Paisley is refered to as Aegis when he's in his hero costume :)
Also haven't proofread much, sorry if something doesn't make sense! I'll be doing a read over next time I'm free :)
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It was one of those particularly quiet nights within the flower shop, unlike other nights that Paisley had seen within the city. Sometimes loud, rebellious teens would walk across streets, some half drunk out of their minds, others laughing and shoving one another as they ambled clumsily across the cracked sidewalk long overdue for a freshen, other times it would be some creep muming under their breath or a bunch of girls on their way somewhere for one of those… "Girls nights out" Paisley thinks they're called. When none of those happened, it would be cars that filled the gaps of silence with their loud engines and thick exhaust going into the air once more to taint the already polluted skies of the city he lived in. But tonight, none of those were happening, so here Paisley was, standing behind the dark wooden counter of his part-time job in silence and finishing up cleaning before he left for the night having had to stay longer because a customer had come in seconds before he was about to leave for closing. Of course, he could have just asked his coworker in the back to handle it, but waved them off and told them to go home because they already looked half asleep when she poked her head through the door and Paisley didn't really trust her to be able to handle flowers in their disheveled state. Sitting on the counter, somewhat precariously by the corner, sat a small TV. Boxy in shape and a soft grey in color as it was one of those old models, but functional as its long obsidian chord was plugged into an outlet a few inches from where it was perched, a random channel droning on in the background as he finished the last of what he had to do.
"Exactly 5 minutes ago, the alarms from a bank on Rustbill Rd. chimed in response to someone managing to break into its vaults after it was about to close in a few minutes. Blah blah blah… We're on our way there now to get the latest scoop."
Paisley sighed, tired, and maybe spitefully tuning out the news channel at the current moment because he wanted a way to get back at the world for making him stay late on a shift for his part-time job. He was supposed to be home already, sitting on his couch with his tiny bird Checkmate and snuggled into the itchy but somehow also warm blanket his sister had gotten for him last week, not within the confines of an almost eerily empty flower shop with the moon practically flowering at his back. Though he did suppose maybe after he finished up here if he was going to stay late he might as well stay up late too to make a quick patrol around the city. Yeah, that sounded nice, hopefully nothing too drastic would be happening tonight and he could just enjoy his time feeling the cold midnight air bite into his skin as he ran across the flattened tops of buildings. Er- right. Cleaning first. Gently, he picked up a petal from a rose that lay discarded on the counter, feeling the velvety texture between his fingers before sighing and watching it disappear into the trash bin and picking up the broom again. Messes were just a daily occurance to him at this point, especially during late shifts in the afternoon when people would walk in alone wanting to get something nice for a friend or family member or it was a couple cooning over the different flowers together or even a little child with grubby, greasy hands, who looked around in either complete distaste or wonder to the colors around them lining the walls while trying not to be separated from their parents tight grasp as they tried maneuvering through the much too small shop. The late night customer hadn't been a child accompanying their parent on errands though, nor a couple who were out on a date night, instead, they had been a half drunk adolescent male who staggered in through the oak door and demanded a bouquet of flowers, proclaiming through slurred speech that it was absolutely urgent.
Paisley remembered standing behind the counter listening to their slurred ramblings as they somehow managed to simultaneously talk about their day and what kind of flowers they wanted. He was almost impressed, if not for the fact their clothes were disheveled and all over the place and the person looked on the verge of collapsing as their knees shook beneath their own weight, practically draping themselves over the counter as they waved their hand around nearly knocking over a tall, thin vase with a single crimson rose sat in it. Paisley had finally managed to convince them to go home once assuring them that 1) Payment wasn't necessary until it was complete and 2) the bouquet would be ready for them tomorrow considering the fact they remembered when they woke up tomorrow and didn't have too much of a migraine to come and get it. Slopily, they had somehow managed to walk to the door and leave, though somewhat Begrudgingly as Paisley gave them a smile and a quiet 'come again!' that he doubted they were able to hear as they began their trek home down the cracked and broken pavement of the sidewalk. The shop in question wasn't in the most expensive of locations, as several roads and sidewalks were in need of repair, some more so than others, the buildings around the area were shabby looking on the outside and not much better internally, and one or two shops had boarded windows because they had shut down. It was fine though, Paisley liked his part-time job and despite the area being a rather poor looking one the people who usually came by were nice. The population of the few streets in the area was small enough that one of Paisley's coworkers practically knew everyone by name at this point, a feat that he himself wouldn't ever be able to accomplish because of his faulty memory, hence the thousands of apps on his phone, most of them reminders or planners of some sort.
"The thief has just gotten to the roof with a giant sack of cash with them! Helicopters are trying to get a closer look right now."
