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It was now or never. The opportunity for Viktor to confront him couldn't be more perfect. As far as he knew, most of the others were preoccupied and Kassy was resting. There had been a back and forth in his mind on whether he should do this with others or go it alone but the risk of distraction caused him to choose the latter. However, this held risks too. Who would the person that faced him be when he opened the door to the training room? Viktor only had ideas and hypotheses. This was not Ja… This was not Kila either. This was the person whom he had labeled a threat. The person who maimed members of their team. The same person who endangered Kila and Ja’s well-being. This was…

The Red Beast

When the door opened, he was met with silence. Perhaps on the way walking nearer to the door, he heard the large workout tire drop onto the now ripped-up turf of the training room floor. The green, fake grass was dug through and part of the metal beneath the padding showed in some places. The tire itself, the second largest that they had stocked, had some deep claw marks on it.

Initially looking around, the soldier boy might not have even seen him. That is, until looking back at the entrance where he’d just come in from. There, perched against the wall above the door, was his target; crimson eyes watching him.

“You…” Viktor reflexively tensed, bracing himself upon noticing the obvious differences of this variant of his friend. The deep red irises and the visible muscle growth were hard to ignore. “You’re him. The Red Beast. At least, that's what you've been referred to as.” Viktor wasn't even sure if his words had even been understood but things were starting out quite civilly.

The ‘Red Beast’ kept to his place above the entrance. Although initially his eyes were glowing, it seemed like the light dimmed. His posture, while not aggressive, was not relaxed either. It was as though he wasn’t sure how to place Viktor. What he said didn’t seem to radiate much with his friend, but he recognized the Red Beast comment via a slight tilt of his head.

“...” The silence between them lacked awkwardness. If anything, it was intentional between the both of them. They quietly studied and measured one another for several long seconds before Viktor's shoulders dropped some. “You don't speak, but you do understand. Good, because that's all I need from you.” Viktor clasped his hand behind his back and took a step forward.

“You and I have an issue. You are partially responsible for what happened at the docks. You attacked my team. My friends… Ja and Kila's friends…” Viktor let the words sink in, turning from him to begin pacing.

“An inclination toward violence. Lack of self-control. Lack of discipline. Inability to communicate effectively. Unnecessarily destructive. No accountability,” he listed off before stopping in place and looking up at the visage of his friend up above. “Yet, who am I to tell you that you're not supposed to be here?”

The Red Beast didn’t seem to have a real reaction to anything he’d said, simply watching with unblinking eyes. Viktor already got his attention earlier when he heard ‘red beast’, hearing 'Ja' and 'Kila' after that seemed to confuse him. Tha is, until he said the word ‘here.’ In response to that, slowly and carefully, the hunter unlatched himself from the wall. Then, on all fours in a manner most similar to a chimpanzee, he approached Viktor and stopped when he was roughly five feet away.

The approach was far from aggressive, yet Viktor couldn't help but tense a little while slightly sliding his left foot back. There was another long moment of pause between them, yet both of them were oddly comfortable while determining the intent of the other.

“I don't know how much of this you're taking in but…” Viktor caught himself and reassessed how he'd go forward in communicating. Making a gamble, he held out both hands with his right thumb tucked. He started wiggling his right pinky first.

“Pei… Cora… Vincent… Will… Zach… Viktor…” He finger by finger, using his left thumb to point to his chest. “Daphne… Kassy… and you. We’re a… pack. That's what Ja called it. And we need to… ” He interlocked his fingers, slowly tightening his grip. “Work together. And together, we're strong. We protect each other, even if we don't like each other sometimes.” There was a hint of a smile on his face. “Kassy helps a lot, right?” Viktor gave him a firm nod.

Initially, on hearing names he recognized, he looked around. On realizing that they weren’t around was when the young beast focused on the fingers instead. Visibly he perked up when he heard Kassy and then again on ’Ja’. When Viktor made a wall by putting the pack of fingers together, he seemed to get the concept. ‘Pack’, ‘Strong’, ‘Protect’; these were all words he knew. Then combining them with the names, he understood that he was supposed to protect them.

When he said Kassy again, he looked around again but didn’t sense her a second time. Remembering that he nodded, the wild child copied the gesture, making a wall with his own fingers.

”Kassy…” His grumbling voice repeated with a nod.

“Good…”There were so many questions he desired to ask, wondering if this was all that was left of KJ. “Well, I'll be helping out as well… And so will the rest of the pack, Red Beast… you're fine with that name?” Viktor asked with a raised eyebrow.

The Red son stopped looking at the pack wall made with his hands when Viktor asked the question. Looking back up at him, the Beast seemed to be thinking. His eyes traced Viktor’s form for a moment before he stood up. Slowly extending his palm with splayed fingers, he pressed it into the center of Viktor’s chest.

”Rock.”

“Uh…” Viktor’s initial thought was that his friend was sharing his preferred name but the body language said otherwise. “Rock? Me?” He questioned the reasoning behind this designation. The Beast slowly nodded in response.

”Name…is…Rock.” Was his reassurance before lowering his hand off of Viktor’s chest who stared at him thoughtfully.

“Rock.” Viktor affirmed, while the gears in his head began to rationalize why his new friend had picked such a name. If it weren't for this, Viktor might have probed for what his name was or the names of the others on the Team.

Rock. Solid. Sturdy. Formed under pressure. Can be as much of a tool as it can be a weapon… But am I more of a flat rock or a bumpy one? And what kind of rock. Sedimentary or perhaps igneous? I could be thinking of this entirely the wrong way. It could be tied to a colloquialism such as, ‘don't throw rocks at glass houses’... No. ‘Don’t throw rocks and hide your hand’ or ‘He who throws the first stone…’ Is he planning to… No, he wouldn't. Hmm, what if it refers to something entirely different. Rock, the music genre or rock as a verb…

Dwayne Johnson?

It had been a few days since Vincent’s return from his mentorship. A few days since meeting Erin. Since then, they had been trading texts back and forth, getting to know each other, talking about how excited they were for Saturday. It had been impossible for him to get her out of his mind, which he didn’t mind most of the time. However, this also led to him getting distracted fairly often, which he had noticed. It was mostly minor stuff, like getting lost while jogging when he turned left when he should have turned right, but he was also taking more hits when he sparred, which was unacceptable to him.

He was in the middle of sending Erin a text while he worked on dinner when the smell of something burning started to fill the air. “Shit, shit, shit!” he muttered as he left his phone on the counter and opened the stove, realizing he had forgotten to set a timer. Without thinking, he reached in to pull the burning roast out and let out a yelp of pain when his bare hand made contact with the pan. “Goddammit!” he hissed as he held his hand in the sink and turned on the cold water. Using his power, he pulled the burnt roast (or, rather, the cast iron pan the roast was in) out of the oven and dropped it on the stove as he nursed his burn.

“Rather odd for the chef prodigy with iron palms to burn himself in the kitchen…” A familiar voice came from around the corner before the headbush was seen. The young lion had noticed the off nature of Vincent over the past couple days. Uncharacteristically distracted, mind aloof with eyes that had rode off into the horizon line in an old western. However, instead of the cold shadows of trauma being in them, there was the brilliance of something else. Something ahead of him, instead of over his shoulder.

”Is everything alright?”

Vincent looked over at the friendly teasing and let out a pained chuckle. “Yeah, I’m fine. Barely touched the pan. Worst case, I end up with a couple of blisters later,” he muttered as the cool water began to dull the pain. He thought back to the burns he suffered at Roscoe’s diner when he was starting out, how the old man taught him to treat them. As he thought about Roscoe, his thoughts naturally drifted to his granddaughter and Vincent let out a chuckle. “Even now, I can’t get her out of my head,” he muttered under his breath.

As he waited for the water to do its work, he glanced over at Kila. Though he had asked if everything was alright, Vincent had a feeling he wasn’t asking just about the burn. He was well aware that he had been acting strange since his return from Bludhaven, making mistakes he normally wouldn’t, and he was sure that Kila wasn’t the only one who had noticed. “I’ve…I’ve had something on my mind lately,” he said after a few moments. Turning to Kila, he then asked, “Mind lending me an ear?”

A corner of Kila’s lip upturned in a smirk. ”Any time…”

Entering further into the kitchen, he opened the refrigerator to grab a bag of beef jerky. He mulled over what he heard Vince mutter. A ‘her’ was what rattled his mind so much. Kila himself could relate in several possible ways, depending on the context of Vince’s explanation.

”Something on your mind…when perhaps you mean ’someone’?”

Vincent let out a chuckle and said, “Yeah. Got it in one.” He took a moment to reach under the sink and grab the first aid kit, using the distraction to get his thoughts in order. Keeping his right hand still, he searched through the kit for burn cream as he said, “I swung by Bludhaven after my mentorship with Firestorm and I met this girl. Erin. She’s the granddaughter of the owner of the diner I used to work at between fights, back before I joined up with you guys. She’s pretty awesome. Real nice, but she doesn’t take shit from anyone.”

He applied the cream and wrapped his hand in a bandage as he continued, “Every time I think about her, it makes my heart race. But when I think about us getting together this weekend, I feel excited, but…nervous, I think? It’s definitely a feeling I’m not used to.”

