Lyn looked upwards at the clouds in the sky and smiled as they seemed to be made of silver today. The view was ruined as someone with a cape shot across the sky, but she didn’t let it completely sour her mood. Now, she'd admit that the bus ride she was forced onto tested that optimistic disposition, but the moment she was off that crowded tin can, the spring in her step quickly returned.
A seed of worry crept through her thoughts over Emma’s tone, but even that was powerless against how her morning had been so far. Her thoughts drifted back to Alex’s face and she couldn’t help but grin even further. Oh she hoped that Celeste would remember to record his reaction to her new surprise for him. Actually… she kind of just hoped those two wouldn’t end up destroying the lab in a fight. Eh, Val was there so they’d probably behave? If they remembered she was there?
Whatever. They were villains and a few squabbles in the shared living space were to be expected. Instead she took out her phone for the fifteenth time and wondered if she should be texting Menace or not. Emma picked a hell of a time to call, but with how things were going and how much her self control was being tested there, that was probably for the best.
That was how things worked, right? Ugh… she was completely out of practice with this. Assuming Emma wasn’t having a breakdown, she might be able to get some advice from her.
A short distance from the bus stop, her friend waited underneath a street marker, nervously fidgeting with her white hair. Today’s costume was… sweatpants and a hoodie? Oh, that wasn’t great.
She was wearing dark eye shadow that Lyn initially assumed was smudged and worried the woman had been crying but as she got closer, it looked more like the Emma had simply rushed to apply it. Even with the messy makeup and cry-for-help outfit, she otherwise looked extremely put together. Lyn realized now, seeing her like this, that every time they met, outside of her questionable clothing choices and today’s rushed face paint, the woman always looked immaculate. Her hair and skin were always neat and without blemishes and her smile never had a speck stuck to her teeth, even after they’d grabbed lunch.
Whatever powers she has must help with that, Lyn realized. Well… that makes two of us, kind of.
Her new body never seemed to come out of its pocket dimension with her hair messed up, and it even seemed to clean makeup off while it was in there somehow… not that she often went to bed with cosmetics applied! Just… she wasn’t always used to taking care of that having spent the past ten years going outside in a mask.
Huh… her Terrorantula form also seemed to exit the void with her hair in the right place and no tangles. And come to think of it, Starweaver’s nails hadn’t needed trimming yet. Okay, yeah, next time Scarlet calls, I need to talk some mundane things over.
Lost in her thoughts, she almost missed Emma waving her over, a tender smile on her face. It looked like she was doing better than when she’d called Lyn a little while back. Lyn had made it here as fast as she could while still grabbing a bus to keep up the illusion that she wasn’t leaping across buildings – even if Emma apparently knew she was a cape herself. No need to let on that her powers could help her travel after all.
As for where “here” was, Lyn was struggling to figure that out herself. There were a couple of cafes in walking distance and maybe a warehouse or two that Emma might’ve just fought inside, but other than that, there didn’t seem to be much in the area. There was a door to Fencer’s a couple blocks away but there was no way Emma would get in there. Unless she was only pretending to be a hero and was actually a villain herself?
The broad smile tinged with a feeling of confidence on the woman’s face instantly dashed that idea. No, you couldn’t fake that air of smug righteousness which seemed to cling to anyone on that side of the cape.
“Hi!” Lyn waved back. “I got here as fast as possible. Everything okay?”
Emma’s smile began to fade, some worry beginning to write itself across her face, “Uh… could we grab a drink real quick first? I… want to get you something before you listen to my problems. I feel bad calling you over here so suddenly.”
“It’s no…” she found she couldn’t really finish saying that considering just how much she wanted to get back home and call up Menace again. “I’m fine. Uh, no coffee though. It doesn’t really agree with me.”
That earned her a look, but Lyn figured it was an innocent enough statement that Emma would let it go for now. Emma took the lead and moved them down the streets, scanning for someplace suitable.
“Sorry again for dragging you away,” she muttered. Then she turned around and a knowing smile broke across her face, “It sounds like I interrupted something.”
Lyn felt a blush break out on her face, “I- It’s fine. I was planning on- How much did you hear…?”
