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Ducking into the back while everyone else became busy, Alex went about doffing and collapsing his helmet and armor. Once his bag was exposed and all of his “costume” removed, each piece was carefully wrapped up and tucked into the bag with designed ease. The helmet was left on top in case he needed a “Mask” in an emergency. Finally, the top of his heavy duty jumpsuit he wore under everything was unzipped and tied around his waist, revealing his well fitted tank top as his final layer. 

Satisfied, Alex shouldered his bag and snuck out a side door and looped around to meet up with Umbri. [color=deepskyblue][b]”Sorry about the wait, it didn't feel appropriate to go shopping in costume. That and Tem name dropped in the heat of the moment.”[/b][/color] He held a much more casual posture and offered a hand that could have almost been mistaken for a baseball mitt given how large it was. [color=deepskyblue][b]”You can call me Alex. And sorry if we get stopped on our way to the market, I kinda have a habit of helping people in and out of costume.”[/b][/color] An embarrassed but genuine chuckle escaped his lips.

Umbri gave her hand and openly stared at the way it was swallowed up when he shook it. Big… big guy. [color=#A4303F][b]"That's fine,"[/b][/color] she replied absently, [color=#A4303F][b]"It's Umbri, if you didn't catch it between the black ooze and psychic shit."[/b][/color] She caught herself. [color=#A4303F][b]"Sorry. I didn't mean - I'm grateful for what she did. I think the numb is wearing off, my skin feels like hair dragged under- you know when you get a hair caught on a chipped nail and have to pull it out?"[/b][/color] Umbri did not often talk so much. Not about nothing. [color=#A4303F][b]"Nice weather."[/b][/color] What the fuck. [color=#A4303F][b]“Not so much green smoke here.”[/b][/color] [i]What are you doing.[/i]

Alex’s smile got a little bigger as she accepted the handshake and reintroduced herself. [color=deepskyblue][b]”Yeah I remember, good to meet you face to face.“[/b][/color] he pulled his hand back and chuckled. [color=deepskyblue][b]”No no, psychic shit is an accurate way of putting it. Powers are bullshit and esper’s moreso.“[/b][/color] He made sure to give her space but stayed in arms reach just in case. Her attempt at smalltalk rewarded her with a smirk and wave of the hand in the general vicinity. [color=deepskyblue][b]”Yeah, being just outside the city proper and being more eco friendly does wonders. We are almost entirely self-sufficient here. Key word being almost.“[/b][/color] He shoved his hands into his pockets, shrugging. [color=deepskyblue][b]”But that's all been here way before I was. Least the airs fresher.”“[/b][/color]

Umbri breathed a sigh of relief as he returned the small talk and didn’t catch her fluster. [i]Oh thank God, he’s boring too.[/i]

[color=deepskyblue][b]”Anyways, Shopping? I know the best places. Should have some of my favorite stalls opening right around now too.“[/b][/color]

Umbri just nodded and followed along. They’d been walking for a whopping five minutes before a little voice calling from the sky grew louder, louder, and she caught the word - ‘Help!’ Just exactly as the Shieldtown Rogue predicted.

“Hey, big guy!” The voice was coming from a rooftop, where a group of three were trying to haul an enormous sign (it looked like it was hammered together from car doors and… bones) to the top, with nothing but a hook, a chain, and manpower. “Sorry mate, d’you think we can get a hand here?”

At that, the sign groaned and dropped an inch, almost falling on somebody’s unfortunately positioned pot of marigolds on the windowsill.

[color=deepskyblue][b]”Just a sec!.“[/b][/color] Without missing a beat, Alex sprung up and scaled the side of the building. Seeming oblivious to how absurd it was for someone of his size and bulk to move like that. Granted, part of that was due to how durable and reinforced the local architecture was in the first place.

Taking the chain from the men, Alex wound the  thing up and got the sign in place so it could be affixed . . . Using one hand. The workers present didn’t show any sign that this was out of the ordinary as they quickly got to work. “Thanks! Saved us a few sore muscles.”
Alex just waved them off with his free hand. [color=deepskyblue][b]”Just happy to help is all. Hey, any of you guys know if Babushka is gonna be at the market today?“[/b][/color] 

There was a few seconds of drilling before he got a response. “Alright you can let go, we’re done here.” One of the older gentlemen got up and took the chain from Alex. “Last I heard she should be. Better be quick before she runs out of the good stuff again.”

[color=deepskyblue][b]”Cool, if that’s all ya needed I’m gonna head back down.“[/b][/color] Alex made sure to shake each of the men’s hands before jumping off the building. He landed with a loud thud far enough away from Umbri for it to be safe. There were only a few glances from other people on the street, further hammering home the fact that these sort of things were considered normal in Shieldtown. Alex dusted himself off and grinned. [color=deepskyblue][b]”Sorry, might get a few of those on the way. Thankfully the market isn’t too far away.“[/b][/color] The man folded his arms behind his head. [color=deepskyblue][b]”Super strength and being a naturally helpful person means everyone likes to ask for help and I rarely have a good excuse to say no. Not that I can complain.“[/b][/color]

There was a whistle from above followed by a “Heads up!”. Alex jerked his head up and quickly caught an apple that had been tossed down before returning a wave from one of the packing up workers. [color=deepskyblue][b]”Also when you live off the barter system a bit, no good deed goes totally unrewarded.“[/b][/color]

He paused before giving Umbri a playful look. [color=deepskyblue][b]”Unless it’s the town Rogue doing their job of course.“[/b][/color] Making it clear that he still did not expect payment. 