In the midst of Vincent’s explanation, Kila decidedly sat on a counter with his legs crossed. When given the context behind this ‘her’, the young lion chuckled and bit into a piece of jerky. It made him think of Kassy, his…Rudo. The thought of her made him smile a little less to Vince’s expense and more to wholesomeness.

”Sounds like you have got it bad…To clarify, I understand what you’re feeling. You have a crush on Erin, as I felt— or perhaps the right way to say it is ‘how I still feel’ about Kassy.” The warrior explained. ”The nervousness and excitement is normal.”

As he listened to Kila, Vincent leaned against the counter, his arms crossed. “A crush, huh?” he quietly mused. As he thought about it, he realized it made sense why what he was feeling left him so confused. Right about the time when he would have started having an interest in romance and whatnot, he had gone through several life-changing events which led to him living on the streets. Up until recently, he had been literally fighting to survive and pursuing a relationship was so far down his list of priorities, it had been nonexistent.

However, as ironic as it was, his new life as a superhero (it still felt weird to call himself that) made things more stable. All of his worries from before, from money to having somewhere to sleep at night and everything in between, were taken care of. He had time to not only pursue hobbies and friendships, but even a relationship with Erin, if he wanted. And it surprised him just how much he wanted to. However, the young hero still had his doubts.

“Maybe…maybe I should call it off,” he said after a few long moments. “I mean, look at me, look at how distracted I’ve been lately. It’s one thing here at home, but what if we’re on a mission?” He chuckled and added, ”Besides, I don’t know if I’d call myself boyfriend material, anyway. All I know how to do is fight and cook. I’ve got no idea how to act like a boyfriend.”

Kila paused before he took another bit of jerky from the bag, instead using that hand to support his chin. Something in Kila’s expression seemed surprised that he would even say that. Usually, from what the maned man-cub could gather, Vincent was the type to walk without worrying about stumbling. He could understand the feeling to doubt oneself, as his own situation in recent weeks brought such feelings often; even now. Given the betrayal of his trust that was recently unlocked in his memory, there were days he wondered if he should still even be here.

Yet, there was something stable that his thoughts could find themselves back to. Someone that managed to pull him out of that reopened wound of grief. From what Kila understood, his friend had gone through a lot as well in the past. Perhaps Vince could have someone like that for him, with this Erin. He’d never know if he never gave himself a chance though.

”Well, I can’t tell you what to or what not to do…Though I will ask this: As a fighter, did you cancel any of your fights because of a fear of not being good enough? Or as a cook, did you throw plates away because of a fear of not getting the taste right?” Kila’s head tipped to the side and he gestured to Vincent himself as he asked the question before continuing.

”Considering how good you’ve gotten at both of those things, I’d venture to say that you didn’t. You trusted what you were taught by your teachers and gave yourself a chance. Erin saw something in you that she wants to see again. So, perhaps you should trust that what she saw might make you good boyfriend material.”

“Huh.” Vincent was quiet for some time after that, mulling over what Kila had said. Erin did seem excited to see him again and he realized it wouldn’t be fair to her if he cancelled on her just because of his doubts. Both the Old Man and Roscoe saw something in him that convinced them to give him a chance, to give him the skills he had now. If Kila was right and Erin saw something in him that made her think it was worthwhile to spend time with him, then it was only fair that Vincent gave her the same chance. Beyond that, somewhere deep inside of him, Vincent knew that he also owed it to himself. After spending so long just trying to get from day to day, he deserved some happiness.

He smiled and pushed away from the counter, saying, “Thanks, Kila. I’m glad I talked to you.”

”Any time, my friend. Biting into another piece of jerky. Looking on at the burnt roast that Vincent had taken out, he gestured with his head to it. ”Since it seems that this meat is…‘dead meat’, did you have a plan B for dinner?”

Vincent sighed and rested his chin between his thumb and index finger as he thought. “I wouldn’t necessarily say that it’s ruined,” he said after some time. “If it’s just the surface that’s charred, I can probably slice the roast thin, whip up some kinda gravy or an improvised Cajun sauce, and spoon it over. Won’t be the same as blackening it, but I’m sure I can get it pretty close.”

With a grin, he added, “It’s like you said. I've gotta at least try!”

How the hell was she going to handle this?

If Black Canary was right, maybe just talking about this whole thing was enough to make it worse for all three of them. But still, Cora was really fucking glad that Metamorph was back. There were three different ways she was thinking this could go. Kila would probably just give it to her straight, Ja was Ja… She wasn’t familiar with the third guy yet.

For the first time in a few days, Cora floated instead of walked, making her way down a hall where their room was. That was deliberate, so if they were actually down here, they’d hopefully notice that Cora was around and not get startled. She didn’t want that, even if she wasn’t giving off as much energy after that day with Static.

And she hovered outside his door for a moment, before knocking.

”Hey… Anyone home?”

”Not in there,” His voice came from several feet behind her. The young lion walked down the hall with a guitar case slung over his shoulder. His expression was calm and alert, though his mind still seemed to be elsewhere as his brown eyes regarded her.

”Do you need my help with something?”

”Nope. Sorta the opposite,” She answered. ”I’ve been pretty worried about everyone lately, and I just wanted to talk. If you’re not busy.”

He eyed his door for a moment, debating with himself…or at least this currently in control version of himself. He’d been doing his best to keep his emotions at bay, and for the most part it has been successful. The base had many distractions, and Kassy helped move miniature mountains of tension.

Still, it wouldn’t help to keep it away from the others indefinitely. From prior memory, he remembered Cora to be an empathetic soul, if not kind. There surely wouldn’t be an undercurrent of confrontation in talking to her. With the decision made, he shook his head.

”It’s fine, I am not busy.” Was his answer, though waving his hand to follow past his room to the lounge area.

He opted for a more open area as, really, he was trying to avoid the narrative of being some sort of problematic enigma to the newer members of their squad. Granted, the savannah son didn’t anticipate any of the others coming to interject on their conversation anyway. He found a chair nearest to one of the windows and set his case beside him.

”You have questions…?”

”Yeah.” She floated to the ground and tilted backwards, rocking back and forth on her feet. ”Are you guys okay?” She asked as if all three of them were standing next to each other, in separate bodies.

Kila’s head leaned to the side in contemplation. ”Honestly, I am not sure. I feel physically healthy, but I’m sure that’s not what you’re asking.” He started, but paused to open his guitar case. Inside was…what looked like the framework of a guitar to the untrained eye. Though one simple question would lead to the answer of it being a Yamaha ‘silent’ guitar. His nails tapped a few of the strings before he continued.

”My mind is more or less scattered. It is as though my thoughts are like the stars in the sky; right there where I could see them, but almost impossible to reach. Between my DID discovery, and how to address a certain betrayal, I’ve simply been trying to exist…How are you recovering?”

”Getting there. I can fly without feeling like I’m being rotated in a microwave again,” Cora answered. ”Not sitting still helps, makes it harder to stand back if I sit around too long.”

The young lion nodded, beginning to play along to a song that had been stuck in his head for several days. ”I haven’t exactly gotten around to everyone to apologize for putting you all at risk during that mission. If I didn’t take the bait, perhaps they wouldn’t have engaged the way that they did.”

”I think everyone was about as pissed at each other as they were at you, really. Everyone was mad for one reason or another, but you did what you had to do, Kila. If you weren’t gonna fall for it, it wasn’t gonna happen. And you wouldn’t have gone if you didn’t have some plan in mind for getting back, right?”

”For once…I didn’t. As ironic as this now sounds, I’d say that I wasn’t really in my right mind. I wasn’t sure who they were sending, and part of me feared that I was already too late. Where I come from, we were trained to hunt other metahumans…I was originally going to just warn you all and get out. But then I saw you knocked out and Vincent getting overwhelmed.—“ He misplayed a few notes, retracting his strumming fingers to recompose himself and begin again.

”...Can’t be prepared for everything.” It complicated things when she went nuclear out there. They had to retrieve her, they didn’t know what was wrong. She could’ve helped Vincent if she found another way to get free.

”No one’s dead, we’re all back together. We know better now. We can make sure it happens less in the future.”

”That’s true…Failure is our greatest teacher. We would just have to be willing students…”

Cora nodded in a sagely way. ”Speaking of that, do you remember hearing anything weird back at the bank mission? The third guy came out near the end and- We were all talking and I noticed it might have had something to do with a sound gun I picked up after it was over.”

That seemed to give him pause, even pressing his palm against the strings to mute them. Did he hear anything strange? Not necessarily. But the sound gun that she mentioned gave him an indication of something. This ‘third guy’, referring to this side of himself that was not ‘Ja’, possibly having something to do with a sound gun…a trigger perhaps? He hadn’t considered it, but it was feasible…but why—?

”I did not…Though I was shot with one of the sound weapons, except, I don’t recall being hit with concussive force. I thought that I knocked out the thief that held the hostages but then I suddenly felt a pain in my head and blacked out.”

”That’s… Yeah. He was found, you weren’t at the wheel anymore. He went off on those guys, and none of them were killed but it wasn’t pretty. That sound gun was found near him. I don’t think he likes me after I flashbanged him at the harbor.”

