over her shoulder as she looked at Rosie. The eager look in her friends light blue eyes was enough confirmation for her. Rosie clearly intended on making it a night to remember- or rather.. not remember too. The two slid onto two bar stools, splitting from their group temporarily to get their own little party going. "Another 4 Tequila shots please" She piped up. She spun her seat to face Rosie, her friend doing the same so their knees were now touching. Passing gossip back and forth as they waited. Maisey laughed at a joke and then spoke "Oh yeah, I got this weird text from Ben-" she was cut off by the drinks arriving before them. "Tell me after!" Rosie grinned, an excited noise resembling a quiet squeal left her lips. She lifted her glass and gently clinked it with Maisey's downing the drink and then repeating for the second shot. Maisey eagerly followed suit, unable to contain her amusement at her friends utter excitement to receive alcohol. "Anyway-" she continued. "Yeah he was going on about that chick Emily that he was seeing? Basically talking shit about her and saying he didn't even like her!" she shook her head. "It was so strange and unsolicited. She added as she glanced over at their table. Their friends were deep in conversation, it was a regular occurrence for the pair to disappear on and off throughout the night. She let her gaze scan the bar, noticing all sorts of people. She wondered how many of them could be villains? How many were doctors, lawyers.. her thoughts trailed off as she noticed one particular table of people. Something about them was just, different to her. But she paid no attention and withdrew her gaze. Maisey didn't really listen to her friends reply, the gentle buzz of the alcohol making her feel happy and lighter in her head. She had arrived on a mostly empty stomach, deciding it would be far cheaper to get drunk that way and get some food on the way home. But it did mean it didn't take long for her to get tipsy. A gentle rose color making itself at home on her cheeks. |
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Lightbringer
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"-and after that I never put tin foil in the dryer again."
Afton made a pained noise that was somewhere between a whine and strangled sort of exhale. Disregarding the idea that potiental cleanliness standards that may not be the highest for bars, he dropped his head and smacked it into the table, leaving it there for a few long moments. His friends were absolute idiots. He kept forgetting that until one of them decided to recount one of their previous exploits. Idiots, the lot of them. He muttered into the table, "Who even puts that in the dryer?"
"Oh my god, you are a bigger moron than I thought!" Daeva cackled at a sheepish looking Michael. It was definitely a surprise to hear that the dark-haired man had done that, usually he was more of the reserved types, and was responsible.
Most of the time.
But he did admit that anyone who willingly stuck around the little group had to have a wild side. Much less to call one of them a friend, and decide to be on the 'evil' side of the superpowered people. Perhaps it wasn't that surprising in hindsight, from a logical standpoint. It was still surprising in that someone in the age they lived in had not gotten the message about not putting metal in a device that heats up, like a dryer. From what he gathered, the damage could have been worse, Michael could have been killed in the resulting fire. Instead his apartment building had to have the fire department called and the block evacuated because it had grown so large.
"I dunno man, I once mircowaved a jar of peanut butter. Without taking the lid off." Caleb started, and he had not an idea whether that was addressed to Dae or Michael, or everybody at the table.
"So? What's so bad about that?" Callista asked, raising an eyebrow at the man with auburn hair.
"I guess those lids have some metal in 'em or something. Because next I know there's this big popping sound and I see this little flash of electricity inside the viewer window. Startled the hell out of me. Granted, I didn't start a fire or something, but the jar did have this noticeable black burn mark on it, where the flash was. So it did do something."
"Yeeeesh, I'm surrounded by idio-" Callista stopped mid-sentence, clearly thinking for a moment, then continued. "wait, Afty? Zack? Want to share with the class?"
Afton and Zack shared a look from across the table, he paused mid-sip in the overly sweet, cherry flavored drink. Then he swallowed the mouthful and tilted his head back in a tired manner. From across him, Zack closed his eyes and gave a barely audible sigh. More of an exhale really. Then they both spoke at the very same time, as if they had already discussed it before the moment had arrived.