Emma just kept grinning and so the blush became deeper and warmer. She was going to make Alex pay for that…
---------------------------------
Thana fidgeted as she looked over at Evelyn as the woman sipped at some nightmare concoction of fruits and artificial flavors. Admittedly, the badly disguised villain’s clear enjoyment of the disgusting drink was one of many things the demigoddess was mildly jealous of at the moment. Her sweet tooth had vanished centuries ago, far before mankind had developed countless confections that all tickled her nose in a tempting way and yet disagreed with her palate like troll liquor.
And acknowledging that envy simply made her aware of the others festering within her breast. She was acutely aware of how her heart ached these days, as though ten years of it gradually quieting had simply vanished. The new love blossoming in the stories she’d managed to pry from the woman opposite her on the trip over brushed against her own memories of Marcus. Not just that, but worry did find its way into her heart that this new relationship threatened to pull away the attention of the one person she’d managed to grow close to in this city.
She wasn’t sure if she held romantic feelings towards Evelyn, as her heart was too consumed with a maelstrom of emotions to properly assess such things. In the past, she might’ve been bold enough to simply ask to be a part of this. She had found luck in distant years with multiple lovers, though the ages had changed, and even in those distant years it was considered incredibly gauche to attempt to pursue one who had so recently met with new love.
Not to mention her latest forays with polyamory had simply served not to lessen her loneliness but to stoke its cold flame. Her mortal lovers had more in common with one another than her, and more than one attempt at forging a trio had simply seen her as the satellite to bonds of true love. True, the physical intimacy had been enjoyable, but when her partners moved on without her, she was always left alone. Not that courting a single partner did her much good either.
She always outlived everyone else…
Her thoughts continued their dark decent as her teeth clenched. A single stray sentence wrapped claws around her mind as dead companions of ages past told their sagas of lives well spent: Marcus was the only one whose story was cut this short and directly because of my involvement.
In more violent ages, she’d been used to paramours being claimed by the uncaring fates. Even as civilization flourished, sickness still claimed those she loved. And yet, somehow, Marcus’ death stood out to her, not for being the most recent. It was knowing she had found love once more, the first since the Great War had hollowed out her heart, and that love had doomed him. Some days she woke wishing she’d never met the man, a curse she had never once uttered about a single past romance.
“Are you okay?” Evelyn’s words woke her from the darkness she’d succumbed to, and Thana saw the worried look upon her companion’s face.
“I-” Thana found herself unable to lie in this moment. “No… no, I am not.”
A moment of silence passed as the Valkirborn's eyes fled to her lap, unable to meet the face of the blue woman with elven features across from her.
Here I am, stealing precious moments from her and this “Alex” just for comfort over my own love. And to think, I considered attempting to court her even knowing her heart belongs elsewhere! Am I so eager to see her happiness shattered or to bring ruin to her as well?
“Is it the job?”
Thana raised her face to meet her eyes, seeing a knowing expression on her face. She was not entirely correct but it still was something of a mild surprise to see that a supposed villain might know the pains of heroism. Thana had not attempted to dig into who Evelyn’s other persona might be, so there was a chance the woman across from her once fought on the same side only to fall to temptation, but she’d never gotten that impression from her in the few glances she’d managed behind the proverbial mask she wore.
She must have worn her surprise too freely, as Evelyn rolled her eyes and explained, “Naturally, I know a couple of heroes. They tend to get into a funk like this for one reason or another.”
Thana grasped at the few strands of humor she felt were still in her reach, deciding to echo a previous joke, “You talk to other heroes than me?”
Evelyn blew a raspberry, “I’ve had a vast social life for years before I met you.”
“When we met, you said that only two men ever hung out with you,” Thana raised an eyebrow.
“Well, I mean- Look I had a friend group before… It just… fell apart,” Evelyn mumbled as her blush returned in full force.
Thana didn’t even bother responding to that, which just further deepened the darkening blue across the villain’s face.
“Look,” Evelyn said after taking another sip and pretending the previous conversation hadn’t just occurred, “I know that all the responsibility and politics of the job can be a nightmare. That’s why you should quit and join my team.”
Thana let her lip quirk upwards but refused to give her more than that, “It’s not the politics it’s…”
She paused before she realized her words were false, “Actually, yes, I am having trouble with another hero and that’s part of the issue. I expected… Well, I didn’t think they’d be a liar for one thing!”
Evelyn laughed, “Oh, no surprise there. In my experience, anyone in a mask tends to be a liar in some way. Especially heroes.”