She fidgeted. ”Ja, the one we all actually know, he has animal powers if you didn’t know that yet. He can pick one and do something it does. He runs real fast like a horse, hears things humans can’t but dogs can… The frequency on that gun’s high enough we can’t hear it. But you were able to, which- I didn’t know you could do stuff like that.”

Kila rested his wrist against the frame thoughtfully.

”I am aware of that at least. All my life I have grown up hearing about what I should be capable of…even after that mission. Despite having some odd lucid dream sort of influence to keep from killing them, Pei still saw to it that I was scolded for my actions…

Though from what you are explaining to me, this occurrence wasn’t a natural reaction from my instinctive side. I saw what happened when those weapons fired at the others, the destroyed infrastructure and your, albeit small, injuries…It would mean it was a provocation…but…” He gripped the guitar frame a little more tightly, staring a hole into the floor.

”I was never free…They…she never stopped hunting me…”

”She? Who’s she?”

The young lion blinked, silently shifting in place to recompose himself. With a deep breath, he shook his head.

”Someone that used to look after me. I have one mother but many aunts, is how I will phrase it…There was a tracking device from Buredunia that I found and destroyed before I came to warn you all on the last mission. It was how I figured out that the mission was a trap. What I fear is how long it was there.”

That didn’t sound good. ”…There probably isn't a way to tell if it’s destroyed, yeah. You could maybe trace its signal back to where it was transmitted to, and then break into a system on that end. But- Yeah.”

Unless… ”Well, actually, I haven’t been able to put a lid on the interference stuff I give off until recently. So… If you found the tracker in a place I walk past a lot, maybe that means it wasn’t there for long?” She suggested. It was a stretch, but she was spitballing. ”Since I haven’t been here that long, and if I didn’t fry it, that means it was pretty sturdy. I know that probably sounds ridiculous, but that’s about all I can think of. Where’d you find it?”

Kila looked out the window. ”The strains of promethium used by Buredunia vary with the equipment they give us. Most typically the trackers, from what I understand, don’t transmit a constant signal, but more of a radar every so often. Otherwise, it is off, so as to keep from arousing suspicion.

It is less likely that you would have blown it just from your presence, as it is designed to endure surges up to a certain limit. It was designed with meta-humans in mind…The only reason I discovered it was because it was attached to Iwi—“ He cut himself off and paused. Not now. Saying her name hurt, now that he knew what he knew… Breathe, try again. He looked at his fingers against the guitar’s frets and started playing again.

”…the gold colored bands of promethium that I wear as part of my uniform. They mean a lot to me, so I maintain them as best as I can…With that said, I threw the tracker into the ocean while I was on my way to all of you.

”Promethium… Yeah, I dunno,” she admitted. ”It’s in the past now. It’s not your fault for falling for it. I would’ve fallen for it too, if I was stuck here and all of you were in danger. That’s not being weak, that's just being human.”

Kila nodded his head appreciatively. For a little while, he kept quiet while playing, occasionally swaying his head to the melody.

Cora listened quietly for a bit. He was good at that.

”…If you want, I think I remember where I put that sound gun,” Cora suggested. ”You don’t have to, but if we ever run into something like that again, I figured you’d maybe wanna know what it is so you aren’t surprised again. I’ve been meaning to take it apart, anyway.”

As the song reached its conclusion, his eyes wandered from left to right across the floor contemplatively. At first there was unease, but Kila’s music paired with talking through all of those suspicions and musings helped to recenter him. It was more weight lifted from his shoulders, which prompted him to look up to the one to help him lift it. A corner of his lip became a smile and he put his guitar back into his case.

”I think it is about time I see it…and, so it is not lost, I’m grateful for this talk you came to have with me.”

One of the things Jessica Cruz had told Pei to try was something called ‘mindfulness exercises’. As such, she was sitting cross legged on the floor of the training area, in a full training get up, staring so hard at a bowl of raisins it looked like her eyes might explode.

”...Pei, what the fuck are you doing?”

Cora walked in, not floated in, holding a metal water bottle full of something that was absolutely not water, or safe for normal humans to consume. She had training stuff on, too.

Exasperated, Pei threw out her hands and feet and fell onto her back like she was making snow angels. ”Ugh!”

She grabbed her pink hair. ”I don’t know! I’m being mindful! The raisins make me a better person. If I stare at the raisins long enough, I get a Green Lantern ring.” Pei said.

Cora burst out laughing, nearly choking on the vile concoction she was drinking. ”What? That- No, Pei- What? Aren’t you supposed to eat them?” She walked over and grabbed a raisin out of the bowl, committing what could’ve been an act of sacrilege in mockery of the Green Lanterns.

As Cora approached, Pei picked up the bowl with her foot and lifted it to meet her. ”Help yourself. I’m giving the fuck up for today. I can’t explain how she put it. Some shit like…” She waved the bowl around before setting it down. ”Examine the mundane in a new way or something… I already did taste, that was the easy part. Then touch and smell. Sight I’m stumped on. Let along hearing.” She was still layed on the gym floor.

”Who’s “she?” Sounds like you’ve been hanging around Daphne when she was on something special…” Cora grabbed the bowl. ”I don’t think staring at a bowl of raisins is gonna get you into space. I would’ve tried that already, if it worked.”

”Jessica Cruz. My temp mentor, a Green Lantern. She told me a whole buncha shit but I was, I was too nervous to remember most of it.” She facepalms.

Cora made a snrk sound. ”Reasonable reaction. Static helped me build stuff, and figure out power things. Raisins were not involved. Maybe I should’ve asked…”
”That’s so cool. Static’s so cool. He’s a real inspiration. One day I’m gonna go back to Coast City and kick so much ass. I’ll have my own rogue’s gallery.” Pei said wistfully.

”Green Lantern probably gave me some good advice. It’s just…how the fuck do you get more ‘willpower’? More ‘mindfulness’? By finding meaning in staring at raisins, probably. Powers and building stuff is way more obviously useful, y’know.” Pei said.

”Well… I don’t know how they do it.” Cora took a contemplative sip from her bottle which was labelled “Battery acid.” ”But I’ve been taken out by my own powers once or twice. You ever have trouble lifting your own hand up in the morning because there’s nothing there to move it with?”

Pei shrugs on the ground. ”Haha, no. It’s okay, though, Cora. I heard what happened. She snuck up on you, you zapped yourself. It happens.” She said, assuming the aftermath of Cora being in the wheelchair was what she was referring to.

”Point being, you don’t really learn how to do stuff, no matter how much you can’t, by not needing to, I think. I think you need to end up in some real shitty place for that. It’s not nothing you just figure out.”

It took hours for Cora just to sit up, after she fried herself. The next few days, it stung just to float an inch off the ground. It sucked.

”...Wah?” Pei asked, genuinely confused.

”Okay, okay,” Cora made a waving gesture with her battery acid. ”So… When I was lying in bed feeling like death? It was hard to do literally anything. Green Lanterns do hard stuff every day. They didn’t start that way, you know? They’ve probably had so many bad days, the worst ones are stuff we’ve never gone through. That’s how they got good at the willpower thing.”

”Yeah, maybe.” She says. ”But I think the raisin test has something to do with it.”

”What are ya drinkin’? Battery acid?” She asks.

”Something like it.” It smelled like battery acid. ”Half a gram of salt and potassium, plus some other stuff. The rest is mostly just water. It’s a power thing.”

”Like, it gives you powers?” She asks with a tilt of her head. Still laying on the floor.

”No… Humans are mostly water, but water is a really bad conductor of electricity. So that’s what this stuff is for.”

”I guess?” Pei says with a little laugh and a raise of an eyebrow.

”And water stops being water when it’s electrocuted. So this hopefully helps me not fry myself more the next time I have to zap something. Static helped, but I can probably do more.”

”Don’t think I ever had that problem. Sounds unlucky.” Pei scratches the side of her head. ”So, what? Does it…hurt? When you use your powers? You zap yourself?”

Cora shrugged. ”Kind of. Not at first, but the more I do it, the worse it gets. The lightning comes out of me, it electrocutes me. If you zapped me with anything normal, like a taser? I wouldn’t feel it. My powers aren’t normal electricity, though.”

Pei clasps her hands together over her midsection. ”Huh! Well I’m glad Static helped. I’d hate for you to be hurting yourself on our missions, y’know?” She said.

She stammered a bit. ”I mean- y’know- hurting yourself as just a matter of course. Rather than extreme circumstances that can be avoided.”

”Yeah.” Cora didn’t really want to get too into all that. She had a feeling Pei would get on her ass about it if she knew the rest.

”I’m pretty sure stuff like that isn’t going to happen again,” she said.

”We just gotta watch each other’s backs, is all.” She performed a kip-up maneuver to her feet and moved to sling her arm around Cora’s shoulders. ”Team tactics. Cool as ice. Hot as lightning.”

”Hot as-“ Cora blinked. ”Uh- I mean…” She completely misinterpreted that.

”Hot as lightning. We’re cool. Remember I said we should look out for each other?” Pei jostled Cora lightly.

”Yeah, you did say that.” Stop being a dumbass, holy shit. She did NOT just call you hot.