"Do I have to?"
"I'd rather not."
Once the group had deciphered what had been said, doing that can be a bit hard to figure out who said what. Since the different words tend to fill in the brief gaps and mesh with the other speaker's sentence. Once they had figured that out, the two more private members of their little group were peppered with questions, and urges that yes, they had to tell the others whatever they had gotten up to. Preferably idiotic things.
"Fork in the electrical socket. On a dare. Last week." Zack sighed, sounding as if each syllable were being dragged out of him. Or as if he had a gun to his head and was being forced to say something. It was probably the same thing with them, really. Out of the corner of his eye, the green-eyed man could see Daeva grimace.
"What the hell?"
"Hey! Who rolled foil up and threw it in the dryer? As an experiment?"
"Low blow, Zack, low blow."
Daeva threw back the rest of her drink and set in down fairly hard, enough to make an audible sound as the glass came in contact with the laminated table. It startled the two into a brief silence, before the banter started up again. Honestly, everybody really liked to go back and forth with each other, it could be quite amusing at times.
Like the time Daeva and Callista argued about apples and oranges. Literally.
He was thankful that they seemd to forget that he had not shared something yet. He didn't want to say anything to the maniacs yet; and besides, most of the things that happened were usually just him climbing up something very high and nearly giving his adoptive parents multiple heart attacks as he walked on a catwalk he had found. He glanced over and saw a brief look flicker over Zack's face, as if conflicted. Then the man glanced over to the table of the latest newcomers, the group that had come in not too long ago.
"Something on your mind?" He questioned, his tone quiet.
"I don't know. I feel like the woman in the red dress, something's different about her. It's kind of tipping off my instincts for some reason." Zack admitted, sucessfully catching the attention of the others, who slowly dropped their topic of conversation as the man spoke. "It's probably nothing."
Several of them were not convinced, but after a few minutes they took the hint and dropped that train of thought for the time being. Although they all felt a kind of tenseness now, resisting the urge to cast quick glances at that table. Doing that however would be obvious, and so it wasn't done. It didn't erase the instinct to look at the one who had unnerved one of their own.
At some point, Caleb excused himself from the table, and seeing as he was a bit of a lightweight with alcohol, his balance was most likely not the best at the moment. He ended up tripping over something, Afton couldn't tell what exactly, or if it was over his own two feet. But he pitched forward and crashed into the next table over, the weight of a taller, physically fit male knocking the wooden table away a few feet. Thankfully it did not fall over, but it still caused a disruption and drew stares from all over the bar as a few glasses shattered on the floor and several of the people sitting at that table yelped and shouted in startlement at the unexpected arrival.
"Oh for the love of-" Afton was the first one to process and react, shoving his chair away and standing up suddenly, to check on Caleb and act as a barrier in case one of the table's inhabitants decided to pick a fight. The others recovered from the momentary shock, and stood up as well. Though he could still hear Callista's wheeze of amusement and a few muttered phrases as he walked away from their table.
