[center][h2][color=BDFFC6]Lucy[/color]     |     [color=F91890]Roxy[/color][/h2][/center]
[hr][center]Lakewood High | 11:15 EST[/center][hr]
[hider][color=BDFFC6][i]Oh God...[/i][/color] Lucy thought as she sped past a corner, her heeled boots pounding against the floor of the hallway as her heart pounded against her chest. [color=BDFFC6][i]I've never done anything like this before...[/i][/color]

[color=66FF99][i]"Lucy..."[/i][/color]

[color=BDFFC6][i]Like, how the hell does this compare to fighting some ghost in an old warehouse? I still barely know my way around this school. I'm not prepared for this, I don't know how I'm supposed to fucking[/i] handle [i]this...[/i][/color]

[color=66FF99][i]"Lucy!"[/i][/color]

[color=BDFFC6][i]And I'm the adult here, now. What happens if one of them dies; am I responsible for that? How am I going to live with myself after today? I just can't-[/i][/color]

[color=66FF99][h2][i]"LUCY! BREATHE!"[/i][/h2][/color] 

The Spirit's words pulled her back to reality, at least somewhat. She took a long series of deep breaths and tried to recollect herself. She was... in school. Looking for anyone that might have gotten missed in the headcount. She'd transformed and merged with her Spirit pretty much as soon as she was confident she was out of eyesight. And there were... crustaceans. She'd killed one. She could probably kill more. [color=BDFFC6][i]Yeah. Just take it one step at a time...[/i][/color]

The feeling that she was going to have a fucking heart attack began to fade. Lucy slowed her pace just a little, giving herself some time to check the classrooms as she jogged by. Still, she heard a crash and a yell, and as she rounded yet another corner she tried to skid to a stop and promptly fell over at the sight of another monster. It either didn't notice or care about her though. It was staring at a door. Was someone in there? Lucy felt herself trembling again as she spun her scepter around, aiming it at the beast with trembling unease.

[color=66FF99][i]"Be lax. Let me guide your aim."[/i][/color]

Lucy did so, attempting to detach herself from her rigid, unstable control of her own body. She felt her aim honing in on the scuttling creature, charging, letting loose a blast of burning light like it was second nature. It hit the creature right in the eye, burning straight through it as the rest of the body began to dissolve into thin air. It was something she'd done so many times before, but there was something comforting about still being able to do it now. She flipped her scepter back to normal and gave the door a light knock.

[color=BDFFC6]"H-hey,"[/color] Lucy said, managing to keep the stress out of her voice. [color=BDFFC6]"Is anyone in there?"[/color]

Roxy cowered, the tears still pouring down her face as she tried to take shallow, silent breaths. She could [i]feel[/i] the creature waiting for her on the other side of the door. She was basically just waiting for the moment that it came through the wooden barrier and ended her; it was the worst kind suspense that person could likely ever experience. It didn't help that she had to force her body not to crumple into a little ball on the floor. The sound of her collapsing would surely alert the thing in the hall. She just had to stand as rigid and silent as she possibly could, while the mind-numbing fear of imminent dismemberment squeezed at her lungs like a vice.

Then, there was a different noise. It sounded like sand being thrown onto asphalt, or some slight noise like you'd hear from a superhero using their laser vision. It was there for only a moment, and then it was gone. Replaced by another noise; the light tapping of a hand at the door, and someone's voice.

The thought that it might be a trick, or whoever was on the other side of the door might not be a friend didn't even cross Roxy's mind as she quickly flung the door open, rushing into the arms of the person on the other side, still with tears streaming down her cheeks.

[color=F91890]"[i]Thank you thank you thank you![/i]"[/color] she spouted, the panic nearly outweighing the gratitude in her voice. [color=F91890]"Is it gone? Did you get rid of it?"[/color] she asked, looking around slightly while her trembling hands refused to relinquish their grips on the front of this new person.

Lucy jumped, startled by the sudden entrance, though she quickly returned the hug. Tears of relief began to well up behind her mask. She could be sure that someone, at least, would make it out of this okay.