”…I completely forgot what I walked in here for.”

”Well it definitely wasn’t training.” Pei teased, grabbing Cora’s arm and trying to circle it with her finger and thumb.

”Well- Um.” This escalated quickly. ”I guess not.” Cora was still slightly sore in a lot of places, after she exploded in the swamp. But that didn’t hurt, weirdly enough.

She very awkwardly took another sip from her battery acid. A long one.

”Look, see? It practically goes all the way around. Super heroes need super training. I could be your spotter!” Pei exclaimed.

”Oh- Right. I don’t usually do anything intense enough to need one,” Cora said. ”I’m skin and bone, I mostly just run on a treadmill or spar with someone if they’re around.”

”Never too late to pump it up!” Pei declared. ”But that’s okay. I’ve done all my raisin training for the day. So I guess unless you really want to shoot lightning at me I can call it a day and leave the gym to you?” Pei detached from Cora and shot a couple of finger guns at her.

”I think that would probably kill you, actually.” Cora sat her battery acid on the ground against the wall. ”I’m surprised it didn’t kill me.”

”Well, obviously you wouldn’t blast me full force with lightning.” Pei said with a good natured roll of her eyes.

”Doesn’t have to be full force to kill someone. Nah, I’ll blast something else. Like a target or something.”

”I’ve seen you use lightning on bad guys before. You’re just trying to seem cool. Well, for your information, ice powers can also be pretty dangerous.” Pei says, crossing her arms and wiggling her head.

Cora shrugged. ”I thought I was cool.”

”Oh-ho, believe me, I can tell.” Pei said cheekily, leaning towards Cora with a toothy grin.

”…Yeah.” Cora was doing that thing people did where their eyes went left and right constantly, but it just looked like she was staring right into Pei’s.

”I’m gonna… Go do that thing, now.”

Pei hopped up, standing up straight, giving Cora a reassuring pat on the shoulder. ”I’ll leave ya to it! See you later, I’m done trying hard today so I’m gonna go find something to fuck with. Bye bye!” She waved, turned, and transitioned her quick walk into a happy little skip as she left the room, leaving Cora alone with a bowl of raisins.

”Heh. Yeah.”

When Pei was gone, Cora looked down at the bowl of raisins. And she felt confused.

”Was she hitting on me?”

---

Footsteps. Tiger Roar!
White Coats. Needles. Wasp Buzzing!
Darkness. Flashing Light. Mamba Hiss!
Child Screams. Blood. Fire. Elephant Trumpet!
Caged Bars. Flowers. Glass Break. Hyena Cackle!
Tibani? Cold. Warmth. Numbness. Eagle Screech!
Iwisa? Rage. Sirens. Rushing Water. Lion Roar!
Vixen. Hurt. Scar. Red. Father?
SILENCE.

His eyes wandered around the rather destroyed room. Metal unnaturally curved like vines in the walls, which showed insulation and framing. Machines had shattered as though made of legos. The electrical lights in the room had gone, leaving it enveloped in shadow aside from light of the sun reclining in the ocean.

The cause, sat with his arms around his knees in a fetal position, in the midst of the chaos. His throat hurt from holding whales back within it. Despite doing the work of the Tasmanian Devil whispered to his ear, some part of him wished to keep it contained. His eyes had been a waterfall as he suffered in silence.

A hurried step and a familiar sound would shatter that silence. "Kila? Ja?" Kassy had been going from room to room since they'd touched down from the Watchtower. She was still fighting off the nausea, honestly, but there was something far more important than her own discomfort to deal with. Someone.

"Where are you, KJ?" She was near, carrying the scent of the sea and the soothe of the waves, as she always did.

The savannah son could smell it through the walls, through a shaky breath. His headbush unfurrowed from around his face and he looked toward the double doors. Hesitantly, he trotted forward, nudging his head through the cracked opening.

“Ka-assy?”

The voice she was looking for answered, albeit worn and tired sounding. He wasn’t in as rough shape as when Daphne initially found him. Most of the topsoil on his topside was gone. The scratches were nonexistent; but there was a weight under his eyes.

Instead of a response, her footsteps picked up. Nearly a full run, until her feet took her where she needed to be. The door to the training room slid open, revealing an exhausted and still-queasy looking Kassandra. "KJ!"

Between the tired young adults, the bigger one rose to his feet with a slightly hunched posture and leaned forward. His arms clasped around her shoulders, releasing some soft but deep sort of whimpering sounds between breaths.

It took just that for Kassandra to burst into tears, clutching him close with shaking hands. "Oh, I was so afraid… they wouldn't let me join to help look for you! You're okay. I'm so… so glad…" Pearl-white tears rolled freely down her cheeks. After a few moments, she pulled away, cupping his face as if to make sure he was real.

The only note of her discomfort was a sudden stillness in her. A split second wariness, an uncertainty. And then she gently touched his tired eyes, her cool thumbs gently resting against the dark circles on his face. "...which one are you, right now?"

“The one that remembers too much…”

Ebony eyelids enclosed over amber irises. He was sure that he was going to get into trouble for what had happened in the gym. Though, that pushed itself to the back of his thoughts slowly. With Kassy here, it was like a fog was clearing up, allowing him to focus his thoughts on something.

"Ja." Kassy knew she was being repetitive, but… something felt not-quite right about that answer. But there would be plenty of time for that later. "Sweetest, you need a bath. And perhaps a shampoo. You smell like the woods."

“I…y-yeah…you are right.” His eyes reopened but they wandered around the room and the halls as his memories recollected themselves. “I-I…I’m sorry…I didn’t know what to do…I was lost…then…then the Red Beast…I— he…guided me back here…home. But I couldn’t come back…I was angry…and hurt…uhm…” The bushbaby stopped his broken rambling.

His head turned briefly to look over the gymnasium that he destroyed, fidgeting for a moment. A careful step took him away from it, towards the dorm rooms. Focus— Washing off would help. “Is…is everyone else okay?”

"We are, more or less. But don't worry about us. You need to take care of yourself right now. If you come back after your bath, I'll help oil your hair for you. Would that help?"

Ja nodded, but didn’t let go of her hand until he got to his room. He picked out clothes that were looser, to the point that one may wonder what era he lived in. It was more for comfort than style; a large white t-shirt and harem pants with different colored paisley patches on it.

The shower he took wasn’t very long, just enough to be effective and mostly chase the smell away. His nerves still seemed to eat at him, rocking in place as he waited outside the bathroom for her to return.

Kassy didn't go far. While he was occupied, she did her best to clean the training room. She hadn't known Ja was so capable of - no. No, that was a lie. She'd known he was capable of destruction. They all were. That's why equipment was replaceable. She left the unfinished requisition list in the corner next to the broom, and went to Ja's side again as soon as she heard the water stop.

Seeing him from afar, so closed up and nervous made her chest hurt. Part of it was empathy for how afraid he must have been. And part of it, even now, was pure rage.

If the people who'd orchestrated his kidnapping were in front of her. Well. She'd be back in prison by sundown.

"There you are." She slipped her hand into his and squeezed, but then frowned slightly. Picking up their joined hands, she peered close at his skin. "Your hands…" Biting back a flash of worry, she gazed up at him. "We should bandage them."

His head slightly tipped to the side to look at his own hand as well. His lips quivered then pursed. “I-It would only slow my healing down…but I made sure to clean them…I promise.”

"Oh. Alright, then." She offered up a soft smile. "Let's take care of your hair." She walked into his room, setting up a pick and the little jars of oils and creams that he preferred. Well - tolerated, perhaps, was closer.

Ja reflected her smile, smaller but present. He gently tugged at the door behind him to close it most of the way as he came inside. It felt somewhat odd to be in here…his own room, after having not been in it for a few weeks. Absent-mindedly, he walked in and sat on the floor next to where she sat. His nails traced along the carpet as he thought and waited. Then he seemed to realize something.

“Is everyone okay?”

Kassy stopped with the jar half open. "Ja… Sweetest, you just asked that a few minutes ago. We are still okay." Concern flashed in her eyes. "Are you okay?" She remembered the way his memories would scatter when he switched between Kila and Ja.

He nodded, almost reminiscent of how his head would bobble when in a happier mood. He didn’t initially realize that he asked already, but the question came up again due to certain memories resurfacing. “I…remember Cora being knocked out and Daphne in a bubble…I remember Vincent and Zach being tired…before…” He hesitated.

“I’m…here. With you, and that is okay. It helps me feel better.” He reassured, a small piece of his optimism peeking through this hollowed version of himself.

"Good. Not even the coldest riptide will take me from your side again." A warm grin slipped on her face. "The others are mending. And you will too." She leaned over, and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "Do you just want to stay here, for a while? I can wait on your hair, if you want."

Ja smiled softly when Kassy’s lips found his cheek, but it shrunk slightly when his ears started twitching.

The unmistakable sound of Black Canary’s heels on the concrete floor came to a halt in front of KJ’s room. There was a firm knock on the door before the mentor entered the room. She stood silently in the doorway, observing the pair. There was a quiet sense of admiration that reflected in her eyes.

”A hot shower really does transform you, especially after everything you went through.”