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The buzz of the nightlife and the alcohol had Maisey feeling wonderful. She had zoned out of all the noises around, just focusing on her friend and their drinks for awhile. Laughing and chatting, having a nice time. "Oh we best head back!" she laughed as she realized they had ditched the group for awhile now. The girls each grabbed a cocktail to take back with them. Maisey had been rambling on about some article she had read earlier, looking down at the floor as she walked to be careful of her steps. Her sentence was quickly cut short by the nearly unbearable sound of so many glasses shattering, piercing her already sensitive ears! She instinctively flinched, followed by a shudder but it certainly wasn't out of place considering Rosie had practically leaped out of her skin too. She watched almost in slow motion as the occupants of the table started to get up or squish in together to avoid the shards of glass. "Count yourself lucky!" she mumbled to Rosie, noting that theirs was only a few tables down. She groaned audibly and ran a hand through her hair as Ben jumped up to investigate. He had such a hero complex even when he was supposed to be a civillain and it irritated Maisey to no end. Sometimes he just didn't know when to mind his own business and ignore something! Ben was already a couple of pints down too, plus the shot. She wasn't exactly sure what he was going to say or do so now she had to get involved too! She inched her way over, squeezing between chairs and avoiding glass. Arriving to the scene just as Ben did, he looked over to her and flashed her his signature main character energy smirk. She rubbed her temple and spoke up, "Ben, I think they have this under control.. let's just go back to the group aye?" she moved her arms as she spoke. Waving him off back toward the table. She could see that the guy who fell had a friend who seemed to be sorting it and she apologized on Ben's behalf. "Sorry, he's so nosey. I'm surprised he's not Pinocchio.." she said, cocking her head at her own awful joke, definitely not one of her finest! Frankly, she didn't recognize the man standing over from her as the villain she so affectionately battled. He was always so well masked she knew no distinct features. She offered a kind of half wave as she retreated, following Rosie and Ben back to their own table and taking their seats. She couldn't concentrate on the group now, she was all too aware of all the noises around and she knew she needed a break. Making an excuse of needing the bathroom she ducked out of her seat, followed the wall around to the back door to avoid having to go near the glass to exit through the front door. The cool evening breeze hit her like a slap in the face, it had been so hot and muggy in the building she had forgotten how chilly it was outside. It was refreshing, just what she needed to clear her head and get some focus back. |
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Lightbringer
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Afton reached the table, or rather, where the table had been before the idiot crashed into it. He felt a mixture of embarrassment and concerned annoyance, of course he wanted to see if his friend was alright, but it also felt like a 'really?' type of moment. Of all the times to have impaired balance, and in a bar no less. He usually had better balance than this, even while drinking. But then again, it was probably inevitable that something like that happen. It seemed impossible for any of them to not cause a ruckus in public, for some reason.
As he dropped to a kneel to help the taller man get up and reduce the chances of getting sliced open by the broken glass, he sensed someone coming near them, and he paused in the middle of his action and twisted around in order to see the person better. It was the man from a few tables down. He nodded in acknowledgement as he came near before turning back and practically hauling Caleb to his feet. Fortunately he had enough wherewithal to stand without any sign of him going back down, maybe he did actually trip over something rather than thin air, as he seemed to be fine in terms of balance. Then again, standing still was a different matter than actively moving.
"Christ that looked bad, you okay?" He asked his friend in a low tone, tuning out the sounds of other people. If the man had spoken, which he was sure that he was within hearing range, he did not notice his words. A sudden flicker caught his attention, gaze automatically darting to the lights which looked fine. He reached out and subtly pinched the first place he could see skin; it could have been nothing, it could have been Zack doing something, or it could have been his friend's shadow powers acting up. It didn't hurt either way, the reaction would likely not be good if one of them lost control of their powers at the moment.
"Yeah, yeah, 'm fine- ow what was that for?." Caleb hissed back as he twisted his head around to look behind him, either to apologize to the disturbed occupants of the table he had unceremoniously fell into, or to see if he could find whatever had made him trip.
"Sor- hm?" A different voice caught his attention, and he turned his head to face the woman in the red dress. He couldn't help the stray thought that she looked pretty, and that the dress suited her. He realized that she was apologizing for the man who had come over, a friend he guessed. He put a polite smile on his face as he replied, "Oh it's okay, he wasn't doing any harm. And I apologize to you and your friends, for the disruption."
"Alright, sorry about the pinch. Thought your power was making that flickering." He apologized to Caleb, absently returning the woman's half wave when he noticed the gesture. He made sure his friend was okay, and then the other man gave him a half hearted shove before moving off again. Apparently he had needed to go to the restroom, and that was why he had gotten up in the first place.
"Don't fall over any tables!" Came Zack's shout, which was met with the very familiar, rude gesture.
