[center][b][color=ffbc57][sup][h1]H E L L F I R E[/h1][/sup][/color][/b][/center]
[COLOR=ffbc57][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]T H E   S A N C T U A R Y[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][sup][color=darkgray]July 3[sup]rd[/sup], 2020  |  Mount Justice, Rhode Island[/color][/sup][/INDENT][/INDENT]
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Watching the scene unfold in front of him, Andy couldn’t help but be reminded of his mother. Not because she was a chiselled demigod with a connection to the Greek Speed Force, or because she was a wolfman that could tear you limb from limb if she wanted to – no, she was none of those things, and would probably react to them with a level of disdain that could only belong to a disillusioned (ex-)cop. No, the reason why Magnus and Tachyus’ little pissing contest reminded him of her was in the way they both carried themselves. The defiant swell of their chests, the anger etched on their faces; they oozed a confrontational demeanour that Andy had seen many times in his mother during her one-sided arguments with his dad. It was bully-ish and aggressive, and Carlissa Hughes had carried it with her constantly, every minute of every day until her driving had killed her infant son. The sight of it in his teammates triggered a pang in his gut that he couldn’t quite determine. Annoyance, sadness, anger… hate. Not for Tachyus and Magnus, he liked them well enough, but for the memories they’d brought out into Andy’s mind – ones he’d tried to bury somewhere deep and dark, along with any notion of the woman he’d come to despise.

He’d been about to step between the two, Juno’s attempts at mediation ignored, when Steph walked through the gym’s doors, beating him to it. Her approach was decidedly different to what he had mind, and he had to admit… he liked her style. Steph’s genial manner was endearing, almost infectious, and to say that she was Andy’s favourite member of the Bat Bunch wouldn’t be too far from the truth. He didn’t understand Bruce’s reluctance when it came to her – the reservations he seemed to hold – when to him, the fact that the original Batgirl gave Steph her blessing was more than enough to give some merit to her ability. That she didn’t seem to like him all that much was a bit of a bummer, sure, but it was no biggie. He could live with that, as long as they got past it one day. But man, the way she handled the situation.

With bacon. 

Andy didn’t know what was more surprising – that she’d actually suggested pork as a solution, or the fact that it worked. When Magnus said, [color=slategray][b]“Fine. Let us have [i]bacon[/i],”[/b][/color] his mouth hung slightly open in awe, slowly turning into an impressed smile as Steph jubilantly led the way to the kitchen.

Andy glanced at Juno, giving her an apologetic shrug, before shifting his eyes to Tachyus. A friendly smile on his face, he patted the demi-god lightly on the shoulder before making to follow Steph. As he passed Kassy, he couldn’t help the quizzical look that crossed his features, meeting her eyes for a brief second as he exited the gymnasium. Out of everyone present, she’d surprised him the most. The way she’d taken Magnus’ side was interesting, if not disheartening – he felt a fraction of his respect for her fall away at the notion that she might have done so to make herself appear stronger than she felt. 

Stepping back out into the dining area, Andy made a beeline towards the fridge, feeling its cold chill wash over him as he opened it. Finding two vacuum-sealed packs of rashers of bacon, he allowed himself a fist pump in silent celebration, laying them down on the bench behind him. That a crisis had been averted through the promise of food was miracle in itself, and the way he saw it, there was no harm in rushing to make good on it – not if it meant keeping the floor clear of any wolfman and demi-god blood.

He looked at Steph, still smiling that smile of his, any dark thoughts of his mother dispelled for the time being. [b][color=ffbc57]“Anything I can do to help?”[/color][/b]

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