[color=BDFFC6]"Yeah,"[/color] she said softly. [color=BDFFC6]"It's gone."[/color] She took a couple more deep breaths, exorcising the tension from her body.

[color=66FF99][i]"Not that I don't want to spend the rest of our day trapped in the clutches of this traumatized grub, but we should get moving."[/i][/color]

[color=BDFFC6][i]What do you want me to do, tear her off? Give her a minute.[/i][/color]

[color=66FF99][i]"I don't want to put you back in a panic attack, but how many minutes do the rest of these children have? Do what you need to do, I'll watch for trouble. Just make it quick."[/i][/color]

The Spirit split itself from Lucy. The Medium's wings fell around her body like cloth as the giant moth flew from her back and fluttered about the hallway.

[color=BDFFC6]"Are you okay?"[/color] Lucy asked.

[color=F91890]"I...think so?"[/color] Roxy said, a little uncertain as the shaking in her hands slowed and she released her white-knuckle grip on Lucy. She wiped her face with her good arm, and then brought it back over to cradle her damaged one. [color=F91890]"I fell down the stairs and hurt my arm really badly, but I don't think it's broken or anything. It just hurts a lot."[/color]


She attempted to rotate her shoulder a bit in demonstration, but stopped with a wince as a bolt of pain shot through her. She looked back up to the new person in front of her, giving a curious glance at the creature behind her. She almost took a step backwards in fear, but there was just something about it that seemed...[i]safe[/i]. It was a big moth or something, and it seemed to have a faint glow about it. There wasn't anything dangerous about that.

[color=F91890]"What's...going on?"[/color] Roxy asked, the silence allowing her to be uncomfortably aware of the blood pumping loudly in her ears and the stinging pain that just seemed to be ever-present right now. Her eyes darted nervously from Lucy to the moth, to back down the hallway, and her face started to flush as the circumstances started to weigh back onto her mind.

The masked Medium paused. A good question.

[color=BDFFC6]"I don't know..."[/color] She admitted. [color=BDFFC6]"I'm going to stop them though. I just need you to stay strong for me, ok? You're doing great."[/color] She gave the girl another look over. That shoulder was [i]probably[/i] dislocated.

[color=BDFFC6]"Can you lay down on your back for me?"[/color] Lucy asked, sitting down on the floor. [color=BDFFC6]"We should get that arm fixed."[/color] She wasn't absolutely 100% sure she remembered how to do this, but it was probably best not to mention that. Now that she was a bit calmer, she doubted anyone was ever [i]ready[/i] to pop in a shoulder at the drop of a hat, or become a magical girl and fight monsters. It wasn't a test you could study for the night before. She held the girl's arm in her hand and slowly, gently, move it away from her body, aiming for that forty-five degree sweet spot.

[color=BDFFC6]"The moth is mine by the way."[/color] Lucy explained, attempting to keep the girl's mind off of any pain or anxiety she might be feeling. [color=BDFFC6]"It's, uh, kind of like a Pokémon sort of thing, I guess."[/color] She gave the arm a steady, firm pull, still being careful to keep it at the right angle and not to be too forceful, waiting for it to pop back into place.

Roxy looked at Lucy a little hesitantly, before slowly lowering herself down to the ground. She made a motion to steady herself with the injured arm, but shifted over to the other side before she could put any wait on it. [color=F91890]"Just...lay down? In the middle of the hallway? Aren't there still things around?"[/color] she asked; though her tone was slightly worried, she still leaned backwards into a prone position, looking directly up into the ceiling. She flinched a little at Lucy's touch, but slowly relaxed as she adjusted her arm into the proper position.