Thana wanted to ask if she wore a mask but thought better of it. Of course she did and she’d simply use that to prove a point. A small bit of pride swelled in her that her Stormdaughter regalia lacked such concealment.
“Sorry you found out this way though,” Evelyn quickly added.
Thana sighed, “I’m more upset that he-”
“Lied to protect you?” Evelyn’s smug grin was one that told of a familiarity with this.
“Well yes!” Thana threw up her arms. “But more than that though… he’s keeping secrets I have a right to know. It-”
She took a deep breath, time to actually tell a little of the truth, “It has to do with why I’m here.”
Evelyn nodded gravely, “It’s about the guy who killed Mar-”
She quickly stopped talking, a worried look on her face. Thana supposed she’d earned that delicate touch considering how easily she’d wept the last time his name had come up in their conversation. Still, as much as this morning had harried her, she felt stronger now than that moment at the arcade. The anger driving her gave her some strength.
“Yes. I… I came to ask you for help,” she admitted.
Contrary to her fears, the villain seemed delighted, “Oh perfect, you’re seeing the limitations of being a hero. Of course I’ll help you fall to the dark side for revenge.”
“Please,” Thana held up her hands to stop the jests. “I… I can’t today. I just… I need your help to find out what this hero knows that he’s keeping from me.”
“Sure, and afterwards I’ll help you kill the guy who did this,” Evelyn promised as she took another sip. “Pretty sure I can swap some favors to help you out.”
“Thanks,” Thana brushed her hair behind her ear and smiled at the woman’s support. “I believe one of the villains of this city might know something useful. After all, he’s made a lot of enemies from what I’ve heard. I just would have no idea where to begin when it comes to tracking them down.”
“Oh trust me, all heroes make enemies,” Evelyn chuckled again. “But yeah, there’s probably someone here who wouldn’t mind settling an old grudge while the League is throwing their weight around.”
Thana grimaced, reminded of the forces occupying the shadows. She did not want her actions to lead to anything her foes might exploit to harm ArachNed, but she simply saw no other way to find out what he knew. It had been incredibly obvious from the little time she’d spent at the Towers of Amberheart that he held the rest of his fellows at arm's length and almost none knew the lightest of his secrets.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
She looked at the red eyes of the woman across from her and considered her course once more. The eager eyes meeting her own assured her that this was the right choice. She’d been left with no options but subterfuge and guile here.
“Thank you,” she told Evelyn. “I hope I can trust your expertise on this. I knew you of all people would be able to help me find out more. The hero who’s stonewalling me and keeping things from me is none other than ArachNed.”
Thana was not expecting Evelyn to make that face.
---------------------------------
SHITSHITSHITFUCKSHITFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKSHITFUCKSHITFUCKSHITFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!
HOW DOES SHE KNOW?!
Lyn’s jaw tightened and she felt the world blurring around her. She heard Emma address her by name.
Oh, of course, I told her my fucking name! Stupid! Fantastic idea to tell a hero your identity right before you go fuck up their friends!
Her mind began to race as Lyn calculated her options. Could she escape? She didn’t know what Emma’s powers were. She was at a disadvantage here. Should she fight her? Grab a hostage? Ugh… no, you don’t grab hostages without a plan going into that.
Her name echoed in her ears and she realized that Emma was leaning over the table now. She couldn’t read her face like this and could barely hear anything. Her eyes drifted towards the glass in front of her. The reflection in it gleamed, pinpricks of red light against the pink liquid still remaining in the cup.
A hand on her shoulder finally broke her from the trance, “Are you okay?”
“H-how long have you known who I am?” Lyn muttered.
Emma’s hand loosened, “I… haven’t.”
The unexpected answer broke the final hold of the panic that had taken hold of Lyn’s mind. She reflexively asked, “What?”
“I don’t know who you are,” Emma insisted, and Lyn could see she was gravely concerned now. “I never… I chose not to look up any details about your name. I’m guessing that you have some kind of relationship to ArachNed though.”
Fucking perfect job there, she thought as she moaned in abject embarrassment. Emma sat back in her chair where she stewed for a moment.
