[img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/853622510938882068/855864513056210985/collab.jpg[/img]

[color=fff79a]"Oh... you're one too?"[/color] Zeke nodded his head, taking in the sure coincident that the two of them losers had superpowers now. Just what were the chances of that? It seems like that God is making everything go his way today. 

[color=fff79a]"Well..."[/color] Zeke leaned closer and whispered to Rafael's ear. [color=fff79a]"I can make little stars. You know, like the sun, but handball sized. I could just show you if you like..."[/color]

[color=d4af37]"Dude..."[/color] Rafael's mouth fell agape, the image in his mind going wild at how a power like that could even work.  "[color=d4af37]I mean, YEAH, BRO!  Do it![/color]".  Just as he egged on the show, he suddenly became aware of loud moving mass of people with varying degrees of sobriety around them.  "[color=d4af37]You can just, like, make a star in [i]here[/i]?![/color]"

[color=fff79a]"Of course not!"[/color] Zeke hissed, keeping his voice low so that none of the people here heard what he was saying except for Rafael. [color=fff79a]"You know we can't use our abilities in public ever since that law got passed, and with that Lorizilla woman causing so much devastation, it's just going to get even worse."[/color]

Sighing, Zeke nudged him at the shoulder. [color=fff79a]"I'll show it to you somewhere less public. But first..."[/color]

Zeke went on and took another shot, and stood up from the counter after placing the payments of his orders in front of the bartender. [color=fff79a]"Your place is nearer, right Raffie?"[/color]

Raf was beside himself with excitement.  As he stood up, he patted down his own shirt and pockets, taking a quick inventory of everything on his person to make sure he wasn't about to abandon anything important.  As he looked behind him back at the counter, he saw a beer that had hardly been touched.  It's owner must've been in the restroom or something because the stool in front of the glass was empty.  After a quick glance to the left and to the right, Raf grabbed the beer and began to chug frantically while pointing over Zeke's shoulder at the front exit.  He gave Zeke a gentle shove toward the door as the bottom of the glass drew up higher, the beer nearly gone.  As the last gulp went down, Raf let out a desperate cough before shouting "[color=d4af37]Go, go, go![/color]"

Raf discarded the now empty glass on a random table as they made their way out of the bar and started the short trek to his abode on foot.  Once they finally made it, Rafael opened the door to a dark living area.  Both couches sat unoccupied.  The lights hadn't even been turned on.  The somber realization that Dave had still not come home was starting to make Rafael's buzz turn sour.  Thoughts of a ruined friendship crept up in his mind.  He turned to look back at Zeke and forced himself to snap out of it and return to the present.  Raf flicked on the room lights and plopped himself onto the leftmost couch.

"[color=d4af37]Alright, my dude,[/color]" he started.  "[color=d4af37]Show me the galaxy![/color]"

Surely enough, Zeke held up one of his hands. Streams of stardust emerged from thin air, collecting into a singular point of seemingly distorted space. A second passed before the plasma reached critical mass and kindled into a celestial sphere of heat and gravity. For all intents and purposes, it was a star alright.

The dwarf star itself was of a golden hue. It would hurt a little to look at it directly, but it will have the luminosity of something like a lamp rather than a massive flashlight.

[color=fff79a]"It seems like I can only have two of these active at any given time."[/color] Another star coalesced on his right hand, floating and slowly rotating. [color=fff79a]"And... it's pretty dangerous."[/color]

Zeke then crushed one of the stars in his palm, leaving nothing but dust behind in its stead. [color=fff79a]"Now, friend. What's yours?"[/color]

Rafael took in the display with absolute wonderment.  "[color=d4af37]How is that even possible...?[/color]" he asked rhetorically in a hushed whisper.  He looked at his own palms and, for a moment, began concentrating very hard.  He even stopped breathing as his eyes went glossy and red with the strain.  Even the wrinkles in his brow became increasingly intense.  Finally, after such a massive clutch, he let out a bursting exhale.  "[color=d4af37]Welp,[/color]" he said.  "[color=d4af37]I definitely don't seem to be able to make stars.[/color]"