Black Canary didn’t know the full extent of what KJ went through, but she was determined to find out. It was important to find out what happened to him. Important for his personal mental health, but also that of Kassy and the rest of the Team.

The second she heard approaching footsteps, Kassy scooted to a hopefully friend-appropriate distance from Ja. She was aware Black Canary was dating another Leaguer, and therefore couldn't say too much, but - it was still a bit embarrassing.

"H-hello Miss Dinah."

The bushbaby had recognized her several steps ago. The heeled boots she typically wore made a distinct clicking sound. He had often observed the way people walked growing up. It was part of his training as a way to identify people. You could learn a lot about a person through such forms of body language.

Today, the sound of these steps weren’t the heavy and deliberate ones of their stern combat instructor; instead they were the quick and soft ones of a concerned counselor. The last time he saw her was a few days ago, through the eyes of the Red Beast. He didn’t attack her…or any of the Justice Leaguers that tried to talk to him…but he didn’t respond to them either. He’d only watch, or retreat to the tunnels when they attempted to get near…It was only when Kassy had found him earlier that the beast's edge flowed into a more passive place.

He didn’t remember all that he had done since the Red Beast had come over him just yet. What Ja did remember was that he wasn’t supposed to be on that mission. He had broken protocol. It was out of fear for his friends, yes, but broken nonetheless. Those factors left him unsure of what to say when his golden globes aimed up at Tenzi Dinah.

Kassy found herself taking the lead in the silence. Subconsciously, she eased herself between Dinah and Ja as she rose. "Do you need me, Miss Dinah?"

Black Canary approached the pair, watching her body language to put them at ease. She joined them on the floor. She sat next to them on the same eye level.

”Not just you Kassandra, I also wanted to check on Ja.”. When she mentioned Ja’s name she looked right into his gold eyes. She was starting to recognize Ja when he was in charge more easily. As someone with a background in psychology KJ’s condition was fascinating. At the same time it worried her. If the personalities weren’t balanced or didn’t co exist peacefully they created inner turmoil.

”How are you feeling right now Ja?”

Feeling the Canary’s eyes on him, his lips pursed. ”I am…” ’Okay is not the right word,’ “alive, and here…It was me that made a mess in the training room…I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry.”

Kassy settled beside Ja, and after a moment's thought, wrapped an arm around his shoulders. She couldn't do much besides give him comfort, and that is exactly what she'd do.

Black Canary shook her head.

”Don’t worry about that, Ja. I know you didn’t mean to and everything can be easily replaced.”

His answer was something she expected. She wanted to do some digging into the time he spent away from the Team, but she didn’t want to push him too far. Kassy’s presence would help him to be more at ease. She didn’t see the need to separate them, on the contrary it would be better for both of them to stay close. At least for the foreseeable future.

”What do you remember about your time away from the Team?”

She wasn’t the first person to ask him this. Daphne also attempted to unearth some answers from KJ’s shattered perception, but neither the timing nor the circumstances were right.

The question made Ja sigh, rubbing his hands against his knees. His eyes started to wander, but shifted over to Kassy when he felt her arm keep him from floating away. With her silent reassurance, he found the resolve to speak.

”I…remember a lot of time in the woods. When the Red Beast had control, I lived as the wild for a few days. A hunter and scavenger… But… I… remembered here; home. After that I was in the sky…somehow I felt the way home through the Red…it tugged me back to the forest outside where Daph found me…”

"Ja…" Kassy's voice was soft, but her arm around his shoulders was careful and firm. "When Viktor and I were acting as enemies, what helped us become teammates and friends again was to say the painful things out loud. He is like you - he doesn't want to hurt people's hearts. But sometimes… it's okay to speak the truth than to keep it locked. Especially when others can see that you're holding your tongue. It will be alright." Adult presence be damned. She pressed a very soft kiss to his nose.

"...Strike. Say what must be said. We're here."

Ja’s lip twitched and he took a shaky sigh. Maybe this time would be different. Kassy was here this time…It would be okay…right?

“I…I remember being in the back of a truck? It was only enough light to be necessary…I remember Mister Slade’s eye watching me the whole time…Others from a squad I did not remember…I think it was to make sure I did not escape…When the van stopped, we were deep in the woods. I remember a runway for an airplane, and then being led inside another building that was like a wooden house, a little further than the hangar…” His heart started to race in his chest. Steady breaths. It…was in the past now…it couldn’t…

“When I got inside was when I saw her…After so long…Tibani was who they sent…or maybe…maybe she just decided to find me…She told me that I was a long way away from home…Asked me how I was doing…She…told me that Baba and the other Hyenas missed me. She said that Baba understood how confusing it must have been when…” He paused. Kassy told him to strike, and it was like pulling teeth but it was too late to stop now. She said it was better to let the truth out.

“…I was brought to america. Tibani said she understood that you guys were my pack now and that she would not force me to come home…but…” He subtly started to tremble.

“But she asked if I knew what really happened the day that the Justice League found me…She showed me to a screen that showed a camera feed. It was a recording of that day. The footage showed the battle…and…it…” His eyes started to well with tears.

“It showed me, what really happened…I…S-she told me that Iwisa had died so that I could get away…That B-…the ‘Red Lion’ used his claws to tear her apart…but that was a lie.” His tone had a more distinctively sharp cut on the bitter tasting word. His headbush billowed in a familiarly infamous whisp-like fashion.

“The camera showed me that it was not the Red Lion that killed Iwisa. The camera showed me…that it was Her. It…It was Vixen that killed Iwisa…” His breaths had gotten deeper, and tears rolled down his cheeks. The lights in the room started to glow a little brighter than they should, and the tablet in Black Canary’s hand glitched a little.

“It was VIXEN that killed my Amai!!”

The lightbulbs shattered with his roar, followed by a silence that filled the room; leaving even Canary speechless. The revelation far surpassed his outburst, giving rise to so many questions about the young lion’s past.

“Your Amai. Your mother? Ja, that's a heavy accusation. It…” Canary was being careful with handling this. She scooted herself closer to him, offering her hand for him to take. “From our previous talks, I was of the belief that Vixen, Mari McCabe, was your mother.”

Kassy, who had been sitting in stunned silence, pressed herself closer to Ja as well. She looked down to see his nails - claws - digging into his skin. But she dared not speak to interrupt. Instead she simply wriggled both of her cool palms over his, trying to stop him as gently as possible. What Ja said didn't make sense at all - but he had no reason to lie. Nor did he conjure falsehoods easily. No, he wouldn't say something like that without believing it true.

If it was true, the consequences of it were too large for her to grasp the edges of. But if it was a lie… then who could have made Ja believe it so fiercely? Still, she realized her mistake earlier, in insisting Ja talk about it. Maybe it was too soon? She shouldn't have pushed. Now that they were in it, though, the only way out was through.

"It's okay. We're right here. You're safe - " She looked up, searching her beloved's eyes, and once again stopped in shock.

Red.

A bellowing hiss reminiscent of a crocodile wisped through the teeth of the beast. His shoulders still rose and fell, muscles tensed. He was clearly still feeling the pain of Ja’s breaths. Yet with Kassy’s cold hands over his, he didn’t move from where they were seated. His head was heavy. The claws that had ripped into the knees of his pants, and the skin beneath unlatched hesitantly for his arms to fall to the floor on his sides instead. His headbush slowly weaved and coiled around his head.

Though his eyes still brightly burned through, looking first at Kassy, then to Dinah. First her hand, which was outstretched and empty. Next, the woman herself, who sat with posture that was lower—smaller than his was. Her face was careful and non-offensive. Though with all that, he didn’t move to take her hand either, instead he winced at seemingly another pang of pain. The wild prince pressed half of his face into Kassy’s hands on his knees, scratching at the rug on the floor quietly.

“…amai…” Could be heard from a grumbled whisper; emotionally exhausted.

“Makes sense.” Canary commented softly to herself as he retracted her extended hand. Besides a single glance down at her tablet to confirm she could continue to use it, she looked upon the young man—she looked upon the stranger, studiously.

This identity… The timing of the transformation helped to solidify an idea as to the origin of this third boy.

“You must be the protector. It's nice to meet you.” She welcomed him, not with caution, but with a warmth accompanied by a polite smile. “Ja doesn't feel safe speaking about what happened to Iwisa, so… are you here to be a wall or the person who can speak about it?” She commented inquisitively while also hoping he'd be able to answer her.

Instead there were several long seconds of silence.

Kassy frowned subtly. She understood what Miss Dinah meant, and what she wanted to do. But maybe that was too large a question at the start.

Maybe they had to start smaller. She remembered their sudden and pitched battle, which seemed like years ago, somehow, despite it being barely 3 weeks. "Hi again." Soft, careful, her hands shifted to cup his cheeks. To comfort him, and protect him. "You remember me, right? Kassy." She smiled, remembering to hide her teeth. But the warmth would shine through in her voice. "What's your name?"

At first, his eyes seemed to be absently wandering the room. He heard Dinah’s voice but her words seemed to have no hold on his attention. Instead, the wild child came to focus on the sea daughter when she moved his head to look at him. He remembered that question but not necessarily what it meant.

“Name…?” He sank his legs to sit flat and thought for a moment. He thought about other words he knew. “Kassy…?” He tried, as if it were the answer to what she asked.