“That man claims that he’s trying to reform you all… And yet, I hear stories,” she shook her head. “I saw the aftermath of one of his villains the other day. A young girl and her teammates all savaged…”
Lyn kept her face free from any reaction even as her fingers clenched below the table. A part of her really wanted to point out that Sun Light and her team were no pushovers and that once again she’d not hit her with anything approaching a dangerous amount of venom all things considered. Fucking hell, Orbit had been throwing explosives around!
She kept her mouth shut and her face straight however.
“And you!” Emma pointed at her face causing Lyn to blink. “You have absolutely no interest in turning away from this life, even after hooking up with this guy.”
“It didn’t get-” Lyn started to deny before clamping her mouth shut. “I… don’t have other options.”
“Yes, you do!” Emma insisted a little too loudly, earning some glances from the surrounding patrons. She let their attention fade before continuing, “You could become a hero and-”
“Oh sure!” Lyn snapped, slamming her hand on the table. The cups there toppled, spilling the dregs of her drink and half a cup of coffee that Emma had been ignoring. She was vaguely aware that the whole cafe’s seating room was now blatantly staring at them, but still she let her words fly, “Let me just give up everything and go beg for a spot on some team with people that hate my fucking guts! You don’t know anyth-”
“I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THAT!” Emma’s voice shook the entire room and her eyes flashed blue white. Lyn involuntarily shrunk back as the woman in the lounge-wear suddenly triggered a part of her lizard brain that told her to seek shelter. She wasn’t alone as she heard the sounds of chairs scraping as their occupants scrambled to safety.
Emma panted heavily for a moment, an odd energy in the air dissipating as she got control of herself. Without another word, she turned and practically ran out of the building, leaving Lyn there in shock.
---------------------------------
Give up everything…
Thana felt her wings melt off her back as the lightning hammered them. It had been a stupid dare but one that she needed to make. She needed to prove herself one more time. Tendrils of lightning ran their knives through her body towards her heart as she opened her mouth to feast. One of them would be victorious today.
Still, even as she fought for her life, she knew that her mother’s people would never see her as one of them again. The feathers burning in front of her eyes were a future disintegrating to ash.
Give up everything…
She watched the last waygate of Ivvragaila crumble before her, watching the faces of the other Valkir disappear as they waved her goodbye. She turned to face the family she’d chosen as they began to walk this mortal plane. She couldn’t help but feel like she made the wrong choice.
Give up… Everything…
She’d listened to the radio broadcast in the fishing village, unable to believe her ears. Her father’s choice had been made and he’d not even bothered to tell her. After all this time, had she failed him in some way that he would leave her behind as he went to war with the whole world under the banner of mortals?
Give up. Everything.
He had a charming smile. Too charming for a mere man. He reminded her of Hermal, the Meditarri messenger god in that way, but with the body of most war gods she’d met. There was a softness in his eyes that didn’t belong to either the schemers or the warriors.
And yet, he spoke of a fight. A bloody one. One that required heroes.
Was she one of those? She hadn’t felt that way in centuries. Still, she wanted to believe this man of Wonders.
Give. Up. Everything.
Alsun’s eyes met hers one last time. His mouth twitched as blood flowed down it. Was he trying to smile or to curse her?
…Beg for a spot on some team with people who hate your guts…
Years of walking into a room and seeing everyone on edge played out in front of her. Even among men and women who would be demigods themselves in ages past, she bore a mark of shame from her father that could never be ignored.
They would welcome aliens from the stars and creatures from the depths of the sea. Demons and valkir might be strangers at first but would slowly become mundane to mortal eyes. Even things from beyond this realm that slipped through the cracks could be one of them. But gods?
Gods were always different.
She remembered Marcus’s eyes when she’d finally had the courage to show him. He’d wanted to run, just as Evelyn had from the merest fraction of her power. He’d stayed but there’d been a look to him since that told her that something had changed. She’d finally brought it up and he’d told her that he knew but that he was working on it. He promised her that he’d see her as just a girl.
Then he’d died. And it was like all those other moments before where she was severed from the world she knew.
It was… It just… Every time it felt like waking in your own corpse. Walking through life in a body no longer your own.
Should she try and push such a fate upon Evelyn simply because she knew it to be possible? Was that not just? To bestow trials and tribulations to reforge a champion who had been on the path of darkness to one of light? Surely the words from the woman’s lips had been but weakness that needed to be broken upon the anvil of life’s journey! After all, she was justifying her selfishness and greed as well as her insistence on hurting others to satisfy her whims.
