Relief, annoyance, and surprise all hit the gravity manipulator at once as he watched the hellish beast disappear and listened to the ever-fading roar of the bird girl’s motorcycle. Not many had been able to get away from Omega, especially when he had them cornered. It seemed she had some sort of summoning powers, and he wondered whether they got any worse than a huge demon dog.

[color=a0410d][i]Probably...which is why she must be so dangerous…[/i][/color]

As the adrenaline started to fade out of his system, he began to feel just how much damage the Grim had actually inflicted. There were several cuts on his arms, shoulders, and chest. None of them were deep enough to warrant immediate attention, but they wouldn’t just heal overnight, either. He decided it was time to pay someone special a visit.

[color=a0410d]“I haven’t seen Ma in a bit, anyway.”[/color]

Still slightly shocked at his most recent encounter, he shook his head and called it a night. 

The next morning, Manny made his way to his parents’ home outside the city. His father would already be at work and his mother wouldn’t be home from working the night shift until around noon. So, he would just wait and surprise his mother. He arrived and made his way around to the backyard where Sonya’s immense and immaculate garden was planted. After hanging out for a few hours, Manny heard his mom emerge from the back door.

“Manny! How good to see you! How are you, sweetheart?” Sonya cheerfully asked as she walked over to greet her son.

[color=a0410d]“I’m just fine, Ma,”[/color] Manny said as he rose from the chair he was sitting in to give his mother a hug. He winced under the pressure of the embrace.

“You sure about that, son?” Sonya had a slight frown and a motherly “you can’t fool me” look in her eyes. Manny avoided her gaze as she attempted to make direct eye contact.

[color=a0410d]“Of course, I am.”[/color] Manny flashed a weak grin.

“Manny…”

[color=a0410d]“It’s nothing bad, Ma. Just a few scratches from trying to catch a bird.”[/color]

“You expect me to believe that, Sir Newton?”

Manny let out a light laugh as he returned to his chair. [color=a0410d]“Look, Ma, we’ve both had a long night, so why you just relax with me?”[/color] He grabbed a guitar that was propped nearby and motioned to an empty chair.

Sonya gave a sigh and shook her head as she sat down. She was actually quite relieved to be off her feet and enjoyed the extra bonus of Manny’s visit. As Manny began to play, she took a deep breath, taking in the many aromas of her vast collection of flowers. Eventually, she accompanied his playing with singing and let her healing powers work their magic.

“Don’t expect to come running to me every time you have a ‘bird-related’ injury.”

[color=a0410d]“Don’t worry, Ma. It won’t be a problem for long,”[/color] Manny said with a prematurely satisfied grin.

-----

Of course, he was wrong. Every time Omega managed to corner the Raven, she would slip away. Not only that, her summons had gotten even creepier. She seemed to be enjoying the getaway, perhaps even toying with him. Though on the other hand, he still hadn’t brought himself to come down on her full force. He wasn’t sure why, but he continued to show the girl restraint. Maybe it was because she never [i]actually[/i] attacked him...or perhaps it was her constant claims of being one of the good guys. Whatever the case, Raven Tale had intrigued him, to say the least - especially with this latest escape. Not many supers without flight powers would willingly jump from a building...and then to be caught by a phoenix...he had to give her style points for sure.

He stood there on the ledge watching the bike leave the scene without even bothering to give chase. He folded his arms as his smirk faded to neutral and Raven’s words came to mind.

[i]...I have caused no such trouble, ponder my words sometime...for the tenth moon, I was not the cause of that battle…[/i]

[color=a0410d]“Well, I can’t really be sure of that until I actually catch you...and believe me, that day is coming soon.”[/color]

It wasn’t a threat...but a complete and utter certainty.