"No, I am Kassy." She pressed her hand against her heart. Then gestured with the same hand to their mentor. "There is Tenzi Dinah." Carefully, slowly, she let her palm rest against his chest. "What is your name?"

His face followed each of her gestures before he got the point. What was he called? He heard ‘urhirho’ before. He heard ‘Unyana’ before…but more than anything else he’d heard:

”Ki-la…Ja…Ro…” He tried to say it but it sounded a little off between the grumbling nature of his voice, as well as how words seemed to be foreign to his mouth.

"Yes! Kilamanjaro. Good!" They were getting somewhere. Though it would get a bit confusing - Kila and Ja were two different pieces of the boy she loved. Same heart, different eyes, same spirit, different names…

"Can I… can I call you just Ro?"

He was attentive when she said his name better. Though he blinked blankly when she said the familiar last sound. Remembering her gesture from earlier, he held her wrist with both of his hands and readjusted her palm to be outside of where his heart was.

”Ro.” Ro repeated and Dinah nodded in encouragement.

"Ro." Kassy echoed him, orange eyes as soft as sunlight. "You are home. Safe."

”Ro…home.” Ro knew that word, and hearing it made him nod his head. ”Kassy home…Tenzi…Tenzi home?” He looked at the blonde woman.

“Yes.” She nodded with a soft smile. “Tenzi is here. Tenzi is home.” She added as she was sure Ro used the term in a definitive fashion. “Ro has a family here,” she said as she pressed around on her tablet. Within a few seconds she had a candid photo of the current Team amongst each other in the lounge, likely taken by Red Tornado.

“See? Family. Team.” She turned the tablet over so he could see the photo.

Ro’s eyes scanned the picture, following a line between different people he recognized. It was them. He knew them. ”…mhuri…” He mumbled the word and nodded. Then he saw her in the picture.

”Kassy.” His eyes found her again outside of the picture and the burly boy leaned into her. Home. Safe.

Kassy hugged him tight without hesitation. He was so warm - almost feverish to her touch. "I'm here, Ro. And Tenzi is right. You're safe here, with our family."

She would make sure of it.

.

B O C A C A T A L I N A

---

Warm weather, white sands, crystal clear water, and a small crowd. Boca Catalina, Aruba– the Team couldn’t have chosen a better location to plan a leisurely beach trip between missions. Happy Harbour might have been a great pick for a beach day, but October in New England was far too cold for some of the members of the team. Here, everyone was able to get a little something out of the outing. Beautiful view, soft sand, clear skies, the sea, an opportunity to grill, a few large coolers, some seclusion, and best of all, zero stress (hopefully).

Little did the Team know, there was a mission just around the corner, but for now, they could take this time to bask in the pleasures Boca Catalina had to offer.

The League was actually letting them take a vacation. It almost didn’t feel real. No missions, no near-death experiences, no team drama, just sun, sand, ocean, and hot guys.

Zach, wearing purple swim trunks with a constellation pattern, was already waist deep in the water. ”Okay, I officially vote we move the base here.” he called over his shoulder, glancing back at the others with a wide grin. “No better place for hero work than paradise, am I right?”

He floated on his back for bit, and flailed just a bit too dramatically before sinking under. He resurfaced now soaking wet, and he just laughed. He swam back to shore, flopped onto his beach towel, and put on his sunglasses.“Someone tell me why we don’t do this every week? After everything we’ve been through, we deserve this!”

Of course, a part of him knew better. Missions always came when you least expected them. But for now, Zach magically conjured a fruity drink, and had zero intention of thinking about any of it.

Location: Boca Catalina, Aruba
Interactions: The Fam
Mentions:

---

“Someone tell me why we don’t do this every week? After everything we’ve been through, we deserve this!”

“Because, you'd slack off on your training.” Viktor replied quickly while passing Zach on his way to the water, wearing grey swim trunks decorated with black palm trees. Looking over his shoulder toward Zach through sunglasses, he flashed a smirk. “But, you're right, Zach. We do deserve this.” Viktor removed his shades, and tossed them onto his towel from several meters away. Perfect.

Marching across the sand, Viktor couldn't help but admire the view set before him. He would definitely have to capture it to show to others . A few people came to mind—Victor, Alisa, Charlie, Cecile, Thiago, and of course, Carl.

“I’ll be in the water until I get hungry. Don't let Ro eat all of the food!!” He called out before charging toward the water. Missions were the last thing on his mind, a rare and new thing for the young hero.

Location: Boca Catalina, Aruba
Interactions: The Team
Mentions:

---

Stationed as far as he could be from the water while still being on the beach and near his teammates, Vincent busied himself with preparing food. He tended to a pair of grills simultaneously, using them to grill up meats and vegetables at the same time. Behind him, set a safe distance away so he didn't trip over them, were a number of coolers and freezer bags, each one helpfully labeled with the ingredients inside. Next to the grills, set a couple feet away, were a couple of folding tables, bearing the food that was already good to eat. It was mostly hot dogs, burgers, and kabobs, but there was also grilled corn, bell peppers, and even watermelon, to name a few. There was also some salad and even local food that Vincent had attempted to recreate. He wasn't confident in it, but it was good enough for a first try, he felt.

He heard Zach and Viktor talking by the water and felt a shudder run up and down his spine. Despite being dressed in his swim trunks, black with a white stripe down the sides, the metal-bending hero had no desire to go into the water. "I'll guard the food with my life!" he called back, only half-joking. All the ingredients were expensive and he had plans for every single one, so he would be damned if anything was eaten before it was ready. "Just make sure you guys come up and eat some of this! Don't let all my hard work go to waste!"

Location: Boca Catalina, Aruba
Interactions: Talos

---

Sprawled out underneath the shade of a palm tree Daphne had her legs propped up against the trunk, her back on a green beach towel. A tiny crab had found its way into her hair, which fanned out behind her, partially onto the sand. The crustacean struggled to untangle itself from the forest of brunette locks. Daphne was completely oblivious, taking small bites of the watermelon Vincent had cut up.

Daphne really appreciated Vincent going through the extra trouble to add some vegetarian options for her to eat. Grilled corn was one of her favorites.

"The watermelon's really good. Thanks for cutting it up for me Vincent."

Daphne smiled, wiping some juice from her cheeks. Out in the distance Cora was chasing Pei towards the ocean and it looked even funnier upside down. This trip was amazing. The weather, the beautiful scenery and the Team just having a great time. No pressure, no impending doom. Just them together enjoying life as a bunch of regular teens. It was a nice change.

She readjusted the large white hibiscus flower Viktor had plucked for her, tucking it safely behind her left ear.

Location: Boca Catalina, Aruba
Interactions: The Fam
Mentions:

---

Swimming beneath the crystal clear waters without an objective or target in mind felt odd for Viktor. There was no direction or time hack to stick to. There was no target to seek out. With his only pressing limitation being how long he could hold his breath, Viktor found himself lost in such aimlessness.

His years with HIVE felt so distant in this moment, despite how deeply their brainwashing and conditioning were entrenched. The joys of his new family, as strong as the bonds have become, could not erase the first.

The automated voice message that greeted him every morning. The Proctor’s firm instructions and unrefusable orders. The Mistress’s twisted pride and acknowledgement of every success, and her crippling disappointment in every failure. It was rare, but there were times when he thought of the others like them, and what became of the souls of those who were never saved.

Viktor only hoped that the lack of seeing any of them was a good sign, despite the organization not being defunct. With everything that had happened, he couldn’t bring himself to hate them, and perhaps that was the point.

Even here, I cannot escape them.

Further down in the water, Kassy sat beneath the waves in a meditative pose. She had dyed her white hair a brilliant auburn and was wearing a cute pastel blue bikini that left her movements unrestricted. The water was cool and clear and she could feel the busy lives in the current. She felt peaceful. It was perfect... almost. But there was still a weight on her chest.

It had been a long month. Her presence for Ja's shift and her naming of his third major alter had changed her life. Ro trusted her - and she guarded him with quiet care. Kilamanjaro needed her to be strong, and so she'd slowly built the sort of confidence that he showed her. His introduction to the rest of the team had been awkward, to say the least. She had taught the others the rules she knew - how to show their happiness to Ro without baring their teeth, how to approach him to not seem too weak. She'd apologized for her anger, and stepped up her therapy sessions.

Things were healing.

Still, something in her felt that words weren't enough to mend the rift. Words were just noise, without action to match.

For the way she'd hurt her family, something bigger had to be done. A surprised burst of bubbles escaped her lips as she suddenly knew exactly what. With a hearty splash, she burst to the surface and swam for the shore. With a wide grin, she strode up the beach, quite unaware of the lingering stares of strangers that followed. Admiration? Attraction? Who cared? Not Kassy. She only had eyes for one, and there he was.

"Ro! Come help me hunt a fish!"

Quiver stood at precipe of the beach, not far from where the team had disembarked upon arrival. Almost all of the others had ran to the sand at full speed, laughing and already playing around. So at ease with each other. He watched Mirage disappear almost instantly under the waves, and Daphne settle beneath the shade of a tree looking perfectly at peace. He considered going over to sit with her but hesitated, feeling awkward. Talos didn't look like he needed any help with the food either, and was already getting to work. He was good at taking care of everyone like that.