Afton glanced over to his table and grimaced, apologizing to the people for the disruption. It honestly felt like his face was on fire, and he found it hard to maintain eye contact for more than a second or two. Fortunately most of them understood and felt as self-conscious as he himself did, and the one that was angry was talked down by her friend. They parted ways as amicably as they could in the circumstances, and he left them as one of the bar staff went for a broom or something to sweep the glass up with.
Halfway back to his table, something clicked in the man's mind. His steps faltered then picked up again as he continued on, a flash of realization on his face before it was gone. Neck prickling with the stares that followed him, he sat down in his chair and hunkered down silently, glaring at his friends who were repressing looks or sounds of amusement. Then he rubbed his forehead with a hand, pieces in the very imcomplete puzzle starting to slot together.
The woman in the red dress, the one with the fiery hair and gray and green eyes, the one who was with the man who had come over when Caleb had fallen down. Her voice had struck him as oddly familiar but he wasn't really paying to much attention to her at the time, more occupied with helping his friend up and trying to ignore the looks and snickers from some of the tables nearby. He felt strangely cold as he placed the accent that was woven in the voice, the light tone when she cracked that joke; he knew that voice, he had heard it call jokes and taunts over countless nights. The distinctive accent that made the speaker immediately recognizable when as a hero.
The Firebird.
Taking the half-empty glass, he gulped the contents of the sugary drink down in two swallows. The effect would probably be better if the thing had alcohol in it, but since he didn't care for that, it would suffice. Now that he had made the connection, his mind wouldn't stop finding other similarities between the woman in the red dress and the hero Firebird. The shade of red that her hair was, even the build of her body. The height was the same, which he logically knew that many people were around that same height, but it was yet another connection that was made.
He needed fresh air. He couldn't stay inside with the people and the noises of the bar.
He wanted to get up as fast as he could and step out, but he told his friends he needed to get some air. He pushed his chair out a little and stood, pushing it back against the table on an instinct that had been drilled into him since he was a child. Then he was making a beeline for the door, pushing it open and stepping off the side so that he did not block the way for any other people that wanted to enter the building. There was no worry about the potiental for any people lurking in the darker gap between the bar and the next building, he could handle himself if attacked, even distracted as he was.
He ended up kicking an aluminum soda as he moved to the side, causing it to make a high pitched metallic sound before flying off past the alleyway's opening, the little crunching noise of it rolling away after it landed gracing his hearing before it either stopped or went out of his hearing range. He wouldn't admit that the can startled him if his life depended on it.
But the cold air felt good on his face after being in a warm room full of people. He took a deep breath and held it, stretching his arms in front of him as he tilted his head skywards. Even after a few seconds, he felt better and less trapped. Like the sharpness of the air was helping to clear his head and the swirling storm of emotions that had begun to build at the realization. And that steered his thoughts right back to that situation; while some may have thought that immediately thinking that a woman he briefly interacted with in a bar was a hero, he had no such doubts. He was familiar with the sound of her voice, and even then, Firebird was known for the thick accent. It was distinctive. Almost as much as knowing what her face looked like or the color of her hair or her real name.
He was panicking over nothing. It was nothing, it was nothing I'm jumping to conclusions- oh who was he trying to fool? He knew very well who that woman was, the voice and the general sense of knowing her even when she was not in the suit of the hero. There was no reservations about it, and despite the freak-out he was currently having, he couldn't deny it. He was not a civilian who might have tried to find any plausible possibility to avoid the idea of someone they knew was a hero, they might say that in the entirety of the city, there was probably another woman who had the same accent as The Firebird. But he had sparred with the hero, countless nights of climbing and running over buildings, exchanging little things for the winner of the fights they had. And her voice was fresh in his mind, just last night they had met each other. And the Platinum ring...dear lord that was still in his mind.
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Winter Month: 1 
Night Weather: 