[color=F91890]"A Pokémon?"[/color] Roxy questioned, a slight hint of excitement in her voice. She turned her head slightly to look into Lucy's mask, her eyes wide. [color=F91890]"So, like, you can have it fight for you? Is what happened to the thing that was chasing me? Where did you even fin-[b]AHN![/b]"[/color]

The slight [i]crunch[/i] of joint being forced into place and the yelp of pain from Roxy cut off the sudden barrage of questions, and her legs immediately brought themselves inward as she attempted to curl into herself. She grabbed at her shoulder, relaxing her legs back down to the ground and letting out a stifled whimper, followed by a few heavy breaths as she blinked away her watering eyes.

Still glassy eyed, she looked back into the mask again. If she said anything now, it would just come out pained and shaking, so Roxy held her tongue.

[color=BDFFC6]"You're doing great,"[/color] Lucy reassured, with a warm smile. [color=BDFFC6]"Take a moment if you need to."[/color] She decided to leave the barrage of questions unanswered for the moment.

She slid away from the girl and took a bit of a breather herself, giving her another look over. She didn't quite recognize her, though then again, it was only the first week of the school year. She never met a teacher who could actually remember all their students by then.

[color=BDFFC6]"So what's your name?"[/color] Lucy asked.

Roxy did take a moment for her deep breaths to slow back down to a normal level. Her shoulder still throbbed with pain, but it seemed like it was slowly fading at least; it'd probably be sore, but at least she could move it around.

[color=F91890]"Roxy."[/color] She finally said. [color=F91890]"Roxy Tretter. Or Roxanne. Either works, I guess."[/color]

Her enthusiasm was notably absent now; but that could at least be expected with the way her last ten minutes had panned out. She pushed her self up to her feet, still careful to not put any weight on her previously-injured arm, just in case. [color=F91890]"Who are you? And...what's up with the mask? And the moth? Like, I know you said he was yours, but..."[/color] she trailed off, leaving the question open.

[color=BDFFC6]"Well, Roxy..."[/color] Lucy trailed off, suddenly realizing that she simply could not lie to this child if her life depended on it. Best case scenario; it'd have to be their little secret. Lunasa turned back to her for a moment and gave her what Lucy could instinctively tell was a piercing glare.

[color=BDFFC6]"My name is Lucy."[/color] The Medium started, with a slow huff. [color=BDFFC6]"The moth appeared to me in a dream one night, she didn't look like a moth then though. I know I said she was like a Pokémon but I was also getting this sort of Faustian pact vibe to it?"[/color] She trailed off again, realizing she probably still didn't have a perfect understanding of all this herself.

[color=BDFFC6]"Anyways,"[/color] She concluded. [color=BDFFC6]"We're sort of linked together now. Whenever I summon her we can jump really high and shoot lasers and I have to do a little magical girl transformation into this outfit."[/color] She blushed, feeling like she was doing a [i]really[/i] bad job with this.

[color=66FF99][i]"Well, at least you listen to some of what I tell you."[/i][/color]

[color=BDFFC6]"Sorry."[/color] Lucy said, trying to keep up a smile. [color=BDFFC6]"It's, uh, a lot to explain."[/color]

Roxy stood, either stunned by the sudden influx of information, or entranced. It certainly was a lot to explain, and for a young girl whose most interesting part of the day was seeing the lunch special, her whole world was being turned on its head in a matter of moments. There were definitely a few uncomfortable seconds of silence after Lucy finished her explanation, where Roxy's eyes just darted across her face in disbelief, as if waiting for her to admit it was all a joke.

[color=F91890]"So wait..."[/color] she finally said, her voice cracking slightly at first. [color=F91890]"...so like...you're like...a superhero or something? Superheroes...[i]exist[/i]? And you have actual superpowers and this is your costume?"[/color]

Slow at first, the flood of questions began to pick up speed.

[color=F91890]"So like, are these weird bug-things from a supervillian? Are you going to go fight him? Are there more of you?"[/color]

[color=F91890]"Do I need to keep this a [i]secret[/i]?"[/color]

[color=BDFFC6]"I, um..."[/color] Lucy stammered. That was a lot of questions.