Quiver figured he'd stay near Zatara, as he was always really easy to be around and took almost nothing seriously. Things barely phased him, if at all.

His phone, stuck in the front zipper of his bag, chimed with a text message. He flipped it open, looked back at his teammates all enjoying themselves, and then closed it back up again. The others were going to have a fun day out here. A restful one, after everything that had recently happened. And their internships with a few of the veteran heroes. And now Metamorph's return and reintroduction to the team as Ro. It was strange, having a now 4th version of his teammate among them. Mirage had taken the time to explain the differences between each, how to approach and converse with him safely. Quiver listened, intently - making sure he knew the ins and outs. But he would remain away from him while he could. Metamorph and Quiver hadn't had much of a chance at reconciliation, and now there was this new dynamic. It was a little too much for Quiver at once.

Before the trip, Black Canary had suggested that Quiver was avoiding the obvious: that this newest evolution of Metamorph paved the way for a fresh start for them. That things among the team were really being revamped and updated. With everyone back and safe, friendships were evolving - growing.

"Metamorph and Mirage, Zach and Matteo last I checked - Talos is already pretty popular with the ladies. Maybe you should get yourself out there. Look at Viktor and Daphne. I haven't seen them happier. Any idea what's going on there?"

"How should I know? What Rain does in his free time has nothing to do with me. Why are you asking me about this? You want me to start dating a teammate? Want me to go ask out Iceburn? Think that will help with my aim?" Quiver was getting annoyed. Of course he had noticed. Despite not being cybernetically enhanced or having any kind of animal vision - he had the best eyes on the team. At first he wasn't sure what he had been seeing - Daphne was always emitting happiness. It was just who she was. But Rain, something was slightly off. His suspicions around what was happening took root in him and he was feeling irritable again at the sight of either of them. The others too.

"It feels like, from an outside perspective, seeing the others grow closer only bothers you. What do you think?"

Quiver said nothing, just stared at Dinah.

"Is it all these hormones? Maybe that rivalry with Rain is rearing its head again?"

Quiver shook his head, looked away from Black Canary.

That's not it. I'm not jealous that they all get to play batty eyes at each other. I don't care about that. I don't exactly want these people to be unhappy. It's just that like...like when Metamorph attacked me, I felt kind of alone. Or not like, alone alone. But Mirage stuck close with Metamorph because of what they have. Now Daphne and Rain. It's just that, it's hard enough trying to connect with them. I feel enough like an outsider already. And now, with all this coupling - now I'll be an OUTSIDER outsider. I don't think things will be even anymore. How could they? This is just like...another layer to that.

---

The session went on, but Quiver was mostly checked out. He thought he'd give beach day a real try, but immediately felt out of place. He hated that feeling, and probably put it on himself. So he walked down to the water's edge and stood feeling the current rush in and out across the tips of his feet. He stood there for a moment, listening to his teammates laugh and splash around, letting himself relax, and try not to worry for awhile.

"....if I get a sunburn I'm going to be fucking annoyed."

Warm sand. Windy air. The ocean. It was a good day.

Cora decided that she felt like looking cute as shit, so she grabbed the closest thing to beach appropriate clothes she had brought with her after leaving home. Everyone was having fun, and the sun felt so damn great on her skin. It was much better than living up by the cold oceans in Happy Harbor where the sun set so much sooner. This was the kind of weather Cora had grown up in, it felt nice to be on a beach again. There were other people here, so Cora had brought a pair of sunglasses to hide her glowing eyes. And thanks to the high-tech bracelet hanging off her wrist, she blended right in with the average person. No crackling interference, no exploding phones. Just normalcy.

She laid back in the sun, resting on a towel with a sunhat halfway covering her face. Things had been rough lately, for a few reasons. People were fighting, no one really knew what the deal with the other guy in Metamorph's head was until now... Cora damn near got herself killed. But in the end, they had all made it out okay. Everyone had, more or less, reconciled in one way or another.

And now that she had the time to think, it occurred to Cora that she needed this. It had been rough, going from her old life to frying a hospital room, and now being a superhero. If that had been explained to her a year ago, she'd laugh it off. Nah, I'm on my way the NASA, she'd say. But in the time since, she'd thrown herself into scientific things she could barely touch back home. A gun that shot lightning bolts, working with Static- It had her so busy that it became too normal. There wasn't enough time to just be Cora.

Her friends were okay. She was okay.

Oh, and the occasional hot girl walking up and down the sand was a plus.

Cora heard Vincent shouting about food, and then she smelled it. Her first instinct was to float upwards, then she remembered they were around people. She stood up and walked over, taking in everything. She grabbed a kebab that was set aside, and chomped into it.

"Ohhh man, that's great," She said, between the first bite and another. "I didn't know you could grill watermelon. How's that work out?"

Location: Boca Catalina, Aruba
Interactions: Daphne @dreamingflowers Cora @Blizz

---

“It’s no problem,” Vincent replied to Daphne with a grin. “I’ve got other fruit and veggies in the coolers behind me, so if you don’t wanna wait for me to grill them up or you don’t feel like a salad, feel free to help yourself.”

As he let everything rest on the grill, Vincent took a moment to look over the beach at his teammates. Viktor and Zach were enjoying the water while Kassy and Ro appeared to be getting ready to do the same. He didn’t know where Pei was, Will was off by himself, and Cora was on her way to join himself and Daphne at the grills. If someone had told him a few months ago that he would be enjoying the beach on some tropical island with people he had started to consider his family, he would have laughed in their face.“You can grill pretty much anything,” he replied as Cora’s words shook him out of his thoughts. “The watermelon wasn’t too tough, all I really had to do was give it some flavor. The slices are glazed in a honey-lime sauce with a touch of red pepper, so they should have a nice sweetness with a bit of a bite from the lime juice. The pepper’s there to give it a bit of an extra kick.”

Just then, he felt someone bump into his back as they wrapped their arms around him, hugging him from behind. Though it had been less than three weeks since they met and decided to give their relationship a try, it had quickly become clear to Vincent that Erin was the affectionate type, a trait he was surprised to learn he shared with her. “Well, there you are,” he grinned as Erin rested her chin on his shoulder, being only a few inches shorter than him. She wore a red two-piece bathing suit, matching the hair that cascaded down her back in crimson waves. The smell of sunscreen greeted Vincent’s nose as he rested his head against hers and asked, “Everything good?”

“Yeah, Grandpa just called me while I was in the middle of getting ready,” Erin replied. “He won’t admit it, but he worries. It’s my first time being so far from home, so I get it, but I just wish he’d take it easy. That was the third time since I woke up.” She sighed, then let go of Vincent to stand next to him. “Anyway, need any help?”

“Sure, mind getting the next round of food ready to go on the grill? This stuff’s just about done. That’ll be the last bit I’ll do until dinner time.”

She nodded and gave Cora a grin and a wave, having been introduced to the team before they all left the States, and turned back to the coolers and freezer bags. He had assumed that their vacation would have only been limited to team members, which he figured would have made sense, so he was pleasantly surprised when he found out he could invite Erin, as was she when he asked. She was quick to agree, which only made Vincent even more excited for the trip, and the fact that she seemed to get along pretty well with the rest of the team was icing on the cake.

---

Typically when he roamed the wilds, it would be silent with fear. It was how he was raised to be: The Apex Predator. Resistance would be met with the crushing of rivals and consumption of prey. Though, things had changed since he came to this land of the west, far from his old home. Change was the only constant in the wild, and as such, you were to adapt or die.

In the last moon cycle, Ro had learned from Tenzi and Kassy. He was taught many things, like more west words and how to read them on paper. How to play nicer with the others so that he didn’t scare or hurt them. Ro even gave them names too. Ro gave Rock (Viktor) his first, then Daffy (Daph), Buzz (Zach), Bright (Cora), Chuma (Vince), Bluey (Pei), and Dati (Will).

The wildchild took to the top of a palm tree to watch over them. The height of it also allowed him to bask his skin in the sun’s warmth similar to the many iguanas on the island. Of which most of his body was uncovered, outside of a pair of blue boxer shorts. His headbush flowed with the soft ocean breezes and his eyes grazed between the water and sand as each of them spoke.

Ro was told not to eat the fruit and vegetables, because they were for Daffy, to instead wait for Chuma to finish preparing the other food. Though, his ever active appetite was starting to make him antsy. His view was going to go back to Chuma but something else caught his eye on the way there.

Boobies! On the way here, he’d seen quite a few of them. Although he’d been quite passive in his tendencies as of late, he still had the urge to act on his instincts. Ro remembered that his instincts could be scary to people, but surely no one would mind if he grabbed them really quickly. He crept nearer to them slowly, eyeing how plump and Brown they were. It would take no time to put them in his mouth and—

"Ro! Come help me hunt a fish!"

Ro’s head whipped to Kassy’s direction as soon as she called for him. The sudden movement caused the birds to notice and fly away. While normally prey escaping would be disappointing, seeing Kassy made happy tingles in his chest. So, without much hesitation, he took off from the palm branch like the Brown Boobies did, extending his arms as he drifted down to his mke.