Yet, why did her thoughts lead her back to her own pain? Why did she look at a villain and see herself there? Worse: why did she wonder if her own sacrifices were worth it?
“Emma?”
She turned around, finding that she was hunched over, leaning against a building, and had a crowd forming a circle around her. An acrid taste was on her lips and she realized there were trails of tears down her eyes. She had no idea where she was other than that, only that the blue skinned woman had pursued her from the drink shop and was now looking at her with notes of concern.
Thousands of emotions played in her chest.
She despised Evelyn for her addiction to her vices. She hated her for the naked attempts to manipulate her, even in jest. She envied her for finding love as her own heart was shattered into a million pieces. She found solace and comfort in her casual tone around her and clear attempts to impress her. She raged over how such a soul was no doubt party to evils she couldn’t believe. She cursed her for saying her name and showing such trust, hating herself for refusing to verify her own suspicions. She wished to bring her to justice for the crimes she suspected the woman was guilty of. She wanted to steal her away along with her newfound love and shelter them from the consequences of her actions. She wished to throw a blade at the woman’s feet and demand a duel, not even knowing the stakes on the line. She just wanted Evelyn to give her what she knew about ArachNed and to never see her again.
She… She…
Evelyn pushed through the crowd, almost causing her to simply take to the air and fly away on reflex. Instead she let the villainess take her arm and lead her away from the crowd. The two walked in silence for what felt like an eternity until Evelyn dragged them off the path they’d been walking on. Thana realized they were standing in the middle of one of Victory’s many parks as her shoes crushed the greenery underfoot.
When they came to a stop among the trees, far from almost any visible trail, the blue skinned woman twirled around to face her.
“Ned’s probably hacking Amberheart again,” Evelyn immediately started to say. “I have no idea how he does it, and apparently Hack Job says it’s way more secure than he can manage to tap without tripping every alarm possible, so I don’t think you can try to spy on him from the outside. You can probably trace what he’s doing from inside Amberheart’s systems though since he’s probably using his own credentials. So if you can catch him mid-access you find out what he’s looking at, possibly even use that to figure out where he’s going.”
“Wha-”
“I’m helping you,” Evelyn interrupted her. “You… You need this. And fuck Ned for keeping this secret from you. Just… don’t hate me too much. I know this is probably the last time we’ll meet.”
“No!” Thana almost shouted, not understanding where that came from until she stopped the next few words out of her mouth.
She almost said “Don’t leave me as well.”
Her throat constricted and she felt… weak. Weaker than whatever that gas had done to her. She couldn’t meet Evelyn’s eyes, fixing her gaze firmly on the ground.
“Look, we both know I’ve given you too much. And… things are going to get complicated with the League here,” Evelyn paused. “Just… Let me help you get this bastard and screw over Ned, okay?”
Thana still couldn’t look at her, even as she asked, “You intend to join the League’s efforts here?”
“What? No! Fuck them!” Evelyn hissed. “I’m going to get Arex back for breaking my spine if it’s the last-”
“He broke your spine?!” Thana whipped around and grabbed Evelyn’s shoulders, surprising her.
“I- Yes? I’m better now!”
Thana looked at her with incredulity, barely comprehending the words she was speaking.
Evelyn shook herself free and began to turn away, “Anyways… I… I hope you find the guy who killed Marcus. He-”
“Killed Maniacal,” Thana confessed. “The League is here for him. He used to work for them.”
The villainess froze.
“…This all comes back to me,” she admitted. “You want to hurt the League? Your help already has. This is a race between them and me. I’ll make sure they pay. For Marcus. For your spine. For everything.”
Evelyn shook her head, “I know you’re powerful apparently but-”
Thana held up a hand, “If… If this is to be our last meeting then… let me be honest. There’s been too many lies.”
She took several steps backwards as she checked around. No one else was in sight in this secluded section of the park.
She closed her eyes and let the glamour drop. She heard the gasp from the woman who she strongly suspected she knew the moniker of. It was only fair to let the villain know her true face as well.
She opened her golden eyes to look at the woman one last time and was surprised once more to not see the expression she’d expected. Not wariness, fear, nor the awestruck bewilderment mortals sometimes wore when encountering her. There was surprise but far more muted than she’d expected.
Her words were even more unexpected.
“That explains the wardrobe choices…”