[color=BDFFC6]"Okay, so,"[/color] She started up again, counting up the questions on her hand in preparation to list them off. [color=BDFFC6]"I guess you could say I'm a superhero? I've never met anyone else like me, though. I mostly just took care of things like those bugs which are like the moth but bad... and I try to keep all this a secret. Today is way bigger than anything else I've dealt with, so maybe that rule isn't going to work anymore. We'll have to see."[/color] She sighed. This was all going to have a lot of fallout.

[color=F91890]"Well don't worry; your secret is safe with me!"[/color] Roxy said, excitement slowly blossiming into her mannerisms again. She was part of a super secret mission now...or at least, she was involved in one. But she wouldn't be able to tell anybody about this...that was a little bit of a bummer.

[color=F91890]"Is Lucy like, your superhero name? Or is that your actual name? Wait no; I guess you shouldn't tell me that. Does the moth have a name?"[/color]

Lucy's embarrassment began to fade as she realized that Roxy was beginning to perk back up again.

[color=BDFFC6]"Her name is Lunasa,"[/color] Lucy explained. [color=BDFFC6]"Though I like to call her Luna."[/color]

[color=66FF99][i]"Please tell her not to call me that."[/i][/color]

Lucy ignored her Spirit's request, though she gave the moth a quick smirk. She turned back to Roxy.

[color=BDFFC6]"How are you feeling?"[/color] She asked. [color=BDFFC6]"Ready to get moving?"[/color]

[color=F91890]"Lunasa?"[/color] Roxy said, pondering for a moment. [color=F91890]"That's a nice name!"[/color]

She rotated her arm slightly, wincing a bit as she did. Still sore, but manageable.

[color=F91890]"I think I'm good now."[/color] She said; she puffed her chest out slightly and attempted to appear a little more confident, but knowing that a insect bug-monster could come crashing down the halls at any moment put a bit of a strain on that attempt.

[color=F91890]"You need to go help other people, right? Do all sorts of superhero stuff and save the day? I can probably find somewhere and hide out if you don't want to get slowed down by me; especially if you're going to be fighting more of those things."[/color]

There was the sound of an earthquake as part of the building [i]exploded[/i] somewhere; Roxy threw her hands over her head and squeaked in surprise, though it was likely drowned out by the deafening [b][color=f7941d]"YAHAHAHA!"[/color][/b] that seemed to reverberate through her bones.

[color=F91890]"Like that. Like whatever that was. I don't think I can help with whatever just did that."[/color] Roxy said, the panic back in her voice.

[color=BDFFC6]"I..."[/color] Lucy trailed off, her expression pained. Roxy had a point, but she couldn't help her if she was out hiding somewhere...

[color=BDFFC6]"Okay."[/color] She said finally, placing a hand on Roxy's shoulder. [color=BDFFC6]"Just promise me you'll be careful, alright?"[/color]

[color=F91890]"Pinky promise!"[/color] Roxy said, holding her little finger out towards Lucy.

The Medium nodded, sporting a sudden grin. There was no breaking a pinky promise. She wrapped her little finger around Roxy's.

[color=BDFFC6]"Pinky promise."[/color] Lucy repeated, making the contract binding.

[color=F91890]"Alrighty then..."[/color] Roxy said as she looked down the hallway. [color=F91890]"...I guess I'm going to go barricade myself in somewhere more out-of-the-way. And like...safe from tornadoes and hurricanes and stuff."[/color]

Easier said than done, of course.

[color=F91890]"Good luck out there, Miss Lucy! And good luck to Lun too! Head out there and kick some butt!"[/color]

Lucy, stunned by the show of confidence, gave a slow nod before coming back with a proud thumbs-up. Roxy gave a quick fist pump into the air, a final nod of confirmation, and then turned around and started to carefully make her way down the hallway; listening closely for any signs of trouble as she did. There was a fine balance of 'running quickly for safety' and 'alerting every monster in the building', and the second option was very high on Roxy's list of 'things to avoid'.

Still, it was comforting to know that there was at least one [i]literal[/i] superhero around to protect her.[/hider]



[sub]Collab with [@Kamen Evie][/sub]