---

Location: Boca Catalina, Aruba
Interactions: Zach and Will

---

Today couldn’t have gotten any better for Mateo, as he felt he had more than he could ever want when it came to spending time with his boyfriend, Zach. Then again, he wouldn’t have minded something a little more intimate since group outings weren’t really his thing. Zach’s friends seemed nice, yet he felt like they were an odd mix of personalities. Like a smorgasbord, it just seemed to work somehow, and he just had to mentally digest it while trying his best to match names with faces; Will, Viktor, and Vincent were giving him the most trouble. He recognized a few of them, either from the time the Team was in Taos or from Zach’s social media posts, but today was his first time interacting with them.

Walking across the sand after a quick trip to the men's room, Mateo re-entered the scene, showing off his muscled, tattooed body whilst wearing his favorite pair of shades and dark blue swim trunks. His lips formed a smug smirk as he maintained that air of confidence that Zach seemed to find irresistible.

Lying down stomach-down on the towel beside Zach’s, he rested his face on his forearms, facing Zach with an eyebrow raised.

“You gonna share that, cariño?” He asked, referring to the drink he assumed Zach conjured up. It was either that or the guy on the grill was also running a juice bar. “Oh! I almost didn’t see you, ‘Viktor.’ I kinda got a lot to look at over here. You getting in the water or what? If you can’t swim, I've got ya. I’m a certified lifeguard.” He said over to Will, whom he noticed close by.

---

A big splash. Pei was making the biggest splashes. A little pump of her powers could fuck with the water enough to make it go fairly high if she did it right. Pei let out a little whoop and giggle and stood up, looking out the horizon.

When Pei saw the ocean water, she was reminded of the great flood back home. She thought about what it felt like to drown. Not in like a traumatize-y way or anything like that- but it was hard not to think about it at least once. It's not like she was afraid of the ocean. She was standing in it now, her bare feet submerged in water and sand alike. She was wearing some knee-length black swim leggings, a black bikini top, and quite notably, her hair was completely undyed. This time she couldn't be bothered with the dyeing steps necessary to protect its color from the ocean water, as relatively easy as it may be. So her hair was its natural shade- black.

Pei stared out into the open ocean, standing straight up, before lowering herself down into it and becoming a floating head. The shaded goggles over her eyes completely obscured them, and protected them from the glare of the sun and the surging ocean waves against her face. Going horizontal, she pulled herself along the sand with her hands. Pei felt comfortable in the water. With her powers, she was pretty much immune to drowning. Unless, like, someone hit her on the back of the head or something. But that was always bad, so that's not very fair to the ocean, now is it?

There was one more advantage of her goggles. It allowed her to sneak peaks at her teammates without them noticing. Because what she was still hesitant around was the three-for-one special person. The so-called "KJR". Pei had listened to the briefing quietly, her arms crossed and her mind as open as she could. Was 'Ro' really going to be going on missions? After what happened to Will and Vincent? Or were they just going to go on missions and just hope he didn't show up?

Kilimanjaro, Metamorph- that, to her, was the main guy. That was the guy. First impressions were pretty hard to shake, and that was the guy she got to know first. Quiet, intelligent, professional. A bit stiff maybe, but other than that practically an ideal superhero. So it was a little weird to see him hiding up and trees and acting like a cat!

Whatever. She'd have to get used to it.

Vincent brought his girlfriend, and Zach brought his boyfriend. She guess they could be trusted with secret identities? Much to her chagrin Pei never really figured out that side of superherodom, despite all the obvious intrigue and coolness factor around having one. But her hero Superman didn't have a secret identity, so she related mostly to him. Superman was just Superman all the time.

Pei's head continued to float around, occasionally battered and submerging under the waves. Maybe she'd get sucked out by a riptide. That'd shake things up.

Gathering her thoughts. Pei would go back to being comfortably extroverted as usual. She couldn't just hang out in the water forever.

Location: Boca Catalina, Aruba
Interactions: Quiver

---

Daphne finished her second half of the grilled corn. She put a napkin over both halves and folded it closed, ready to be tossed in the garbage container. Her stomach was filled up. Eating at regular intervals was something she had to readjust to again. It was only when she stopped using her verdant transformation that she realized how often she used it to skip meals, mostly out of convenience. Also worth mentioning during this train of thought was her months long coma, during which she also didn’t eat. At least not like her human self did. It definitely made her appreciate the normalcy of regular barbecue food.

Still lost in thoughts she stared into the distance, the sea and sand melting together. Her eyes became glazed and her thoughts a million miles away, as they often were. Until something snapped her back into the present. A shockingly white backside. Will was standing ankle deep in the ocean, his black hair swaying in the wind. There was something about him, an endearing quality. She could best compare it to a lost little boy, so new to some things in life. It made her want to help him find his way, despite her own shyness at times.

Daphne rummaged through her straw bag and retrieved a bottle of sunscreen. She got up and brushed some sand and a few pieces of stray corn off of her swim dress. The chest piece was light green eventually fading into a white skirt, similar to an upside down flower. It ruffled in the wind while she walked up to Will, pausing close to him a little ways to his left.

"I think you really need to use some of this if you're going to stand out here for a while." She said softly.

He acknowledged her quietly, a comfortable and familiar silence.

She squeezed a decent amount of sunscreen on her left palm and used her right hand to dot it all over his back.

"Sorry if it's a little cold."

Satisfied with her map of dots she gently started to massage it everywhere, not using any particular technique. She could sense he was slightly tense.

"Don't worry I won't try and strangle you this time, you're in safe hands...."

Quiver's eyes grew wide. Did this guy just mistake him for RAIN of all people!? He felt his face grow hot and felt steam blowing out of his ears. How could he have made such a mistake?



He looked over at the boy laying with Zatara and knew it must be Mateo - Zatara's boyfriend. His initial instinct was to yell out very animatedly and say something about how he obviously wasn't Rain as he was clearly way stronger looking and cooler!

Instead he gave Mateo an incredibly awkward thumbs-up, grimacing.

....and I'm an excellent swimmer...

He looked back at the ocean, watching the clear blue waves crashing against the shoreline. He could smell the grill working overtime for Talos, and the sounds of his teammates splashing around having fun. As he looked at the horizon, he felt the beach quiet around him, droning to silence as Quiver let only the sounds of the waves and crying gulls above were in his ears. He could feel the cool water running over his bare feet, and felt himself sinking into the wet sand.

He closed his eyes, despite the dark glasses that shielded his vision and felt the sun on his face. Moments later, the sounds and feeling of everything around him moved to the backward, as his sense of smell suddenly took priority - that aromatic flowery smell that signaled Daphne's approach. She stood slightly off to the side, gesturing with a bottle of sunblock.

"I think you really need to use some of this if you're going to stand out here for a while." She said softly.

He acknowledged her quietly, a comfortable and familiar silence. Something they were sharing a lot of recently. After the pro hero internship they all went on, Quiver's time had been a little in flux with his attentions. Between his recent new sessions with Black Canary, his frequent visits back to Star City, and a new emotional entanglement that was causing him various kinds of frustrations and concerns, he wasn't around at the base as often as usual. He wondered if Daphne noticed, and wondered if she thought maybe he was intentionally avoiding him. It was possible, if not entirely conscious. Now however, she was wearing a beautiful swim dress, again a sort of tribute to her connection to plant life. She looked ethereal standing next to him.

As she drew closer, Quiver felt himself grow tense. The flowery scent filling the air, even over the coconut-vanilla smell of the lotion. Her soft fingers against his skin raised the small hairs on the back of his neck. He felt his cheeks go red and he looked down at the sandy beach beneath his toes, trying to focus on the broken shells just out of view beneath the surface of the water. This gesture of kindness, her touch, he was grateful for both. He wondered if he could feel the violence on his skin. His time as a young Talon - a trained assassin by the Court of Owls - had subjected him to Electrum Treatment - a metallic alloy that grants it's assassins a type of light immortality that would allow them to reanimate muscle tissue and organs. Due to his low level as a trainee, he was given a primitive batch, and in his particularly damaging injuries, his scars and wounds would heal with the veins turning black in that area. Luckily they hadn't spread to any areas that weren't too noticeable. But the wound received from The Beast still had it's blackened tissue along his ribs. Not exactly the hot beach bod most teens would have wanted.

Quiver half smiled at Daphne's joke, remembering back to their first meeting. So much had happened since then, and even though she wasn't actively choking him, he was still struggling with speaking.

"Th-thanks. That's why I'm nervous, the threat of danger - definitely not the pretty girl rubbing my shoulders." He screamed internally

God damn it Ollie you are the worst possible influence

"Sorry, I shouldn't make jokes like that. Things being...the way they are." He looked over at Rain, who was currently judging some sort of underwater hand-stand contest between Mirage and Mateo. His brows furrowed.

"Feels like there's a lot of changes happening with us all at once. Including one of us actually having a new personality. Mirage makes it look easy, the way she feels. But with kidnappings, disappearances, and now you and - or whatever is happening with the others. I know I haven't really been...er...available to talk recently. There's just...a lot going on. Has everything been...good? Are you good? Things...good?"