He looked back up at Zeke.  "[color=d4af37]Well, like I said at the bar, I got hit by a car earlier today,[/color]" he began to explain.  "[color=d4af37]And I sorta bounced a bit.  But, like, there wasn't any damage.  Well, my clothes got fucked, but [i]I[/i] wasn't damaged.  So I guess my power is that I'm immune to cars...[/color]"  With every word, he became more suspicious of his own diagnosis.  He suddenly pulled out his phone and began typing away with his thumbs.  "[color=d4af37]Sorry, don't mean to be one of [i]those guys[/i] but I've got to send myself a reminder.  Tomorrow I should definitely see if I'm immune to boats, too.[/color]"  He hit 'send' on his self-addresses text message and began putting his phone away.  Suddenly it chirped to life.  Raf got really excited for a moment before realizing it was his own text that he had just received.  His shook his head vigorously for a split second, as if the stupidity could just be thrown off of him like water on a dog.

"[color=d4af37]I'm getting thirsty.  I'm going to grab a couple more beers.[/color]"  Rafael pushed himself off the couch and headed toward the refrigerator.  "[color=d4af37]Hey, man.  Earlier did I hear you say you got fired for you powers?[/color]"  He grabbed two bottle and popped off the caps, letting them fall to the floor.  "[color=d4af37]What did you do, create a new sun in the middle of an office or something?[/color]"  He returned to the living room with a sideways grin and an offering of libation.

[color=fff79a]"Nah, it wasn't like that."[/color] Zeke chuckled as he took the bottle that Rafael offered to him. He was amazed, though, that Rafael had durability and super strength now. [color=fff79a]"I showed what I could do to one of my most trusted co-workers when we hanged out. His name was Leon Kont. And... you know what he did?"[/color]

Zeke sighed, taking in a sip. [color=fff79a]"He sent a video of me using star powers to the HR department, which winded up with my manager telling me that I'm fired because stars are a fire and radiation hazard. Even though it only appears when I want to. I think that they're just doing it for the PR."[/color]

Taking in a deep breath, Zeke looked away. [color=fff79a]"And guess what, I survived because of that."[/color] Zeke didn't think it worthy to mention that Kont actually survived and was in the hospital right now with bad but survivable injuries. Maybe he'll pull an apology later.

[color=fff79a]"Bad things happen for good, I guess."[/color] Zeke then took another swig... and started getting a bit giddy. He had never drunk this much before.

"[color=d4af37]Bro, that dude sounds like a Leon CUN-  Wait, so your company knows you're altered? [i]Sheeyit![/i][/color]" Briefly, Rafael pondered what it would truly mean to be an outted as a member of scorned society.  He imagined it would be an experience he would have to personally endure, eventually.  Hell, he already had a taste of it with his roommate's reaction and it tasted bitter.  Rafael took another oversized drink as if trying to drown such thoughts.  "[color=d4af37]Do you got a girl (or a dude... no judgement here, bro)?  Do they know, too?[/color]"

[color=fff79a]"I've got no one in the romantic sense. Not in the last five years, anyway."[/color] Zeke shrugged. [color=fff79a]"Though my family knows and they're cool with it. Not anyone elsssse, though."[/color]

"[color=d4af37]Ah, you're better off,[/color]" Rafael stated with another swig of the brew.  "[color=d4af37]To lone wolves,[/color]" He toasted as he raised his bottle into the air.  As he looked at Zeke, he could start to see the tells; the little signs that the alcohol was doing its job.  "[color=d4af37]Ay, you can probably crash here tonight.  I've got one roommate who I hardly ever see and another one who just found out I am altered and didn't seem to take it well.  I gotta assume he ain't coming back tonight, at least.  You could probably take his bed or ride couch.  Then, tomorrow... you and I will start to enact our master plan![/color]" He huffed out a laugh before standing up to retrieve a new bottle.  The one in his hand had quickly been emptied.  "[color=d4af37]No one will see us coming![/color]"