Umbri looked back in bewilderment. As she walked after him, another whistle from the rooftop followed, and she didn’t even blink. But just a minute later, and a friendly "Hello!" had her flinch like she was about to be jumped.

[b]"Good morning Alex! Do you have time to help me with something?"[/b]

[i]Wh - again? Already?[/i] Umbri watched the exchange between the hero and a hardened, one-armed woman at a distance. Her focus narrowed in on the apple, as despite all of his insistence, a [i]tick-tick-tick[/i] in her head reached an idea of how to pay him back for the debt she owed. So he wasn’t the kind to accept favours from her - but he valued extending that generosity to others. She pushed herself forward.

[color=#A4303F][b]"What can I do?"[/b][/color]

The journey to the markets was more of a meander, tugged and pulled this way and that by every request no matter how sympathetic the plight. First he was helping a woman string up the 50 foot hide of some beast for tanning between two giant stakes. Then Umbri was crouching beside him as he fixed up somebody's pet sweeper bot. Then he was 'pulling weeds', as the gardener put it, but was more literally fighting purple grass that took great offence to being cut and ensnared anyone who tried. Through every errand, Umbri tried to find some way to make it a two person job, generally by just holding something for him, and by the third person to flag them down, this was feeling like harassment. [i]Does this guy single-handedly keep the entire town running? How can all of these people depend on him so much?![/i]

"E-excuse me, sir..."

[b][i]DO IT YOURSELF![/i][/b]

She was standing by with a critter-catching blanket as he rescued a mutant double-headed cat named Jellybeans from a gutter for a crowd of children before she knew it. At their joyful faces and exclamations of [i]'Thank you sir! You're the best! Why is she naked?'[/i] upon being reunited with their hissing demon, she thought, [i]How can someone this powerful and this liked be [b]insecure?[/b][/i] Did she get the wrong read on him? It was rare she ever read a man wrong.

[color=#A4303F][b]"How do you..."[/b][/color] she started as they were back on their path to the markets, a bunch of different questions branching off from the words she spoke before she picked a road. [i]Find time for yourself? Shoulder the responsibility of herodom? Reconcile with being in a co-dependent relationship with your settlement?[/i] [color=#A4303F][b]"... keep your identity a secret? You just used your powers to help all those people."[/b][/color]

Ah, he should have expected some questions like that. Given how casually he displayed what he could do physically, it made sense to wonder why the hell he would even bother with a costume. Spinning around to face her, Alex began walking backwards and held up a finger. [color=deepskyblue][b]”Well there’s three points to that. One, it’s really hard to hide being a brute with super strength and durability.“[/b][/color] A second finger was held up. [color=deepskyblue][b]”Two, I don’t use my other abilities outside of my costume if I can help it.“[/b][/color] He then stuck his thumb out. [color=deepskyblue][b]”Third, it’s more of an open secret for a lot of people who I actually am. But there’s kinda an unspoken agreement for most Rogues and powered thugs that you really don’t go after people out of costume unless you have a death wish.“[/b][/color]

He shrugged and spun back around. [color=deepskyblue][b]”Given how few of us have ever died out of costume, it seems to hold up.“[/b][/color] Granted, most had some form of social life outside the costume. Alex was . . . very poor at balancing the whole costume and civilian life.

Umbri thought on it. It was odd to her that there was some kind of, for lack of a better term, chivalric code between the Rogues and their villains. She couldn’t be sure if it stood back in Northbridge. All the Rogues but the oni never lasted long enough. Then there was that other case she’d heard, that one clogging up all the news stations with that Uppercity crap while people were being shot and rippered right in front of the broadcasts. That supervillain offing those high-profile, corporate sponsored heroes, oftentimes targeting their civilian identities. 

[color=#A4303F][b]“Guess the Tragedy Killer topside didn’t get the memo…”[/b][/color] she murmured, casting a glance to the plates, then continued with obvious distaste, [color=#A4303F][b]“But you Rogues don’t lump yourselves with those Corpocapes and Templars, do you?”[/b][/color]

Alex looked up towards the plates along with Umbri. [color=deepskyblue][b]” There’s always going to be some crazies.“[/b][/color] He took a moment before giving her an answer. Most kinda made the assumption that the Rogue’s tried to distance themselves from the “Legal” Super’s found topside. Or at least that was what he would have assumed. [color=deepskyblue][b]”Well, I mean the rogues are about as far from the Templar’s as you could get without being villains. And the only thing close to a corp down here is the damn horde, but that's not really a thing i want to get into right now.“[/b][/color] Especially since he was pretty sure he was going to have to make a deal with Halcyon tonight to smooth out all of this mess.

Luckily he didn’t have to dwell on [b]THAT[/b] uncomfortable thought as the two turned a corner to Shieldtown’s main market street. The widest street in all of Shieldtown by a good margin. The space before them was host to a staggering number of stalls, carts, open vehicles, and camped venders. The most striking feature had to have been the upper stalls and walkways built above the street in a combination of heavy duty scaffolding and monster bones. All manner of goods and services were present. From food stuffs and spices, machine parts, butchered and preserved monster parts, and other sorts of odds and ends. Enforcers both in and out of exo-frames patrolled around to keep the peace. 

Alex breathed in the smells wafting in from the open air kitchens and food carts before turning to Umbri with a grin and motioning to the feast for the senses. [color=deepskyblue][b]”So, anything you wanted to look for first?“[/b][/color]