Paisley paused, head finally lifting so he could turn it towards his right to be able to watch the screen on the small TV change perspectives from the face of a young looking brown-haired women that he assumed to be the news reporter speaking moments prior, to a new shot instead of a skyward view of the bank at the roof. Indeed, there was someone standing there as the door behind them was flung open and cash was carried securely within their grasp. The camera circled slightly around them as the helicopter swerved, like trying to avoid something, before the camera finally evened out once more to the point Paisley could evaluate whatever the camera was able to catch. The thief wore a grey colored cloak, door now shut behind them and he narrowed his stormy grey eyes in order to try and see what they had on their belt that was now visible. Dark colored clothes, platform boots, and holy crap we're those wings?! Paisley felt his breath catch slightly before he was quick to grab the keys laying on the counter next to the cash register and lean the broom he had once been holding half-hazardly against the nearest wall before he booked it out of the shop, not bothering on listening to the chatter of the news anymore as he snatched the remote from where it was and clicked the screen off, placing it down afterwards on whatever surface was closest to him as he made haste out the door, lights flickering off behind him before he locked it behind him, fumbling with the keys a little as he noticed his hands shaking a bit. Paisley huffed before pocketing the keys, turning around and heading towards where the bank was. In his head, he tried estimating how much time it would take to make it to the bank before any other heroes appeared on the scene or the villain, Sariel he assumed it was, escaped with the cash. Quickening his pace, Paisley lightly bit his lip.
~~~
Aegis turned his head skyward as he approached the bank at a rapid pace, the world now tinted black as he stared at it behind black lensed bronze goggles that sat over his stormy grey colored eyes, one of his hands clutching the handle of his steel halberd that was slotted securely in a loop situated on the belt around his waist, dark blue colored side-cape billowing within the wind. Skidding to a stop a considerable distance from the glass doors to the bank, he huffed as he examined the ever growing crowd with cameras and phones held high above their heads as they all desperately wanted to snap a shot or record a video of the black silhouetted figure standing on the roof of the bank illuminated by the helicopters white lights, but doing little for the hero to be able to discern their face at all. Lifting his hand slightly, Aegis felt the weight of his weapon at his side before taking a breath, looking around for an alternative way up that wouldn't involve running through the crowd or ducking beneath the helicopter before spotting a building that looked easily enough to scale without a ladder and was close enough so he wouldn't have to waste too much time going around. It was easy enough to find his footing, his right shoe digging as far as it could into the building, weight pushed heavily onto the sole of his sneaker as it found a perch on the crevice between the two bricks before he found footing for his left and continued scaling it until landing in a slight crouch once reaching the roof. The hero was a distance close enough so that he could still see Sariel's figure against the dark screen of midnight over the city, not that it would matter anyway with the practical beacon beaming down on them from the helicopter. He sighed, Halberd now fully from the loops on his belt and held somewhat fidgety in his hands before his grip tightened and he took a running Jump onto the next building now behind where the bank was. Aegis's nerves were on high as he fully expected a fight, he would be surprised if there wasn't honestly. The last one he had gotten in had been far from pretty in terms of all the damage that happened to the city, as he remembered parts of bricks discarded on shattered roads and tiny pieces of glass scattered on the floor, some turned to practically sand below everyone's shoes as citizens screamed and ran for cover.
He landed with a thump as his shoes made impact, the hero's outfit most likely discernable now if one was to squint hard enough and his silhouette most definitely visible, though the hero themself found the fact of wearing dark tinted goggles quite bothersome during the nighttime. He would have to fix that later. The helicopter was too focused on capturing footage of Sariel to notice Aegis quite yet, and noticing the villain pause he cursed his luck for being too loud on his approach, resorting to just clearing his throat loudly and slamming the bottom of his halberd's handle into the roof where he stood. He could feel eyes turn towards his direction, just knew that people were now murmuring under their breaths about the new arrival, and quite frankly he had to restrain himself from tensing, keeping his posture straight but also relaxed, shoulders down as his hand gripped the handle of his weapon maybe a little too tightly.
"Hi, hello. Couldn't help but notice the bag of cash you've got, mind telling me where you got it from?"
He walked closer to the edge of the roof where he was standing, now practically teetering on the edge as he tilted his head ever so slightly to the right and let the wind carry his side cape away from where it would usually lay against his shoulder. Aegis couldn't help the soft smile pulling at the edge of his lips, the look not unkind as he tilted his head a bit to the right before crossing the gap between the bank and building he once stood on. The new arrival of people within the crowd and the raising of even more media devices didn't drag the hero's attention from his target, eyes darting from the cash he held, to the belt around his waist with his arsenals, to the villain's hidden face and back all over again. The helicopter made a constant humming noise in the background, the thing getting rather annoying as the propeller could practically be its own tornado warning at this point and the beams from it switching between the two, breaths held in anticipation for the fight and yet the people still not leaving. Unwise of them, he noted, but they wouldn't be his priority for now. Focus Paisley, eyes on the target.
"I'm going to have to ask you to return it, please."
The hero took a few steps forward, the Halberd level at his side like one of those weapons used for medieval jousting as it was gripped in his right hand, kind smile still on his face and voice light, but somewhat loud all the same. Whether it was drowned out by the helicopter propellers or not though he couldn't discern, as he's been told before loud for him still meant quiet for others. He was maybe 10 feet from the villain now, stopping in his tracks and staring them down, waiting, analyzing to try and see where he could make his move to resolve this as fast as possible. He would be fine, he reasoned.
Winter 
Day 
Fog
